What a fantastic fantasy romance where the magic system is based on tarot cards!

Clara Graysword has been stuck in Halazar prison for over a year for illegally inking tarot cards, a privilege allowed only to those who have graduated Arcana Academy. When Kaelis, second son of King Orcalis, offers her a bargain – help him steal tarot cards from his father in exchange for her freedom – she accepts. He then takes her to Arcana Academy as a new initiate of the school and his bride-to-be.

This was my first Elise Kova book. I loved the magic system and the lore here. The romance is a slow burn. Clara is feisty and Kaelis is morally grey. I loved them together and can’t wait for book 2!

4.5 stars

As a big fan of Elise Kova's Loom Saga, I had high hopes for this one.

It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but I did very much enjoy it. The magic system is unique and rather interesting to learn about. Though there were times when I was a touch confused about the why behind everything. Nevertheless, the book was fast-paced and engaging until the bitter end.

The romance was a slow-simmering thing, and I low-key loved it. The anticipation, the waiting, the inevitable fall. I'm genuinely so pleased the author didn't completely torpedo their relationship with a betrayal. The door remains open, even if only a small crack.

I will say the surprise reveal at the end was pretty predictable. If there's one thing I learned from growing up watching soap operas with my mother, no one is dead unless there is a body.

Overall, this book was entertaining, and I am looking forward to seeing where this story takes us.

WOW !! This book blew me away. I loved it so much. I could not put it down, The writing was great and the magic system/world building was explained very well. It was a really unique story. I loved the banter between the two leads. Perfect for fans of enemies to lovers, morally grey characters, and romantasy. Read this book right now!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

In general, this was a decent fantasy/romantasy read. There's adequate world building (tarot cards - which kinda felt like 'One Dark Window') and we get the standard morally grey guy that proposes a fake marriage and a tough FMC that is trying to find her sister, figure out who she really is, and survive in this realm.
There were parts that I liked though it didn't grip me. I don't know if it was just that tarot cards aren't really my jam or if I didn't get the slow burn AS much as I'd like. But it just felt like a mid-range read. The ending picked up and if book two were available, I probably would've jumped right in to figure out how it all ends.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5⭐

Readers who relish morally gray characters, intricate power plays, and a romance that simmers beneath constant danger will find Arcana Academy irresistible.

I loved this book sooo much!!! From the first page, I was completely hooked and didn’t want to put it down for a second. Arcana Academy has everything I crave in a dark fantasy—danger, forbidden magic, slow-burn romance, and a main character I couldn’t stop rooting for.

The magic system in this book is honestly one of the coolest I’ve ever read. Tarot cards are usually a fun extra in fantasy books, but here, they’re the heart of the story. The way Elise Kova wove them into the world, the magic, the politics—it just worked so well. It was deeply integrated into the world, the stakes, and the characters’ identities. You can tell Elise put a ton of thought into the system and lore, and it made everything feel real.

Clara Graysword is a phenomenal heroine. She’s sharp, scrappy, and unapologetically flawed. I loved seeing her navigate the perilous waters of Eclipse City and the deadly politics of Arcana Academy. And Kaelis is everything you want in a dark prince - mysterious, powerful, maddeningly complex. Their chemistry is absolutely electric. The tension, the hesitation, the longing—it builds and builds, and I’m so curious to see where their relationship goes next.

As a huge fan of dark academia, I was completely enthralled by the gothic school setting, the magical lessons, and the trials. It had the perfect balance of danger, mystery, and beauty. The ending left me reeling—in the best way possible. I’m already desperate for the next book!

If you’re into slow-burns, morally grey characters, and immersive worldbuilding, Arcana Academy is a must-read!

My copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Del Rey for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Just finished this book a few hours ago and my jaw is still on the floor. What Elise Kova put in this book was absolute magic. The academy setting, the magic system, and world building is so intricately woven throughout her book. The tension between our Kaelis and Clara will have you at the edge of your seat. I absolutely cannot wait for more of this series.

Thank you so much to DelRey and Netgalley for the eARC of this book!

Wow the premise of this pulled me in!

Arcana Academy throws the reader into an atmospheric dark academia fantasy world, rich with stunning world building, a unique magic system, and a great slow burn romance.

What worked for me:

- The world building was stunning, I really felt like I was a part of the setting, immersed in the politics, high stakes and magic of it all
- The magic system was incredibly unique, I’d never read anything like it before! The strategic decisions, the meaningful choices make it that much more interesting to read.
- The romance! I love a slow burn romance! The tension, the complexity, the drama of it all. Chefs kiss!

My only slight issues which blend together were the pacing, and the fact this is very busy book. I get it though, at almost 600 pages in a series there’s a lot to pack in, just be prepared to be a little overwhelmed!

I can’t wait until the next installment!

I really enjoyed this first book of Elise Kova's new dark academia series! It has such a unique magic system and intriguing world building, The romance was swoony and a slow burn! After the ending, I can't wait for the next book!

Summary: After being caught escaping a life sentence in prison, Clara is given an opportunity by the Prince - join his academy and pretend to be his betrothed, or go back to her sentence. But when Clara arrives at the academy, her sister is missing, she is faced with jealous courtiers
and students, and her feelings begin not to feel so fake towards the Prince.

Rating: 5/5
Spice 1/5
Narration: 3/5

Tropes:
Slow Burn
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Magic System

Triggers:
Blood
Violence
Death
Blackmail

My Thoughts:
Elise Kova weaves a magic system unlike I have ever read before! Inking, reading and wielding tarot cards are all different skills, in
which Elise provides a thorough explanation without making it overwhelming for the reader. As an auto buy author for me, Elisa Kova
continues to blow me away.

I read all of this, in hopes of combatting my reading slump, to no avail. The world building here is dense and the characters are dull. The romance also made zero sense.

This was a 4.25 ⭐️ read for me.

I heard from others that the felt that it was quite slow in the beginning and then jumped into the action, but I felt that there was some serious time spent world building that was super important for the story now and the sequels to come. The tarot magic system was done in a unique way and it was fascinating seeing it played out in an academy setting.

Clara and Kaelis had great chemistry from the start and the hate to love element was there, though the hate was more on Clara’s side in my opinion. The story wove together past and present timelines really well and I’m excited to see where it goes. This was my first Elise Kova book and I really enjoyed it and will be reading more from her. The ending landed on such a huge cliffhanger and I can’t believe we have to wait until the next book (hopefully not too long a wait).

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for a copy of this ARC for an honest review.

My Review of Arcana Academy by Elise Kova
Arcana Academy by Elise Kova is the first book in her new The Arcana Academy series. It’s also the first book of hers I’ve read.

Arcana Academy has a different take on fantasy where the magic system is based on the ability to cast spells — all based on tarot cards.

The entire magic system is pretty interesting and at the same time a bit hard to follow. There is a glossary of the different types of spells a caster uses. I personally think it would have been better at the front — but with an e-ARC, it would still be difficult to reference.

The romance is pretty standard. I can’t call it an enemies-to-lovers trope. It’s more like hate-to-fūck buddies, unless the MMC is in love with the FMC.

Is it possible for there to be so much going on but then nothing happening at all?
The book ends on a cliffhanger. I think I could have thrown my e-reader across the room when it ended.


Some Additional Thoughts (Spoiler-ish)

In their first year at Arcana Academy, students go through three trials:
* The first trial is before they even enter. They must face the chalice and give up a tarot card — a card that represents their future. They then have to confront what they will be losing. If they pass, they’re allowed into the Academy. If they fail, they’re branded and sent to the mines.

* The final trial involves passing two out of three tests: drawing a tarot card, reading tarot cards, and battling/wielding using their cards and other spells. At the end, the king or queen of one of the Academy’s houses selects students to join them for the remainder of their time. If no one selects a student, they’re branded and also sent to the mines. (Very Harry Potter Sorting Hat vibes, but way darker.)

There’s also a rebellion happening in the background. Some magical users reject the Academy’s structure — especially the idea that casters must face the chalice or give a card to the king, who seems to be consolidating absolute power.

Beyond that, there’s more going on than meets the eye:
* A mystery involving the FMC’s mother and sister
* A viscous prince (the MMC) who might not be what society has painted him to be — he might even have feelings for the FMC.

Why the Magic System Gets Confusing:
The tarot-based magic is used in both classes and combat (wielding/casting), but each person also seems to have one major magic tied to a specific card or spell. Without prior knowledge of tarot, and without easily referencing the glossary (especially in an e-ARC), it’s hard to keep track of:
* What each card does
* Which spells exist
* Who has which abilities
* And how all that fits into the world’s rules

ARC Disclosure: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. While some elements didn’t fully work for me, I appreciated the creativity and unique worldbuilding and am curious to see where the series goes next.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an ARC for my honest opinion

If you like dark academia, romantasy, forced proximity, morally gray MMC, enemies to lovers, fake engagement and one heck of a cliffhanger.

What would you do if the man who killed your entire clan was the one that helped you escape prison and tells you that you will be his future bride? Oh, and he will help you unlock your power? What would you do?

In this book you will meet Kaelis, he is headmaster of the academy, but he also has a lot of secrets as well. He is grumpy, smart as hell and sexy af. However, he is also the man that threw Clara into prison for just trying to survive the world that she was living in. Clara is a real baddie. She is smart, she trusts her intuition, she is strong with her magical abilities. I like that she is still on the edge about who to trust and what is real and what isn’t real. I loved these characters by the end of the book, I didn’t like Kaelis at first, I thought she was an a$$ but after getting to know him I started to like him a lot and that ending of the book was like WHAT!! With Clara, I loved her from the start of the book, I want to be friends with her in real life, she is so brave with what life gives to her and is learning to deal with everything.

