If you are in the mood for something post apocalyptic…but with a fascinating arcane twist, then the Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole is perfect for you. Packed with romance, action and tarot card lore the Arcana Chronicles will keep you gripped from the tragic beginning to the bitter end.

arcana chronicles header

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Our thoughts on the Arcana Chronicles…

In the last decade there have been many post apocalyptic and dystopian young adult series, just think The Hunger Games or Divergent. You many think you are tired of them. But Kresley Cole refreshed the genre with the Arcana Chronicles. It has Kresley Cole’s signature writing style, characters bursting with personality, and world gone wild. It’s the kind of world that will have you desperate to know its secret…but perhaps never actually want to visit yourself.

The Arcana Chronicles has a unique and entertaining premise based on the lore behind Tarot Cards, it quite literally brings it to life in a very dangerous game. The series is packed with betrayals, secrets and lies in a fight for survival and to finally stop the game. It also features one of the ultimate love triangles, which depending on your view is either a great thing or the worst. Either way it really packs in the angst and emotion! 

We really recommend you check out the Arcana Chronicles, you’re in for a thrilling ride and you may just find your next book boyfriend (or two)!  But fair warning, don’t get too attached to any of these characters.  It is a battle to the death after all.

The Arcana Chronicles Series Synopsis

In Kresley Cole’s own words….

Origins of the Arcana

Millennia ago, the gods grew bored.  So Isis, the goddess of magic and wisdom, devised entertainment: a contest to the death for select mortals.  She invited gods of other realms to each choose a representative from their most prestigious house, a mortal under the age of twenty five who would carry the god’s emblem into battle.

These players would fight inside Tar Ro (ancient Egyptian for royal road), a sacred realm as large as a thousand kingdoms.  Isis plagued Tar Ro with disasters to honor various gods and to fuel conflicts between the players.

With each kill, a player would harvest a god’s emblem from an opponent, which would then appear on his or her own hand; only the player who collected all the others’ emblems would leave Tar Ro alive – as an immortal victor.

Naturally, the deities cheated, gifting his or her representative with superhuman abilities.  Secret abilities.  Thus the players became known as Arcana.

This vicious Tar Ro game proved so popular with the gods that they decided to host it every few centuries in different lands across the mortal plane until the end of time.

Deprived of their lifeblood – worshippers’ prayers – these old deities are thought to have moved on to other worlds, but their legacies live on.  On the eve of a new game, each god’s magic seeks out a descendant from his or her House of Arcana.

Players are transformed; a new game is dealt.  The earth suffers in their wake.

The object of the game: trump every other card by any means necessary, slaying opponents to collect their emblems, now known as icons.  In the end, the winner “holding all the cards” will be made immortal until all the others reincarnate to play again.

Present day

THE CHARACTERS ON TAROT CARDS ARE REAL.

The Huntress, the Fool, Death, the Lovers . . . and eighteen other Major Arcana all exist. These warriors, femme fatales, magicians, and devils each have uniquely lethal powers.

AND THEY’RE COMING FOR ME.

To survive, I’ll have to embrace my own terrifying abilities—and team up with dangerously handsome Jack Deveaux, one of the few people I know that also survived the Flash. But if Jack ever beholds what I truly am, will he abandon me to my fate . . . ?

Read the Arcana Chronicles if you like…

  • Books with plenty of action
  • Something a little post apocalyptic and dystopian
  • The mystical! Especially Tarot Cards and lore
  • Love triangles and all the associated angst and emotion
  • Battle Royales
  • The Hunger Games and Divergent
Want more books similar to the arcana chronicles?
check these out!

The Arcana Chronicles Reading Order

poison princess-kresley-cole
BOOK 1
Endless Knight by Kresley Cole
BOOK 2
Dead of Winter by Kresley Cole
BOOK 3
Day Zero by Kresley Cole
BOOK 4
Arcana Rising by Kresley Cole
BOOK 5
The Dark Calling by Kresley Cole
BOOK 6
from-the-grave-kresley-cole
BOOK 7

The Arcana Chronicles Book List

  1. Poison Princess (book 1)
  2. Endless Knight (book 2)
  3. Dead of Winter (book 3)
  4. Day Zero (book 4)
  5. Arcana Rising (book 5)
  6. The Dark Calling (book 6)
  7. From the Grave (book 7)

Our reviews of the Arcana Chronicles series

Our reviews of the Arcana Chronicles series by Kresley Cole have been published on Under the Covers Book Blog over the years and can now be found here.

I should never have doubted Kresley Cole. To tell you the truth, I was worried in the beginning. I adore Cole’s Immortals After Dark series so I wondered how she would fare writing a YA novel. The opening chapter had me lost because it is a complete 360 to what I am used to from her. But I kept with it and found that KC puts a lot of effort into her debut YA novel. She makes use of the frame narrative where there is a story within a story and I found that it works very well with this book. It opens up with Arthur’s POV, which you will learn more about him as you read, and then it goes into Evie’s POV who is our protagonist.

