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The Mundane and the Arcane
Nineteen year-old Remo wastes his days wishing his real life could match up with the excitement of his fantasy books. The monotony and loneliness of his work as a healer is broken up only by the promise of his favorite novels waiting for him at home; the only worlds he wished to participate in existing only on paper.
But when he finds a message in a bottle washed up in a cave of his seaside village, he soon learns that there might be more to ordinary reality than meets the eye. The message's astrological allegory sends him on an illegal quest fueled by his curiosity to discover its meaning -- and his fragile hope that real life might contain a glimmer of magic.
His journey across kingdoms leads him to an underground school where he begins a study of the banned subject Astrology alongside his newfound companions, an exile and a minstrel. When a threat is made against Remo's kingdom by Terramundi's Empire, the friends find themselves entangled in a secret, dangerous mission to build a protective astrological talisman. In his pursuit of magic, Remo learns that the price of truly living life, rather than reading about the lives of others, comes at the risk of his heart, his work, and his freedom -- and finds that his own story is seemingly being written by the hand of fate itself.
But when he finds a message in a bottle washed up in a cave of his seaside village, he soon learns that there might be more to ordinary reality than meets the eye. The message's astrological allegory sends him on an illegal quest fueled by his curiosity to discover its meaning -- and his fragile hope that real life might contain a glimmer of magic.
His journey across kingdoms leads him to an underground school where he begins a study of the banned subject Astrology alongside his newfound companions, an exile and a minstrel. When a threat is made against Remo's kingdom by Terramundi's Empire, the friends find themselves entangled in a secret, dangerous mission to build a protective astrological talisman. In his pursuit of magic, Remo learns that the price of truly living life, rather than reading about the lives of others, comes at the risk of his heart, his work, and his freedom -- and finds that his own story is seemingly being written by the hand of fate itself.
- GenresFantasy
Unknown Binding
Published March 2, 2022
7 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 27, 2022
The Mundane and the Arcane is a fantastic debut novel and soon to be series! The writing, storytelling, and characters are beautiful and relatable. The friendships in this book are EVERYTHING! I was also pleasantly surprised to feel so attached to a male MC like I never have before and I’m super excited to see where Remo’s story goes.
June 21, 2022
This book was entrancing, magical, and all around amazing. From the witty banter, lovable and varied characters, their growth and relationships, easy yet intricate world building and politics, and completely enchanting story, The Mundane and the Arcane has it all and more. Dani has created a captivating tale that will speak to the heart of any book lover out there wishing they could be part of the stories they read. It’s extremely relatable, beautifully written, and I cannot wait for book 2!
April 9, 2022
Loved every second! This is a fast paced adventure perfect for those who love stories like Harry Potter. Remo and his friends are incredibly loveable and you will feel like part of the group as you experience all the highs and lows. Also perfect for those with an interest in Astrology but no prior knowledge is needed to understand the story (I have little to no Astrology knowledge!) I am very excited for the next book!
April 1, 2022
I really enjoyed The Mundane and the Arcane. It was a wonderful and magical novel.
Remo and his friends are adorable characters and it’s nice to see them grow with their tasks. I absolutely loved the story and I’m excited for the second book!
Remo and his friends are adorable characters and it’s nice to see them grow with their tasks. I absolutely loved the story and I’m excited for the second book!
March 16, 2022
Thank you to Dani for an early copy of this wonderful book. <3
I love Remo and his love for fantasy. I loved the friends he made and the personal growth he experienced throughout the story. I felt like I was pulled right into the world from the pages by the beautiful descriptions.
The Astrology aspect of the book was fascinating as I realised I have a very basic knowledge of it but I found myself eager to learn more and more.
All in all if you love books with adventure, friendships and love then you will enjoy this book. One of my favourite highlights was..
"He desperately wanted magic to be real. But of course, magic wasn't of this world. This depressed him so greatly it was like a constant dull ache in his heart that he'd learned to live with"
Cannot wait for book two to join Remo, Andrea and Lyra for more adventures!
I love Remo and his love for fantasy. I loved the friends he made and the personal growth he experienced throughout the story. I felt like I was pulled right into the world from the pages by the beautiful descriptions.
