4.25 ⭐️

In the beginning, I thought I wasn’t going to like this book but I kept going and I had SO MUCH FUN reading it. I love the magical system that Elise built in this book with tarot cards, like it was so good. LET ME TELL YOU THOUGH, the SLOW BURN, had me gagging. I wanted to die (but in a good way). I’m very excited for book 2 :)

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Del Rey for sending me an E-ARC.

DNF.

I wish I would have liked this one. It had all of the makings for a great book for me. I am sure there are a ton of people out there that have really grabbed onto this one and it makes me sad I didn't have the same experience. I am new to this author and wanted to give it a try because everyone talks highly of her. I don't think this one experience will prevent me from trying other books by her in the future.

The writing for me in this one felt repetitive and I just couldn't find a way to get myself to lock in and continue reading. There were some interesting moments like the prison escape, but overall I just couldn't care about the characters or what their journey looked like.

If you love deep fantasy and intricate magic systems, and dark academia, you will enjoy this book. Clara is a tarot card crafter. The only problem is that it is illegal for her to do so because only those a part of the elite Arcana Academy are allowed to do so. So, she decides to infiltrate it. The academy is ran by a prince, Clara catches Prince Kaelis’ attention. She ends up spying for him. There is a slow burn between the two, with some spice.

There is lots of mystery, political intrigue, and tons of tension. The cover is absolutely stunning! I Think Elise clearly has a vision and envision worlds that are incredibly detailed.

For me, it was a slower pace than I personally normally enjoy, and it had a lot of information to take in. I will still be looking forward to the second book to see where the story goes.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House Publishing - Del Rey, and Elise Kova for the chance to read this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The magic system in the book is so cool!!!! The tarot cards!! Omg. I love a school setting that isn't dark academia (in my opinion). I started this book on a plane and found myself wish the flight was longer so I could read more. Loved the fake engagement.

how am i supposed to go on waiting for book 2 & 3 😀

arc rating & review:

🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

now that i’ve had a minute to gather my thoughts. this was absolutely PHENOMENAL. the tension? the world? the setting? the secrets and the magic?? THE TAROT MAGIC?? i mean truly i was stunned by each revelation. this had my neck breaking from the whiplash. it was arguably one of the BEST magic systems ive ever read about. it was intricate but not too complicated. i love anything celestial and things to do with tarot. it truly is some of the most creative and powerful magic types anyone can ever put in a book and i ATE. IT. UP!

let’s talk about the characters. holy shit. i loved all of them. Kaelis 😭😭 i love him so deeply and i absolutely devoured everything he ever said to her. and truly how protective he was of her omgggg. kill me now. and i absolutely adored our fmc so much. Clara you smart, beautiful, powerful woman. I absolutely loved her and her ferocity. she never ever gave up even if she felt outmatched. seeing the world through her eyes was so interesting and i loved how she never let anyone tell her what to do or how to do it. she always made room for her loved ones and did everything in her power to make sure she never had to cry over an empty coffin, ifykyk. she was so powerful and strong in so many ways.

overall this was a great book. the magic was obviously my favorite part of it all. one of the absolute MOST unique magic systems i’ve ever read about. i fear nothing will compare to it. i loved how intricate it was but it wasn’t overly complicated or difficult to understand. the world was so immersive and ruthless. i loved the court politics as well as the interpersonal conflicts. all in all, this was BEAUTIFUL. i hope everyone picks this up. it was truly such a good book. i can’t wait for book 2 & 3. i have a feeling it’ll become a five star series for me.

thank you netgalley & elise kova for the e-arc!! may luck be with you all ;) 💛

3 stars. Thank you for the ARC! This book had an interesting magic system and I enjoyed the academy structure and the curriculum, however… The pacing for this book was awful. It was very, very boring. Sometimes less is more when it comes to details of the day-to-day. This book has SO much going on, to the point where none of it interested me particularly. The romance wasn’t believable, and although I was supposed to *feel* a lot at the end, I didn’t feel anything. The plot twist did throw me for a loop because of the logistics of what happened, but it wasn’t *that* surprising. Altogether, I think this book would have benefitted a lot from heavier editing.

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. In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be.

Elisa Kova is the queen of worldbuilding. This book is so rich in so many ways. Brilliant storytelling that pulled me in right from the beginning. I want more! (Oh, and also the cover is beautiful!) An easy 5⭐ from me!

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

The book was very interesting with its complex and pretty unique magic system. I enjoyed the fmc’s character progression, and the plot was fantastic. Only downturn was the romance was kind of meh? There wasn’t a whole lot of interactions between the two mc’s, so the romance was fine just not really that interesting. Regardless a very well done book and I would definitely recommend it!

“Swear to me you will do as I say and stay hidden. Keep your true name and your powers secret. Stay safe. Protect those like you."

Arcana Academy is a captivating Dark Academia fantasy romance novel, with an intriguing and slightly complex magic system rooted in Tarot cards. Each card has unique powers or skills, but still easy to follow if you don’t have any knowledge of tarot cards. The magic system in this world is both fascinating and refreshing, where the magic user, Inks/draws, reads, and then wields the cards. The balance between the power of the cards and the cost they demand adds depth to the magic system.

The forced proximity and fake engagement storyline between Clara and Kaelis creates amazing chemistry, tension, and banter that keeps you turning the page. The book is filled with mysteries to unravel, both the past and present. It has court intrigue, secrets, and a few side quests. The pacing is well-crafted, the characters are complex and well-crafted, and the atmosphere is eerie.

"Each Minor Arcana is governed by an element. Wands are fire, Swords are air, Coins earth, and Cups water."

After her mother’s death, Clara Graysword survives by practicing forbidden magic, a skill restricted to students at the Arcana Academy, where the King holds power over its users. However, when a job goes bad it lands her in prison. A year later, there is a glimmer of hope of freedom, seizing this chance, Clara accepts a deal with Prince Kaelis. Kaelis brings Clara to the Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his soon-to-be bride.

"You are angry, fiery, passionate, often impulsive, and more determined than any creature I have ever met."

I really like Clara’s character. She has exceptional determination, she is a survivor, resilient, and tough. Her loyalty to uncovering the truth behind her mother’s death and her relentless pursuit to find her sister are unwavering.

She has had to conceal her powers and true name from the world, creating an air of mystery that makes it challenging to discern whom she can truly trust.

Prince Kaelis was an intriguing character, filled with secrets, and had his own agenda. I personally loved him; he has a captivating, dark, and mysterious vibe.

"Love me, hate me, but only look at me like my existence sets you on fire."

The romance is a slow burn, requiring the two characters to build trust. However, as things progress, the tension heats up and eventually explodes.

This book captivated me. I can’t wait to reread it to uncover any hidden clues. With the cliffhanger ending, I'm excited to see where the story takes us next.

3.5⭐ rounded down because of my indifference to the romance. Thank you NetGalley & Del Rey for the ARC.

My past experience with Elise Kova's other first books of a series has been generally great. At worst, a solid read. Like these previous reads, Arcana Academy's strength is its gripping plot that hooked me. As a romantasy, the plot hinges on two main aspects: 1) the brewing plan of overthrowing a tyrannical king through the creation of a powerful tarot card, and 2) the romance between Clara the thief-turned-student of Arcana Academy and Kaelis the prince/headmaster of the academy who personally schemed to get her out of prison and roping her in said Overthrowing the King plot. It's the first part that I felt was well done. I was invested in their scheming the whole time and wanted to see them succeed.

As with all the Kova books I've read so far, I'm always intrigued by the worlds she comes up with. In this case, I was captivated by the academic structure and curriculum of the Academy. And of course, the tarot-based magic system was fun. Think Cardcaptor Sakura using magical cards to weave offensive or passive spells. My only quibble is that some of the spells are literal interpretations of the cards themselves, which felt uncreative to me. For example, the Lovers card can make two people fall in love. How groundbreaking. When The Lovers card isn't necessarily tied to romantic relationships.

Speaking of romantic relationships, part of the reason why the romance fell flat for me was because Clara & Kaelis didn't spend enough time together to get me invested. But that's the problem of Kaelis being the headmaster; he's off doing things that don't involve Clara. He's not in her classes, nor does he even mentor her; she has her fellow schoolmates for that. We do read about them being in close proximity with each other when Clara has to spend nights working on her Special Tarot Card and he basically supervises her, but that's not romantic. And bonding over Kaelis' cat isn't enough. Nor is the Fake Engagement ploy in public gatherings where they have to pretend to be in love. To Kova's credit, they're not a terrible couple, but I don't see why they fell in love with each other when Kaelis' best trait is he's not As Terrible As His Shitty Privileged Father & Brother. He wants to tear down the oppressive system in place, but in the meantime has to put up appearances that he's Too Snobbish To Care about the commonfolk. I'm not convinced, nor did I find myself caring about him at all. That said, Kova does write some pretty good and poetic declarations of love.

Clara of course was more interesting; I do tend to like an Elise Kova heroine. I didn't mind that she veered more towards morally grey than simply moral in the second half of the novel, because I think it makes an interesting arc for her. I'm also glad that the motivation towards her own scheming is due to her love for her mother & sister. Women are the motivating drive behind her "selfishness" and not a man, and I'm always down for that. (Especially when said man Kaelis is bland.)

The ending was a curve thrown at me and I'm intrigued to see what happens next! As long as the romance doesn't rise to insufferable levels, I'm definitely down for the rest of the series.

love an adult romance set in a boarding school. I’ll never be able to get over that trope. It will be with me until I am old and gray. #MillennialsUnite.

That being said, I read a lot of fantasy so I was really impressed with the magic system that Elise Kova created. I would never have thought to incorporate tarot cards into my fantasy setting, but it really works! I thought the pacing at the beginning was a little slow, but as the book progressed, I got wrapped into the plot and romance. I will definitely read the second book.

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fast paced with an utterly addictive plot, Arcana Academy delivers a story that just plain fun.

Readers follow Clara Graysword deft thief and scrappy survivor who has fallen on some rotten luck. Imprisoned for creating tarot cards, a magic long made illegal, Clara sees little hope of escape. When a deal that offers freedom seemingly lands of her doorstep she simply can't turn it down. What follows is a dangerous adventure brimming with intrigue and magic.

I really enjoyed this read! It was fun and the plot and magic felt fresh and unique! I would say, the characters themselves felt like archetypes we've seen again and again in fantasy settings....I would have loved to see some more nuance within our characters.....but despite that one gripe, Arcana Academy is a good time!!

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc of Arcana Academy. This was my first book by Elise Kova but it won’t be my last!
I enjoyed this dark academia setting romantasy. The magic system using tarot cards was interesting. Definitely One dark window meets Harry Potter! Some parts of the book were a bit slow but I still had a good time! I look forward to continuing the series.

Elise Kova's adult debut is really something else!! This book is dark academia with a unique magic system.
My favorite part of the whole book might be the amount of tension between the two MCs?! Absolutely sizzling. The banter was icing on the top of that too. Be warned she definitely is a real slow burn tho!!

Arcana Academy is a thiccc one (576 pages or 20.5hrs on audio?!) but I was literally on the edge of my seat the entire book. I absolutely loved this magic system, despite not knowing anything about IRL tarot cards and readings. It was definitely incorporated in a unique way in the book though since the characters have to learn how to draw the cards with specific materials.

And the ending?! I had a feeling it was coming but it was still heart crushing to read it 😭 I can't wait for the second book!!

I will also say the audiobook is fantastic, I think I really enjoyed it bc the narrator doesn't do any type of super fake deep male voice. She narrates the story in a very lyrical way.

Thank you Del Rey and Random House Worlds for the ARC & LibroFM for the ALC!

hmmmm i have so many mixed thoughts. detailed review will come but for now, i liked it, but there were a lot of plot inconsistencies 🤣

A unique magic system. Good world building. Great slow burn romance. And a cliffhanger ending! This was my first Elise Kova read but it won’t be the last. Can’t wait for the next book in the series!