Evie Greene is snatched out of her perfect life. Her designer clothes, lavish mansion and preppy boyfriend are useless when it comes to her hallucinations. Evie has been hearing voices and having visions for awhile now and she just came back from a trip to the crazy house. Now, as school is starting up again, a new crew of troublemakers are making their way into their school and Evie and her friends are not happy about it. The leader of the group is Jackson Deveaux and he is a Cajun hottie. With an accent that is to die for and a motorcycle that makes him a badass, Jack is the hottest thing that has come to Sterling in a long while.

It’s too bad that right off the bat Evie and Jack hate each other. They are from opposite ends of the spectrum – Evie is rich while Jackson is not. And that causes some problems for them. However, there is also this undeniable spark between the two that happens when they first meet each other. I have to say that I was impressed by KC’s ability to straddle the line between love and hate between Evie and Jackson. One moment their hatred for each other is so potent and the next, they are hot and heavy. I wasn’t sure how I would like Jack, but in the end, I found that there were great qualities in him as a character that I had to admire.

The first half of the book explores Evie’s confusion. She has several warnings and visions, yet she doesn’t know what they mean. KC keeps readers in the dark for the first half of the book so that you are as confused but determined to find out what it all means as Evie.

It isn’t until the latter half of the book where I felt all the pieces finally clicked into place. KC does a spectacular job of plotting out this book so that every little detail matches up. I especially loved Arthur’s perspective later on because it only added more excitement to the storyline.

There were parts in this book that were jaw-dropping. Like, I literally stopped and had to pick up my jaw from the floor. The word “shocking” doesn’t seem to cover it. I have to commend KC for being able to pull a fast one on me. It was fantastic.

Many of you are probably wondering about the level of sexiness in this book. As I said earlier, Jackson is a hottie. But I have also read a few YA books and have to say that this one is a little more sexier than previous YA novels. There’s great sexual tension, there’s some angst, some juicy jealously and some heated moments.

I loved the idea of the Arcana and how KC integrated that idea into this series. It’s smart and fun and refreshing because it takes the whole apocalypse idea and gives it a nice spin on it. And also, with an ending like that, I definitely need my hands on the next book! I need to know what happens next!

Reviewed by Annie originally posted on Under the Covers Book Blog October 2, 2012

ENDLESS KNIGHT is for readers who has a vast imagination, love dramatics and enjoy being blindsided every once in awhile. You can be sure that you won’t be bored while reading a Kresley Cole book.

In the second book of the Arcana Chronicles, Cole further explores the dystopian world that she has expertly built but this time, readers are in the front seat and we get a whole new experience as the player’s powers manifest. I would probably read the first book of the series before you read this one. A lot of the worldbuilding is introduced in the first book and now with this book, the game is in play. Cole doesn’t really wait around very much but instead drives you deep into the action and the tricks. For new readers, I would definitely think you’d be lost if you didn’t read Poison Princess first.

Jackson and Evie have this mounting tension that continues to rise and rise until you wonder whenever is it going to finally erupt! As a romance author, Cole excels are writing sexual tension so it’s really no wonder how that made it into this series. For fans of her adult books, I would say that there is a big chance you’d enjoy this series as well. I don’t think Cole tones down her writing style or her complex world and plot. Cole is a mastermind when it comes to writing so that will always be in her books regardless of what genre she writes. This series is a little more sexier than most YA and for me, that’s always a fantastic thing.

One thing I was very impressed about is Cole’s imagination. She constantly surprises readers with unique, original ideas and with this series, you can tell that she had had a lot of creative freedom to explore what’s in her mind. Intricate details are revealed, further making this series one to come back to again and again.

Reviewed by Annie originally posted on Under the Covers Book Blog October 9, 2013

Kresley Cole has tackled so many genres and in my opinion, has succeeded in them all. However, in the wake of the Immortals After Dark series and the erotically charged The Professional, the Arcana Chronicles gets slightly overlooked and I think it’s due to the fact that it’s marketed as Young Adult. Yes, the characters are younger, but don’t be fooled into thinking it tackles those younger subjects you find in most YA books. Cole creates a much more grittier world that dabbles with a lot of sexual themes. Even in the first book of the series, Jack and Evie battle this intense lust for one another that gets explored more in the following books. As a result, you get a series that is sensual and deadly.

DEAD OF WINTER wastes no time at all getting to the heart of the matter. Evie is back in action, fighting for her life all while having to choose between which guy she wants – Death or Jack. The Lovers have taken him and as the pressure mounts and the stakes continue to get higher, the question of whether Evie can get Death and Jack to work together is a challenge all on its own.

Cole’s writing is a bit different in this series. It’s a bit more choppier, more action-focused than the other books she has written. Though not my preferred style of writing, I can definitely understand why she did it. A lot of things go on, things based on prophecy and predictions that nothing is quite set in stone. Readers are tossed into the story quite quickly without any real warning. But if you think because it’s YA, it isn’t as intense, you’re wrong. Cole injects the series with heady passion and pulls off some amazing twists and turns.

Fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Lux series, Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy and Wendy Higgins’ Sweet trilogy would definitely get a kick out of this!

Reviewed by Annie originally posted on Under the Covers Book Blog January 8, 2015

Fans of the Arcana Chronicles, this should be a no brainer for you.  You MUST pick this up and read.  Day Zero is just the teaser you need to leave you wanting more Arcana.  Good thing we don’t have long to wait for more.  If you haven’t started the series, I don’t recommend that you start here.  I think it’s really enjoyable after you’ve met all the Arcana players to go back and get a different perspective on each one.  So read in the order the stories are published!

That being said… DAY ZERO is exactly what it sounds.  It’s a collection of stories told from the point of view of most of the Arcana players about exactly what they were doing, who they were and what they knew about the game when the Flash happened.  Going back to Day Zero.  It was sooooo interesting to see things from their perspectives, even if some of them have been put in certain situations throughout the game and they are the farthest from where they were at at Day Zero.

Another thing this book did…it’s left me DYING for the next book.  Dying I tell you!  There is something so unique about this world that immediately sucks me in and I never want to come up for air.  And a big part of that are our main love interests.  Can I just say…. I’m so confused.  When I started reading Dead of Winter I was so sure I knew what I wanted, then that book happened.  And by the end (especially that very last scene in the book) I was torn.  TORN!  I thought it was so simple.  Then it wasn’t.  And then this novella comes out and I see small glimpses from both sides that have left me even more confused.  So there, I’m Team Undecided.  Now give me the next book so I can find out what happens next.   Because I need it in my greedy paws immediately.

If this review didn’t make any sense to you, I suggest you start with book 1.  Don’t be fooled by the fact this is a YA series.  Kresley Cole has an intense style to her writing that has translated very well into this unique world where tarot cards are actually people, and they have powers, and they are trying to kill each other in a game to the death.  And that game has repeated itself through many reincarnations until the one we are left with now.  Read it and become obsessed like I am.  You still have time to catch up before the next one comes out.

Reviewed by Francesca originally posted on Under the Covers Book Blog August 5, 2016

ARCANA RISING picks up where DEAD OF WINTER left off and that is a world of heartbreak and despair.  I will try to make this review completely spoiler free just in case you haven’t read the series yet, in which case you need to move your butt and get started.  Now lets get into what I really liked about this book.

ARCANA RISING will make your heart race. It’s packed with enough action and desolate settings to keep you on the edge of your seat and lets not mistake this for just another young adult story.  This series is intense and ARCANA RISING is just upping the stakes in the game.  I also found that the sense of instability and distrust that filled up the moments when the action would die down, carried the urgency for me to continue reading at break-neck speed.

And let’s be honest here.  I’ve long been a Jack girl throughout this series, but in the last book my confusion began.  DAY ZERO only pushed that along until I was completely lost in what outcome I wanted.  ARCANA RISING shows no answers for me.  I’m still torn.  I understand Evie’s struggle because making a choice between two perfect men is not easy and I haven’t made mine.  Death is EVERYTHING in this book.  I anticipated every second we got to see him and I longed for him to feel happiness.  And yet, there were still times that I would try and find the clue as to his betrayal.  Because it must be coming, right?

I wish I could say I loved Evie throughout this book, however that’s not necessarily the case.  After a while of seeing her wallow in her love for two people and her heartbreak at not knowing what happened to either of them, she was starting to get on my nerves a bit.  I long for the day when she truly takes charge with a vengeance.  But since I don’t want to give spoilers away I’m going to leave it at that.

While she wasn’t my favorite thing of this reading experience, the story absolutely was.  It didn’t let up and things progressed nicely in the overall story arc.  There is a sense of urgency throughout this book as the game escalates, alliances are forged and trusts are challenged.  I honestly loved questioning everyone’s motives, I expect betrayal at every turn and I’ve become quite jaded.  Just when I start to warm up to someone’s character, my instincts tell me not to trust them.  And I think Ms. Cole is doing a good job creating that sense of distrust that is the only thing still making this game play out.

I know you probably want to know if Jack lives, and quite frankly I won’t give a damn thing away.  You can read this book and suffer along with me.  And when I say suffer, I mean Kresley Cole likes to torture us.  I should forewarn you about the cliffhanger.  The DAMN CLIFFHANGER!  One of those wanting to throw the kindle across the room moments for sure.  When I read that last bit and then …. the end…. I was more than a little upset.  I’m not sure how I can possibly wait eight months!  Eight.Full.Months to know what happens next.  If you’re ready to be in the same state as I’m in now, then read on.  I don’t think you’ll find a more exciting series.

Reviewed by Francesca originally posted on Under the Covers Book Blog August 15, 2016

Do you ever have that feeling while you’re reading a book that you both love it and at the same time want to pull your hair out?  That’s kind of what happened to me with this book.  Honestly, this series always has me doing that but I was anticipating a resolution in THE DARK CALLING because I was under the wrong impression that this would be the last book in the series.  Guys, we are not finished yet.  This book isn’t the end.  That makes me happy and irritates me at the same time.

