5 Stars

I loooovveed this book so much. With the sheer number of books that Elise Kova has published I am really shocked I have never read anything by this author. I am going to quickly remedy this as I really enjoyed this book so much. This is my type of Romantasy! I really struggle with this genre as a lot of time I find that the pining and romance to be lacking. That they get together to early or they just lust the whole time in the book, that its just a matter of when not if. Elise Kova kills it at pining and tension. She reminds me so much of Mariana Zapata, where this is just this underlying tension and you won't get a first kiss until 80% into the book.

Not only was the romance in this book on point, I really thought the world building and magic system in this book to be really interesting. That magic system is built around how magic is wielded thru Tarot Cards. There is also a class system, where it doesn't necessarily give them immunity but a head start. I really appreciated how the book touched on this and how it echoed our own challenges in our own world. That sometimes people get to start half way thru the race, so they reach the end sooner. However although they are noble, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are immune to falling and meeting some of the worse fates like others.

I did really like the characters in this book. I thought Kaelis and Clara were great and I thought they did a great job reflecting an enemy - reluctant ally - friends - lover timeline. Clara is so reluctant to trust anyone and can tell it's so hard on Kaelis. The books pacing also was really well done. I just wanted to devour the whole thing, but it was too long to do in one sitting :).

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

ARC Review: Arcana Academy by Elise Kova

⭐️ 5 | 🌶️ 3

Thank you to Elise Kova, NetGalley, and Del Rey Books for granting me this ARC. I’m so grateful for the chance to read this before everyone else. What follows is my personal and honest review.

I just spent the last few minutes screaming to myself after finishing this book! I’ve said a variety of words and phrases—none of which I can repeat here because, spoilers. I’m in awe of this story’s entire package, and I’m itching to get my hands on the next book. If I were asked to describe this book in a few words, I’d say it’s a story about love and revenge. Juicy, right?!

As I read, I kept getting flashes of Harry Potter, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Throne of Glass—not because the stories are exactly alike, but because Arcana Academy pulls little elements from each and spins them into something entirely its own. I can’t even really compare it—though you're probably thinking, Yu-Gi-Oh!? Really, Liv? Just read it and tell me you don’t see it too! Anyway, let’s get into the synopsis.

Summary:
A young woman who wields tarot cards as magical weapons finds herself in a fake engagement with the void prince to escape imprisonment. She’s forced to attend Arcana Academy, where she learns even more about how social hierarchy determines who has power—and who has access to it. Not just economic power, but magical power as well. Clara has the ability to change the world, but she must navigate hidden truths and long-forgotten legends. All is not as it seems, and as she uncovers secrets about who she is and where she comes from, she also finds herself falling for a man she absolutely shouldn’t be drawn to. Will Clara get the answers she seeks? Only time will tell.

My Thoughts on Story and Character:
Let me start by saying that Elise Kova could write a manual on how to build a fantasy world. I knew exactly how this world worked. It made sense—and every time I had a question, it was immediately answered. As a seasoned fantasy reader, I’ll tell you: that is rare. I genuinely loved every moment of unpacking the world’s systems. After finishing, I appreciated even more how many subtle threads she planted along the way. I highlighted so many lines thinking, That’s gotta be a clue!—and some were, while others threw me completely off. It made for such a fun reading experience.

Now onto the characters. I’ll keep this vague because I don’t want to spoil anything—but just know: these characters are so layered and interesting. Clara, our protagonist, is a strong woman who, like many fantasy heroines, is pretty stubborn. But I found myself really rooting for her and aligning with her thoughts throughout the book. Her observations about the injustice in her world felt sharp and relevant, and I was right there with her. And Kaelis—this void prince will be the death of me. He’s broody, mysterious, deadly, and deeply morally gray. I loved everything he said. I quickly became obsessed with unraveling his story, and I can’t wait to see where book two takes us. Their romance? An intense slow burn. Like… painfully slow. I felt like I was getting burned, but in the best way. It fit their dynamic so well, especially considering the secrets and duality between them. I just loved it.

