I really liked this book, I don't read too much in this genre so it typically takes a good hook to draw me in but I thought this one sounded intriguing. I enjoy a fantasy book that involves an academy and has trials they have to go through, it often makes for a tightly paced book and this was no exception. I'd definitely be keen to read the next book when it comes out.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7353342118

Enjoyed this one lots. A real page turner of a romantasy in the vein of Fourth Wing, Crescent City etc. Very much looking forward to the next one and thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Elise Kova has written an amazing fantasy/romance. This is a new series that is based on tarot cards and in this world, special arcanist are able to wield and create tarot cards that have magical powers. These special individuals are then recruited to attend a school to learn how to better hone their powers and serve the crown. However, there are a few extra special individuals that can create cards that have only ever been myths.

Cara is an illegal arcanist who has been sent to jail. She escapes, but is now in a different kind of prison. She has now found herself in the arcanist school, where the crown prince who is the headmaster is stating if she claims to be his fiancé and help him create and steal these rare tarot cards to create a new world he will keep her safe from going back to jail.

It is a wonderfully written fantasy and the world building is fantastic. It ended on such a cliff hanger that I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Thank you NetGalley & Random house, Delray for this ARC!

I am absolutely blown away, from the very start, 2% in, I was absolutely enamored by the magic system & the FMC. The magic system in this book is truly unique & nothing like I’ve ever read.

I absolutely loved that it focused more on the magic system, the mysteries & the academy & LESS on the romance.. that’s coming from someone who loves good spice. The tension between Kaelis & Cara is so beautifully done that I truly didn’t miss the one million sex scenes you would normally encounter in fantasy. This is definitely not YA because there is a little spice but it’s very much earned after a slow burn of enemies to lovers.

I could not put it down the last 30%. I didn’t want to do my dishes, clean my house, fold laundry or mother my children. I wanted to rot in bed & see how it ended.

The ending has me absolutely spiraling. I must have read the last 3 pages 10 times. Jaw on the floor. I can’t wait for the rest of the world to get their hands on this while also upset that it’s not even published & I am begging for book 2.

“Don’t weep for an empty coffin.” ⚰️

Bravo! This book is absolutely excellent. I was blown away by how quickly I devoured it. Clara is an incredibly stubborn FMM who is determined to get exactly what she needs. While the book is dense and its pace can be challenging at times, the magic system more than makes up for it. It pulls you in and keeps you hooked. I’m completely obsessed with the series now and wish I already had the second book in my hands. This is definitely a must-buy for my friends and for my library. I can’t wait for its official release!

Elise Kova never disappoints. Arcana Academy is absolutely enthralling and grabbed me by the throat from chapter 1. I LOVED this book and I cannot wait to see where Kova goes after this.

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova is a captivating and enchanting read that will transport you to a world of magic, mystery, and adventure. This delightful novel follows a young protagonist as they navigate the challenges of attending a prestigious magical academy, where they must master their arcane abilities, forge new friendships, and confront the darkness within.

Another brilliant book from Elise Kova! I have read all of her books and this one is a new favourite! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

dare i say this very well may be one of if not THE fantasy book of 2025? never in my life have i read something so unique and enthralling. ill be quite honest this was a very hard read for me as the magic system and world building was pretty intense but it was SO insanely rewarding and kept me engaged the entire time.
one of my favorite things about this book was the magic, it felt insanely refreshing and in a world where we have so many different fantasies and magic systems i feel like that a very rare thing to accomplish. i loved loved loved every fight scene, i think the use of the cards made everything feel 10x more intense and high stake.

This book was incredible- halfway through I was cursing myself that I was reading a proof as I already knew I would want to immediately devour the sequel.
A brilliant, throughly constructed magic system with a true enemies to lovers, slow burn relationship arc.
The characters were so distinctive and well brought to life, the narrative was so well paced that it made it a captivating read from chapter 1.

Elise Kova never disappoints. I'm a sucker for a dark academia vibe and her past works have been some of my favourite reads. The action packed opening of this novel was phenomenal and had me cackling like a mad woman and demanding more. Each plot twist had me clapping with glee - this book felt like wandering through a maze with something new and fantastic around every corner.

While I generally shy away from a slower burn when it comes to romance and the enemies-to-lovers element had somewhat blunter edges than similar reads, such as Fourth Wing and Quicksilver, I found the Six of Crows-esque heist factor and fascinating magic system drew my focus so much so that the romance almost fell into the background in a very natural way - not that it didn't have moments where it flared front and centre.

I enjoyed this immensely and cannot wait to see what will come next - especially with the tantalising little twist dropped at the end.

Clara very well might be my favorite fmc so far this year, likewise this book as a whole has earned itself a high spot on my yearly tier list. The relationships in this book are to die for, both romantic and platonic. In a genre where it's easy for books to blend together Arcana had truly found a way to stand out and offer every familiar trope with a fresh gasp of air.
The worst complaint I can manage for this book is that there are some slow spots that lean heavily towards being info dumps. If you are like me and you love world building that won't be an issue, but if you are someone who doesn't tend to be very interested in deep building it might have a few boring parts for you. Push through, itll be so worth it.

