In this fourth installment of the Edinburgh Nights series, Ropa Moyo finds herself embroiled in a fight against a dark cult hell bent on restoring Scottish magic to its former glory. As Ropa begins her work with the English Sorcerer Royal, personal tragedy strikes when she finds her grandmother murdered in their home. What’s worse – Ropa is the prime suspect.

As Ropa hides from the law and evades the Scottish magicians who have gone rogue, she’ll need to use her street smarts, her ability to communicate with the dead, and the few truly loyal people in her life to avenge her grandmother and save Scotland.

I love this series! The author’s writing is smart and funny, and the character development is well done. It’s fun to watch Ropa grow as a person while still maintaining the best qualities about herself – loyalty, a strong sense of right and wrong, and an ability to persevere in the face of adversity. I love the way the author takes the reader through Scotland’s geography, history, and sprinkles in colloquialisms. I 100% recommend this series!

In The Legacy of Arniston House, the fourth book in T.L. Huchu’s Edinburgh Nights series, ghostalker Ropa Moyo is back, navigating even darker territory and grappling with a shocking revelation about her family. When she confronts her grandmother, tragedy strikes, and Ropa becomes the prime suspect in Gran's murder. Racing to clear her name, Ropa uncovers ties to an ancient cult with sinister plans: raising an undead army led by a dark lord to seize control of Scotland. As she battles through this occult conspiracy, Ropa relies on her magical skills and hard-earned experience to face her biggest challenge yet.

After four books with Ropa, her dramatic flair and clever resourcefulness are as familiar as they are entertaining, though her escapades are beginning to feel a bit worn. This installment had more drive than book three, but the plot’s rapid pace left little room to truly digest the twists and high-stakes moments. Still, Huchu keeps readers hooked with a heart-stopping cliffhanger, ensuring that, despite some fatigue with the series' repetitive elements, fans will be eager to see what lies ahead for Ropa in the next book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC
3 of 5
Recommend the series for fans of modern urban fantasy.
I've been hooked on this series since the beginning.
I love: post-catastrophic near future in an alternate timeline where magic has always been a political power; female leads who kick ass; a mysterious library.
Not as fond of: stagnation of purpose (?) or overall plot development of the last two books; Ropa getting more childish as time progresses; probably understand the magic system less than I did after the first book.
I was happy to return to a more dynamic plot than the 'stuck-in-an-isolated-castle' of the last book, but I'm getting a bit lost as I don't see much character or story arc progress.
Loads more action in this one, and I'll certainly keep reading.

I have been a dedicated fan of this series since I was approved to read an ARC of the first book years ago. I’ve been amazed at Huchu’s creativity throughout this series. In addition to crafting a dystopian version of Edinburgh, Huchu also develops an awesome magic system, incredible characters who commonly have to walk a morally gray line, and a mystery in each book that consistently surprises me.

This book has a far more emotional Ropa, as she faces events that broke my heart and hers. Her Gran is so important to her in so many ways: she turns to her for assistance with magic, family support, and a sense of home that comes from having been raised so significantly by her Gran. But with Izwi away at boarding school for magicians, and their grandmother murdered, Ropa is the prime suspect, just as things are going well for her, everything gets jammed up.

It’s obvious that Ropa isn’t responsible for the death, but she’s forced to watch everything she values be taken from her. Ropa doesn’t expect to have very many allies in her corner anymore, even as she is building a connection to English magic. She’s used to tough times, though, and she knows how to make use of any advantages or opportunities that arise.

There’s been an overarching storyline that runs throughout the series, of something larger pulling the strings, and we inch closer to the solving the underlying mystery. But it’s written so wonderfully that I was simply unable to stop reading. More often, I try to piece together all the clues and figure things out on my own, but I’m consistently blindsided by the plot twists, which seem to be a specialty of Huchu’s.

Ropa is my favorite character in the story, but Priya is a close second. Priya has all the coolest and most helpful magical skills, and she embodies all the best characteristics of a best friend. She’s wheelchair-bound, but the wheelchair has some pretty awesome tricks up its sleeve as well, making her easily the most badass of side characters.

Overall, this is a strong addition to the series, and I found myself unable to put it down. I flew through this story, and if you haven’t started the series already, the next best time to do so is now. It’s easy to visualize this dystopian version of Edinburgh, and there’s just something about Ropa that I adore. She’s the kind of person who hasn’t ever had anything handed to her, yet she isn’t afraid of hard work and doing whatever she can to survive. The depth of emotion that this book brought out in Ropa was outstanding, and I really loved seeing Ropa growing emotionally. The story leaves off on a cliffhanger, and I know I’ll be biting my nails during the wait.

I am a huge fan of the Edinburgh Nights series and as a librarian often recommend it when conducting reader’s advisory. I was dying to read/ listen to this book and I was not disappointed. My favorite thing about this book is how it kept me on my toes. It took me places that I never would have expected. I absolutely love Ropa as a character and being given more of her family’s backstory was especially intriguing. The story begins with Ropa going to work for the English Sorcerer Royal and she finally feels like she is getting her life on track. Then everything falls apart…like a bomb implodes her life.

This book begins with Ropa starting her job with the English Sorcerer Royal. You cannot quite tell if the English Sorcerer Royal is up to no good or if he is merely a selfish Royal. Ropa sees this new position as the answer to all of her hardships and feels this is the change she needed to support her sister and her Gran. Unfortunately, just as her life begins to turn around, she is dealt a huge whammy that implodes her whole life. She loses so much, but still perseveres to take on the sinister cult, with only her wit, fledgling magic, and her small cohort of friends.

I personally loved this book. I received an ARC of the book and the audiobook. I loved both, but the audiobook is always the more enjoyable experience for me. The narrator is amazing and always brings the character of Ropa to life for me. I feel like Ropa herself is telling me the story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys magical alternative worlds. I love to hear about places that I have visited in Scotland, it really brings the book to life for me. An amazing book that I would recommend to a variety of readers.

I didn’t really enjoy this book. But I believe that is my problem. I had read the synopsis, and I didn’t see that this was the fourth book in the series. I can attest that this is not one of those books that it doesn’t matter where you pick it up you can just enjoy the story on its own. If you are going to read this book, please invest in reading the three previous books. Reading it with no background information truly caused me to disengage not only from the story but from the characters. I enjoyed fleeting moments in the book, but they were far and few between. If I had read the other books this might have been a more enjoyable read. For that reason alone, I am going to give this book three stars. There is potential for this book, so I don’t want to underrate it and have it drop in stars due to me missing one important sentence when requesting this book to review. I also will not be publishing this on any sort of platform since I want the book to have reviews from others who have invested in the whole series.
Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

4 stars
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Man, I love this series so much and this may just be my favorite yet.

Instant action in this one. This plot picks up not long after the last book and drops the reader right into the action. I loved the past books, but something about this one really stood out. I mourned Ropa’s grandmother right alone with her, but the plot line her death brings was really intense and interesting. The connections between these different plot lines was so subtle at times that I missed them until the book comes together in the end. The very first act connects right to the ending. It was really well done. As always, the magic system is so interesting. The only thing I wish the author had done is address the events of the last book better to remind the reader what happened a little more. I could have used a little more explanation on the magic, too.

I love Ropa as a narrator and I love her narration of the plot. You get her raw emotions on the events as they happen and her commentary on them. She’s really well developed. I love watching her grow across the books. Even the side characters are really well handled and offer something to the plot. This one had an excessive amount of background characters, so it was hard to keep track of all of them. But the main cast was good.

I cannot recommend this series enough and this book is no exception.

This latest book keeps up the action and magic, and I loved diving back into Ropa’s world. She’s fearless and quick-witted, dealing with battles, facing her anxieties, and uncovering shocking family secrets. The world-building is incredible, and the Scottish slang adds so much personality to the story. That cliffhanger ending left me so ready for the next book! The narration for the audiobook was great, would highly recommend this one 👍🏻

The Legacy of Arniston House is the 4th installment in the "Edinburgh Nights" series by T.L. Huchu. Part academic fantasy, part thriller, and part murder mystery, this fast paced thrill ride will have you hooked from the very first chapter. I love how Huchu is able to keep the reader invested in these character as we discover more and more about their backstory.

