⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

Elise Kova delivers another rich and captivating fantasy with a darker, more mature edge than her earlier works. The magic system is creative and layered, and the academia setting adds a compelling backdrop for the secrets, romance, and tension to unfold. Clara is a refreshingly flawed and relatable heroine, and her dynamic with Kaelis brings just the right amount of enemies to lovers drama without overpowering the plot.

While the pacing was slower at times, the story never dragged, and the intrigue kept me turning the pages. The familiar tropes are handled well, and the cliffhanger ending definitely left me wanting more. A strong start to a promising series

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for letting me read this book!

Before I start this review, I want to mention one thing: I don't read romantasy, really. It's never been a genre that appealed to me before now. But you want to know something?

I couldn't put this book down.

Elise Kova has crafted a wonderful, enthralling tale. The magic system is lush and something I could really sink my teeth into, and I really appreciated see Clara, the FMC, develop her abilities over the course of the story. Speaking of Clara, I *loved* her. She annoyed me at times, I will admit, but her reasoning always made sense. And her chemistry with Kaelis? It always left me wanting *more*.

And really, that's how I feel about this book overall: I just want more and more. I'll be eagerly awaiting the next installment, and I'll be suggesting it for purchase at my library!

4.75/5

5/5 stars! I love Elise Kova. She has an amazing skill of building fascinating worlds from page one. I loved this book. This book felt more mature and edgy than her previous stories. I loved the heat and intrigue in this book and Clara a strong, female character that doesn't sit in the "somehow more special than everyone else" box, which I appreciated. She was flawed in believable ways. This is the grown up version of Air Awakens and I was here for it.

Clara Graysword, is a breath of fresh air. She's a survivor, a rogue with a heart of gold hidden beneath layers of cynicism and practiced thievery. Her illegal inking of tarot cards, a rare and coveted power, sets the stage for a dramatic escape from a life sentence and a dangerous bargain with the enigmatic Prince Kaelis. Clara's resourcefulness and sharp wit make her immediately relatable, and her internal struggles between self-preservation and growing affections for Kaelis are genuinely engaging.
Prince Kaelis, on the other hand, walks a fine line between charming and ruthless. He's a complex character with hidden motives, and Kova does a fantastic job of keeping the reader guessing about his true intentions. The forced proximity trope, with Clara posing as his bride-to-be, adds a delicious layer of tension and awkwardness to their interactions. Their relationship is a slow burn, fueled by suspicion and undeniable chemistry, making you root for them even as you question their decisions.
The magic system, centered around tarot cards and their unique powers, is fascinating and well-developed. Kova seamlessly integrates the lore of the cards into the plot, adding depth and intrigue to the academy setting. The world-building extends beyond the magic system, delving into the political landscape and the history of the kingdom, creating a rich and believable backdrop for the story.
Overall, this book is a must-read for fans of fantasy romance with strong female leads, intricate magic systems, and a healthy dose of royal intrigue. Kova masterfully weaves together elements of heist, mystery, and romance.

Overall - an incredible read. definitely a new favorite. the magic system was unique and very interesting. the fmc and mmc are both so complex and i couldn’t help but care for them. i can’t wait for the rest of the series so i can see them grow.
there may be some well loved tropes present but i didn’t find the plot overly predictable.
i would certainly recommend this to all romantacy fans. I will certainly be buying the hard copy as well once it is officially out!

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
It’s been a while since I’ve been completely enthralled with a book. Arcana Academy has a unique tarot-based magic system and interesting world building. Clara is in prison for illegally inking magical cards, but is given an opportunity to get out of her death sentence by entering a fake engagement with Prince Kaelis. They return to the prince’s academy, where Clara can properly learn tarot magic and also search for her missing sister. As the two navigate trust and work together towards a common goal, they begin to grow closer and closer.

This was such a wonderful read! Clara is a compelling character, and although stubborn, she’s driven by her devotion to family. Kaelis’ motives add to the complexity of his character, and I do think he and Clara are well matched. The romance is an entertaining whirlwind. Overall, the atmosphere of the story made this a truly unforgettable read for me. Thank you to Del Rey for the advance reader copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC!
3.5 maybe 3.75? I really appreciated the unique magic system this book revolves around but it was quite the information overload. Between the magic, all the side characters, and the multilayered significance of our main characters’ identity and connection to each other, there was a lot to follow. This is also an incredibly slow burn, so much so I began to lose interest in their whole “will they won’t they.”

This book was not the romantasy I was hoping for. I found the female main character annoying and the male main character not hot like Xaden but just an asshole to the max while being hot.

