Today I’m reviewing An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields. I’m a sucker for dark academia, or really any academia-related fiction. So, when I saw this book pop up in an Orbit newsletter, I couldn’t resist, especially with it being comped to The Atlas Six. Did the story live up to the hype in my head? Read on to find out!
From Sydney Shields, the breakout author of The Honey Witch, comes An Arcane Study of Stars, a historical dark academia fantasy filled with ancient secret societies, a swoon-worthy rivals-to-lovers romance, and dangerous deals made after dark. Perfect for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Atlas Six.
Claudia Jolicoeur shouldn’t be here.
When she was rejected from Cygnus, her dream occult university, she was supposed to live out her life as the wife of an old man, a pawn sacrificed for her father’s debts. But her celestial magic is rare enough to attract a desperate demon named Dorian, and when he offers her a bargain—acceptance to Cygnus in exchange for his freedom—she accepts.
As she unravels the mystery of Dorian’s prison of stars, the only thing standing in her way is the handsome, cruel academic star of Cygnus: Cassius MacLeod. What begins as a fierce rivalry devolves into something deeper, darker, and dangerously sensual. Now caught in the center of an ancient curse, Claudia must decide who she can trust—and who she must kill.
***Thank you to Redhook/Orbit Books for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***
If I was rating An Arcane Study of Stars based on vibes alone, it would be an easy 5 stars. I found the writing to be compulsively readable and easy to follow. The story had many of my favorite elements of the dark academia subgenre, including murder, a contemptuous rivalry, and forbidden knowledge, among others. The general setup of the story oozed academia to me. There was quite a lot of classroom content, and I found the lectures on rhetorical theory and magic quite interesting. Furthermore, the idea of magic based in desire and the FMC’s seemingly insatiable appetite for knowledge and power felt congruent with what I’d expect from this genre.
One of my favorite things about An Arcane Study of Stars was the central rivalry between Claudia and Cassius. They immediately got under each other’s skin, and the tension between them pushed Claudia to constantly try to beat Cassius. Their dynamic was fun to read with some good banter, and I was really rooting for Claudia to put Cassius’s smug self in his place. lol. Claudia really grew a lot, and I enjoyed seeing her come into her own as both a scholar and a person who believed in her own worth. I expected things to turn romantic between the rivals at some point, but the change turned on a dime. They veered from hating each other to the point of physical violence to having a sub/dom relationship in the blink of an eye. It gave me whiplash and didn’t feel earned at all. The switch to romance and kink also messed with the academic rivalry vibes they originally had, which was disappointing.
The plot of An Arcane Study of Stars was engaging and interesting. It just felt a little too much like reading two different books. The first half largely focused on the academic rivalry and Claudia becoming acclimated to the school. There was lots of time spent in class, which I loved. In the second half of the story, the focus shifted to figuring out the murder mystery and dealing with how to free Dorian from his prison of stars. There was a lot going on for a standalone book, and it felt like the latter half was overstuffed a bit with reveals and major plot moments. I think it would have worked better for me if Claudia had been somewhat more active in the murder investigation and/or Dorian’s story earlier on. For large swaths of the book, it felt almost like she just wasn’t worried about her promise to free Dorian. It also didn’t help that most of the answers in the first half of the book came from randomly appearing journal entries that just so conveniently included dialogue with information to push the plot forward. It seemed a bit lazy. That being said, I did really like most of the plot arcs. I just wish they had been more evenly distributed throughout the story.
The biggest weakness of An Arcane Study of Stars was the world-building. I really liked the idea behind the magic, especially the branch tied to the stars. Everything else about the setting was lacking in detail, though. I was left with so many questions in the end. Where did the school come from and how long had it existed? When exactly was the story set? What impact did this school have on the outside world and how did those impacts alter the world of the story from the real world? With the heavy focus on Greek philosophy and mythology in this story, why was there no discussion on if/how the Greek pantheon was related to the gods in the story? Do all gods from all mythologies around the world contain magic of some sort? If not, why not? The questions could go on and on. All detail of the wider world, and even much of the history of the magical institution itself, was ignored. It didn’t impact my enjoyment too much, but the gaps in knowledge were noticeable.
I can’t finish this review without discussing Bishop, Claudia’s pet snake. So… I hate snakes. Seriously. I passionately LOATHE them, which is unfortunate considering I grew up in a literal swamp. lol. Bishop plays a big role in this book, and I did find myself cringing about it at times, especially when people were giving him nose boops and forehead kisses. Like, WTF. That being said, Bishop was written with such a charming personality that he may actually be my favorite character in this book. Shields being able to make me like a snake, who isn’t a speaking character by the way, is reason enough for me to recommend this book.
All in all, An Arcane Study of Stars was a great story full of all the things that I love about dark academia. The world could’ve used a bit more detail, and the plot could’ve been more even in its reveals. Despite those few qualms, I really enjoyed my time with this story and its characters. Therefore, I rate this book 3.75 out of 5 stars.
There you have it! My thoughts on An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields. Do you enjoy dark academia? Are you planning to pick this one up? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!