First off let me say my rating should NOT influence whether you try this book out. Read it because it sounds up your alley then decide for yourself!!

The thing that hooked me was the Tarot Card magic. However the book did expect you to have some prior knowledge (at least without referencing the glossary). As someone who can read Tarot, if not great but passing, I didn’t have any difficult tracking what was what. The entire magic system was very intriguing, even if it was very complex.

The romance was a back seat to the entire story, and by back seat I mean the last row. I enjoyed the parts there were but would have loved more.

Overall - really cool high fantasy magical story. Very on brand from the other books I’ve read from this author.


Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

All of the Elise Kova’s books are excellent. She has a very engrossing and detailed writing.style. This book stood out from the rest, though it was even better than I expected it to be. The only negative thing I have to say is that I’m super sad that I have to wait for the next installment.!

I really enjoyed this book! The magic system was unique and the world building peaked my interest. Not to mention the tension between our two love interests? I loved the vibes of this book, and I can’t wait to read on in this series!

I honestly don’t think I will have sufficient words to express how much I loved this book. I delayed reading the last 20 min because I didn’t want it to end. The world building was great and the development of the characters gave me people to root for. A cause to root for.

AND THAT ENDING!!!! Elise!!!! Girl you outdid yourself on this one friend.

My one and only comment (outside of my utter praise and upmost respect for this book) is I wish the tarot card summary were at the beginning and not the end. I myself am not familiar with the tarot card meanings so I had to learn along the way. And I can definitely see how that might deter people from finishing the book.

Other than that, I am so thankful to have gotten to read this. I already added this to the list of books my book club will need to read when it comes out. Can’t wait to hold a physical copy!!

I absolutely loved the tarot card magic system. It's was very unique and awesome! I did feel like the pacing wasnt very consistent and that did make it harder to get through. Over all I really enjoyed this.

Sadly, I wasn't as interested in this one as I thought I would be. It was very YA to me (in a not so good way), and I felt like the characters were sort of flat and a bit annoying. The detail in the magic system and the world were great. I enjoyed reading and learning about the tarot cards and the way they are created and imbued. I think the attention to detail is 4/5, but the rest of the story wasn't super engaging. The romance felt so forced! I also sort of felt like this was a little on the nose with another magical school that I'm not so fond of. IYKYK. You probably know.

Overall, not for me, but I can appreciate many aspects of it still.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an ARC of Arcana Academy by Elise Kova.

First let me say I've read a few Elise Kova books, but this one is by far my favorite! I'm huge fan of the dark Academia genera, so I knew right from the start I was going to love this book.
The magic system in this book is incredible! The whole aspect of weaving Tarot and the major Arcane into the story is so well done.
Our Two leads, Clara and Kaelis have a love/hate relationship, just like any good enemies to lover story. And yes this is romance book, but the romance doesn't over the main plot, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The only thing I will say is, it does end on a pretty wicked cliff hanger. But I love a good cliff hanger,so that didn't bother me at all.
If you like Dark Academia, magic, lovers to enemies, then I think you will really enjoy this book. I can't wait to read the next one.

I need book 2 immediately! I really enjoyed this from start to finish. The world building and magic system were well thought out and something new which I loved! I can’t wait to see where this series goes, we need more Kaelis ASAP!

Okay, wow.

When i was approved to read this ARC, i had no idea what to expect, I wasn’t sure about the tarot aspect, because it’s not something i have vast knowledge in, so while reading, i felt like i learned so much.

I can strongly say that the last line of the book had me so shook that i audibly gasped and scared my children. I didn’t see it coming and i should have, so thats why this got 5 stars.

I absolutely love a fake engagement or marriage of convenience trope and this one was done so well. I love Kaelis and Clara, and everything about their hate for each other. It lights a fire in both of them and it is so wonderful to see how they slowly start to melt.

This book is going to be the romantasy of the summer and is not all of 2025. This was written so well, it was fast paced, and easy all at the same time. I truly couldn’t have asked for me.

Spice: 🌶️.5 (so much undeniable tension that i was a puddle for the man that kaelis is)

Tropes:
🃏 fake engagement
🃏 enemies to lovers
🃏 secret identity
🃏 intricate magic system
🃏 possessive MMC
🃏 i will do it myself FMC

This isn’t my first book from Elise Kova but I really couldn’t connect with the story. I thought the concept was interesting with tarot cards and magic but it was overly complicated. The world building was fine nothing to write home about. The romance was just not there I wasn’t feeling it at all.
Don’t think I would recommend this to a friend sadly. It sounded better than it was

This book was phenomenal. The magic system surrounding tarot cards was fascinating. The academy itself was beautiful in terms of aesthetics but brutal and cut throat in terms of students and academics. The entire dynamic between our FMC and MMC was to die for. This book had me STRESSED. It was so good, we have an incredibly strong and intelligent FMC and it was a very high stakes situation. I put off finishing this book for days because I was scared of how it would go HAHA I’m obsessed! I can’t wait for it to come out and for news of book two!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for sharing this ARC!

Mark my words: Arcana Academy is going to be the biggest romantasy release of the summer! The level of obsession that I have with this book is, quite frankly, disturbing. I finished this days ago and I can't bring myself to pick anything else up because I'm still thinking about it. The magic system is incredibly unique and if you like magical academia settings you will love this. If you take Fourth Wing's college feel with One Dark Window's card magic but throw in a Throne of Glass-esque plot you will have Arcana Academy. And don't even get me started on Clara (our FMC) and Kaelis (our MMC) - I need more of them. I need it now. I honestly don't know how I am going to make it until book 2 comes out.

This book has to be one of my top reads of the year! I devoured it and at times couldn’t stop thinking about it!

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova, a truly excellent book that pulled me in and made me want to keep reading. I now can't wait for the next book in the series because I simply need to know!

oh my gosh I love love loveddddd this book!!!! this was such an addicting read, I literally could not put it down. such a good mix of mystery & fantasy. i’m genuinely already a fiend for book 2

The twists and turns throughout the story with Clara and all the emotional depth and growth you see with her struggles had me hooked. I enjoyed the magic system, because it wasn't the same old same old, and anything with a different spin on magic always intrigues me. I don't fully have a feeling on Kaelis just yet, I don't want to get my hopes up too much. I will definitely be getting the second book the moment it comes out.

Listen, I devoured this book. Magical tarot cards? A morally gray prince? A fake engagement that’s basically a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers masterpiece? Say no more. This story had me in a chokehold.

Let’s start with Clara Graysword, our resident badass. She’s been hustling her whole life, surviving the underworld of Eclipse City by using her very illegal tarot magic. But when she gets caught and thrown into prison, her options go from bad to worse—until Prince Kaelis (broody, dangerous, hiding way too many secrets) offers her a way out. The catch? She has to help him steal a powerful tarot card from the king himself, and to keep up appearances, they have to fake an engagement.

And let me just say—Kaelis is the kind of love interest that will ruin you. He’s cold, calculating, and just unhinged enough to keep you guessing. But the tension between him and Clara? Absolutely unreal. Every interaction is laced with snark, power struggles, and a whole lot of chemistry that neither of them want to acknowledge. (Which, of course, makes it 10x better.)

Now let’s talk about the worldbuilding, because wow. The Arcana Academy is dripping with mystery, filled with powerful elites, ancient magic, and danger around every corner. Clara has to keep up the charade of being Kaelis’ fiancée and a first-year student, which means secrets, betrayals, and high-stakes magic at every turn. Every new reveal just adds to the intrigue, and I could not stop flipping pages.

This book delivers everything—court intrigue, hidden agendas, found family (kind of), and a heroine who is not about to let some prince control her fate. And the ending? Let’s just say I need book two immediately.

If you love romantic fantasy with a touch of danger, slow-burn tension that will destroy you, and magic that feels tangible—this is your next obsession. Fans of A Deal with the Elf King and The Serpent & the Wings of Night will eat this up

So this was a lot of fun but I feel like the romance was lacking a bit. When I read a fantasy romance, I like for there to be at least a balance between the two and the romance here definitely took a back seat. I did really enjoy the writing though.

I thought this book was slow, a bit hard to get into, and read like a YA until the very end. I also felt like this book was geared more towards people who already understood tarot. Yes there is an explanation of each card and how the magic works for that card but I found myself being like “wait what does that mean?” quite a lot and since i read this on kindle I had no idea there was a glossary in the back to reference.

I thought the last 20% was really exciting and made up for how slow the rest of the book was a bit.

Book #18 of 2025

✨Arcana Academy by Elise Kova✨

By. The. Twenty!

Firstly I'd like to thank netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Arcana Academy.

This book had me hooked from the first chapter and the only reason I didn't read it quicker is because I had pesky things like work and adult responsibilities.

The tension and world building were fantastic; I have never felt so stressed reading the final chapters of a novel before!

Arcana academy is set in a world where certain people are gifted with the ability to ink magical cards. They are given the opportunity to attend Arcana Academy but if they fail or are deemed unworthy, they are marked and sent to the mills to harvest the products needed to ink the cards.

Clara is stuck in the depths of a lifelong prison sentence for selling illegal cards, when Kaelis, the second Born Prince/Headmaster of Arcana academy offers her a second chance. If she pretends to be his fiance and work with him, he will keep her safe and out of prison.

Clara is met with academic and personal trials along the way; can she prove herself to her peers? Is Kaelis telling her the whole truth? Why did her mother tell her to guard her true name?

The con; this doesn't come out until July 2025, which also means I will probably need to wait longer for book two 🥹
The pros; everything. Especially Priss the cat 😍


I give this book 5/5 ⭐s


Re-readability; I will 100% be re reading this!