I liked this book! Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc.

The ending is cruel, what a cliffhanger. This wasn’t a 5 star read for me, ultimately, because I felt like the exposition and world building was clunky and the characters grated on me. But I need to clarify that they were written really well and they were consistent I just got annoyed at how determined to be difficult they were. So not a wholly bad trait.

I am very impressed by the magic system. It feels really unique and new. I liked the school setting. The side characters were one dimensional and I kept getting them mixed up. Buuuut I am VERY excited about more Alor.

Our main girl, Clara, was written really well, she’s tough and I like an over-powered MC. Like of course I want the MC to be incredible and amazing. So that was awesome! I just wanted her to be less…prickly, at times. But I admit and acknowledge that it was part of her personality and based in rationale that makes sense so I don’t want to hold that against the book at all.

Some sexy scenes, and a mean cliffhanger.

Elise Kova! It has been so LONG since I’ve read a book that I literally threw at the end. Sort of kidding; I did lightly toss my Kindle into my blankets after I stood up in shock at the end. A brief synopsis; the world of Arcana Academy is one of new adult dark academia splendor. Where common folk are marveled by magic, Arcanists are selected (if lucky) into the Academy and are at the whim of the King and his two sons. What sets the magical world apart from others; tarot. Kova’s magic system is delicately based on the tarot and respects the hierarchy of major and minor arcana. This card magic allows for specific uses per card; and the higher the role, the greater the magic. Our FMC, Clara, is swept into the Academy as a captive of one of the two Princes who covets ger magical abilities. With a plot to overthrown his father’s kingdom, and shifting Clara’s own views of how the world works, readers are in for a delicate scheme with twists, turns, and shocking revelations up until the very end.

I devoured this book with splendor. Not only do we have well-layered characters, but even side or smaller characters shine and are memorable. Despite a complex fantasy world and intricate magical system, I never found myself floundering for who was who, how magic worked, or even the motivations behind characters. This was my second book from Kova and I am even more impressed with her style and creativity when it comes to layered storytelling. What stands out in her writing style is the politics and dynamics within courts in her worlds. Characters are driven and have over-arching goals that are separate from the FMC’s arc that add a layer of healthy world building. There was no stagnancy within Arcana Academy; the overall plot and flow moved healthily, driven by time, character growth, and the impending ending. This is absolutely my top read of the entire year and I am completely engrossed as to what will come next. 10/10 stars; can’t wait to read on!

Thank you to Elise Kova and Del Rey books for providing a review copy.

Thank you to Elise Kova, Del Ray, and NetGalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

I don’t know a single thing about tarot but I still found this book incredibly dynamic and engaging!! Even as a complete newbie to the topic, I was able to catch up quickly, as the worldbuilding did a good job to lay out the function and meaning of the cards. The whole book felt like I was at the edge of my seat, and I gasped at the end when I flipped the page to learn I’d have to wait for the next book to find out what happened next.

If you’re a fan of fantasy, tarot, magic, and/or intrigue, this is absolutely the book for you.

POV: single first person

You can expect: enemies to lovers, fake engagement, enemies to reluctant allies to something more, morally gray MCs, tarot, magic school, mystery

Rep: grief

Spice: 2.5/5

CW: death of parent (past), violence, murder, gore, imprisonment

“𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦.”

I love everything I have read from Elise Kova and this has now been added to the list. Her writing is rich and engaging. I never struggle to understand her world building or character arcs. I lap up every single world.

Arcana Academy’s unique tarot card magic system was so amazing to read about. And you constantly are learning how they work, what you can and cannot do because of your skill and what your body can handle. How that magic can backfire. And how it can be used for nefarious reasons. All of this held in a dark academia setting, full of twist and turns with the most delicious slow burn.

The ending left me literally gasping for air. And now I’m anxiously awaiting for book two because I just know it’s going to be just as good as Arcana Academy.

“𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦…”

Thank you Del Rey, NetGalley and Elise Kova for the earc. This is my honest and voluntary review.