Journey’s Arcane

by Eda Scott

Letting her former life find her was never part of the plan-and meeting a man with a dark, arcane past was certainly not in the cards.

Nora is breaking away from her life in Puth, North Dakota, determined to start fresh somewhere she can't be found. But first, she must return to the small town of Journey, Manitoba, to prevent her family from desecrating the historic castle she fell in love with as a child. Her quest leads her on a journey of love and mysticism when she encounters an unexpected ally, Leon the bartender, who holds a remarkable secret.

Visions of an ancient legend begin to haunt Nora, and as her connection with Leon deepens, so does the uncertainty. Her determination to preserve the king's legacy takes her to the heart of the castle's secrets. Opening Leon's perilous past, as it begins reaching for her - everything shatters.



Nora must summon courage to face her destiny, battling the unimaginable to save herself and protect the innocence of the enchanted town she loves. Will she succeed, or will darkness consume her?

448 pages, Paperback

Published June 6, 2024

About the author

Eda lives in the Midwest, where the weather is unpredictable, with her husband, son, and daughter. During the day Eda is a bookkeeper at a local consulting firm. Her evenings (and weekends) are filled with children’s activities and spending time with her family. At night when the children go to bed her passion comes to life. Unless there is a concert, then you will find her there.

Reviews

[Charlene (pageandplace) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes life takes you on an unexpected journey, filled with fascinating side quests!

If you thought your family was bad, Nora has to stop hers from desecrating a historic castle 🏰 Nora navigates some precarious situations during her quests for love and discovery/revelation while in Journey!

I absolutely adored the instalove and connection (through time and fate) between Nora and Leon 👑 They are just the cutest and these two quotes really brought the soul connection to forefront for me-
“My heart was going to show him how important he was to me.”

“This no longer felt like a story – it felt as if he was giving me instructions.”

The book was full of quirk and fun, the characters and their adventures!
“If they are a jerk, and if I fail, it will all still be worth it because I have met some of the most beautiful people because.” This small town has a lot more going that just what meets the eye. You could find yourself in a cave with an Egyptian God… who knows 🐻

This was a unique read with mixed mythologies, a bit of paranormal, found family, unexpected love and the ability to persevere. You will find what’s always meant to be 💖

Thank you to the author, Eda Scott, for the opportunity to read this book. I received a copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a captivating read with twists and turns around every corner! What a great debut novel for Eda Scott! Thank you Eda and Atmosphere Press!

TROPES/THEMES:
Touch her & die ☠️
Found family 🥰
Egyptian & Norse mythology 🐸
Mysticism 🔮
Second Act Breakup💔
Unexpected love 💕
Multiple men fighting over FMC 💪

Synopsis: Nora, a lighthearted goofy girl from Puth, sets out to leave behind her old life and make a new name for herself. First Nora seeks to stop her narcissistic family from ruining a historical castle that she grew up loving its history and its story of holding out for true love. This story has vibes of historical fiction meets paranormal romance and elements of mysticism and mythology. Along the way, Nora quickly finds unexpected love through a mysterious bartender, but it is not met without huge obstacles including overcoming the impossible, visions of King Leon’s past, threats to her mental wellbeing and life. Throughout the journey, Nora finds the family she always deserved. How far is Nora willing to go to fight for love and preserve the secrets of the castle and Journey?

Likes: Nora, Leon, the Hughes, found family, Journey’s small town community, the mysticism, the mythology

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Journey's Arcane by author Eda Scott is an entertaining read that is ultimately about a girl who finds herself in some very precarious situations that stem from trying to do what she believes is right.  This leads her down a path of romance and fighting for what you love through both real world and paranormal dangers, including run-ins with mythological gods themselves.

There are some very heavy, mature moments in the story, so reader beware in that regard, but they are integral to the story and to its character development.  There is some subtlety/unstated moments where I wondered why a character would react in the way they did, but further consideration made me realize that if it was me in that situation I may very well act in the same way.  

The Bad:
- For me the pacing was a bit up and down (but it was nothing too bad so this is somewhat nitpicky on my part)
- Some character reactions initially struck me as somewhat immature (see comments before this section about wondering why characters reacted the way they did)

The Good:
- Mixing of mythologies
- The paranormal aspects of the book were done well
- Doesn't hold back on mature themes
- The instant romance between the main characters plays out well.

Overall, I think that the good certainly outweighs the bad here, and Ms. Scott has done a fantastic (and difficult) job of weaving a wonderful, unique blend of fast romance, mythology, paranormal, and even heavier, mature moments that you won't see in many books.  I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Scott's story, despite the fact that this book is out of the typical genre I would normally read.  Her writing style of shorter, fast chapters and mix of themes kept me engaged, I found the characters interesting, and was truly invested in the story from start to finish.  There were various emotional moments throughout the story that I found myself reacting to, ranging from tearing up in anger to moments where I laughed out loud.

For a first effort in book publishing, I believe what Ms. Scott has achieved to be herculean.  Props to her on a fantastic first effort, and here's to hoping that more comes from her.   

[Amanda Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Journey’s Arcane was an epic adventure with paranormal aspects and a sprinkle of mythology. Each twist and turn of the plot keeps the reader turning the page to find out what happens next! This story follows Nora as she decides to separate herself from her well to do family with less than desirable morals. She has one final task to complete to right another potential wrong that her family is planning. Once this task is complete she plans to find somewhere to start her life over. Her plans all change when she meets a mysterious bartender that captures her attention and her heart. This was an exciting tale full of dysfunctional family systems, gaslighting, mythology and a small town banding together to save everything.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Journey’s Arcane follows the main character, Nora, as she stops in a small town in Canada to accomplish a goal with the intention of leaving soon after. Her plans change as she quickly begins to fall for the local bartender, Leon, who is hiding a mysterious past. Based on the book description and the book cover, I thought this would be a fantasy romance with gothic vibes but I was wrong. This book felt like it couldn’t decide on what it wanted to be and threw a lot of things together that didn’t really fit, giving it a very chaotic feel. Nora’s motivations and actions read more like a YA novel in their level of immaturity. Conversely, several scenes that warrant trigger warnings for SA, DV, suicidal ideation, and more litter this book but no trigger warnings were given. I feel strongly that this book should have a sensitivity read through and the addition of trigger warnings. The bones of the overarching plot were interesting but all in all this book was not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atmosphere Press for the eARC of this book.

[Deidra Hurt · Rating 3 out of 5]

First let me state I got this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review of it. I unfortunately found myself DNFing this book, while some parts were interesting and I wanted to figure out, I found the female mc hard to connect with and the story just wasn’t for me at this point in time. However, I might come back to it later to give it a try. Not all books are for everyone, but I could tell the passion and effort that definitely went into this book and I think for now for me I just am not in the right spot to truly enjoy this book.
If you like quirky main characters, insta love, and a little mystery with your fantasy this book could definitely be worth a try!
Lastly I will say this for her debut book it did interest me enough to give it a second go later on and try books she may decide to publish in the future.

[Erin M. Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good, I loved how the author blended together Egyptian mythology and the paranormal together. Even threw in a little Norse mythology. I received this book from the author herself, and I'm sorry that it took me so long to read it. Once I sat down and spread those pages, I was drawn into the story of Nora and Leon and immediately immersed into a love so pure between the two of them, that Nora without knowing it she broke a centuries old curse. I am definitely looking forward to more stories written by this wonderful author and her brilliant storytelling.