The plot was fun, refreshing to find a different magical system in a book that I haven’t seen before (tarot cards), getting to understand why the characters were fighting for their lives and seeing Clara doing whatever she can to find her sister. I loved that we got to see the darker side of the school but at the same time the beauty of the school too. However, if you’re looking for an ending that will leave you without questions and needing the next book.

I can’t say much more without spoiling the plot and things that happen, just know that I loved this book so much and I can’t wait for the next book.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to review this book.

After leading a life of crime, one mistake has landed Clara in prison. For life. But luckily for her, the headmaster of an elite academy offers her a job she can’t refuse - and her escape. In order to hide her true identity, she is introduced as the newest first year student… and his bride-to-be.
•
•
The magic system in this book is one of the more unique and detailed systems I’ve come across. I adore the similarities and interpretations of tarot, and the interwoven learning that goes with it. The academia element of the book, and the challenges the students face, provide action-packed scenes that really gripped me.

The main character, Clara, is certainly determined and capable. She has a shadowy backstory that creates an aura of intrigue and I enjoyed getting to know her character alongside her.

Kaelis, the void-born prince and headmaster, is a typical brooding love interest. I would like to learn more about his character and backstory, but I suspect that will be more prevalent in future books in the series.

Overall, it was a solid read, and I will definitely pick up the next one when it’s released because I MUST know what happens next.

If you’re interested in dark academia, romance and tarot then I would absolutely pick this up.

This was my first Elise Kova book and I am in AWE of her brain power and imagination. The magic system (tarot cards) were a little beyond my comprehension at times and this book is definitely big on establishing the world and characters, but it made me that much more excited for the next books in the series.
It definitely took more brain power than what I was in the mood for, but the mystery and layers of the story had me invested and thinking about the book even when I wasn't reading. I know it may be a while for the next book but this got me so excited to read Kova's backlog!

Arcana Academy was amazing and utterly original. It had an intricate magic system revolving around tarot cards, a corrupt king & ruling class that suppresses the masses, morally complex characters making bargains and betraying each other, thievery & heists, and a slowburn enemies-to-lovers romance that starts out as a fake engagement and is bursting with tension & longing.

Clara is a ferocious, scrappy heroine who will do anything to survive, and will burn down the world for her sister and her crew. Kaelis is the broody, mysterious, brilliant, and misunderstood headmaster of Aracana Academy and second born prince. Clara initially hates him, but as she spends more time with him and comes to understand his motivations and family, she realizes that he isn’t who she thought he was. I would love to have gotten his POV, because he falls first, and is so painfully in love with Clara that he’s willing to take whatever scraps of her that he can get. He was perfect.

This was everything I love about romantasy and dark academia. It had a gothic castle where arcane magic is studied, ruthless students who will do anything to graduate, royal intrigue and a secret battle for absolute power, and the swooniest romance imaginable. The audiobook was narrated by Anna Burnett, and I highly recommend listening to it! She did an amazing job telling Clara’s story and bringing this stunning story to life. Go read it immediately!

Thank you to Del Rey, Random House, Penguin Random House, Libro.FM, NetGalley, and Elise Kova for the ARC and ALC.

📔Aracana Academy
✏️ Elise Kova
📆 July 22
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

READ IF YOU LIKE:
🖋️magical tarot cards
🖋️ dark academia
🖋️cutthroat school
🖋️pretend engagement
🖋️ enemies to lovers
🖋️ found family
🖋️ thieves & heists
🖋️ political unrest

Thank you to Netgalley, Del Ray, Random House Worlds and Inklore for giving me the opportunity to have a ARC of this book. I very much enjoyed this book. It was captivating and intriguing. I loved the academy setting, the mystery, the magic system and the romantic subplot.
What to expect:
1st person singular POV
Academy/ School Setting
-Enemies to lovers
-slow burn
-mystery/who did it?
-secrets

What I enjoyed:
- The main character was strong and bold. I loved being in her head
- The magic system was easy to follow and was explained effortlessly and seamlessly
-Writing was highly enjoyable
- the romance wasn't forced and the book was not heavily focused on smut.
-side characters were fun and not lackluster
- The pace of the book was perfect

Things that could be improved on:
- Although the magic system was well developed I wish for a tad bit more of the world around them and deeper explanation of some parts.

Final Rating: 4.5*

4.5⭐️

What really impressed me in this book was the magic system - it was so unique, which lead to some very interesting twists!
Clara and Kaelis are true enemies and hate each other, which made their interactions really compelling to read. Their story was a real slow burn , full of mistrust and lies but also longing.
This story had really good elements, with l the academia setting, found family, mystery, a grant-heist. Everything tied together making a really complex and interesting plot, setting up what could be a great trilogy!
Much like Clara, we spend the whole book wondering who to trust , and the end was absolutely mind blowing with revelations - can’t wait for book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read this ARC.

What a wild ride this book was! I was gripped from the very first page. The tarot card magic is very unique, the banter, the romance, the world building!! It was all so very well done and I cannot wait to read more!