But lets go in order.  THE DARK CALLING picks up as soon as ARCANA RISING left off.  It’s hard to review without giving you spoilers for that book so suffice it to say that last thing we find out about Evie comes to play a role in this book.  All the doubts that I had while reading that book also disappeared quickly as I got into this one.  And then even more s**t happens to throw things for a loop.

This book was a fun and interesting ride deeper into the world of the Arcana and we are getting closer to the end.  I couldn’t put this down.  A lot of things are clarified, some secrets are revealed and the big question of who is the unactivated card is finally answered.  I think this world is extremely cool and I am happy that Ms. Cole is delving a little deeper.  I think continuing the series makes sense from a world building perspective and I’m 100% along for that ride because I do love the game.

Here’s where I want to pull my hair out.  The love triangle.  Yes, it’s pretty obvious.  I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again.  I love both of these guys.  I can completely relate to Evie and not being able to choose one over the other because I love both of them as much as she loves both of them.  But girl, just pick one!  I also understand that maybe the author has a reason in mind to close out the love triangle at the end of the series but at this point I feel like both guys are just hanging on to have their hearts broken.  Over and over again.  I can’t believe I’m actually leaning towards one more than the other, but I think I’m heading in the Death direction.  He just makes my heart beat a little faster.  If you are reading this series…how about you?

OK but enough of that.  Now the characters.  I actually found Evie a lot less annoying in this book than in the previous book.  Yes, some things were not perfect moments and some of her reactions made me want to slap her silly at times.  But she’s 17 and has had her mind messed with repeatedly!  So in this book, I was able to forgive her for those.  Death like I said before just made my heart beat a little faster.  And Jack, well, I feel like Jack in a way gave me some closure as my own decision leans towards Death.

The ante for the game has been upped.  There’s actions and battles, and yes even some death.  Some comes shockingly easy and some unexpectedly.  But the Arcana have a game to play to restore the world, right?  I can’t wait to continue on this ride.

Reviewed by Francesca originally posted on Under the Covers Book Blog February 12, 2018

This might be the most noble thing I’ve ever done.  Noble, for the record, cuts like a blade to the heart.

The Arcana Chronicles Fantasy Cast

The Major Arcana

Matthew - The Fool Arcana

Matthew, The Fool (O)

  • Matthew, also known as Gamekeeper of Old, The Hand of Fate, Il Matto, Mat, Null, Zero, Coo-yon
  • Age: 16
  • Powers: Foresight, astral projection, clairaudience, telepathy, dream delivery/scrying/manipulation, memory implantation and absorption, omniscience, and other game-keeping abilities never chronicled.
  • Special Skills: Genetic memory.  Can slow or accelerate the Arcana game.  Can call a temporary “trues” (truce).
  • Call: “Crazy like a fox.”
  • Icon: A null sign: a circle with a diagonal line through it.
  • Weapons: None.  If given a weapon, he will toss it away.
  • He often speaks what seems like nonsense to others and does not reveal anything more than he wants to.
  • Tableau: A smiling young man carries a knapsack and a single white rose.  Vacant gaze raised to a blinding sun, he strolls toward the edge of a cliff with a small dog nipping at his heels.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Nose will bleed if he is mentally overloaded from the game.
  • Before Flash: Living with his mother in the South.  Enrolled in a program for autistic students.
  • Fantasy Cast: Logan Lerman


Finn, the Magician

Finn, the Magician (I)

  • Finneas also known as Finn, Master of Illusions, the Trickster
  • Age: 16
  • Powers: Illusion creation and casting.  Hallucikinesis, reality distortion, conjurations and invocations.
  • Special Skills: Surfing.
  • Call: “Don’t look at this hand, look at that one.”
  • Icon: Ouroboros.
  • Weapons: None.
  • Love interest: Lark Inukai
  • Tableau: A young man wearing a red robe, holds a wand skyward while pointing to the ground with his free hand.  On a table before him lies a pentagram, a chalice, a sword, and a cane.  A bed of roses and lilies grow at his feet, vines trailing above.  Like Strength, the Magician card have an infinity symbol.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Speaks a mysterious magician language when he conjures illusions.
  • Before Flash: “Problem” kid from California, send to visit his extended family.
  • Fantasy Cast: Hayden Christensen


Circe, High Priestess

Circe, High Priestess (II)