The Astrology aspect of the book was fascinating as I realised I have a very basic knowledge of it but I found myself eager to learn more and more.
All in all if you love books with adventure, friendships and love then you will enjoy this book. One of my favourite highlights was..
"He desperately wanted magic to be real. But of course, magic wasn't of this world. This depressed him so greatly it was like a constant dull ache in his heart that he'd learned to live with"
Cannot wait for book two to join Remo, Andrea and Lyra for more adventures!
April 4, 2022
This book was SO MUCH FUN! A wonderful debut novel that hits all the right notes. Action, adventure, wanderlust, romance, and magic. The astrology element was so interesting and I enjoyed learning about it while going on an adventure with Remo and his friends. This book is all about growth, change and the power of friendship. Please do yourself a favor and this this amazing book. I can't wait for book two!
April 13, 2022
Loved Dani's debut novel! The characters felt so real & relatable. The writing is easy to follow and imagine while also keeping humor & emotion alive. The world building and magic system is thorough, but not dump! It's truly woven in the storyline like a map that everyone journeys together. Can't wait to see more of everyone's story!
November 19, 2024
I'm currently reading this book and follow the author on tiktok. I desperately want to like it as everything about the world and the reviews were so appealing-that being said it's very hard to make it through. It's too repetitive. The same words are used over and over within the same sentence or paragraphs. The first 3 pages are mostly just stating that the main character is saddened that magic isn't real and that he loses himself in books.
The characters aren't very well fleshed out and the dialogue is slightly lacking. It seems as though it needs abit more editing and revision.
I want to love this book and am hoping it picks up as I power through and will update my review accordingly
Update: i stand by my previous review. I feel like it has much potential to be a phenomenal book but needs heavy editing.
The characters aren't very well fleshed out and the dialogue is slightly lacking. It seems as though it needs abit more editing and revision.
I want to love this book and am hoping it picks up as I power through and will update my review accordingly
Update: i stand by my previous review. I feel like it has much potential to be a phenomenal book but needs heavy editing.
July 26, 2022
Outstanding. This book (soon to be series, yay!) has excellent world building and character development. I really enjoyed watching Remo grow into himself and evolve over the course of the book. Remo felt very relatable in a way that was refreshing. The overall astrology and arcane aspects felt well researched and fit nicely into the overall story without feeling forced for the sake of plot. I can honestly say I’m impatiently waiting for Book 2.
August 10, 2022
Intriguing
Interesting characters, some great emotional moments. The astrology was easily explained. 3.5
Some minor editing errors were missed. Some narration was stiff
Interesting characters, some great emotional moments. The astrology was easily explained. 3.5
Some minor editing errors were missed. Some narration was stiff
March 11, 2022
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book and it was honestly such a beautiful, funny and heart-warming story. Dani has made me fall in love with so many characters - not just her main character Remo (who is still such a joy to read about. He's funny, touching and relatable in so many ways!) but also her numerous side characters! Even so much as a small side character that doesn't have much page time, I was invested in their backstory and who they were and I genuinely cared so much about them! Even one of the villains I found compelling in that I really understood why the villain did the things that they did, even if I (obviously!) didn't agree with it. The villains didn't feel like caricatures who are evil for the sake of being evil - you can see their motivations and why they did what they did, and it makes them all so much more real!
The over-arching story about astrology isn't something that I'm particularly familiar about, but its been fun learning about it as the characters do as well!
There are several romance subplots, some that end happier and some that don't - but they all left an impression on me and I can't wait to see how a certain relationship between two of the characters develops in the future!
Dani's writing style is beautiful - Remo has just enough introspection that I really understood who he is as a person and his motivations, without it being pages and pages of internal dialogue that can be difficult to slog through. The prose and descriptions are amazing, it invoked a real feeling of how I felt playing Skyrim in terms of how real the world felt to me. Also, there's lots of evocative food descriptions which was so much fun to read, but also made me very hungry ;)
All in all, this is a beautiful novel about friendship, family and destiny - and I'd recommend it to anyone who asks! Dani is going to be an amazing author I just know it - because this, her first novel, is just stunning and she will only continue to grow and get better from here onwards!
