Arcana Academy:⁣
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Thank you @randomhouse @delreybooks @prhaudio @librofm for my gifted copies. #RandomHousePartner #DelReyBooks #PRHAudioPartner ⁣
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“How many wounds do you have that you just let bleed, Clara?”⁣
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It took me 2 weeks to finish this book. I absolutely savored the heck of out this one. This was fun, saucy, heartbreaking, dark academia with bomb cards! Yes!⁣
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Honestly, magic system is so cool in this book. I was fascinated by all the cards and their powers. The fact there are forgeries is wild and I loved knowing all about them.⁣
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The twists were twisty, which.. that ending?! Excuse me? ⁣
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The audio was where it’s at. Obviously it’s a stunning physical copy, but the audio read by Anna Burnett was so good! I chose to listen more as it was prime listening.⁣
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Overall, a SOLID start to a series. I cannot wait to see what happens next!⁣
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Some favorite quotes:⁣
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“Don’t weep for an empty coffin”⁣
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“Because the circumstances we find ourselves in might not always be fair, but we persist”.

Not for me. The logistics of the school were a bit too loosey goosey, and I simply cannot suspend my disblief enough to buy into the shaky premise of this book. There are a million other fantasy dark academia romances out there that will do the trick better than this one.

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova has made it to my list of favorite books so far this year...that's right, I said it. It's an enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance that takes place in a magical academy...what's not to love?

Clara Graysword is our fmc and we find out quickly that she is in prison and has been there because when she was just trying to survive with her sister in Eclipse City, she would take random (illegal) jobs and her last one went off track. Now she's been sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards which is a power that only those who go through Arcana Academy are allowed to wield. Just when she thinks she's at the end of her luck, Prince Kaelis, the head of the academy, shows up at the prison and here is where the story really begins.

When Clara escapes, she has to rely on Kaelis to protect her and he is willing to do it because he needs her. In exchange for her freedom, Kaelis wants Clara to steal a tarot card from the king (his father) and use it to re-create a card that could change everyone's futures. So Kaelis brings her to Arcana Academy and introduces her as one of the new first-year students and his betrothed. Which makes for an interesting story considering the feelings these two have for each other. You've heard the saying "there's a fine line between love and hate." Well, this is a great example of it. At least from Clara's perspective. I'll admit that I don't think Kaelis ever hated Clara, he's just really good at hiding his true thoughts and feelings (he's had a lot of practice) and as these two become closer, it became clearer to me that he always had a reason for doing the things he did to/with Clara...none of which centered around hate or anger. That said, there's plenty of tension here if you love that in your romance.

As Clara works to navigate this world of magic, she has to balance what she wants with what is important for everyone. Including her found family and Prince Kaelis. As much as she wouldn't like to admit it, he does become important to her and no matter what, someone is going to be on the losing end when everything comes to a head.

If you like books with interesting magic systems, school settings, enemies-to-lovers feelings, and plenty of action and interesting characters, consider picking this one up. I'll just be over here waiting to see what happens next for these characters.

Not me trying to do magic with my own tarot cards.

Arcana Academy - oh the mixed feelings I am having. I am waffling between a 3 and 4 star rating because I had some problems with the world building and characters but the magic system was really cool and the action was unputdownable in the second half.

The good:

Tarot cards are so mysterious and feel like ancient magic in our world so for them to be the basis of the magic in this story was very intriguing. Each card has a different power and it was cool to discover which card does what magic and how someone would use them in everyday life as well as in battle.

The twists and action kept me on my toes. I was holding my breath the last 20% as all the plans came into fruition and I was waiting to see if they would fall apart or they would scrape by. The tension was well written.

The side characters should also be counted among the good. Alor, Silas, Luren, Myrion, to name a few, were interesting and had their own growth throughout the story.


The not so good, containing spoilers:

I was annoyed from the very beginning that our MMC was a 23 year old prince and also HEADMASTER of this indomitable academy. Sorry don't believe it. It took me out of it immediately. Additionally, Clara has this whole backstory as a rebel arcanist operating illegally to help other secret magic users, and those that were found out but the crown, to escape to other lands. But its really hard to buy all of her accomplishments as a 20-21 year old. The way that she waxes nostalgia for her times at the Starcrossed Club and her jaded "seen it all" attitude does not match up to her age and it's just distracting. Her stubborness comes off as petulant and so while her reputation is trying to sell me on her prowess, her words remind me of her age. The juxtaposition doesn't always work.

The world building is confusing, we learn that Arcanist magic is controlled by the crown and you must make it through the academy to wield the cards' legally lest you are marked as an illegal user and sent to labor camps until the end of your days. But then find out that the Academy was founded by our MMC at the age of 18 (!!) and that it's really only been in operation for four-ish years. There is not a lot of back story about what the rules were before the recently established academy and it felt like a gaping hole for me. This kingdom revolves around this academy that's only been around for a few years? There were traditions and rituals that seemed ingrained in the culture but that must have felt fairly new. Now I am going to hide this caveat is a mega spoiler: after finishing the book, I will say that there is a redemption possible for a lot of these plot holes if they are answered with the World card. Do things not make a lot of sense because people remade the World in fragmented ways? Is Kaelis actually an appropriate age that matches his "accomplishments" but somehow got mixed up with the use of the World? I am open to it all and will gladly eat my words if it is all explained but there had to have been a better way to set it all up so it doesn't feel as clunky and cringy.
There were a couple other plot points that brought me out of it and I don't feel like I fully grasp the society that they live in. The writing was a lot of tell rather than show and therefore felt bloated and wordy. There were a few times when a character spoke, the author went into an over explanation of feelings or something and then when another character responded, I had to go back and re-read because I couldn't remember what the original speaker had said.

While I had a lot of problems and was pretty sure I was solidly giving this book 3 stars, the second half action made me hold on and interested in the next book.

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for an ARC of this book!

I really loved this one. It's not often a fantasy book comes around that has such a unique magic system that I think a lot of readers will enjoy.
I have to say, I totally called the ending, but I definitely look forward to continuing this series with book 2.

Arcana Academy was my first Elise Kova book and it absolutely left me impressed! This book had all my favorite fantasy/romantasy things: interesting and creative world building, found family, a smart and Wiley main character and a romance that keeps me flipping pages. My favorite part about this book is definitely the world building. The magic system is based on tarot cards and each card is coded to a different action. Honestly, I was a little overwhelmed at first by the world building because it is SO meaty and there is so much going on, but eventually it all started making sense and the stuff that I wasn’t understanding didn’t matter as much because I thought the stakes were really well taken care of.

This is one of those books where you are constantly looking over your shoulder and waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was kept guessing which is something I LOVE in a fantasy book. Between the intricate world building and the characters I grew to admire and care about, I had so much fun with this book.

And that ending??? I need the next book IMMEDIATELY!!!

Thank you so much to DelRey for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

AMAZING, ADDICTIVE. Tarot card magic system, obsessed to say the least. This book had me hooked from page 1.

Both tropey and not, Arcana Academy is an entertaining romantasy. I was so intrigued by the unique tarot-card based magic system and I wasn't let down. It's about time we have romantasy with magic that's more than just shadow daddies! I love the image of magic duels with combatants casting spells by summoning tarot cards. And I loved the process of inking and reading the cards too.

This didn't feel like dark academia to me, or much like academia at all. There is A LOT happening in this book (a plot to overthrow the king, a murder mystery, secret societies, a romance with an obligatory broody MMC), and the magic school setting didn't really have a chance to shine when competing with all that. The pacing stumbled a bit at times, possibly also because of the numerous plotlines to juggle. And there are A LOT of characters who mostly felt flat due to the sheer volume of them, except maybe for a couple of Clara's classmates. I did appreciate the amount of female characters and how they were, for the most part, more interesting than the men.

I wasn't hugely into the romance. Clara and Kaelis go from intensely antagonistic to begrudgingly co-conspirators to suddenly hooking up and possibly being in love? It didn't sell me. I did like Kaelis's purple hair though. Most characters had funky hair or eye color and that was fun.

There was a definite cliffhanger that was at least different than the tropey MMC-betrays-FMC ending. There's definitely a huge hook to keep you engaged for the next book. I'm still giving this one 4 stars for enjoyment and some originality, and I'm hoping the sequel builds on what we got here.

I loved the concept of this book and have tried incredibly hard to love it, but despite its elaborate, creative world-building, the characters and relationships sadly fell flat for me, and I kept hoping I’d feel any real depth or connection. I set aside this book at 60%, so there is a chance I might try to return one day!

If you are craving an addictive book to scratch your fantasy and romance itch, let me tell you, this is the book for you.


I need everyone to immediately read this book. I’m obsessed. This is up there with my instalove with ACOTAR and Fourth Wing. It’s got murder, deception, magic and high stakes. Clara and Kaelis is my new OTP, and I can’t wait to get my greedy hands on more of their story.

This is a big book. It’s over 500 pages and filled with a lot of plot, action and characters. I’m warning you, I think you will either love it or hate it because of how dense it is. There’s a lot of world building: the magic system is expansive and detailed. It’s the first in the series though, so I’m happy I got a good lay of the land. Now onto the book and my favourite couple.

I was afraid I’d be sick of a morally gray young adult who needs to save the world. Turns out, I’m not. Clara is a strong, kick ass character who can take care of herself. She’s got a lot of trauma from a pretty rough childhood, and is super talented but must hide her talents because people like her aren’t supposed to be so magical. She is pretty sure that Prince Kaelis, the youngest son of the king, is the one who caught her and put her in prison. It’s no wonder she hates the privileged pretty boy.

He’s also the headmaster of the exclusive and mysterious Arcana Academy, where the best of the best learn to handle tarot card magic. To her surprise, Prince Kaelis rescues her, and springs a fake engagement on her. He, it turns out, has his reasons for keeping her close. Clara finds herself in a whole new world of magic, but as the lies pile up, she learns that her history has a lot more to play than she can imagine. Clara has to learn who she is to understand who she can trust.

Oh yes, and her sister is missing, and no one can explain why she vanished from the Academy.

There is a lot that goes on in this book, and I enjoyed every page. It’s a wild ride and it’s ambitious in what it does. It ends on a hell of a cliffhanger that had me throwing my e-reader across the couch. I’m so excited to see where this story goes: in book one we get star crossed lovers, heists, escape rooms and puzzles, a complex magic system and family secrets that are going to change the world if uncovered.

I don’t know if I’d call Clara and Kaelis a slow burn, more so it’s a, they know they shouldn’t give into their attraction, but they also have to look like they are in love, what do they do? Clara, while a thief, has a responsible and moral streak and wants to do the right thing for her people: the band of wayward people she grew up with after mother mysteriously died. Kaelis acts like a tough headmaster but is a softy underneath, who gets irritated when his beloved cat loves Clara more than him.

This is an audacious romp in the best way possible. Buckle up and enjoy the ride. And then tell me all about it - I need people to swoon over this book with me!

I will say that Tarot isn’t my favorite form of a magic system – truthfully I just have a hard time grasping the cards and having it all make sense in my brain. But I ended up really liking how it was handled in this book. The way in which the characters have to draw and cast their own cards helped my brain make better sense of it all.

I enjoyed Clara and Kaelis together a lot – at least once she gets over being a brat lol. I liked the tension and snark. I loved how we slowly see their relationship change and grow and become more than what I think either of them truly expected. I loved how they influenced each other, and how even when lines get drawn there’s trust.

The was my first Elise Kova book and holy hell did I enjoy it. This book was such a fun ride from start to finish.

Arcana Academy is a dark academia novel that has a tarot card magic system and very nice slow burn, and I do mean slow burn romance intertwined. I simply devoured this book. I enjoyed the characters and the romance so much. The school setting was perfect and the magic system was very intruding to learn about. I simply cannot wait for the second book in this series. It’s definitely going on my preorder list as soon as it becomes available!

If you love a good dark academia story with a unique magic system and a slow burn romance then I highly recommend picking this one up. I’m very excited to dive into more of Elise’s work!

Thank you so much to Del Rey and Netgalley for the e-arc!

An exciting start to an impressive fantasy series.

Firstly I need to apologise for how long it took to read this book, my head has not been in a great space and I’ve really pulled back from anything that needed brain power. Starting a new fantasy series is always a bit daunting for me, I love getting into a series but book 1 is that one where everything is new and so much needs to be learnt.

In saying that, lucky for me I’m a tarot reader so the basis of this series is right up my street. I could quickly get on board with the magic system and how the world building was based on cards and suits.

Such a really interesting new take and honestly it was refreshing to have something so unique to read.

Clara is a force to be reconned with, she’s made it through everything that life has thrown at her so far, she’s not going to let anything hold her back.

The we have Kaelis, still somewhat of a mystery even after the book finished but I’m eager to learn more about him.

The chemistry between these 2 was push and pull from the start, there’s clear enemy to lovers vibes and be prepared for a slow burn.

I loved the building of side character and excited to see these friendships take more shape as the series goes on.

All in all I can truly say this book has given me the buzz back to get into reading. I just wish I’d given it more time and energy earlier on.

If you are a fantasy lover, looking for something different to get into, I highly recommend this.

The tea ☕️

❤️- Enemy to lovers
✨- Magical powers
🌍 - world building
🔥 - slow burn
🌶️ - 2/5

DNF @ 25% - Amazing writing, complex story and a series I feel will be a huge hit for the romantasy fans. For me personally, a touch to complex to keep going!

4.5⭐️ it loses a point for me wanting more spice than I got lol but otherwise perfection. I’m obsessed. Tarot card magic. Enemies to lovers??? To…????

If you like
magical school academy
tarot
slow burns
forced proximity
forced engagement
hidden identity
mysteries
this could be for you
I went into this with high hopes and was not let down

I have always enjoyed Kova's books. This series has started strong and is very reminiscent of Air Awakens, but with its own strong magic system and more defined characters. I enjoyed the strength shown by the FMC from the beginning and the slow growth she had with those around her. I'm excited to see what comes next.

This was my first Elise Kova book, and overall, it was a solid read. I have a love/hate relationship with tarot-based magic systems, and this one didn’t quite tip the scale either way, but it was definitely intriguing. Clara Graysword made for an interesting protagonist. I can’t say I fully connected with her, but she held my attention well enough (Kaelis, on the other hand, I couldn’t care less about lol).

Like others have mentioned, the beginning gave strong Throne of Glass vibes, which immediately pulled me in. But around the halfway point, the momentum started to dip—it felt like the pacing bounced between big, dramatic moments and long stretches of quiet. Still, I’m curious enough to continue the series, and I’d definitely be interested in reading more from Kova. Her world-building is compelling, and she clearly has some really fascinating ideas swirling around.

Thank you Net Galley for the arc. I was hooked from the first chapter. The magic system was insane! My only issue was the pacing. The middle started to lag a bit.

I have just finished this book and I am still REELING. Personally, it's one of the best books I've read this year.

The world building of magical elitism and a magic system based on tarot was fascinating. It did take me a lot longer to finish this book but I think that was because there was so much to pick up on and read. It felt slow but as the mystery unravels everything comes into clarity and makes sense for all that heft.

Honestly, I adored this book and I can't wait for the next one (yep there's a cliffhanger)

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for the opportunity to read this arc.