A Magical University That Forgot to Be Magic: A Review of An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields

2 days ago
4 min read

Author: Sydney J. Shields

Publisher: Orbit Books

Rating: 2.5★

Sometimes a premise checks every box on paper but the execution just isn't there

When I first heard about An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields, I was genuinely excited. A dark academia fantasy set in an alternate historical England, with a magical university, gods and demons, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a murder mystery to solve? That sounded like exactly my kind of book. Unfortunately, it did not live up to what I was hoping for.

The story follows Claudia Jolicoeur, a young woman who makes a deal with a mysterious being named Dorian in order to gain entry to Cygnus University, a secretive occult school. Once there, she takes the place of a student named Odette, who died under suspicious circumstances, and finds herself at the center of both a murder investigation and a heated rivalry with a fellow student named Cassius MacLeod.

What sounds like a thrilling combination of dark academia, fantasy, and mystery ends up feeling like a story that never fully commits to any of its best ideas.

Book Review at a Glance

Rating: 2.5★

What it's about: A young woman makes a bargain with a mysterious being named Dorian to gain entry to Cygnus University, a magical school, where she investigates the death of the student whose place she has taken while navigating a rivalry with a fellow student.

Why it didn't work for me: The dark academia atmosphere felt underdeveloped, the rivals-to-lovers romance moved too quickly to feel earned, and the protagonist was difficult to root for. The murder mystery relied too heavily on convenient plot devices rather than letting Claudia actually investigate.

What I did like: The magic system was genuinely creative and well thought through. The mythology around the gods was interesting. The worldbuilding had real potential.

Good for readers who enjoy: Romantasy where the romance is the main draw, light dark academia aesthetics, and stories featuring celestial magic systems.

Where the Book Lost Me

My biggest disappointment was the dark academia side of things. I went in expecting that signature atmosphere: late nights, candlelit libraries, the thrill and dread of academic pressure. Instead, a significant portion of the book takes place in Rhetoric class, and honestly, those scenes ranged from eye-rolling to genuinely hard to follow. I kept waiting for the school itself to feel alive and immersive, and it never quite got there.

The romance was another area where I felt let down. The book is marketed as rivals-to-lovers, but there was barely any rivals phase to speak of. Claudia and Cassius decide they are in love after roughly a month together, and the emotional foundation just wasn't there to make that feel earned. And then the romance takes a sharp turn into BDSM territory that felt completely out of character for Claudia. Given how the book had established her up to that point, it read more like a creative choice made to make the spicy scenes feel distinct rather than something that grew naturally from who she was.

Claudia herself was frustrating to follow as a protagonist. For much of the book, she felt like she was being carried along by the plot rather than driving any of it. She calls herself a morally good person throughout, but her actions and choices repeatedly contradict that self-image. By the end of the book, she made decisions that genuinely did not feel consistent with her character, and I found myself more annoyed with her than invested in what happened to her.

The murder mystery also let me down. The primary method Claudia uses to investigate Odette's death is through diary entries that conveniently appear throughout the story, delivered in an almost too-tidy way. Rather than feeling like Claudia was actually uncovering the truth through her own investigation, it felt like the plot was handing her the answers. And unfortunately, the resolution of the mystery itself was just as convenient as the clues that led there. Less time in Rhetoric class and more time actually exploring the school and piecing the mystery together would have made the whole thing so much more satisfying.

The end of the book felt rushed, and when I found out a sequel is planned, I was honestly more disappointed than excited. I wanted this book to fully deliver on its premise, not set up another one.

What Actually Worked

Here is what I want to be clear about: the world Sydney J. Shields built has real potential. The magic system was genuinely one of the most fresh and interesting things I have come across in a while. Students at Cygnus study different branches of magic, including music, rhetoric, mathematics, and celestial magic, each overseen by a god or goddess. The constellation magic in particular was beautifully thought through, and I loved the idea of stars being finite resources that could burn out if overused. I also found the mythology around how the gods and goddesses come into being to be fascinating. I just wish we had gotten more of it.

The worldbuilding overall had the bones of something really special. With stronger character development and a tighter focus on the mystery over the romance, this could have been a standout book.

All the Right Ingredients, Wrong Recipe

Overall, I would give An Arcane Study of Stars 2.5 stars.

If you are someone who loves romantasy where the romance takes the forefront over the plot or world, and you want something with light dark academia vibes, this book might work well for you. For me personally, I came in hoping for something that leaned harder into the dark academia atmosphere and gave the mystery room to breathe, and I left feeling like the story's best ideas got buried under too many Rhetoric classes and a romance that moved too fast to feel real.

Thank you Orbit Books for an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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