  • Circe Remire also known as Ruler of the Deep, The Priestess, the Water Witch
  • Age: 20s
  • Powers: Water manipulation, including tidal wave generation and flood creation.  Hydrokinetic combat, shapeshifting, and constructs (can form water objects).  Hydro scrying (can perceive through water).  Hydroportation.
  • Special Skills: Spells and hexes.  One spell enables her to remember past games.
  • Call: “Terror from the abyss!”
  • Icon: Trident.
  • Weapons: Water, trident.
  • Circe is described as having luminous fawn colored eyes, and ebony skin with long black brained hair.
  • Tableau: A priestess – with water for hair and tentacles for legs – looms over a sacrificial victim at a bloody altar.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: She has iridescent blue scales on her arms, with a small fin at each elbow.
  • Before Flash: A grad student from Bermuda, attending the University of Miami.  Her focus:  Atlantean mythology and the Bermuda triangle.  Engaged to a computer programmer and instructor there.  Member of campus Wiccans.
  • Fantasy Cast: Camila Mendes


Evie arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Evie, The Empress (III)

  • Evangeline Green, known as Evie, also known as Poison Princess, Lady Lotus, Phyta, the May Queen, The Queen of Thorns, Mistress of Flora.  Sieva (to Death) and peekon (to Jack)
  • Age: 16-18
  • Powers: Can create, shape, and control plants and trees.  Can deliver poisons through her claws and lips, and spores from her hair and hands.  Chlorokinetic scrying (can perceive through plants). Regeneration.
  • Special Skills: Mesmerizing.
  • Call: “Come, touch … but you’ll pay a price.”
  • Icon: White rose.
  • Weapons: Plants, trees, poisonous spores, thorn tornados.
  • Love Interest(s): Brandon Radcliffe, Jack Deveaux, Aric Dominja
  • Tableau: A woman sitting upon a throne with her arms open wide, wearing a poppy-red gown and a crown with twelve stars; her hair is strewn with poppies, vines, and strands of red.  White roses surround her throne, and the rolling hills behind her are awash in green and red – from both crops and blood.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Hair turns red, and fingernails morph into thorn claws.  Glyphs on her skin glow from green to gold, each one representing a weapon in her arsenal.
  • Before Flash: A cheerleader at Sterling High in Louisiana.  The night before Day 0, her sixteenth birthday arty was broken up by the sheriff’s department.
  • Fantasy Cast: Teresa Palmer


End of the World Recommendations

Post-Apocalyptic Romance Books

If you’re ready for the final battle for survival, then you won’t want to miss our list of post-apocalyptic romance book recommendations for uncertain times.

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Richter arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Richter, The Emperor (IV)

  • Richter also known as the Stone Overlord, The Emperor, Jersey Number Four
  • Age: 16-18
  • Powers: Pyromancy, magma generation, terramancy.  Can create and control fire, mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes.
  • Special Skills: Athletic skill, brute stength.
  • Call: “Quake before me!”
  • Icon: Ankh.
  • Weapons: Rock and fire.
  • Tableau: A stony-eyed ruler, surrounded by flames and slabs of granite, holding a scepter with an engraved ankh.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Lava flows from his bleeding hands, and his eyes glow like fire.
  • Before Flash: Right wing for Oshawa Generals, Ontarior Junior Hockey League team, NHL hopeful.
  • Fantasy Cast: Greg Nawrat


Guthrie arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Guthrie, The Hierophant (V)

  • Guthrie, also known as He of the Dark Rites, The Sacrificer, The Consecrater
  • Age: 20s
  • Powers: Mind control, mesmerism, pathokinesis (emotion manipulation).
  • Special Skills: Genetic memory.  Has an innate knowledge of sacrificial rituals.  His mind control can last even after he’s dead.
  • Call: “We go now to our bloody business!”
  • Icon: Two raised fingers.
  • Weapons: His brainwashed followers.
  • While he was unaware of the game, he liked turning people into cannibals.
  • Tableau: A robed male holding his right hand high, two fingers raised, blessing his white-eyed followers.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Pale from cannibalistic diet.  Teeth filed into sharp points.  Eyes turn white when he uses his mind-control power.
  • Before Flash: He was a miner
  • Fantasy Cast: Josh Hutcherson


vincent_violet arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Vincent & Violet, The Lovers (VI)

  • Vincent and Violet also known as Duke and Duchess Most Perverse, Milovnici Twins
  • Age: 16
  • Powers: Pathokinesis and love manipulation (can warp and pervert any who love).  Replication (can create carnates, living duplicates of themselves).  Command inducement and sense scrying (can command carnates and borrow their senses).
  • Special Skills: Torture.
  • Call: “We will love you. In our own way.”
  • Icon: Two overlapping triangles, bisected with arrows
  • Weapons: Their carnates.  Also torture
  • Tableau: Look-alike twins, a male and a female, stand hand in hand with a bloody windmill spinning in the background and dead roses at their feet.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Even though they were supposed to be twins, Vincent absorbed Violet, and so they had only one body. As a result, they were unable to use their full powers.
  • Before Flash: Lived their entire lives in the Shrine, their father’s doomsday bunker, studying their line’s chronicles.
  • Fantasy Cast: Violet – Alexandra Daddario | Vincent: Landon Liboiron
KENTARCH ARCANA CHRONICLES FANTASY CAST

Kentarch, The Chariot (VII)