I really enjoy how Huchu manages to blend the magical world into reality so well. The blend of the occult with modern day cult behavior makes it seem as though these things could happen in real life. Believing that these characters and the world they live in could be your neighbors and your neighborhood just makes the read so much fun.

Overall, the book is dark, moody, and has spooky vibes for days. It's a must read for fans of dark academia and suspenseful fantasy. I think its my favorite in the series so far and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Holy cliff hangers! This book stopped right in the middle of all the action. I cannot wait for the next title.

This was another great addition to this series. Salty, resourceful Ropa is again bungling her way through life making hasty decisions in the interest of earning money and is usually at least a little bit on the wrong side of the law. The diversity of the characters in this series doesn’t have that performative feel that so many books do nowadays and has an intensely Scottish dialect that is heavy on the slang that makes this series’s unique. The world building is very thorough and complex and I appreciated that it didn’t have the lecture-y feel the third book had.

You would not need to read the third book to understand this one, but definitely either the first or second or you would be lost.

Ropa Moya is back again, and our favorite self-taught girl genius from the slums is here to save the day!

Seriously, these books do not disappoint. We have tons of action, magic, political intrigue, philosophy, religion, history, it's all there.
Ropa is dealing with her anxiety and panic attacks through therapy, she has left Scottish magic for Brittish, but then she gets the shock of her life - her grandma is murdered, she is blamed, and while she is on the run she learns the truth about some of her families past.
This book ends on quite the cliffhanger, so I am already eagerly looking forward to book 5.
Thank you for the ARC!!

Sick and tired of the old boy's club that is Scottish Magic, Ropa Moyo now works for the Sorcerer Royal of England. While Ropa works with her new gaffer she comes to terms with the trauma of her past through therapy. When Ropa learns a secret about her family everything changes--and not for the better.
I absolutely adore the world T.L. Huchu has created in the Edinburgh Nights series. A world of magic, politics, bureaucracy, mystery, and the supernatural. Readers who love the clairvoyant side of Samantha Shannon's Bone Season series will love the Edinburgh Nights series and its plucky heroine.

The Legacy of Arniston House is the fourth book in TL Huchu’s Edinburgh Nights series. This takes place a little after book three, and we find our protagonist Ropa Moyo in employment with England’s Sorcerer Royal. For the moment, it seems that Ropa is well on her way to making a better life for her grandmother, her sister, and herself, with steady employment and good prospects. But that all changes when her grandmother is murdered and Ropa becomes the prime suspect. She has days to clear her name and bring her grandmother’s killer to justice. But it isn’t easy because there is almost no one that she can trust. And while this is going on, Scotland is in a precarious position, with violent protests erupting constantly and England’s eye turning its way. Plus, the separation between the worlds of the living and dead seems to be growing weak, and spirits wander the streets, untethered to the everyThere.

This is a fast-paced, action-packed installment of an enjoyable series. Ropa is a realistic teenage character: she’s rash and makes mistakes, but she’s also smart and savvy and able to, for the most part, get out of tight scrapes when she has to. The supporting characters are also multi-layered and well-rounded, providing strong conflict and tension throughout the story. I also love the world that this is set in: a near-future Scotland after near-total economic collapse where the spirit world and magic are real. This book develops that world further, exploring how the economy collapsed and who was responsible. The themes of the pursuit of power and money are strong throughout the narrative.

I highly recommend this series to lovers of urban fantasy, and am eagerly looking forward to the next installment.

Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for providing an advance reading copy.

"A dangerous cult craves a dark power. The Legacy of Arniston House is the spellbinding fourth instalment of the USA Today bestselling Edinburgh Nights series by T. L. Huchu.

Ropa Moyo is a wannabe magician, can speak to the dead, and has officially given up being an intern. Leaving Scottish magic behind, she now works for the English Sorcerer Royal. But just as she adjusts to working for the English, an old enemy reveals a devastating secret about her Gran, and Ropa's world falls apart.

Outraged, she rushes home, but finds her grandmother dead - murdered - with no killer in sight. What's more, she's the prime suspect. In her quest to find the true murderer, Ropa becomes caught in the dark tendrils of a cult, hell-bent on resurrecting an ancient power. Ropa must use her wits, her magic, and call in all favors to stop the ritual - and clear her name."

