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The Arcanum Order #1
The Bloodfire Oath
Not yet published
Expected 1 Dec 26Win a free print copy of this book!
1 day and 23:38:13
50 copies available
U.S. only
The first book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Chloe C. Peñaranda is back with a brand new romantasy, featuring a heroine with untapped magic as she forges an uneasy alliance with one of the most dangerous leaders of the Guild.
Magic takes more than blood. It demands your soul.
Under the iron fist of the Arcanum Order, magic belongs to the elite. By day, Scythe scrapes by in the city’s poorest district, by night she's a paid assassin to provide for her family. When a job goes sideways, Scythe makes a desperate play: steal an invitation into the Guild, the Order’s stronghold where initiates are tested, broken, and buried in the ruthless pursuit of claiming magic.
Then Asher Kyrell – the Guild’s most enigmatic leader – claims her as his apprentice.
Forced to work by his side, Scythe begins to uncover fractures within the “perfect” Arcanum Order. Devotion demanded in blood and soul. And as Scythe’s lessons with Asher draw them closer, and dangers bind them tighter, Scythe can’t be certain if Asher is her greatest ally, or the most devastating lie of all.
The threat is not only the demons that hunt them, but what has been watching from within all along. When her loyalty is put to the test, Scythe risks losing everything, including her soul. Or she could become the spark that ignites a rebellion she never saw coming.
Magic takes more than blood. It demands your soul.
Under the iron fist of the Arcanum Order, magic belongs to the elite. By day, Scythe scrapes by in the city’s poorest district, by night she's a paid assassin to provide for her family. When a job goes sideways, Scythe makes a desperate play: steal an invitation into the Guild, the Order’s stronghold where initiates are tested, broken, and buried in the ruthless pursuit of claiming magic.
Then Asher Kyrell – the Guild’s most enigmatic leader – claims her as his apprentice.
Forced to work by his side, Scythe begins to uncover fractures within the “perfect” Arcanum Order. Devotion demanded in blood and soul. And as Scythe’s lessons with Asher draw them closer, and dangers bind them tighter, Scythe can’t be certain if Asher is her greatest ally, or the most devastating lie of all.
The threat is not only the demons that hunt them, but what has been watching from within all along. When her loyalty is put to the test, Scythe risks losing everything, including her soul. Or she could become the spark that ignites a rebellion she never saw coming.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication December 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
remind-me-once-out
March 9, 2026I saw the art for this, and so I'm here
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
soft DNF for me, because i just couldn’t understand FMC’s decisions. instead of simply giving that invitation back to the guy, she decides to get herself involved, then kills mage, signs a stolen document and ends up in prison.
and then she starts praying because she could almost orphaned sister and who would take care of her in the future… girl, maybe don’t create all these problems for yourself in the first place? 😭
i also struggled with ARC itself. it was barely edited and personally, it made book much harder to enjoy
unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me
maybe i’ll give it another chance and finish it once official kindle version is published
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for ARC.
and then she starts praying because she could almost orphaned sister and who would take care of her in the future… girl, maybe don’t create all these problems for yourself in the first place? 😭
i also struggled with ARC itself. it was barely edited and personally, it made book much harder to enjoy
unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me
maybe i’ll give it another chance and finish it once official kindle version is published
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Sisterly love, forbidden romance, rebellion, betrayal and stolen magic - a recipe for a great read. After The Dark is Descending I was so hoping this would be good... And it is, with a few caveats.
An impulsive thief meets a (seemingly) upright mentor after she cheats her way into a magical academy... And her sister gets thrown to the sharks along with her. The Bloodfire Oath follows their journey: sacrifice, familial relationships and self-discovery - and it also has yearning. So much yearning. But forgotten and hidden truths can never stay under the radar for long, and ultimately they surface to create chaos.
One of the biggest issues for me was that the FMCs name gave the game away pretty early on - and another reveal at the end was also overtly trailed. In some ways knowing where it was going was a good thing - it created a suspense - but I would have preferred not to see the twists coming.
I received an ARC, and I really struggled with the language: grammatical mistakes, misuse of words, sentence structure and typos were there in abundance. I wouldn't mention it if it was here or there, but it was so common that it interrupted the flow - especially at the beginning. I would have DNF'd at 5% if I wasn't reading to review, and that would have been a real shame because I really enjoyed the story.
Overall, this was a great read, but it sorely needs another thorough edit.
---
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
An impulsive thief meets a (seemingly) upright mentor after she cheats her way into a magical academy... And her sister gets thrown to the sharks along with her. The Bloodfire Oath follows their journey: sacrifice, familial relationships and self-discovery - and it also has yearning. So much yearning. But forgotten and hidden truths can never stay under the radar for long, and ultimately they surface to create chaos.
One of the biggest issues for me was that the FMCs name gave the game away pretty early on - and another reveal at the end was also overtly trailed. In some ways knowing where it was going was a good thing - it created a suspense - but I would have preferred not to see the twists coming.
I received an ARC, and I really struggled with the language: grammatical mistakes, misuse of words, sentence structure and typos were there in abundance. I wouldn't mention it if it was here or there, but it was so common that it interrupted the flow - especially at the beginning. I would have DNF'd at 5% if I wasn't reading to review, and that would have been a real shame because I really enjoyed the story.
Overall, this was a great read, but it sorely needs another thorough edit.
---
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for my arc, I really appreciate it.
This was a really enjoyable read. It was fast paced and I was desperate to stay awake and finish it.
It hooked me in from the beginning. Our FMC, Scythe is an female assassin/spy sent on a mission to kill a target and steal the letter they have concealed on their person, I mean what's more gripping than that!
Throw in deadly trials to gain entry to an elite academy, a really interesting magic system and a brooding MMC who is also gentle (he tends to her wounds) and you're in for a treat.
I particularly liked the different types of demons, that was really interesting.
I'm looking forward to the next instalment.
This was a really enjoyable read. It was fast paced and I was desperate to stay awake and finish it.
It hooked me in from the beginning. Our FMC, Scythe is an female assassin/spy sent on a mission to kill a target and steal the letter they have concealed on their person, I mean what's more gripping than that!
Throw in deadly trials to gain entry to an elite academy, a really interesting magic system and a brooding MMC who is also gentle (he tends to her wounds) and you're in for a treat.
I particularly liked the different types of demons, that was really interesting.
I'm looking forward to the next instalment.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews