Early Reader Review: An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole

Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Publication Date:  December 30, 2025, TODAY

 

Format: Ebook

Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis: 

A modern-day dark academia fantasy with a twist, perfect for fans of Babel and A Deadly Education.

Warren University has stood amongst the ivy elite for centuries, built on the bones―and forbidden magic―of its most prized BIPOC students…hiding the rot of a secret society that will do anything to keep their own powers burning bright. No matter who they must sacrifice along the way.

Ellory Morgan is determined to prove that she belongs at Warren University, an ivy league school whose history is deeply linked to occult rumors and dark secrets. But as she settles into her Freshman year, something about the ornate buildings and shadowy paths feels strangely…familiar. And, with every passing day, that sense of déjà vu grows increasingly sinister.

Despite all logic, despite all reason, despite all the rules of reality, Ellory knows one thing to be true: she has been here before. And if she can't convince brooding legacy student Hudson Graves to help her remember a past that seems determined to slip through her fingers as if by some insidious magic…this time, she may lose herself for good.

Review: 

An Arcane Inheritance is a great addition to the dark academia genre. I really enjoyed both Babel and A Deadly Education, and so I was very pulled in when the synopsis compared it to those books. It feels very Deadly Education around the school atmosphere, full of dark secrets, secret societies, and magic and it feels very Babel because of the social commentary around issues of privilege, power, and sacrifice as they pertain to marginalized students.

The story follows Ellory Morgan, our BIPOC female main character as she navigates being in college and the pressures of it all. Her class nemesis Hudson Graves is also a POC, but he has it all. The privilege and power that many in Ivy league schools come with that Ellory has not. She is determined to ‘beat him’ in her journey to succeed at school.

 

Ellory was a good FMC, she is determined and pushes forward toward her goals, even to her detriment. The plot overall was less about character growth and more about her solving the mystery of her school and magic there, so I felt like something was a bit missing from her development in this way.

The setting, Warren University, was its own character in this book and plot. The author is able to craft an immersive environment for readers and throughout Ellory’s investigation becomes more. There is great detail and with both the sense of grandeur but also its creepiness it contributes to the heavy mood and foreboding that Ellory is experiencing. That said, sometimes the pacing is impacted by the atmosphere and Ellory’s thoughts about her environment. While the pacing does lag at times, the plot had some fun twists and turns, and the social commentary added a lot of depth. 

Overall, the book does hold up to its comparisons, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. All that said, I felt the ending was too quickly paced and flew by and that it felt like a bit of a cop-out for what was happening (but no spoilers). Its strengths and representation outweigh this though and if you are a dark academia fan, I recommend this one.