I'm just saying, if Ropa was elsewhere and rushed home to her dead grandmother I really don't think that would make her the prime suspect...

Such a good addition to the series. This one expanded so much on the world of Ropa and the Scottish magic community. There were betrayals, death and huge revelations. I loved learning more about Ropa's grandmother and her place in the magical world. And of course there is a huge cliffhanger at the end!

What a fun romp with Ropa yet again! If you loved the first three books you're sure to love number four too. Ropa manages to get herself into all kinds of trouble and you just don't know if she'll find her way out of it.

In the fourth Edinburgh Nights book, Ropa Moyo has left her position with Sir Callender and thrown herself in with the English sorcerers. When she's framed for a crime she did not commit, she finds almost all of her former friends and allies have abandoned her and she must find out who has framed her and bring them to justice before she is caught or worse.

I've enjoyed watching Ropa grow as a character throughout this series and become more proficient with her magic. I was happy to see some of the loose ends from the previous books come together in this central plot and for Ropa to learn more about her world and her own history. There are still many question marks after this book though and I hope a fifth book will be coming soon!

I really enjoyed this fourth installment in this fantasy/supernatural series. I went into this book thinking it was the finale, and was a bit surprised that it ended on a huge cliffhanger. But that is ok, because to be honest I wasn’t quite ready for this series to end.

I have enjoyed following Ropa as she grows in her abilities and as she learns more about her past. Her devotion to her family is wonderful, and she will do anything to keep them safe, even at times doing the dangerous things that no one else is willing to do. She is also a very good thinker, and is able to put things together and figure out what is really going on. She is a loyal friend, even when those friends are perhaps not loyal to her. She goes through a lot in this story and I felt every bit of it along with her. Her ability to talk to ghosts and to take care of people who are possessed by them is really scary at times, but an important part of who she is.

The other characters in this book are also well done. I love Priya, especially the fact that she has never let her disability get in the way of doing what she loves. She is a fierce adversary and a loyal friend who always has Ropa’s back. The rest of the characters are a nice eclectic mix of old and young and very diverse. It is this diversity that makes this urban fantasy feel a little bit more realistic.

This book does feel a little bit slower than the other three, but I think that is because there is more backstory being given out not only on the characters, but also this world’s history. All of this was fascinating and it answered many questions I had from the previous books, but it did slow down the main story a bit. I do love the world building here, and the writing and dialogue are also excellent. The magical battles are well done, and I just adore the underground libraries, especially the Library of the Dead, where the books can kill you.

I highly recommend that you give this series a try, especially if you are into urban fantasy. I do, however recommend that you start with the first book. The world is full of magic and science as well as ghosts, and the characters are ones that you will easily find yourself rooting for.

I’ve been with Ropa Moyo since book 1, and for me, every book in this series has gotten better and better. While the alternate-reality/dystopian Edinburgh that forms the backdrop of most of the books is intriguing, Ropa is a true original. A survivor who calls her own shots and, although certainly willing to ignore the laws when it’s required, a good person at heart. She lives her code in all aspects of her life, caring for her grandmother and little sister, sacrificing her education to put food on the table for them, defending and protecting her friends, and taking down real bad guys.

And she does it all with this strong, compelling voice that just pulls me right into her world and her worldview. Once I start any Edinburgh Nights book, it’s like getting in a fast-flowing river. There’s no getting out, and it goes faster and faster until the end.

The Legacy of Arniston House delivered that same experience. I was pulled into the story, and caught up in it, and barely able to look away as events swirled around Ropa. In The Legacy of Arniston House, it’s soon apparent that the story is riddled with nods to prior events, and that gave me the feeling like things were coming together for an epic change in Ropa’s world.

I do not want to get into spoilers, because reading this was an experience that surpassed all the other Edinburgh Nights books, and my husband actually said at one point when I was reading, “I wish I’d had my phone out so I could have recorded that reaction.” I suspect anyone familiar with Ropa and her world will be 100% invested and stunned and have all the visceral responses I had.

I’m not sure what people starting the series here would think. I’d recommend they not; while I’ve started other book series part way through and been fine, all the nods to prior events and the character histories are relevant here, and the story doesn’t stop to give us a replay of everything that happened in the three previous books. The betrayal runs deeper because you’ve had three books of liking someone before they gut Ropa, and you, by extension. The loss runs deeper because you’ve had three books of enjoying their moments on the page.