My only hiccup with this story is that the pacing sometimes felt a bit slow. I could’ve used a touch more action in certain places—but, to be fair, the tension that built through that slower pacing worked. Around the 60% mark, I had a constant sense of impending doom (in the best way). That’s smart storytelling. It kept me reading late into the night, even though I was nervous about what was coming. And let me tell you—I had every right to be anxious. I’ll be needing book two immediately, please and thank you.

You’ll love this novel if you enjoy:
* Fake engagements
* Shadow princes
* Enemies to lovers
* Slow burn romance
* Dark academia
* Political espionage
* Badass FMCs
* Found family

Should this spill into your TBR upon release? Heck yes! What are you even doing? I’ve already pre-ordered my physical copy, and as soon as the next one drops, that’s getting pre-ordered too.

Happy reading, lovelies!

3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read the book early in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the magic system. I don’t put much stock in fortune telling in real life, but I really enjoy reading about tarot card magic in fantasy books because it's based on something so mysterious and inherently occult. In Arcana Academy, practicing magic is strictly sanctioned by the court and only allowed to academy students. It's divided into separate skills: inking cards, wielding them for different magical effects, and reading the future. Every magician has access to minor arcana, and only a special few can use major arcana.

Clara is a capable rogue magic user who was thrown in prison for illegally inking and wielding cards until she's offered an opportunity by Prince Kaelis, the academy headmaster: help him with something very dangerous in exchange for his protection and a new identity as a student, his fake fiancee, and an heiress of a destroyed clan. The teacher-student dynamic usually makes me very uncomfortable, but as a headmaster, Kaelis is so far removed from everyday goings-on in the school it somehow felt less weird?? Also, he introduced her as his fiancee right from the start, and there was no huge age difference.

Sadly, I didn’t care much for the romance. Clara was so stubborn and self-sabotaging, they kept taking one step forward and three steps back. I love a slow burn, but these two were constantly so hot and cold with each other it was just frustrating. To be fair, they do get some time to just chill in each other’s company and slowly develop a camaraderie, which I enjoyed very much, but then just when you're sure they're starting to trust each other, Clara suddenly reminds you that she still thinks he's her enemy, and her animosity made less and less sense throughout the book.

The other side characters, like the members of the Starcrossed Club and Clara’s classmates, were pretty much inconsequential. The only one who felt like a complex character was Silas. And maybe Alor and Luren.

This really was an interesting case because the plot was so much better than the characters, which is the exact opposite of my usual thoughts on romantasy books. I would've liked the book more if it was about completely different people and just set in the same world.

Speaking of romantasy, it just doesn't seem to be my genre, even though I keep hoping and trying. The thing with the genre is not just that it has a romance plot set in a fantasy world. I like that shit. The problem is that it looks at everything through the filter of romance. Clara and Kaelis are enemies, but they also find each other SO hot, and not a second can go by without us being reminded of that. There's also that typical moment where they really should focus on survival instead of making out, but they're just too horny to wait, which irritated me to no end.

However, if you’ve liked similar books before, this one delivers what it promises. I'm rating it lower than I did Fourth Wing and The Serpent and the Wings of Night just because I liked the characters in Arcana Academy significantly less, but it was still a fun experience. The genuinely good writing combined with an intriguing magic system far outweighs the negatives for me.

gorgeous dark academia romantasy with incredible world building (the card list at the end was VERY appreciated too) and great characters. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

All I can say is I NEED more! No, wait, I do have more to say. I absolutely love the main female character! Cara was no wall flower and her strength and resistance was by far my favorite part. Well, that and the magic system! I don’t believe I have ever seen Tarot cards used as one! Don’t worry readers who aren’t familiar with the meaning and names of it. The author does a great job explaining it and adding her own unique twist. I don’t think I am over that ending and without too much spoilers, I will just leave it - This was 5 stars read and I can’t wait till it’s out!