This was definitely a really interesting read and plenty of depth and world-building.
I do think a large portion of the beginning was a huge information dump to the point where it made the read quite slow and difficult to absorb all at once.
The magic system in this is really unique and cool but personally found hard to follow at times.
I still think this was a good book and would recommend it for all fantasy lovers!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I didn't go into this book thinking it was going to be my top fantasy book of the year...but here we are.

The sheer uniqueness of the entire story absolutely blew me away. The popularity of fantasy and romantasy has obviously grown exponentially in recent times so it feels like everything under the sun has been written but Elise proved me wrong - so so wrong. The magic system and the world building are top notch (learning it all was an undertaking but it was 100% worth it). It was such a refreshing and unique take on magic in a time when I feel like a lot of authors are just leaning into the "normal" avenues.

Clara is an FMC that I truly adore. I loved everything about her and her relationship with Kaelis - I literally just couldn't put it down because of them. The friendships, found family, enemies to lovers, slow burn - it was all just masterfully written and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I honestly don't know how I'm going to wait for book 2.

The vibes were very similar to One Dark Window meets Throne of Glass - its very atmospheric (like ODW) while also feeling adventurous (like TOG).

I'm just in complete awe. I've read some of Elise's books before and while I enjoyed them none of them hit me quite like Arcana Academy has. I feel like I'm just fumbling for words but truly, just go and read it. Like, now.

Thank you NetGalley, and DelRey for providing an e-arc of Arcana Academy, in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first story I’ve read by Elise Cova and I’ll start by saying, I want to dive into everything she’s written. If you enjoy stories with morally grey characters, dark academia, intricate magic systems and enemies to lovers dynamics, this one is for you.

The magic system is like nothing I’ve ever read. I’ll admit, it took me a while to get my head around it (and I probably still don’t have a full grasp on it) but I LOVED it. It was so unique and so incredibly thought out - from the major and minor cards with varied uses, wielding, inking and reading.

Our FMC is fiery, loyal and brave. I loved following her character arc throughout the dangerous games she’s playing, hiding her true identity and toying with politics and magic that could very well prove to be lethal for her.

Our MMC is an especially complex man, who at first glance comes across as rude and arrogant however as the story goes on, we slowly get to see what’s underneath. I really enjoyed reading scenes with Kaelis and I’m excited to see where he goes in the next book. Whilst there isn’t much spice in this, when there is, I’d just like to say Kaelis had me GASPING 😮‍💨

This is a standout start to what I believe will be an unforgettable trilogy. That cliffhanger ending had me speechless. I’m already so excited for the next book and I will be recommending this to anyone who listens

This read was so cool and different! Fantasy plot lines can feel incredibly recycled, and this one did NOT follow that path. Similar to the tarot cards in One Dark Window, this series revolves around cards, their powers, and some special characters. Only down side was this took me weeks to finish, with it feeling incredibly long. I think the storyline was great, but definitely could’ve been shortened by 100+ pages.

This was a solid, interesting fantasy. I wanted to like it more than I did, but I think my lack of knowledge about tarot put me at a disadvantage. The world building was interesting but the book itself was a little dense, which dragged it down. Overall enjoyed it.

After consuming Elise Kova's Married to Magic series like my life depended on it, I was absolutely stoked to dive in to Arcana Academy. I love Elise's writing style, her approach to world building, and her ability to write characters whom I have always end up very invested in. Arcana Academy might be my new favorite Elisa Kova title, and that's saying something because I have her entire catalog on my shelves.

I love dark academia settings but sometimes feel like stories set in such spaces lean toward feeling a tad juvenile but that was not the case here. This story was gritty, and the world building was not easy breezy, this is definitely a story that requires you to sink your teeth into it a bit but the payoff is absolutely worth it.

Though I did in fact fall in love with Clara and Kaelis, the most notable feature of this story for me was definitely the tarot based magic system. It reminded me slightly of One Dark Window, but it was so much more intricate and the way the magic system tied into the world building and the plot never felt forced, and that is a testament to Elise Kova's writing ability and a feature of her particular style. She presents her worlds in a way that never feels like information is being dumped on you only when its convenient to the plot.

<b>Tropes to look out for: </b> If you love dark academia settings, an enemies to lovers marriage of convenience, trials, unique magic systems, political intrigue, and found family, then Arcana Academy might be your new favorite read.

Many thanks to Elise Kova, Del Rey, and Netgalley for sharing an eARC of this book with me.

4 stars ⭐️ i absolutely ate up the magic system in this book - it was so different and unique. The world building and lore is so well written and thought out and im always a sucker for a magical school. There are a lot of popular tropes in here, the enemies to lovers, hidden identities, trials, academy,etc. The romance in this book is a subplot. I will say though i do wish the side characters were a bit more distinct and we knew more about them. A couple times they really just blurred in together and i couldn’t really be bothered to differentiate them. Also the book is quite a hefty one so bear that in mind too.

Also i wish that Clara and Kaelis would just talk LOL especially towards the end like the tension is thick but we like if you guys actually communicated some of your thoughts - we wouldn’t be in a lot of these predicaments.

Arcana Academy was such a good blend of romance, mystery, and fantasy and so im absolutely sick to my stomach that book 2 is truly so far away because i need to know what happens next after the cliffhanger it left on.

Thank you to Elise and the Del Rey team for this ARC through NetGalley!