For me, this was a gripping story with a blistering pace that reduced me to tears, broke my heart, and made my jaw drop.

And now, to address a spoiler, so avert your eyes here if you’d like to avoid it.
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I have to talk about that ending.

Throughout four books, I’ve seen Ropa come back from what seemed like impossible odds. So my thoughts on the ending are split.

It’s a hell of a way to close out the book. It leaves you with room for doubt, but I feel it’s possible Ropa is gone. That said, I also think it’s possible Ropa finds a way back. Part of me hates the thought of this being her end, but I respect the heck out of the decision to end the story this way. If Huchu never revisits this world (or if he does with a different protagonist) we can decide for ourselves what happened.

It is possible for a spinoff with Izwi or another character taking the lead. It’s possible we’ll have more stories from Ropa in a different realm. And it’s possible Ropa’s coming back. I haven’t done a web search. For me, the ending works with any possibility, and that’s part of the genius of it. Kudos to Huchu for not pulling any punches, for leaving it all on the page. This book has become a specter that’s haunting me now. I can’t wait to see what Huchu gives us next.

My thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy of this latest addition in a series of urban fantasy stories, set in a future Scotland, where magic is real, but people are still unfortunately the same.

A lot of books have been written, entire series based on the idea of magic being real. Sometimes this magic is known to the populace, sometimes it is a secret. Or people pretend not too know. That seems like a common thing in this world we find ourselves. A dash of magic isn't going to change people that much. I have read a lot of these books and enjoyed them, but it wasn't until I was a bout half way through this book that I realized the author gets it. Magic sounds wonderful, but in the hands of most it is a power. Worth keeping, and worth keeping away from others. Magic is also about change, and we all know how people love change. Even in magic people would cling to the old ways, the good old days. And would bring back the dead to make these days return. No matter how much might have to be destroyed. The Legacy of Arniston House is the 4th book in the Edinburgh Nights series by T. L. Huchu following the adventures of a young ghost talker, and burgeoning magician, whose just found out that much of what she knows about herself is a lie, a lie that might cost her everything.

The time is the future, in a Scotland where things collapsed, and magic became the only way to save the country. Cars have been replaced with old electric vehicles or carriages. Phones and electricity exist, but much of Edinburgh would be familiar from people from the 19th century. Ropa Moyo was once an intern to the most powerful man in Scottish magic, but has crossed over to work for the English, both to learn, and to help her Gran and sister live a better life. Moyo can communicate with ghosts, and over the last few adventures has found that the ghosts are not only restive, but acting in ways they should not. Moyo's Gran has the same ability, and trained Moyo in magic from her home in Zimbabwe, but there is much Moyo does not know about her Gran. Before she can find out, things go horribly wrong. Old enemies appear, and their is a battle building among the magical. One that will set friends against each other, cause much destruction and leave Moyo with very little hope for the future.

I came into this without any knowledge of the series, and within a few pages I was swept in. Huchu is a very good writer, one that in a few pages gives enough information to not feel lost, and want to know more. Ropa Moyo is a very interesting character one with a past, but a past it seems was not the one she thought. There is a lot of diversity in the story, which I think gives this book a strong feeling of reality that is missing in a lot of fantasy books. Huchu understands that magic is a resource, and a technology that would be controlled, and gatekeeped to make sure it stays in the hands of the few. Money here is important. A quote from the book is "Money is the ultimate magic". Even in this time of magic and wonder, there are slums, police used to keep the status quo, people have to pay for treatment, and even the idea of the whole problem that made the future so dark is tied, to money, and speculation. One can see in the cult that wants to return Scotland to the old way, their fear of the future, to go back to when things were great again. This was rare in a lot of the fantasy I grew up with, this kind of worldview. I am glad that different voices are creating art to reflect a world that might be full of magic, but still has humans being humans.

A very good story, with a good plot, characters one cares about, and a world that seems more possible day by day. I started with the 4th book in the series, and had no problem, but I would recommend starting with the first book, just to enjoy the story unfolding. If one is daring like me, start here, one won't be disappointed. I look forward to more books in the series.