  • Kentarch Mgaya also known as the Centurion, the Wicked Champion, the Wanderer, the Phantom
  • Age: 20s
  • Powers: Teleportation.  Ghosting (intangibility, can phase rapidly between corporeal and incorporeal).  Ghosting extension (can make objects and other people intangible).  Superior aiming.
  • Special Skills: Covert operations, intelligence collection, tactical satellite communications, target acquisition, and offensive raiding.  Marksmanship.
  • Call: “Woe the bloody vanquished.”
  • Icon: Horse’s head.
  • Weapons: Whatever’s available.
  • Love Interest: Issa Mgaya
  • Tableau: A warrior in a horse-drawn chariot, dressed in a red tunic and a helmet with a red-feather crest.  Waterfalls and waves appear in the background.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: When intangible, a faint outline of his body remains.
  • Before Flash: Newlywed Kenya Special Forces soldier, training an elite anti-poaching unit.  Descended from a long line of Maasai warriors.
  • Fantasy Cast: Robert Ri’chard


Lark arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Lark, Strength (VIII)

  • Lark Inukai also known as Mistress of Fauna, Fortitude
  • Age: 16
  • Powers: Animal manipulation (can control all creatures).  Animal scrying (can borrow the senses of animals).  Animal generation (her blood affects the physiology of creatures and can make them into her familiars).  Enhanced senses, night vision.
  • Special Skills: Healing and training animals.
  • Call: “Red of tooth and claw!”
  • Icon: Paw print.
  • Weapons: Beastly predators.
  • Love interest: Finn
  • Tableau:  A delicate girl in a white robe controlling the gaping jaws of a lion. Like the Magician, the Strength card have an infinity symbol.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Has claws and fangs. Her eyes turn red when she mingles her senses with a creature’s.
  • Before Flash:  High school student and animal trainer, living in the compound of an eccentric billionaire.
  • Fantasy Cast: Camila Queiroz
Arthur arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Arthur, The Hermit (IX)

  • Arthur, also known as Master of Alchemy, The Alchemist
  • Age: 16-18
  • Powers: Hyperintelligence, hypercognition, chemistry savant, guile.  Potioner and elixirs master. Creating elixirs to give himself temporary powers.
  • Special Skills: Acting normal.
  • Call: “A wise man in the guise of a boy.”
  • Icon: A glowing lantern.
  • Weapons: Pain potions, acid grenades, scalpel.
  • He murdered his father by dissolving him with acid.
  • Tableau: An aged, cloaked man holding a lantern in the dark.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Appears elderly when using his powers.
  • Before Flash: Escalating kidnapper and serial killer.
  • Fantasy Cast: Dylan O’Brien

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arcana chronicles by kresley cole
Zara arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Zara, Wheel of Fortune (X)

  • Azara “Zara” Bonifacio Felix also known as Our Lady of Chance, Lady Luck, the Luck Thief, Fluke
  • Age: 16-18
  • Powers: Luck absorption.  Can impact misfortune (increasing her own luck) and steal luck through touch.
  • Special Skills: Expert pilot, trained combat fighter, markswoman.
  • Call: “Where she stops, nobody knows.”
  • Icon: Wheel.
  • Weapons: Helicopters.  Firearms used in aerial assaults.
  • Tableau: A girl standing in the center of a huge spinning wheel.  A sphinx runs on top of it and a dragon clings to the bottom while ancient clay dice rain down from a night sky.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Eyes and veins turn purple when she establishes a luck conduit.
  • Before Flash: Brazilian heiress to Dragao Novo, the largest turbine helicopter manufacturer in Sao Paulo State (the civilian helicopter capital of the world).
  • Fantasy Cast: Aimee Garcia
Spite arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Spite, Justice (XI)

  • Spite also known as She Who Harrows, The Fury
  • Age: 16
  • Powers: Acid spitting and flight.  Superhuman senses, strength, and healing.  Infrared vision.  Her fireproof wings can blend into surroundings, camouflaging her.
  • Special Skills: Concealment.
  • Call: “Blood will tell. Blood will run. But the tears of the damned always taste sweet.”
  • Icon: Navy-blue scales.
  • Weapons: Razor-sharp claws that tip her wings and a scouring whip.
  • Tableau: A blindfolded, winged demoness, holding a steel-studded whip in her upraised right hand and weighing scales in her lowered left hand.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Her eyes are yellow instead of white, with green keyhole pupils.  She has long retractable claws and batlike wings.  Prior to striking an enemy, her wings will vibrate, the sharp claws tapping each other to make a rattling sound.
  • Before Flash: Daughter of Egyptian museum curators, in the States for a long-term exhibit.
  • Fantasy Cast: Tara Emad


Aric arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Aric, Death (XIII)