Arcana academy is going to be a hit with fans of fantasy, tarot & dark academia. The tension in this book with the magic system and me was palpable. I love the unique take on tarot cards, their magic and domain. Fake engagement with a slow burn, snarky hate me or love me banter always gets me frothing and this book had a wonderful subplot with it all for Clara & Kaelis. The academy trials were so interesting and intense, the stakes higher than ever before. I'm a sucker for a good trial.

Some of the pacing was a little off for me but this was an overall enjoyable read that I think is going to check a lot of boxes for readers, especially Elise Kova fans.

This is a DNF for me. The characters felt young and flat. The story felt slow. The world building didn't intrigue me. It was just not for me.

3.5 Stars

I have mixed feelings about this one. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know much about how tarot works and felt really dumb in the beginning trying to understand the tarot style magic system in this book. However, once I got the basic understanding of it, I was hooked! (Side note: I didn’t realize until I finished the book that this had a glossary at the back explaining each tarot card and its associated spell. 💀) The magic system made me feel nostalgic over things I loved as a kid like the Pokémon trading card game and the Cardcaptors anime haha. Overall, I enjoyed the uniqueness of it a lot.

Now to things I didn’t like. For some reason, I felt as though we readers were dropped right in the middle of the Starcrossed Club storyline and were lacking a lot of key info. It felt like the book assumed we knew who all of these members were and their past history with Clara, our FMC. I truly felt like the book either skipped a bunch of chapters or there was meant to be a novella or short story that took place before this book that explained all of these connections. I felt very lost and struggled to make emotional connections with the club members due to it.

The romance was also very meh… I wasn’t super invested in Clara and Kaelis’ relationship. To be honest I felt a bit misled by the blurb. When it said we’d get a relationship between a student and the headmaster of the academy, I expected some juiciness à la power dynamics and age gaps. I didn’t get any of those things. In fact, Kaelis was a headmaster at the mere age of 22 and Clara was 21. 😅

Overall, this had a lot of things that I enjoyed (the use of tarot and magic system), and a lot that was either a let down (romance) or just kinda boring. However, I’m still invested enough to read the sequel.

I LOVED this book and could not put it down. The author employs some great romance tropes while still creating unique and loveable characters.

Elise Kova is back with a tarot-drenched romantasy that gave me the emotional high of From Blood and Ash with the polished intrigue of A Deadly Education. Clara is a sharp, scrappy heroine with magic in her blood and revenge on her mind—and Kaelis? Tall, shadowy, fake-fiancé perfection. Court politics, forbidden magic, and jaw-dropping reveals make this the kind of series opener you’ll reread before book two.

This book was captivating and refreshingly original, offering a unique take on dark academia with its focus on tarot cards. The story’s atmosphere and mystery were compelling, making it hard to put down.

If you’re a fan of moody, layered stories with a touch of mysticism, this one is a must-read!

I'm always going to have a soft spot for magic systems that use cards (thanks to a certain book that came out in 2022), and I'm so glad Arcana Academy didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed the dark academia setting of this and the marriage of convenience/forced proximity. I wasn't a huge fan of Kaelis at that start, but he grew on me by the beginning. I like his quiet obsession with Clara that he doesn't actually want to admit to. Their relationship was really entertaining to watch, and I loved how the entire school seemed to always be gossiping about them. The friendships in this book are also amazing (not usually something I notice, but I loved so many of the secondary characters). A good villain is a weakness of mine--I LOVE having someone to hate because I really enjoy the emotional reaction to when things go terribly wrong. and I think Arcana Academy is setting that up quite nicely. This book also got dark at time, which is one of my favorite things for a book to do.

If I had to say one thing I disliked, it would be that the pacing got a little slow for me. I enjoy stories in school settings, but sometimes it felt like the conversations could drag on forever. The magic system was a lot to keep up with, but fortunately I just go along for the ride and don't try to keep up with what each one does, especially if I'm about to see it for myself in the story.

Clara Graysword survived the unimaginable through thievery, luck, and illegal magic. After a job went wrong, Clara finds herself sentenced to a lifetime in prison. Just when she thinks her luck has run out, Prince Kaelis offers her a way out. Clara suddenly finds herself thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep could send her back to prison or worse....

