[NOVEL] Arrow of Fortune by Jacquelyn Benson

A well-behaved lady historian ought to avoid haunted Indian forests… not plunge into them seeking an invincible weapon of the gods.

Ellie Mallory didn’t exactly volunteer to prevent the most dangerous artifact of the Ramayana from falling into the wrong hands—but if one has been coerced into an adventure, the least one can do is bring along a few friends.

Constance Tyrrell has new daggers stuffed in her garters, a thirst to discover everything India has to offer… and absolutely no interest in Dr. Neil Fairfax, Ellie’s scholarly stepbrother. Meanwhile, Neil finds himself wrangling a magical sword along with his increasingly tangled feelings about a certain doe-eyed danger gnome.

Then there’s Adam Bates—handy with a machete, perpetually shirtless, and about to face some unsettling ghosts of his past.

Together, they must follow the footsteps of an ancient hero from the festivals of Puri to the shadowy depths of a legendary forest, racing a brutal colonial administrator with allies of his own—including the complicated and mysterious Mr. Jacobs.

It will take all Ellie’s resources—from a working knowledge of practical chemistry to a highly excitable dog—to beat a new sort of demon to the place where a holy power has lain hidden for two thousand years… alongside the secret history of the woman at the heart of India’s greatest story.

Raiders of the Arcana. Book 3

If I were you I wouldn't read the summary and just dive into it.

Since it's already book three I have things I personally liked and things I would leave out or solve them.

First of all, it still reads like a movie with our foes suddenly appearing, ambushing our main characters. We have a balance between some actions scenes and the time off.

The story follows our characters to India in the search of a precious artefact mentioned in Ramayana - the arrow. You get a bit of everything, like history and myths. The truth is interspersed with theories and fantasy. But because it's an adventure-like story it won't dwell on some topics, since they're not the focal point of the story. But there is enough to get yourself a picture and put the pieces together.

On the other hand we have a new villain in the face of Colonel Borthwick, a sadistic fellow who loves to use his whip once too often, Superintendant with too much power and a great deal of disregard for lives he deemed unworthy.

We also have a lot more of Mr. Jacobs (who became my new favorite character to be honest).

Trudge through jungle, ambushes, chases and a lush atmosphere.

What I liked is that it still is a nice adventure with a lot of movie-like scenes. We have a bit of everything. But it's funny how it escapes me completely where the dog came from. Kalb is the new addition to Adam and Ellie, but I have a feeling there was no dog by the end of the book and I might be completely wrong anyway. 

Although quite a bit of this story is based on - well, that was convenient - but I still think it was tied together quite nicely, so actions and consequences followed in a good order.

We have a lot more told about Adam and through his lense we can also judge a different side of the coin, how wrong he feels about the whole situation in India and other similar places. That it made him sick. But it also served as a foreground to mention his father again, that something will be connected to his story too (like the next book).

I had a lot more of Mr Jacobs who reads as a man of steel, honestly he is not a good person, but he is fascinating. We finally get to know the bits of story about him, his goal and where he might go from here. I think author handled it better since she did not dive into it, but gave the reader crumbs that are more fun to explore instead of given the entire backstory.

I really loved the connection between who he was for the Albion and hos his fate finally turned.

My only true critique would be about lust/love parts, like the relationship between Adam and Ellie and their decision on who they want to be with each other and in the face of the public.

For Contsance and Neil it was far easier, they sudden;y saw each other in new light and passion sparked. Although I still had times when I thought to myself - time and place people, you're in danger. Are you so hot and bothered because you don't want to die a virgin or what?

Anyway, they were quite nice together anyway, had problems, dealt with them, in this way their way of treating their relationship felt more efficient than what continued between Adam and Ellie.

The thing I'm more irritated about is how they couldn't decide what to do with themselves, because Ellie did not present any argumentation what would be wrong if she actually married Adam.

I know about her principles and rights are very important for Ellie, but she did not mention any alternative to what might happen if they marry. She won't be able to support suffrage? I'm sure Adam will support her in any of her endeavors, because he loves her so much. He even eventually agreed to the pretend marriage.

Ellie mentioned the attitude of others many times, but Jacquelyn never showed any scorn from outsiders, they haven't faced any consequences so far (it was understandable no one saw them in the jungle, but when it came to Egypt they did not spend much time among people), even if they obviously sneak around doing naughty stuff. So this created the imbalance for me. Since sometimes relationship is still a compromise and you don't always choose "I" but also can choose "we".

I still found it greatly satisfying read when I exclude those things that did not fit me. But it's my own preferences. I still find the story entertaining and engaging.

Will see you in Korea in the next book.

RATE: 4/5.