  • Aric Dominija is the Death Arcana known as the Endless Knight. He has been the reigning Arcana Champion for the last three games.
  • A.k.a.: The Reaper, Tredici
  • Age: While he looks about 23, he is actually over 2000 years old.
  • Powers: Touch of Death (can kill with contact). Death awareness (can sense dead things and approaching death).  Superhuman speed, strength, endurance, dexterity, senses, healing.  Controlled telepathy.
  • Special Skills: Gifted horseman, unmatched swordsman
  • Call: Unknown (Aric is able to mask his call)
  • Icon: Scythe
  • Weapons: Swords, scythe, his warhorse Thanatos
  • Love Interest: Evie Greene (wife)
  • Tableau: A Reaper clad in black armor, scythe at the ready, riding a pale horse with evil red eyes.  He carries a black flag emblazoned with a white rose.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Wears impenetrable armor, spiked gloves, and a helmet.  Eyes turn starry with emotion.
  • Before Flash: A mysterious, reclusive billionaire, securing his mountain compound (Lethe Castle) against any foreseeable disaster.
  • Fantasy Cast: Devin Paisley

Sieva, I am a planet off its axis.

Calanthe arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Calanthe, Temperance (XIV)

  • Calanthe, also known as Sin, Collectress of Sins, Collectress of Evils
  • Age: 16
  • Powers: Sin detection and pathokinesis (emotion manipulation).  Her Weight of Sins power can magnify another’s guilt and horror over past deeds.  Is immune to the Empress’s poisons.  Enhanced senses, healing, throwing, and precise aiming.
  • Special Skills: Guile, social adaption.
  • Call: “Crush you with the Weight of Sins.”
  • Icon: A gold chalice.
  • Weapons: A pair of sai, handhled martial-arts weapons with three prongs.
  • Love Interest: Patrick Joules
  • Tableau: Androgynous robed figure standing on a pedestal, pouring water from one chalice to another; the sun and a bolt of lightning glow in the background.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: When she utilizes her power, a haze erupts around her and ripples of energy seem to flow from her, bombarding her target.
  • Before Flash: High school student from India, living in the States with her older sister Diya, a chronicler.
  • Fantasy Cast: Sonakshi Sinha
Ogen arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Ogen, The Devil (XV)

  • Ogen, also known as Foul Desecrator, El Diablo, The Bloody Foul One
  • Powers: Superhuman strength, animal aggression.  Can morph his body, first into a colossal ogre, then into a giant.  His thickened hide repels acid and poison.
  • Special Skills: Forging metal.
  • Call: “I’ll make a feast of your bones!”
  • Icon: Two black horns.
  • Weapons: None.
  • Tableau: A goat-man ogre leading tethered slaves.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Ten feet tall, a horned and hunchbacked beast with cloven feet.
  • Before Flash: Ohio teenager undergoing treatment for cutaneous horns and bony growth on his head.
  • Fantasy Cast: Brant Daugherty
Joules arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Joules, The Tower (XVI)

  • Patrick Joules also known as Lord of Lightning, Master of Electricity
  • Age: 16
  • Powers: Can generate and control electrical energy.  Can electrify his skin and create javelins that transform into lightning bolts.
  • Special Skills: Precise aiming and superhuman throwing.  Singing.
  • Call: “Eyes to the skies, lads, I strike from above!”
  • Icon: Lightning bolt.
  • Weapons: Silver javelins engraved with esoteric symbols.
  • Love Interest: Calanthe
  • His best friend is Gabriel.
  • Tableau: Lightning striking a turret, sending people falling.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Sparking skin.
  • Before Flash: A choirboy from Ireland in New York for a signing competition.
  • Fantasy Cast: Stefano Masciolini
Stellan arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Stellan, The Star (XVII)

  • Stellan Tycho also known as Arcane Navigator, The North Star, Supernova
  • Age: 17-18
  • Powers: Stellar embodiment and manipulation.  Enhanced senses and night sight.  Can generate stellar bombs, detonating himself to paralyze or destroy enemies.  Echolocation, beacon emission, astronavigation.
  • Special Skills: Astronomy savant.
  • Call: “I descend upon you like nightfall.”
  • Icon: A white star.
  • Weapons: None.
  • Tableau: A naked androgynous figure, gathering water under a bright eight-pointed star.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: When he uses his power, his body vibrates until it grows indistinct.
  • Before Flash: Danish college student, traveling to Colorado to study astronomy.
  • Fantasy Cast: Marco Islø
Selena arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Selena, The Moon (XVIII)

  • Selena Lua, also known as Bringer of Doubt, The Huntress, La Luna
  • Age: 18
  • Powers: Pathokinesis (emotion manipulation).  Can cause doubt and use moonlight as a lure.  Enhanced speed, endurance, senses, dexterity, healing.  Precise aiming and superhuman archery.
  • Special Skills: Motorcycling, marksmanship.
  • Call: “Behold the Bringer of Doubt.”
  • Icon: Quarter moon superimposed over a full moon.
  • Weapons: Longbow, sword, firearms, whatever’s handy.
  • Tableau: A glowing goddess of the hunt with red-tinged skin, poised in moonlight.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Skin glows red like a hunter’s moon.
  • Before Flash: Motocross champion, Olympic archery hopeful, and college student who just moved away from her aunts’ home.
  • Fantasy Cast: Cara Delevingne
Solomon arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Solomon, The Sun (XIX)