Thank you for an early arc! I really loved this book. It was long and pacing was slower but ai was never bored. I enjoyed the magic system and characters.. The academy setting and secrets were well done. I loved the romance - it didnt overshadow the world building or story. Really well written story!

I really enjoyed the magic system and the academia setting. Enemies to lovers is my fave trope even though it's so overdone in fantasy, it worked in this book because Clara and Kaelis had the perfect amount of hate towards each other and a lot of back and forth moments where the reader is left wondering if they truly care about each others best interest. I'm intrigued to learn more about Kaelis history/background and more about the history of the cards and The Fool.
It ends on a cliffhanger so we'll see how the next book does in answering some of my lingering questions!
This kept me entertained. Great plot, interesting magic system/world and the story moved along at a great pace.

The book features a strong magic system based on tarot cards and an exciting magical school premise. It's a shame the author buried that potential in a completely generic romantasy formula.

This is the story of Clara, a young convict imprisoned for the illegal use of tarot magic. She is offered freedom by Prince Kaelis - the very man she believes is responsible for her imprisonment - in exchange for locating a mysterious 21st tarot card. Clara is admitted to Arcana Academy, where Kaelis serves as headmaster, and to justify her presence there, she agrees to pose as his betrothed.

You might think this premise sounds overly tropey - and unfortunately, you'd be right. Aside from a novel magic system and some decently executed worldbuilding, the book adds little to the genre. Enemies to lovers, a power imbalance, a mysterious, brooding male lead, and a strong female protagonist with a troubled past but hidden powers that make her special - I’ve already read at least three books this year following the exact same formula, with main characters nearly identical to the one in Arcana Academy. As a result, I found it hard to feel any real excitement about the story and often felt disconnected from the reading experience.

The plot itself is fairly simple, but it suffers from an overly descriptive narrative. Seriously, this book has no business being as long as it is. It repeats certain points multiple times, almost as if the reader needed constant reminders. It also feels like the author tried to overcomplicate things by introducing a large cast of side characters who ultimately contribute very little to the story. Maybe these sidekicks will play a bigger role in the next installment, but in this book, they honestly felt more like clutter than meaningful additions.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t the worst book in the world. Elise Kova is clearly an experienced writer who knows exactly what she’s doing. I just wish it felt less like a variation of a copy-paste formula and more like something truly original.

That said, if the familiar romantasy tropes don’t bother you, there’s a good chance you’ll really enjoy this book.

Thank you so much to Del Rey for sending me the netgalley widget for this title! This review is all my honest thoughts and opinions based on the early copy I read.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

I have no words. This book, its world, its magic—its all complete and total perfection and nothing less. I've honestly been struggling to figure out what to write for my review because any words I could drag out of my brain will not do this book justice.

Overall, This book is a love letter to the art of tarot and it brought my little tarot reading heart so much joy. With tarot being a part of my practice, this book made me want to cry happy tears of joy. Eliza NAILED every complex aspect of tarot. From the obvious images on the cards, to the little hidden meanings, to the ways the cards interact with each other; it is obvious that a lot of research and love went into crafting a world where the Arcana holds all the magic. This is a world I dream of existing in.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: S T U N N I N G. Elise does a stellar job combining the world building with the plot and making it so intrinsically apart of the plot that major reveals are tied to whether or not you've been paying attention to the world building. Stunning job.

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: Clara drove me up a dang wall for the first half of this book. She's insanely stubborn and incredibly single minded and it takes a bit for her to wake up and smell the dang roses. If it wasn't for Elise's incredible writing and this incredible world, I might have DNF'd just because how much Clara's pig-headedness irritated me. 😅 Kaelis on the other hand? Absolutely loved him. Sure he's your typical dark mysterious broody misunderstood prince with a good heart with a tinge of moral greyness in there—but dangit, I'm a sucker for those types and he's wonderfully well written.

𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧: Elise got me hooked from the first chapter. Insanely well developed and always keeping me turning the page.

𝗩𝗜𝗕𝗘𝗦: Gothic, magical, and very witchy.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★★★★★ x ∞

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄:
☆ Magic inspired by Tarot
☆ Political Intrigue
☆ Enemies - to - Lovers
☆ Slow Burn
☆ Found Family
☆ Dark Academia
☆ Forced/Fake Engagement

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova caught my attention due to my personal obsession with tarot and kept me reading with the stellar writing style. I loved the magic system and the character interactions felt really natural. I am pre- ordering a personal copy and recommending this title for the store I work at.

3,5 for the solid and entertaining magic system!
The book did quite well to live up to the expectation: a unique tarot based magic society, an enemies-to-lovers, oh-no-she’s-engaged-to-the-prince-that-she-absolutely-despises!

What I liked:
-the use of magic, especially the powers based off of elements that we already know to make it more grippable what the cards are actually capable of
-the main conflict and the layers to it
-the overall aeathetic, it was a bit dark, it felt like black and burgundy velvet with a little sprinkle of glittery black chendeliers in an old castle
-Clara. She wasn’t dumb at all, she was kind and loyal, but with a reasonable bite. Bad ass but not all in your face “omg she’s so cool and invincible.”
-the fights. Clara is strong but still needs help sometimes, so she isn’t overpowered. Although she is clearly often in the advantage due to her special talents that we get to uncover.

What I didnt like: (spoilers)
-the worldbuilding is non existent and a bit of an insult to the readers brain.
-there are no customs or languages or anything we get to know about this world. We only visit the prison, th academy, the Palace ballroom and a little house in the ghetto. Thats it. We vaguely get to know about what people in this kingdom do, that there are mills (labour camps smh) and uninviting places in the ghetto. Thats it. We dont know anything about the knowledge of this society, the advancements humanity made in this world, other countries or continents, languages… I could go on, but this world apparently has nothing to offer besides the magic. There is a try at hinting a lost civilization but sorry that was done so poorly I really find it funny the author tried to be “omg thats a big thing”. Like bro, your only hint is an ancient machine that the characters dont know shit about and a stone statue.

- Also, you’re telling me that the kingdom of Oricalis is ruled by a king and his two sons and the favourite son gets the capital and the other one gets to fund the academy that lectures young arcanists and he’s what? Only 23? Thats so stupid. Especially because the king is the only real antagonist in this series so far and he is clearly in a rivalry with his own son Kaelis. So why the fuck would he give his own son an advantage in going against him?? WHY? (With the academy in hand the main goal of the king is clearly in danger)
-that leads to the next point: the king. Yeah so for a main antagonist he’s really really unimpressive. All we know is that he’s bad and Kaelis doesn’t like him. Thats it. He’s just a big evil guy in a monarchy and on the side note he apparently erased another kingdom entirely but we don’t really get to know much about that. He’s so dumb even that he is easily check-mated by a sleeping potion.
-yeah I’m sorry but Kaelis totally didn’t work for me. Like, not at all. Objectively speaking he’s quite handsome, skilled, intelligent and intimidating. But the whole enemies to lovers was way too forced.
1. Clara somehow knows *instantly* that Kaelis must be the culprit or at least involved into the murder of her mother. There is no reasoning behind it at all, she even admits that she doesn’t know shit about the incident besides that the records of her death are ripped away. I mean, obviously, something is off but its no surprise that in the end it’s revealed that he wasn’t involved in it. Yeah really? Wouldn’t have guessed that Claras accusations based off of nothing were false, surprise
-Kaelis is way too ominous and his whole backstory isn’t making any sense at all. Everything we know about him sounds pretty dumb and the missing information we need to make it more believable is of course withheld for the later books. May I give you some examples:
-He’s 🦅void born🦅. Oh no, so scary (sorry but what does it even mean? That he’s “evil”?)
-He killed the entire Clan of Hermit☹️ yeah. How exactly? How big even is Clan Hermit? What would the motivation even be to kill an entire family and what exact purpose did they even have in society? I promise you I’m quite confident in saying the reveal in the follow up books will either be: Clan hermit was very evil or he had the bestest intentions in mind, so in the end Kaelis isnt very evil at all

Thanks netgalley for the ARC!

I love Elsie Kova's books, especially A Deal With The Elf King so when I saw that she was coming out with a new book I jumped at the chance to read the arc. For me, Arcana Academy was packed with so much information and felt very over explained that I had to put it down and pick it back up. I did like the slow burn romance though between Clara and Kaelis. Overall, I’m not sure if I will continue with this specific series since I got so much fatigue reading the first book but will always support Elsie in her other writing ventures since I’ve loved her past books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Publishing Team, and Elsie for approving me for the arc.

I loved the synopsis and premise, but the writing wasn't really for me. Either too slow or too fast for my liking and some parts were repetitive. I was very excited about it, but it was quite a disappointment.

I knew from the initial chapters that Arcana Academy was going to be a favourite read of mine this year and it was easily a 5 star book.

Arcana Academy is a longer book but a great setup for the series. It is an atmospheric dark academia romantasy with a decent amount of intrigue, betrayals and secrets to be uncovered. I loved the academy setting, it is one of my favourite settings to read. The whole structure of the curriculum, description of the academy and dynamics of the student body are really immersive.

Arcana Academy has a very unique magic system built around tarot but I felt like this story really explained each facet of the that system well without overloading the reader with information. It slowly evolved as the story progressed and as new cards were introduced those details were reiterated. There was a glossary at the back of the e-arc, which would be great to refer to during reading.

Clara and Prince Kaelis had great chemistry. Kaelis manoeuvres Clara into a fake engagement which forces the two to be in greater proximity in addition to them already working together. They were a delicious slow-burn, enemies to lovers couple. Clara’s feelings towards Kaelis were conflicting and a lot for her to navigate.

I am heavily invested in this series.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for gifting me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Clara doesn't just survive; she claws her way through life using guts, illegal magic, and just enough luck to stay one step ahead, or so she thought. When she is captured, her rare ability lands her in the worst hellish prison. Until a dangerous offer from the headmaster of Arcana Academy, who happens to be a Prince, changes everything.

Prince Kaelis offers Clara freedom if she helps him steal a legendary tarot card from the king to resurrect a long-lost power. He brings her to Arcana Academy disguised as a first-year student and his betrothed. A masterful spiral of secrets, deception, and sizzling tension follows. It is also the last place her sister was before she was reported missing and possibly dead. Clara is determined to use this deal to her benefit and find her sister.

I loved this book. From the first page, it's packed with tension and never lets up. The magic system is fresh and intriguing, centered around tarot cards and clever trials that test the characters' abilities and reveal how the magic works without info-dumping. While worldbuilding stays focused on limited locations, it serves the story well, creating a pressure-cooker environment where every decision matters.

Clara is the kind of main character I root hard for: bold, brave, and never backing down, even when the odds are stacked against her. She's a fighter in every sense, both magically and emotionally. And Kaelis? Let's say the enemies to allies to something else vibes are off the charts. Their chemistry sizzles, and the romantic tension builds over time, delivering a true slow burn.

What I especially appreciated was how unpredictable every character felt. No one's motivations are crystal clear, which keeps you guessing and second-guessing. It is a fantasy with high stakes, distinctive magic, morally gray characters, and forbidden alliances. Clara Graysword will steal your heart and maybe more. Do not skip this one!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing, Del Rey/Inklore/Random House World, for the opportunity to review and provide my honest feedback.

Arcana Academy by elise.kova
netgalley , thanks you both for the opportunity to delve into this always intense, never knowing what's going to happen story. I'm still not over that cliff hanger.

How long will you let old wounds, continue bleeding till you let go?

Clara and Kaelis what's between love and hate. The intense desire of wanting but knowing they want to hate each other but can't. They play a dangerous game of survival. I love that fuck it moment.

Clara has been through hell back, lost everything she loves dearly. In search of her sister, she'll do whatever it takes. Do whatever needs to be done. Clara is special and needed.

Found family
Enemies to Reluctant Allies to lovers
Dark Academy
Badass FMC
Pretend Engagement
MMC dark Headmaster ( Prince )
Magical Tarot Cards
Trials and Heart break
Loss

5 Stars ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨
Spiciness 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️

Thank you delreybooks and netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This book was such a great read! I definitely see this becoming a popular one. It definitely goes very well with the tropes and plots that are popular nowadays, but in such an unique way!

The story is very well written, and while the magic system is very complex it is explained in a lot of detail (but maybe sometimes a little to much, which took my out of the it for a little bit so now and then).

The book’s strongest point are the characters and they drive the story further. Clara is a FMC like we see more often, and maybe she is a little over powered, but I wasn’t to bothered by that. The only thing that sometimes bothered me is that she was both very suspicious but also still very trustful and taking every other character for their word, except the MMC who she hate but also not to get in line with the enemies to lovers trope (but as I am a sucker for that I don’t mind hahaha).

The relationship between Clara (FMC) and Kaelis (MMC) and chemistry is so intriguing! Really Love how it is a bit different then what I read before. But I am frustrated by how we were left on this aspect by the end of the book, but I hope/assume book 2 will give us a bit more.

Lastly, the story has a cat, Priss, that totally acts like one of mine? What’s not to love? 😍 (if she dies I will riot and burn the book 😭😂. Spoiler: in this book she didn’t die🥳).

I said it before and I will say it again at the end, this story has a few minor flaws but is such a good read and I can only recommend it.