Editorial Review: Plague Arcanist by Shami Stovall

In a desperate flight across the land to find a cure for the arcane plague, Volke is isolated from the Frith Guild and is now reliant on the Sun Chaser airship and its questionable crew to help him.

In Plague Arcanist, the fourth installment of the Frith Chronicles, Volke needs to learn to rely on himself to survive. Separated from his guild, including his sister Illia, Volke must find Theasin Venrover. This famous artificer may be the only person in the world who has a cure for the arcane plague, and Volke’s stakes have never been higher.

Picking up where Coliseum Arcanist (Frith Cornicles #3) left off, Plague Arcanist (#4) launches with the same highly charged emotional state we left Volke in last time. He is infected. He must leave all those whom he loves. Fain, with his immunity to the plague, and Adelgis, with his connection to his father, accompany Volke on this dangerous and time-critical mission. The plague affects both mystical creatures and arcanists, but arcanists have some time before they completely lose themselves to the insanity – and Volke does not intend to let that happen.

New Norra is an open harbor with both the promise of a clue to Theasin and the threat of dread pirates from the past, but getting to this first step will mean fighting plague monsters, distrust among the crew, and re-evaluating what family really means.

The world-building done by Stovall throughout the Frith Chronicles is impeccable, not only the characters and how they interact with their world but also the immense lore that doesn’t necessarily impact the current plot. By weaving these aspects into the narrative itself Stovall allows the reader to become entrenched in the broader world. It is this seamless inclusion of lore, world-building, and character back story that marks Shami Stovall’s writing, and what keeps her books head and shoulders above others in her genre.

Anyone who has read the first three installments of the Frith Chronicles will consume this book voraciously and immediately begin patiently waiting for the next book. Stovall does a fantastic job of balancing the fantasy and technological aspects of flintlock fantasy.   The Frith Chronicles manages to be both a fantastic place to start for genre newbies as well as a great series for long time fans to enjoy.

With Plague Arcanist, Shami Stovall has once again crafted a brilliant story full of action, intrigue, and genuine emotion as well as enhancing and growing the existing world of the Frith Chronicles.