Fantasy + Arcana! How could you possibly go wrong? Arcana Academy is well-written and wildly entertaining. I loved the creative world-building and the enemies-to-lovers vibes. I found myself full of intrigue as I got swept up in the romance and magic.

Arcana Academy is spellbinding, and the twists will keep you on your toes. And, the ending...🤯 Just wild. I can't wait to find out what happens next. This is my first book by this author and won't be my last.

This book was enthralling ! Elise kova does it again! Her character and world building is unparalleled. I was hooked during the whole book. Didn't want it to end. If you like fantasy this is for you.

Starting by expressing how excited I was to receive this ARC from Del Rey through NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions are my own.

What I liked:
1. Kaelis. I need more answers about the mystery surrounding him and what’s going on with the royal family. I think I know, but I want to see how it plays out.

2. The unique magic system centered around tarot. I haven’t read anything like this and found the details surrounding the magic very intriguing and complex. The battles using this magic system were a lot of fun to read.

3. Priss. I love a pet in my books.

4. The secrets surrounding Clara’s heritage. While this was all kind of “trauma dumped” on us at the end, it does make me need to read book two for answers.

This was fun. It’s one I will recommend, but with a disclaimer that you have to stick with it. I can usually finish a book this length in 2 days, and it took me 5 to push through.

I read a lot of fantasy, so I know the first book contains a lot of world building, BUT this one doesn’t pick up until around 60%. The last 20% was a wild ride and what bumped me from a 3 star to a 4 star rating. There are also multiple complex mysteries and secrets being unraveled that are difficult to follow when you’re struggling to stay invested in the story,

I also struggled because I really don’t like Clara. She’s the stereotypical young FMC who refuses to accept her feelings and recognize his no matter how hard he tries.

The tension was decent, but I’m honestly ready for a true enemies to lovers storyline. Not a “I’m mad you because I was told you did xyz” only to find the other person attractive and realize you believed lies, or made assumptions, so they’re not actually an enemy. This is done a lot and it makes romance seem very surface level. I don’t care how good someone looks, if I believe they were behind the deaths of my family I am not going to find myself drawn to them or consider them attractive.

This book sounded great. Unfortunately it wasn't a book for me and I had to DNF.
There is a lot of information being given at times about the world and magic system and unfortunately it lost me somewhere along the way. I also couldn't cope with the character's, they felt a bit too stereotypical and "flat". The book might be for you if you don't mind the heavy information-dumping and the typical "stubborn and sassy" lead and "mysterious and evil" love interest.

I loved this so much! Elise Kova’s writing has a way of immersing you into a unique world that you never want to leave. My favourite part about this book was the magic system as I found it so well thought out. This fantasy had a lot of things I enjoyed, including an academy setting, trials found family, a heist, slow burn, and a plot that kept me hooked. I just know this is going to be a big hit when it releases.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for this arc💕

This book was a fun, entertaining read; I believe that amongst romantasy readers it will do well. I quite liked the magic world, using tarot cards as weapons; each signifying a different thing.
The romance was quite slow but obvious, they never felt like enemies (not truly), but I liked it anyway, and I will be trying to get my hands on the next regardless.
Some of the plot dragged a little, and the jumps in time were a bit too frequent, skipping through weeks at the academy, when I would have been very interested in seeing the day to day in class and see the friendships flourish more.
Regardless of that I think it will be a good seller, amongst young adults and romantasy readers.

This is a fun read with unique and interesting magic. It felt a bit similar to other fantasy novels, but deviated enough to stand as it's own story. Loved the twists!

"A woman who wields magical tarot cards lands herself in a false engagement with the headmaster of a mysterious academy in this first installment of an enthralling fantasy romance series from the bestselling author of A Deal with the Elf King.

Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job gone awry, Clara is sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards - a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy.

Just when it seems her luck has run dry, the academy's enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her an escape - for a price. Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king and use it to re-create an all-powerful card long lost to time.

In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be.

Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems. But can she risk giving him power over the world - and her heart? Or will she take it for herself?"

So apparently they don't have a rule about staff and students dating.