It had good elements, but overall, not really my thing. I felt like this book had missing elements to the story, especially with building interpersonal relationships and dynamics, so it left me feeling a bit dissatisfied. And I'm not a fan of enemies-to-lovers as a trope. An interesting magic system though.

4 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC!

The Plot: 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.

What I liked: The magic system! It felt so unique and intriguing. I want to know more and I'm glad Kova was pretty detailed in the descriptions of what the cards are and what they could do. I appreciated that. Clara and Kaelis' relationship, once it actually started going somewhere, was so good! I loved the two of them together, slowly starting to trust one another. Even if the trust wasn't complete.

What I disliked: How slow moving the story was. For such a long book, the plot fell flat in a lot of places. I kept wanting it to move and do something interesting. It wasn't until about 80% in, or when the Two of Swords trial happened, that I felt like the meat of the story was finally starting to get going. For that, it loses a star.

I am looking forward to the next book! This is the downside of getting ARCs of first books in a series. You have to wait so long for the next one!

Okay Elise Kova, this is amazing. Arcana Academy introduces a tarot-based magic system where Clara Graysword is imprisoned for illegal use of tarot magic. Her escape is facilitated by Prince Kaelis, the headmaster of Arcana Academy, so they can work together to create the World card - a card that lets the user change and shape the world. Clara is given a new identity in a reestablished noble line that was thought to be dead and she learns even more about being an Arcanist while slowly falling for Kaelis even though she should absolutely hate him for the rest of forever.
The world building and character development in Arcana Academy are absolutely top tier. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat as we delved deeper into the tarot lore and learned more about Clara, Kaelis, the other royals, and students at the school. The end left off on a massive cliffhanger (in more than one way) and I cannot wait for book 2!

Arcana Academy pulled me in with its fresh, magical twist tarot card based magic! I absolutely loved the way Elise Kova built this system. It felt creative, layered, and really came alive during the fight scenes (which were some of my favorite parts!). The way the cards influenced strategy and power made each battle feel intense and unpredictable.

Clara and Kaelis were both incredible main characters I found myself really invested in them. That said, I wish there had been more interaction between the two of them earlier in the story. Their dynamic is so compelling, I just wanted more from the start! The pacing was a little slow in places, but just when I’d start to feel that, something exciting would happen and I’d be totally hooked again.

The final chapter honestly left me mind blown. So many questions, so many emotions and now I’m counting down the days until book two. Even though there are still a lot of things I’m wondering about, I loved how Kova started pulling everything together toward the end. It felt like a satisfying payoff while still leaving room for more.

If you love fantasy with a unique magical system, complex characters, and a twisty ending, Arcana Academy is definitely worth the read. I’m obsessed and ready for the next one!

Such a good read. This book started with a band and left me anxious for the next book in the series. I loved the tarot magic system that Kova created - it really kept me invested in the story. This first book started a lot of plot threads - from a fake relationship with a prince to a deeper plot change the world. I can't wait to see where this story goes.

4.5 stars
This book had it all! I love a dark academia series, especially when we get fantasy elements. The addition of the arcana/tarot elements made it even more interesting! For whatever reason, I found myself reading a number of books with a similar plot— imprisoned woman needs to escape and navigate a hostile world, while uncovering her family background/origin story. It’s a popular trope right now so only the strong will survive (literally and figuratively). Arcana Academy was the best of the bunch for me. The plotting was tight for a fairly long book. The world building was excellent. The character tensions were sublime. The only negative thing I have to say about this series is that I have to wait for the next book!!

This book did not disappoint!
Y’all! So intriguing!
This fantasy romance was freaking phenomenal!
It was basically everything I want in a fantasy book!
Did it keep me glued to the pages? Did it keep me up at night until I finished it? Yes, to all of the above!
I was swept into the story from the very first page. I immediately loved the magic, the world-building, and the characters.

DNF at 20%. Overwritten and underwhelming. The magic system sounds interesting but is convoluted. The headmaster of the magic school is 23. Romantasy is giving early 20 years old way too much credit. The genre just isn't for me. At least in its current form.

I really enjoyed Arcana Academy! The tarot-based magic system is so unique, unlike anything I’ve read before. I wasn’t totally sold on the concept at first, but after hearing such good things, I gave it a shot, and I’m so glad I did!

I’ve been loving academia settings lately, and this one totally hit the mark. Between the rich magical world and our favourite flavour of love interest (dark, brooding and a prince?! yes please), I was hooked.

Clara and Kaelis had me screaming into the void with their constant “we’re pretending” nonsense, like,

just kiss already. But to be fair, Clara’s hesitation felt real and justified. Kaelis is part of the royal family that threw her in prison and might be tied to her missing sister and mother. Her determination to uncover the truth had me so invested.

And those little moments where Kaelis tries to show he actually cares? Gut wrenching.

If you love unique magic systems and slow burn enemies to lovers with a side of royal drama and emotional chaos, this one’s for you!

Huge thank you to Elise Kova, Random House Publishing Group, Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this magical story early!

