I want book 2 right now.

This one surprised me. It was a little slow to start, but the plot twists and the tension, the political intrigue, the magic academy, the magic system, and the start of great world building really pulled me in. Everything about it made for an enjoyable and entertaining read.



Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am always looking for a good romantasy and Arcana Academy was definitely one of the good ones. I really loved that the magic system in this book had to do with tarot card reading. The world building was great and it really didn’t seem like it was just a copy of another story. It was very unique.

This book definitely had it all. Angst. Tension. Will they or won’t they? Romance. While there are a few steamy scenes, the book did read more to me like YA or older YA. But as someone who doesn’t mind YA, this didn’t really bother me and let me really sink in and enjoy the story more.

This book is perfect for people who like: slow burns, fake dating/engagement, unique magic systems, dark academia, secrets and hidden agendas and identities, and enemies to lovers.

A very special Thank You to NetGalley, Del Rey, and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐

“𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨. 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙚, 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙪𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙨. 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚. 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩. 𝙗𝙪𝙩, 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡”

i fear this may be one of my top reads of the year. this was unbelievable.
firstly, i have never read anything with this sort of concept before and i LOVED it - the tarot style magic was so engaging and unusual.

and then we have the characters!!! unreal. the slow burn was borderline painful but the tension and the yearning!!

AND THE ENDING!! RIDICULOUS
i need the next one immediately

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the arc!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read Arcana Academy.
This story offers a unique magic system centered around inking, reading, and dueling with cards. It’s a true enemies-to-lovers romance, which will appeal to fans of that trope.

While I enjoyed the premise and found the magic intriguing, I sometimes struggled to keep track of the characters and the details of the card system. The pacing felt uneven, and there were gaps in the world-building that left me wishing for more depth.

The book ends on a major cliffhanger, so readers will likely find themselves eager to pick up Book 2 to see what happens next.

I will give the uniqueness of the world to this book, I think that is what gave this book more stars that I would have given otherwise.

I loved the tarot cards use woven into the magic and the society in this books. It was well thought out and great.

Now the rest of the book was just same as any other books, baddie girly, dark and broody guy, they hate eachother, bla bla bla. Been there, done that.
Dark academia fantasy as genre has a very intricate balance between academia and fantasy elements, and I think this was not dark academia, this was fantasy in a magic school setting, hence I was a bit disappointed.

All and all I think this book will be loved by people that love magic school, enemies to lovers romantasies, but this was not for me personally.

I read this book on a plane ride across the ocean and it had me so invested in it that I almost turned down the meal service just so I could keep reading. The premise itself was incredibly fascinating and the characters are easy to fall in love with. The tidbits about tarot was interesting to read as someone who is learning more about tarot cards!
The language itself felt a little stilted at times, but I think it is something that can easily be overlooked once you get into the plot. I am not sure if that was where the author got inspiration from, but some parts of the book gave me Cardcaptor Sakura vibes!

This is why I love to read Elise Kova’s books. She has this ability to craft a spellbinding story packed with danger, intrigue and a slow-burn romance that had me hooked. Clara Graysword is clever, stubborn, and just reckless. When she’s caught practicing forbidden magic in eclipse cit, she’s given two choices: rot in prison or fake an engagement to the headmaster of Arcana Academy, Prince Kaelis.

The tarot-based magic system is so intricate and awesome that I found myself completely fascinated by it. And the academy is dark, dangerous, and filled with secrets.

And then there’s Kaelis. His and Clara’s banter and the tension between them was so good. Their relationship develops through trust, betrayal but I loved every moment of them.

The book started really well. I enjoyed being dropped straight into the action. I liked the magic system even though it could have been expanded on. The world building felt very underdeveloped. I finished with so many unanswered questions. Why was there an academy that learned this grand magic system just to use it for nobles benefit? Like why would students even enroll? And they were learning to fight with these cards for what? To prepare to fight against whom? And why was a manchild prince headmaster of this academy? What did he even do all day? Maybe these questions were answered (strong chance my mind was wondering as I was pretty bored).

For such a long book, everything felt really surface level. The pacing was everywhere. I didn't connect with anyone. The romance was okay, but that wasn't enough to keep me particularly interested. Sadly it wasn't for me

✧₊‧˚⁀➷ 4.00/5 .ᐟ

ʚɞ ⁺˖ plot .ᐟ perfectly combines the academic setting with clara's search for her sister and the major cards. as in it's not just set in a school for vibes; the classes and the exams and the effort that goes into them were all depicted. clara's interactions with the other majors and her search for her family history were both appropriately filled with intrigue. it's well-paced and attention-grabbing throughout; i genuinely don't think there was a single page where i was bored. also not overly romance focused, which is always a pro in my book.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ worldbuilding .ᐟ best part, without a doubt. i love, love, love any card-based/circus-based/etc fantasy system, and this is one of the most fascinating renditions of that that i've ever read. during the reveal of the world/the timeline/king oricalis situation, i was so shocked, like i love how that particular plot point was woven into the story.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ characters .ᐟ amazing. loved clara, actually liked kaelis (i never like male love interests), and i loved clara's friendships with the other female first years. i just honestly really liked clara. her dialogue, her treatment of kaelis (i love mean girls), her dynamics with her friends, her morals, her confidence, her training/strengthening her abilities on-page, her always giving back exactly what she gets, and the fact that almost every choice she makes is the one i would make. like cunty, funny, smart, AND reasonable, i didn't know they made girls like that in romantasies???

ʚɞ ⁺˖ romance .ᐟ this probably means nothing to most people reading arcana, but i started this immediately after watching the chinese show 'a dream within a dream'. i was desperately searching for something that had the same relationship dynamic as song yimeng and nan heng, and i read this at the right time, because clara and kaelis are literally the same people. also love the pacing. they're actually enemies to lovers, as in try to maim each other, and by the end of the book, they're sexually attracted to each other, but not in love love. they actually spend enough time together and get to know each other's history + the book takes place over around a year, so everything relating to their romance actually makes sense. like maybe i do like romance when it's not instalove and stupid as hell. who knew.

➺ genuinely amazing book. restored my faith in romantasy and got rid of my readingphobia. elise kova we love you. thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.

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

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova is perfection!! This book is a complete masterpiece and a must-read for fantasy enthusiasts. I'll review it in a few days; I'm still reeling from it!!

🖋️Review
This book had me feeling all the emotions! I was captivated from beginning to end. Love the fantastic world-building and the intricate tarot magic system in this one. The hate to love is REAL in this book. While most others say their book has true enemies to lovers, Elise DELIVERS with this one. Priss!!! 🐈‍⬛🖤

This story had me on a rollercoaster of emotions that ranged from heartwarming to heartbreaking. The tension was palpable from page one and I could not put it down. I love how the author explored grief and loss and had me guessing right up until the very last page. Everytime I thought I had the plot figured out, I was pleasantly surprised by a new twist. By the end I didn't know which character I was for and which I was against.

And that ending!!! 🧗‍♀️🤯 book two cannot come soon enough.

If you love well thought out magic systems, epic world building, characters that have layers upon layers, or even just fantasy in general then Arcana Academy is the book for you!

Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. I cannot recommend it enough and I actually ran to get the physical copy. So hyped for book two!

4.5 stars!

Think card magic from One Dark Window and a magical academy with trials like Fourth Wing. AKA all things I love in a good fantasy. Arcana Academy is the definition of a fantasy with a side plot of romance, and the slow burn you get is so rewarding!

I admired the FMC's decision-making and related to the times she felt her indecision. She always struck me as calm and calculated, and when her rage burned, did it burn. There was so much to uncover in so many side plots. This was a true enemies to...well you'll see. I had to remind myself to breath during the last 15% of the book. What. A. Cliffhanger!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Del Rey for the eARC!

Before I begin let me just say, I am excited for book 2 in this series. The author did a great job of describing the world and creating a dark and moody tone. The magic system is complex and built around Tarot cards. It follows Clara Graysword and Prince Kaelis, both seemingly formidable and talented individuals, in their own ways. I think you need to have patience with this book, as the author is creating the world for about the first 60% and then there is a lot of plot movement. I really found myself really rooting for Clara and hoping for a romance between her and Kaelis. Overall I really enjoyed this dark academia, enemy to lovers, fantasy romance.

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC!

This was and also wasn’t what I expected it would be. Elise Kova has a great writing style, I knew I’d enjoy that aspect of it. I also really enjoyed the actual magic of this world. The idea of each tarot card having a certain magic and ability of its own is interesting and keeps you wanting to learn more.
After those points, a lot of things went downhill for me.
Firstly, if you’re an escapee from a prison and trying to hide from them, why would you change your last name but not your first? You keep your first name and don’t change a thing about your appearance and expect people not to put two and two together? That was not very smart or convincing.
I wish there was more of the magic. This book does a good job in developing the world and telling us the politics of it but it felt like the magic was used sparingly. I wanted more of it.
Finally, the romance. I’m tired of enemies to lovers where the MMC is not an enemy but is just broody the first few chapters and then is gaga over our main character. He wanted to be with her from the very beginning. Clara, our FMC, denied her feelings for him for a very long time but still wanted to use him for sexual release. Especially since this is supposed to be a romantasy, I would’ve liked it to be developed better.
This book will be loved by many others, I don’t doubt that. Which is why I still recommend you try it for yourself.

Arcana Academy is a world ruled by the power of tarot cards. Clara has a talent for inking tarot cards, which unfortunately lands her in prison. When an unusual deal is offered by Prince Kaelis, Clara has no chance but to accept it. As she navigates the academy and searches for her missing sister, Clara’s bond with Kaelis grows. But will she be able to truly trust him with her secrets?

I really loved the intricate magic system of Arcana Academy. The tarot cards and their powers are well-designed, though for people without an interest in tarot there may be a bit of a learning curve. I struggled with the chemistry between Clara and Kaelis. I think the unbalanced power dynamic and the faster pace made it hard to feel the connection between them. I’m curious to see how this develops in future books. I enjoyed the side characters and the structure of the academy. Arcana Academy definitely made me curious to see what happens next!

Thank you to Elise Kova, Del Rey, and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

Arcana Academy was alright. My favorite part of this story was the magic system. I loved the magic system Kova created. The tarot world was clever and refreshing. I thought Kova did a great job explaining the cards in a way that didn’t feel overwhelming. As someone who doesn’t know much about tarot, I didn't feel lost with the card details. The glossary at the end of the book was also helpful. The magic school setting was fun! It gave off major Harry Potter vibes. There were a lot of side characters at the school to keep track of. For the most part, I enjoyed Clara's character. She had a lot of the traits I like to see in fantasy main characters. Kaelis, on the other hand, came across a little tropey. I wanted more from his character. He fell into some typical romantasy tropes and didn't really stand out to me. The whole shadow storyline with Kaelis didn't feel fleshed out....unless I missed something? Kaelis and Clara's relationship was okay. I liked that their relationship was a slow burn. I wasn't fully satisfied with their relationship. It felt a little underdeveloped. The story did lose some of its magic as it progressed. Around the 60% mark, I found myself losing interest. Not sure if it was just me being in a hectic time of life or something in the pacing, but it didn’t captivate me as much as the beginning. Overall, the foundation of this book was strong; however, it didn't fully land for me. I'm not sure if I will continue with the next book. Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC.

3.5⭐️

Thank you @delreybooks + @librofm @prhaudio for the #gifted ARC + ALC ♡

🪦 “𝙳𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚗.”

♡ Read if you love:
‧₊˚⊹ 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀
·..·˙✧˖ 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀
·..·˙✧˖ 𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗹
‧₊˚⊹ 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮

I’ve been struggling with romantasy, and while this is one I think a lot of romantasy readers will adore, I felt the first half of this lengthy tome moved slow.
.
The action majorly ramped up in the second half with fun magical duels and a heist.
.
The romance had an awkward tension, a love-hate relationship built upon secrets kept and mutually assured destruction.
.
I ended up loving the 4 houses and their magics:

⚔️ 𝚜𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 • 🪄 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 • 🏆 𝚌𝚞𝚙𝚜 • 🪙 𝚌𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚜 🃏

… each numbered tarot card with unique effects invoked by inking and curating decks 🎴
.
Although I did predict the twist at the end, let it be noted that I am not ok with endings where the final page says, “to be continued in book 2”!! That ain’t right! 😒😝
.
I think it could have been tightened up overall, but I’ll still def continue with book 2! Solid romantasy debut.

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||။‌‌‌‌‌|• 🎧 This is over 20 hours on audio. I tandem read portions & enjoyed Anna Burnett’s British accented narration.

I was so excited for this book and was left feeling disappointed. The concept was great with the magic and tarot system, but I felt like we never really stuck the landing. The characters are so boring and I found the writing to be very juvenile. I really struggled getting through this one.

First impression: This book is stunning! The cover is beautiful, dark and moody and sets the reader up to expect dark/magical academia vibes. I also love the chapter headers, a fun little bit of whimsy to capture attention and stay on theme.

Shoutout to the publisher and Elise Kova for the digital ARC of Arcana Academy. I completely lost track and am reviewing this book much later than intended, and unfortunately following its release.

Initially the language is a little try-hard and somewhat over descriptive. This makes for some gorgeous mental imaging of scenes and people, but can be somewhat tedious to read through the amount of flowery writing. The first chapter introduces us to Clara Graysword and Prince Kaelis, both seemingly formidable with warring personalities that indicate a forthcoming battle of wills. I was immediately interested in the introduction of the magical elements of this book. The tarot is something most people have some familiarity with and I was excited to see how it might be used in a fantastical setting. The Arcana cards and Clara’s ability to ink them into what she wants, regardless of having the correct type of ink is really a cool concept.

As we go forward the language seems to flow better, descriptions begin to be useful and not as overdone as they were in the first chapters. They seem to make more sense and paint the scenery and setting vivid in the readers mind. I found myself really rooting for Clara and wanting her to find her answers.

The tension between Kaelis and Clara is palpable the whole way through. We see them heat up towards the halfway mark of the book. They sway for ever on the edge of enemies and lovers, neither daring to choose until almost the end of the book. There’s a little cheeky spice in the book that doesn’t detract from the plot.

I loved the descriptions anytime Clara or other wielded their cards, so cool to imagine flashing lights and tarot cards coming to life. I’m also really still rooting on a true romance between Clara and Kaelis.

All said, I really enjoyed this book! It’s a little boring in some spots, but any good world-building fantasy usually is. Anything with academia vibes is usually a go for me and this was no exception. Can’t wait for book 2!

Thank you so much to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for spoiling me with early, audio, and finished copies of this book. All opinions are my own!

This has Elise Kova written all over it. Marketed as an adult romantasy, it truly GIVES with the enemies/hate to lovers and truly unique magic system. Elise is a mastermind of fantasy with an underlying, slow burning, powerful romance that doesn’t detract from the story but enhances it to the point you cannot put the book down.

A headmaster and first year, a secret society, a tarot-based magic system that will leave you breathless with each duel, Arcana Academy is the perfect adult debut and I’m so excited to see what happens in book two!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Overall, this book was a 3.5 star read for me. I know I am definitely in the minority. People seem to be obsessed. It just wasn't a new favorite for me. The magic system using tarot was really cool. I loved that aspect of the book. The enemies to lovers was slightly generic and I was found myself not really caring for them to become lovers.

Will I continue the series? Yeah probably but it won't be a priority for me.