I don't know why but this took me forever to finish, and I feel like it's because I knew it would end on an insane cliffhanger. It definitely did!

The concept of tarot magic and dark academia sold me on this book, but I was not a fan of how the MMC was headmaster at the school at only 23. He won me over in the end, but that may be because he had a cat.

Overall I enjoyed the book, but it felt way too long with so many trivial details. I am still obsessed with the concept so I'll check out the sequel but will lower my expeditions!

I loved the unique magic system in this story! The tarot cards and their powers were something I hadn't read before and I was instantly intrigued. Elise has a lovely way of writing that brings you into the characters, develops the world, and leaves you wanting to know what will happen next. This was an excellent read ❤️

This one is for those of us who watch every tarot reading video on our FYP...

Enemies to lovers? Not so much.
Unique magic system? YES.
Fake engagement and forced proximity? HELL YES!

Arcana Academy, as you can tell by the cover and the name, gives major Zodiac Academy vibes—but with better writing, less drama, and, thank God, no bullying.

I, personally, love everything tarot, so seeing this complex and actually entertaining magic system made me so invested.

This book definitely felt like a set-up for a bigger series, so I'll be impatiently waiting for the next book, because there were too many easter eggs.
I have my theories, and I need answers tomorrow?

*cough cough*

«The audacity that fate would imagine that anyone else would ever touch the woman I’d claimed for my own.»



Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the DRC — but good news: the book is out right now!

Absolute perfection! It has been so long since I found a book that perfectly balances romance, action, and plot. This read was a 10/10, and I’m already impatient for book 2.

For the first 20% I was really interested in the plot, especially the magic system, and I found it to be so intriguing. but there was some glaring issues with this book, the romance wasn’t that interesting? I typically love the romances in romantasy books, and was disappointed by it, I think i’d rather have the magic system significantly more developed, then for it to be a romantasy. I felt very disappointed with this book because it had such potential, but fell through on so many accounts.

I saved this one for my holiday and it didn’t disappoint.
I really enjoyed the well rounded characters, the unique magic system and the story as a whole. The only thing missing for me was some Kaelis POV’s. Even just one at the end would have been amazing. Hoping the next book includes some!

If you like dark academia, enemies to lovers, sarcastic fiery FMC’s and a swoon worthy MMC, this one’s for you.

Was a 4.5 for me.

A dark academy setting, magical tarot, and a SLOW BURN romance with stubborn MCs who can't decide if they love or hate each other? Sign me up every time.

Luck has always been on Clara's side. After a year of being locked away in Halazar, Clara escapes with the help of the second-born prince, Kaelis. The man that Clara believes orchestrated every painful moment in her life. He brings her to Arcana Academy where anyone with a magical affinity can train to become an arcanist. Kaelis gives Clara an ultimatum: enroll in Arcana Academy as a long-lost noble and Kaelis's newly betrothed where together they can ink the world or go back to the dungeons of Halazar.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The stunning cover of Arcana Academy caught my attention, and the tarot card magic had me hitting the request button on NetGalley so fast! Let me tell you, the story is as stunning as the cover and the tarot card magic is so unique and detailed.

This has to be one of my favorite magic systems. In Oricalis, it's against the law for anybody who has not successfully studied at the academy to possess tarot cards. If you fail, you're as good as dead. This makes it easy for the crown to control arcanists. Clara is natural at inking and wielding tarot, but there is also my favorite, reading. Once a student has successfully become an arcanist, they will be able to use the full minor arcana. The major arcana is a legend that Clara will dive into once she gets settled at the academy.

I have an unhealthy obsession with Kaelis, and I guarantee you will find at least one character in this story that you love. If you love a found family trope, you will be so satisfied. It seems that Clara attracts loyal friendships wherever she goes. The star-crossed club is Clara's found family before the academy. They are a lovable group of people who illegally deal with tarot, run heists, and help marked arcanists escape the city. If you enjoyed the found family in Six of Crows, you will love the star-crossed club. The friends that Clara makes in the academy are unexpected but important for her success and although unwanted, she begins to truly care for these students. Prepare yourself because friends will be lost.

Kaelis and Clara are so perfect for each other. Each time they were alone together, I couldn't stop reading. The slow burn romance was SLOW but so worth it. The story was in Clara's POV and although Kaelis was never straightforward with Clara about his feelings, it became obvious. I just want to know what he was thinking and feeling!

This story ended on a major cliffhanger and left my mind spiralling with so many questions. I know there is so much more about Kaelis that we have yet to discover and I need to learn everything I can about this man.

academia • dark academia • dark fantasy • dark romance • enemies to lovers • fake dating • found family • high fantasy • magic • romantasy • slow burn • spicy

Devoured this dark Academia Romantasy !
The tarot card magic system is so unique, I was drawn in automatically.

If you like
-unique magic systems
-fake engagement
-dark academia setting
-forced prox
-deadly trials

This is for you!

Rating: 4✨
Spice: 1.5🌶

Thank you to NetGalley & Del Rey for the eARC opportunity. This review is voluntary & honest.

Okay, the last 8-10% of this book was a WHOLE EXPERIENCE. This was my first book by Elise Kova that I’ve read & I’m really excited to read her other work. The world Elise created for this series was very unique & it had me intrigued the whole time, wanting to learn more about how the magic worked. Picture a magical school with dark academia vibes, with magic that comes from a deck of tarot cards that wielders leader to create, wield & read. Sounds cool, right? On top of that, we’ve got Clara & Kaelis, whose dynamic and relationship is tricky & complicated to say the least.

Clara is an absolute girl-boss. Her past is one filled with heartache, struggles & events that rightfully fuel the anger inside of her. Her street smart & knowledge of tarot magic make her a force to be reckoned with & a great ally to have alongside you. This FMC can hold her own & it is easy to find yourself rooting for her. There are moments her anger clearly guides her, so she can be reckless at time, but she is a character who knows what she wants and is willing to play the game in order to get it. I’m excited to see what happens next in her journey because I NEED MORE.

Alongside her is Kaelis, the young prince & second son of the King who has a dark reputation that precedes him. This man is filled with secrets and is incredibly hard to decipher. But he is definitely a brilliant and talented man, one who excels at playing the long game and playing his cards right. But he is also a character that I truly feel we haven’t fully gotten to know yet and I am excited to continue to get to know him in the next book. From the bits and pieces we’ve gotten to see, I can tell that there’s a part of him within that is tortured by parts of his past, and it is what drives him to make the decisions he does. The moments of vulnerability he showed definitely make you want to give him the biggest hug and never let go. I truly think you’ll love getting to know him.

The enemies to lovers trope in this book deliciously delivered and the TENSION between these two… oof. The way their souls complimented each other so well, and yet a union between them is clearly a star-crossed one. They both have their own plans & schemes, reasons not to trust one another & yet even bigger reasons to work together. But the chemistry & rising temptation between them? Chef’s kiss.

The found family trope was also perfectly written. There were so many side characters in this story that added so much to the story and you easily become intrigued in their own journeys as well. I am excited to continue this journey of the Arcana Academy series & after that ending? I’m on the edge of my seat, excited to pick up where we left off & immerse myself into this world immediately once again. If you’re a lovers of an enemies to lovers romance in a dark academia setting, with a forced fake engagement and a unique magic system sprinkled on top, this book is one for you! 💛

I've been hearing such good things about this book from some of my friends, so I was eager to dive into this story. Unfortunately I ended up DNF'ing this one at 41%. I found the pacing to be all over the place and the writing was more tell than show The romance really didn't appear to exist at all and I wasn't feeling the chemistry between the two.

Thank you to Delrey and NetGalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

Elise can do no wrong in my eyes, and this was no exception. Her ability to craft such a unique magic system based on the tarot was incredible. I was addicted from the first page. The pacing was fantastic. And this? This is enemies to lovers at its finest. I love how much they hated each other, but the reluctance of working together? Incredible. I was living for this. It was fun, it was suspenseful, it had fantastic magic. And that ending? Yeah. I need the next book ASAP.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an advanced e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Arcana Academy by Elise Kova is a fantastic example of dark academia done right! The intricate magical-political system—interwoven with tarot elements—was such a unique and engaging plot device, adding rich depth to the story. I especially appreciated the glossary at the end, as it helped keep track of the many technical aspects of how this society operates, all while allowing the reader to fully immerse themselves in the world. Alongside the complex worldbuilding, I also enjoyed the subtle thread of romance woven throughout.

This really does have all the makings of a perfect romantasy: an epic world, an intense and creative magic system, true enemies to lovers, a dark brooding MMC, a clever, smartass FMC, and dark academia. Honestly, ALL THE FIXINGS with a cherry on top. However, it doesn’t quite land.

I will tell you I enjoyed myself because I really liked the setting and the magic. But zooming out, it was very repetitive and, pacing wise, it is a mess. Our enemies go from hate, to hooking up in a jump that made no sense to me and there was, sadly, zero tension between them to enforce the buildup. The time jumps were often just “winter passes” and were so disjointed. It was all over the place.

There are a zillion questions about the world, the plot, the characters, the magic, that are never answered, and not in a fun, cliffhanger way, in a, “wait, what?” kind of way. Also, considering it is set in a magic academy, I thought the school would play a more important role, but honestly it felt more like a backdrop to Clara’s repetitive inner thoughts.

And Kaelis…is just…moody? Honestly, we know zero about him. Less than zero.

It isn’t poorly written, but it just needs less AND more, if that makes sense.
Overall, I am in for book 2. 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

So much fun! The world building was stellar it made it so immersive. I think at times it lagged a smidge but honestly this was so refreshing and fun those lulls were perfect for me to go do my actual housework lol.

I wanted to love this but I really hated the magic system. Every time they described a card “battle” I pictured Pokémon LOL. I’m sorry I don’t know why but I just couldn’t get into it. Personally the romance was really lacking and I feel like it could have been so much more. It was an ok read for me.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Defiantly one of my favorites this year. I always love unique magic systems and tarot is one way to get my attention, and this book had a perfect blend of both. I really liked the progression of the story and the journey that the FMC goes though. The ending left me wanting more and am super excited to read the next book when it comes out. This book was defiantly a slow burn, although I feel like it should be that way when you are writing an enemies to loves book, which is what this one is. This was my first book by this author and if her other series are anything like this one then I can't wait to get into them.

Another winner from Elise Kova! I'm obsessed with her Married to Magic series so I was excited to see something new. Arcana Academy is a perfect mix of dark academia and romance. In our current Romantasy heavy climate it was refreshing to see something with a strong plot and even stronger world building. I would go so far as to describe this one as fantasy with romantic themes. The pacing was great (surprising given the length of the book) and the magic system was really unique and fun. I'm looking forward to the next installment!

Everything you could want in an magical academy book! This author is quickly becoming an inta buy author for me! Thanks for the arc!

Elise Kova has been one of my auto buy authors for years now and she once again proved why in Arcana Academy. The world building in this book is fantastic but it’s the magic system that was truly the star here. The characters are, in true Elise fashion, enemies to lovers and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I mean, a dark prince with unequaled magic and a saucy mc who has so much to live for. The both have secrets but the tension and the growing passion for one another was hard to keep from turning the pages well into the night. I cannot wait to see what Elise has in store for us next and I just hope my heart will survive.

I loved reading this book and will be anxiously waiting for book #2!

The world-building in this book was incredible, and while I loved the romance, I was also just as intrigued by the magic system and fantasy elements. Although this book was a little on the longer side, I flew through it and couldn't wait to find out how it ended. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this novel!