This is literally the best book I have read all read. Clara was infuriating but I kept rooting for her. The story had me hooked and I found myself reading slower because I did not want it to end. I need the next book yesterday! I cannot wait to see what happens next. The number of characters I loved that were killed off is unforgivable. I’m literally speechless, I’m obsessed with this!!

I’m rating this book three stars mostly for its concepts and for having tropes that I enjoy.

I wanted to love this book after reading the blurb. The first chapter pulled me in right away and I was hopeful but, in the end I had to really push to finish this one unfortunately.

This book lost its moment at times. The pacing was off and the story dragged in some parts and left the book feeling disjointed. I also felt as if the romance did not build in the way I was expecting. It seemed like it came out of nowhere and the spicy scenes were... odd because of the lack of build up between the characters. As a lover of fantasy romance books, there was fantasy in this book that was unique and captivating, but the romance was not fully delivered.

Overall, this book is built on an interesting concept and has a unique world with story elements such as dark academic that I usually love. However, I would have loved more tension and romantic build to make this even better.

4.5! Amazing tarot magic system, sloooow burn enemies-to-lover tension, and unexpected twists and turns! My only complaint was that there were a lot of characters to keep track of and I would’ve liked to have seen more about the academy and the classes itself. Felt a bit slow to get things rolling once Clara was at the academy.

Thank-you to NetGalley and Del Rey books for this eARC!

Elise Kova’s writing is always entertaining. I love everything she writes. Arcana Academy did not disappoint me. I had an amazing time reading this book by the lake. I’ve read many books with magic as the premise but this was absolutely unique and I loved it. It was an amazing story. Arcana Academy is a fantasy, dark academia novel with a touch of romance. Our main protagonist is Clara, who is a tarot card crafter. She is forced to infiltrate Arcana Academy, which so happens to be a magical school run by a Prince. There are trials in this story and they were extremely entertaining. I can’t wait to read book 2 because it will be an automatic buy for me. Once again thank you NetGalley for giving me this amazing opportunity and for providing me with a digital ARC.

Oh my gosh this book was so good. The world building was so subtly. It was written as part of the story in such a way that was just amazing. I cannot wait until the next book. Loved it so much.

I received an early digital review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is my first Elisa Kova book even though I have a few on kindle already. And I am now convinced I need to read her backlog if it is anything like this book!

I loved Arcana Academy. I was not sure how I was going to feel about it as I tend to stay away from most school based novels. The magic system immediately pulled me in and felt very One Dark Window. I am fascinated with tarot and know next to nothing, but I think I need to learn after reading this.

I loved the writing and characters. You can just feel the tension simmering between the main characters. I love the friendships that develop and found family. I especially appreciated the constant threat of betrayal you felt the entire time. I was not at all disappointed in the ending and naturally can’t believe I have to wait for book 2. I don’t give 5 stars often, but this one deserves it.

Cliffhangers should be illegal.

I loved every single part of this book. I loved Kaelis and Clara. I loved their relationship and I loved how hard Kaelis fell for her. I did occasionally get upset with Clara and some of the decisions she made, but I'm hopeful that she'll redeem herself in the sequel.

Now, if you need me, I'll be in a coma until we get info on the second book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for giving me an opportunity to read and advanced copy of this book!

You had me at "tarot card magic system!" As someone who has practiced tarot card reading for the last 8ish years, I am always intruiged to see how it might be used as a magic system. And for the first time ever, I was not disappointed!

This book started off a little slow, in terms of action and forward movement of the plot, but sped up and got more intense as the book went on. The world building was amazing, and it developed naturally as the story went. It’s clear throughout the whole story that there are layers and layers of secrets, all tangled up and intertwined...

This book is for you if you love:
*A fantastic fantasy with a romance subplot
*Magical academies
*Dark academia
*Tarot based magic system
*Secrets upon secrets upon secrets...
*Forced engagement/engagement of convenience
*Hate to lovers, but he still can't be trusted

Give this one a read! I highly recommend!

Dark academia vibes. The magic system was very different and interesting.
The tarot card magic system details did get a little confusing and became difficult to follow. I did love the enemies to lovers. Definitely a slow burn. A great read.

I almost gave up on this one about 20% in. I stopped and looked at ratings (currently 4.25 on Storygraph) which made me power through. I still wasn’t full engrossed until halfway through but then things got good. In this you’ll find a badass FMC, a shadow daddy MMC, enemies to something plus found family and so much more.The spice is decently low (only a few scenes) so if that’s not your thing you should be good. I definitely will be reading the sequel!

Warning! This book ends on a cliffhanger! I know that sounds pretty standard for the first in a book series, but I’m providing this warning because it will be so hard to wait for the next one.
The mythology and world building is initially a little hard to keep track of, but soon it’s easy to get sucked into the world of magical card-wielding and hints of the origins of the world that came before.
It feels YA aside from the spicy scenes- not that this is a bad thing, but rather as a comp for fans of Six of Crows and Throne of Glass.