  • Solomon Heliodoro also known as El Sol, Hail the Glorious, Illuminator
  • Age: 23
  • Powers: Solar embodiment (can emit sunlight from his skin and eyes).  Solar manipulation (can burn enemies or strike them with madness and attack with solar winds and flares).  Command inducement and sense scrying (can control Bagmen and borrow their senses).
  • Special Skills: Enhanced charisma, showmanship.
  • Call: “Next o me, everything is shadow.”
  • Icon: Yellow sun.
  • Weapons: Bagmen.
  • Love Interest: Beatrice and Joe.
  • Tableau: A child wrapped in a red pennant is surrounded by sunflowers.  Above, the sun blazes down with a menacing face.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Golden beams radiate from his eyes, and his bronzed skin glows.
  • Before Flash: Purdue history grad student and part-time rave promoter from Spain.
  • Fantasy Cast: Mario Casas
Gabriel arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Gabriel, Judgement (XX)

  • Gabriel Arendgast also known as The Archangel, The Seventh Coming,  The Guardian Angel, Exalted One, Gabriel of the Light
  • Age: 16-18
  • Powers: Flight, supernatural senses, speed, strength, healing, tracking and endurance.
  • Special Skills: Enhanced aiming, swordsmanship.
  • Call: “I watch you like a hawk.”
  • Icon: A pair of wings.
  • Weapons: In past games, he wielded the Sword of Right, but it was stolen.
  • Tableau: An archangel carrying a sword, flying over a mass of bodies.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: Large black wing, talon-tipped fingers.  Outdated speech and old-fashioned clothing.
  • Before Flash: Prophesied to be the reincarnation of the great Arendgast – an errand spirit (more commonly known as an angel).  Worshipped by the Sect of Arendgast, a remote, ages-old cult, separated from modern society.
  • Fantasy Cast: Wade Poezyn
Tess arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Tess, The World (XXI)

  • Tess Quinn also known as This Unearthly One, Miracle, Quintessence
  • Age: 15-17
  • Powers: Levitation, teleportation, astral projection, time manipulation, intangibility, Arcana visitation.
  • Special Skills: Spying.
  • Call: “Trapped in the palm of my hand.”
  • Icon: A globe.
  • Weapons: A wooden staff.
  • Love Interest: Tony Trovato
  • Tableau: A bare-chested maiden with a swath of white cloth around her hips, framed by symbols of the four elements.
  • Unique Arcana Characteristics: When the World utilizes her powers, her reactorlike body quickly burns calories.  Inefficient use of her abilities will result in sudden, massive weight loss.
  • Before Flash: Honors high school student and service award recipient.
  • Fantasy Cast: Shailene Woodley
Jackson arcana chronicles fantasy cast

Jack, The Hunter

  • Jackson Daniel Deveaux, also known as Jack Daniels, The Cajun, The Hunter, J.D., The General
  • Age: 19
  • Special Skills: Expert fighter with keen survival instincts and weapons knowledge.  Self-defense, marksmanship, bowmanship.
  • Weapons: Crossbow, fists.
  • Love Interest: Evie Green
  • Before Flash: A transfer student at Sterling High in Louisiana, fresh from a cage-the-rage prison diversion program.
  • Fantasy Cast: Gaspard Ulliel

Originally posted February 14, 2018
Last updated February 15, 2024

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0 Comments

  1. Great post. I definitely need to catch up on Cole’s books. She was one of my favorite authors and then I just got busy with others. Never enough time to read everything I want to but this series is one that is moving to the top of the list.

    Reply

  2. THIS IS THE COOLEST THING EVER!!! As with everything I read, I am woefully behind on this series, but I love it so. I need to get caught up and meet the characters listed here I have yet to be introduced to. Eeeep! Thanks for this!

    Reply

  4. You ladies rock!!! Love how you broke this down!!!! I love,love this series,it’s one of my absolute faves!! I hope these books become a movie or better yet a series!!! Shared on all my socials!!

    Reply

  6. Great post. I definitely need to catch up on Cole’s books. She was one of my favorite authors and then I just got busy with others. Never enough time to read everything I want to but this series is one that is moving to the top of the list.

    Reply

  7. THIS IS THE COOLEST THING EVER!!! As with everything I read, I am woefully behind on this series, but I love it so. I need to get caught up and meet the characters listed here I have yet to be introduced to. Eeeep! Thanks for this!

    Reply

  9. You ladies rock!!! Love how you broke this down!!!! I love,love this series,it’s one of my absolute faves!! I hope these books become a movie or better yet a series!!! Shared on all my socials!!

    Reply

  13. Disagree with your casting choices for Hierophant and Hermit but everyone else looks spot on! I so wish this were made into a show or movie series!

    Reply