Arcana / Novels of the Sylvani Books in Order

Arcana / Novels of the Sylvani is Jessica Leake's two-book historical fantasy series, set in Edwardian England but threaded with magic from another realm. On the surface, the books have all the right period details: country houses, London seasons, titled families, and the pressure of a proper debut. Underneath that polished world is a family secret tied to Sylvania, a magical land, and to the dangerous power known as arcana.

Arcana begins with Katherine Sinclair, a headstrong young woman who would rather ride horses than spend her days chasing suitors. When she is drawn into London's social season, she also has to hide the power she inherited from her mother. Her late mother's enchanted diary offers warnings, but it cannot tell her whom to trust. The biggest threat is the Order of the Eternal Sun, a shadowy group that hunts people with Sylvani blood and wants their magic for itself.

And in this series, a ballroom can be just as dangerous as a dark alley.

The second book, The Order of the Eternal Sun, shifts to Katherine's younger sister, Lucy Sinclair. Lucy is making her own debut, hoping for something smoother than Katherine's season, but she has problems of her own. Her arcana works through art, letting her step into the scenes she draws and opening a path toward her mother's world. As the Order closes in again, Lucy has to sort out family loyalties, her feelings for James, and the mystery around a new suitor who may not be what he seems.

What makes the setting matter is how tightly watched everyone is. These are books about young women living inside a strict social system, where every dance partner, rumor, and misplaced glance can carry real consequences. That pressure gives the magic extra bite. The characters are not only fighting hidden enemies, they are also trying to move through a world that expects them to smile, marry well, and never cause a scene.

The tone sits in a sweet spot between romance, suspense, and historical fantasy. There are love interests, family tensions, bits of wit, and a steady sense that danger is always close by, even in the middle of a dinner party or carriage ride. If you like stories where manners and magic share the page, this series does that well.

Across both books, the through line is the Sinclair family's effort to protect its secret and stay ahead of an enemy that keeps finding new ways in. Expect hidden powers, old messages, guarded feelings, and a lot of tension over who can be trusted. These books work best in order, starting with Arcana and moving to The Order of the Eternal Sun, because Lucy's story grows directly out of Katherine's.