I can't wait for the sequel <3
The over-arching story about astrology isn't something that I'm particularly familiar about, but its been fun learning about it as the characters do as well!
There are several romance subplots, some that end happier and some that don't - but they all left an impression on me and I can't wait to see how a certain relationship between two of the characters develops in the future!
Dani's writing style is beautiful - Remo has just enough introspection that I really understood who he is as a person and his motivations, without it being pages and pages of internal dialogue that can be difficult to slog through. The prose and descriptions are amazing, it invoked a real feeling of how I felt playing Skyrim in terms of how real the world felt to me. Also, there's lots of evocative food descriptions which was so much fun to read, but also made me very hungry ;)
All in all, this is a beautiful novel about friendship, family and destiny - and I'd recommend it to anyone who asks! Dani is going to be an amazing author I just know it - because this, her first novel, is just stunning and she will only continue to grow and get better from here onwards!
I can't wait for the sequel <3
March 14, 2022
This book is like a fairy tale and I will recommend it to everyone. We follow Remo into an adventure and him finding love, friendship and happiness. Remo is so relatable, and I often found myself within him. The story is really good and you love Remo and his friends (Lyra and Andrea - I love you both). The villains have a great backstory and their actions are explained so well.
A big part of the story was astrology and let me tell you - me knowing that a sun sign exists was a wonder going in. But Danielle Cerrone explains the important things so well and it really sparked an interest in me, so that I looked up some things myself during my reading time. So this should not deter anyone from reading The Mundane and the Arcane because it's really so damn good.
Now onto the writing style: I was enchanted. I really mean it when I say it's a fairy tale because the language used is pure magic and I enjoyed it so much. Danielle spins the words together so well that I copied some passages right out of the book so I can see them again and again. I also plan to reread this book again and again and again (and I am going to purchase it as a physical copy because I need it on my shelves).
I can't wait to get my hands on book 2!
A big part of the story was astrology and let me tell you - me knowing that a sun sign exists was a wonder going in. But Danielle Cerrone explains the important things so well and it really sparked an interest in me, so that I looked up some things myself during my reading time. So this should not deter anyone from reading The Mundane and the Arcane because it's really so damn good.
Now onto the writing style: I was enchanted. I really mean it when I say it's a fairy tale because the language used is pure magic and I enjoyed it so much. Danielle spins the words together so well that I copied some passages right out of the book so I can see them again and again. I also plan to reread this book again and again and again (and I am going to purchase it as a physical copy because I need it on my shelves).
I can't wait to get my hands on book 2!
April 26, 2022
Spoiler free review!
Wonderfully well written, had me hooked from the start. You wil laugh and cry with this book, but you will be eager to go with Remo on his travels and his adventures.
Character development is perfect, there is so much detail throughout the book. Even had me looking into astrology and my own Natal chart.
The friendship between Remo, Andrea, and Lyra is one we all should have and it's so great to see the diversity in how each character acts and behaves. Their journeys on their own and how they come together as a group for their adventures is one that leaves you wanting more.
So excited for the second book and to delve more into the world of the Arcane Arts with Remo and his crew.
Wonderfully well written, had me hooked from the start. You wil laugh and cry with this book, but you will be eager to go with Remo on his travels and his adventures.
Character development is perfect, there is so much detail throughout the book. Even had me looking into astrology and my own Natal chart.
The friendship between Remo, Andrea, and Lyra is one we all should have and it's so great to see the diversity in how each character acts and behaves. Their journeys on their own and how they come together as a group for their adventures is one that leaves you wanting more.
So excited for the second book and to delve more into the world of the Arcane Arts with Remo and his crew.
March 11, 2022
This book has that wonderful of someone reading you a fairytale. And simultaneously calling you out for wanting to live in your favorite stories. All while you're falling in love with the characters. Can't wait for the next book!
April 7, 2022
I really enjoyed the book! I loved that I was able to really connect with Remo as the MC. The world building and friendships that are built in this book are creative and fun. The magic throughout the book felt different and refreshing. Can’t wait for the next one!!
April 12, 2022
This book is beautifully written and the world is so full. I loved every moment reading the book and I absolutely cannot wait to see what is coming next 😌 highly recommend to anyone who loves fantasy, adventure, and romance. This book has it all!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews