Thank you to Netgalley and Elise Kova for the arc.

This was my first book by Elise, and to say I was surprised would be an understatement. The Arcana elements were really confusing at first, and even though I tried to push through, I just couldn’t get into it. Unfortunately, I had to stop around the 25% mark—it just wasn’t clicking with me.

Dark and atmospheric academic studies book! It was spooky and fun at the same time. I loved the characters and the setting so much that at times, it felt real. Another hit from this best selling author

3.25 stars!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

I really liked the magic system in this book, if you liked one dark window then you would really enjoy this.

I enjoyed the main characters and the very long slow burn this book had.

Some things for improvement: occasionally info about the academy and how the school works was confusing as some points. I also think some pacing could use some work.


Overall, I really enjoyed this and can’t wait for the next book !

I knew as soon as I saw its beautiful black and gold cover I wanted to know more about what lay hidden inside Arcana Academy, a romantasy, by Elise Kova.

Clara Graysword, imprisoned for life after being caught illegally inking tarot cards, is given a second chance and enters a new world as a student of Arcana Academy and as the false fiancé of its headmaster, Prince Kaelis. Here she will learn to read, ink, and wield tarot cards, the center of this world's unique magical system.

Clara, used to living in the underworld of Eclipse City, will now have to navigate through royal intrigue, hidden identities, and her fake engagement all while facing the trials of her magic school and looking for her missing sister. Will luck be on her side?

I really enjoyed Book 1 of the Arcana Academy series and while I look forward to Book 2, I wish it was already available.

Tentative Publication Date July 22, 2025
Reviews are not to be posted before July 22, 2025 so I will come back to share links after that time

Arcana Academy" by Elise Kova is the first book in the Arcana Academy Trilogy. Slow burn romantasy and dark academia rolled in one. A unique tarot card magic system which I found to be fascinating and refreshing due to contests that require individuals to showcase wielding, inking, and reading of the cards.
Uhhmm, what a cliffhanger!

Pub Date Jul 22 2025
Thank you Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey for an eARC

I thought this was good. The pacing good be a bit better but all in all it was good. The characters were great and the story was great.

3.75 stars
Spice 🌶️🌶️

Arcana Academy has an incredibly unique and creative magic system that centers around Tarot Cards. The lore and world building were extensive and the author does an amazing job bringing this world to life.

That said, it felt like the book was trying to be too many things at once. The pacing was off, and there were a lot of plotlines competing for attention, which made it hard to connect with the story as a whole. The info dumps early on were a bit overwhelming, though the prose helped carry it through.

I think the story would’ve benefitted from multiple POV’s since unfortunately I didn’t really enjoy the FMC, Clara. I found her super frustrating and it would’ve been nice to get a reprieve from her POV. The MMC, Kaelis, on the other hand was amazing. He was such a great and multilayered MMC. I adored his character and all the mysteries we have yet to uncover with him

Overall, it’s ambitious and unique, but I wish it had focused more on depth over breadth. Regardless, I did enjoy the book and the world that the author has created. I’m excited to see where the story will take us in the following books!

You’ll enjoy this book if you like themes of
-Dark Academia
-Unique Magic Systems
-Intricate World Building
-Heist
-Slow Burn Enemies to Lovers
-Fake Engagement
-Magical Mysteries
-Found Family

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

Having been fan of Elise Kova's previous works, I went into “Arcana Academy” expecting it to be the top read of the year for me. I was severely disappointed. On top of this taking me three (3) months to finish, I found myself not thinking too many positive thoughts while reading. It had a brooding prince and a fantastical, magical setting, reducing this to an adult rebranding of Kova's debut “Air Awakens.”

The good of this novel boils down to an interesting magic system I haven't seen used in this way before. A complex and intricate magic that provides a fresh take on magical schools, advanced magic, and using it for political gains. I truly enjoyed how the magic worked and wished I could have seen even more, especially from the perspective of second and third year students.

That’s where it ends, though, as “Arcana Academy” has too many interconnected plot points that are provided too quickly, leaving none of them developed enough to satisfy the reader. I can count at least three (3) major plot points that are supposed to be relevant but all end up feeling like loose threads that will never get detangled before the end of the series. They were too much for the start of a series that you aren’t invested in to begin with, as now you have to keep track of major areas of character, plot, and magical development without the build up of those elements. I wasn’t invested enough for this information to feel wanted when we were given it. If Kova had stuck to one of the plot points or even started to trickle in some of the other plot points rather than completely trying to spell it out quickly, it would’ve made for a stronger story development.

By far, the strongest plot point was learning about the Majors. I think it was really intriguing had a lot of of mystery around it and kept the story fresh in a way that using tarot magic would not have otherwise. At the same time, though, we learned a lot about it without having to guess or put pieces together. Often, it felt like we were told everything about a plot point, leading to a lack of true “surprise” when other plot points were revealed.

I think my main issue with all of the plot points is so much was laid out for us without any air of mystery, intrigue, or trying to learn more on our own by piecing together clues. While there’s definitely still some questions in the air and we don’t quite have all the information for, we still know a lot. To me, this doesn’t make sense because until our main character, Clara, started at the Academy, she didn’t know about any of the Majors or politics at all. What should have been an interesting exploration into why Clara’s magic is different than others was told to us at the beginning of the novel - no mystery, intrigue, or guessing for the reader.

With this in mind, a lot of the premise of the novel felt off, especially around Clara‘s “backstory” and why her and the Prince would be engaged. There definitely wasn’t enough build up for how that would happen from when he “rescued her” to her entering the academy and I would’ve liked a little bit more backstory. Not only would that have helped secure the premise for their engagement, but it also would’ve helped their relationship in romance as well.

Too much of the plot was held together with “just trust me, bro” for a lot of the character’s arca and it didn’t really make sense in the context of political intrigue. I think there could’ve been a lot more done to make a convincing argument by both the Prince and Clara as to who she was and why she was there so that there was more emphasis on learning about her magic and keeping her safe than trying to lie about who she was.

Speaking of Clara, she was one of the best parts of the novel. Her character and development was easily what kept me invested in the novel moving forward. She was quickwitted, open to learning, and I enjoyed being in her mindset throughout the novel. I am interested to see her character development, moving forward and seeing how she learns to trust herself and others around her, especially and how she learns to trust her own intuition and feelings. I think there’s a lot to be said about how she was obviously very talented and magic and inclined to magic, but still wasn’t the “best“ meaning she had work to do and wasn’t immediately “amazing.” I also liked that she recognized where others had talent that she didn’t because it made it a much more believable character.

Prince Kaelis was… Fine. He was your typical brooding, first born, unhappy son that you see in a lot of of these romantasy novels, but especially also in Kova‘s novels. Truthfully, I feel like you could plug and play a lot of Kova’s main male characters between her novels and end up with the same story. I didn’t think that Kaelis was all that special in that regard. I am interested to know more about his motivations; however, as a love interest he’s just all right.

Some of the other characters are interesting, especially Clara‘s friends at the Academy, and some of the people from the star crossed club. However, because there were so many plot points and side characters, we never really got to know anybody beyond superficial elements of what they could do for Clara, or how they moved the plot along. I would like to see more of the side characters fleshed out in the next novels, and be more than just reduced to their plot point.

The romance was slow burn and that’s something that Kova does extremely well. You could really feel the tension between Clara and Prince Kaelis leading up to their coming together. I think the intensity between “enemies” to “not quite lovers” was done over a long enough period of time that I believed it. But because some of that was time jumps, we didn’t really get to see as much of that budding romance element that I would’ve liked. I’m intrigued to see where their relationship goes next and think that if it’s anything like Kova’s other novels, we’re in for a treat.

The twist and turns in the novel were not “surprising” in terms of placement or how they move the plot along, but they were still extremely well executed. I think Kova has a really strong grasp on writing well executed fantasy novels, and I am glad to see that she’s doing more adult fantasy as I think that’s really her strong point.

I will most likely pick up the rest of this series, but I’m not rushing to do so. Too many different things were crammed into this first novel that none of them quite stuck the landing for me or kept me intrigued enough to rush for a sequel. I still recommend reading this, though. I think the magic is interesting, the main character is well developed, and there’s enough compelling components to the plot to keep me wanting to read the whole story.

If you've been enjoying romantasy novels, “Arcana Academy” is the book for you!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this the book from publisher and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion. Thank you to Del Rey for the opportunity to review!

Trigger Warnings: imprisonment, death of a parent, death of a friend, violence, blood, grief, sexual content, starvation, torture, manipulation

where do I even begin with this book I loved the world building, I loved the magic system and I absolutely loved the characters it was all so well written. It did take me a minute to get into the story as it does with any fantasy story I read but once I got into and started understanding the characters and the world around them, I was hooked. I mean wow the romance between Clara and Kaelis was slow burning but the parts we did get had me swooning and wanting more. I will say the most surprising part to me was I was exactly like Clara, I didn’t know who to believe or what was the truth and what were lies, as she was navigating the academy and all the discoveries she was making.The last like 20-15% of the book had me in tears because the playlist I was listening to decided to play “I love you,I’m sorry” and also “happier” which iykyk

I’ve been a fan of Elise Kova’s books for a very long time, even before I started reviewing seriously. She absolutely takes the credit for reigniting my love of reading as an adult. When I heard she was writing Arcana Academy, I was excited, especially since I’m a tarot reader, so the magic system sounded amazing. Despite all of that, the book didn’t quite capture me in the way I had hoped.

On the positive side, Elise Kova’s writing style is as amazing as ever. The first chapter drew me in initially and the tarot based magic system was absolutely a highlight for me. It was well thought out and more importantly, it respected the source material. I felt like it captured the essence of what tarot is and I loved the contrast between the strict rules of the Academy and the more intuitive art Clara learned from her mother.

The romance, however, didn’t quite capture me. It starts out as a one sided enemies to lovers and then just ends up being a partnership of convenience. Kaelis and Clara’s fake engagement-which they have to maintain for the sake of the plot-failed to convince me of their chemistry.

I think the pacing of the story had a lot to do with it in my opinion, and I do understand why some of it was done that way. This is the first book in a series, and there’s a ton of world building to do and a lot of magic to explain—we’ve got a lot of ground to cover and need to keep the plot moving. But because of this, there were quite a few ’fast forward’ moments where we got a summary of what had happened in between the key plot elements. Normally a book needs to have these moments, but I felt there were too many of them. It felt as if Kaelis and Clara didn’t spend nearly enough time together to build up the banter and the tension to the extent needed to for me to really buy into the attachment they suddenly have for each other.

That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy them as characters. Kaelis had a lot of great potential, and toward the end of the book I’d even say he definitely had some Darcy vibes. Quite a bit of his dialogue was incredibly well done and some of his lines definitely rivaled that of our favorite leading man from Pride and Prejudice. As I mentioned before, I think he did suffer a little from the lack of banter and proximity with Clara early on. He’s initially portrayed as a cruel prince of darkness, and later he’s deeply emotional, caring and even soft. His transformation didn’t feel seamless and because we are experiencing this in first person from Clara’s POV, I really do feel as if they just didn’t spend enough time together for her to naturally uncover and accept that side of him.

Clara was an interesting character herself, because I feel like it’s rare for the FMC to be so unapologetically confident in her own ability and also just so morally grey. I did like that she had no problem using anyone around her to get what she needed and even her friendships were all very strategic in nature. It was very different from how the main character is usually portrayed and I enjoyed that part of it.

There were one or two exceptions, but the last thing I will say is that I really wanted to see more of the side characters. These interactions also suffered from the pacing and the quick passage of time over the first year of the academy left little room for development on some of the potentially interesting side characters.

Overall, Arcana Academy had an amazing premise and a lot of potential, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. That being said, I can absolutely see a lot of people loving this series. These are just my subjective opinions and I encourage you to read the book and decide for yourself.

I would like to thank the publisher, Elise Kova and Netgalley for allowing me the honor of reading this book before it is published.

Thank you to the ARC!

3/5 stars

I'd like to start by saying no hate towards the author! The writing was well thought out and i could tell a lot of time time and effort went into this book. It wasn't a favourite of mine but i still appreciate the chance to read it early and offer my thoughts.

Positives: I do love a good academy setting and this definitely intrigued me because of that! The magic system was really interesting with all the tarot cards and the inking, i felt it was a fun way to add powers and a unique ability to give the FMC. The side characters were great! A lovely array of character who I'd have loved to have had more of (and ended up liking more than the main characters whoops) Arina in particular seemed so interesting and Luren was a cutey who I'd have loved to follow.

Negatives: For me, the romance didn't really land. I felt it was lacking chemistry and i didn't feel a genuine connection between Clara and Kaelis. Maybe more scenes of them being softer with each other?
I think it was a bit heavy handed at the start making Kaelis come across as evil and left a bad taste in my mouth even as the story progressed and we found out more about him. I just didn't like how he treated her from the get go even though he clearly had all the power and shouldn't have felt the need to gibe at her and kick her whilst she's down. I also just didn't trust him even when i felt the author wanted us to later on. The whole possessing the world thing was too vague for too long and i would've liked to hear more about his actual plans for the world aside from just 'making it a better place'.
Clara became frustrating towards the end, it felt as though everyone had faith in her and believed in her, even going above and beyond to help her yet i couldn't understand why. It felt like they just did it for her mother or her sister because honestly, i wouldn't put my faith in Clare at all! She wasn't the most level headed and seemed to lack actual ability to see the bigger picture and succeed on her own. It sounds harsh but i just wasn't rooting for her by the end and that decreased my enjoyment alot.
This might be due to the fact i felt this book dragged in parts so that by the end i felt slightly tired of the story and just wanting it to wrap up because it felt like the characters had taken ages to get to the point.

Overall there were things i liked and enjoyed and things i didn't as much. Even the things i didn't like by the end, had their good moments and i think alot of it comes down to the pacing of the book making me feel it was too dragged out. I'd consider other books by this author though as i'd had an eye on some of her others for a while!

Happy reading.

I absolutely loved this! It is worth the stars, seriously.
It was well paced, we got a revenge plot, circumstantial engagement, enemies to lovers to enemies, slow burn yearning, magic generating around the Tarot that goes beyond just cards. Yes, it says student to headmaster relationship but she's 20 and he's only 23- so it's not an age gap relationship.
Angry young woman, with immense power she's kept hidden , broody dark second prince who is actively working against his own family.
Family tension, subplots, and secrets on both sides.

Dangerous, powerful, jealous students. Survival at the academy, not guaranteed.
Separated into houses with only so many of slots per year, first years students must prove themselves worthy of a house's notice to gain a coin of favor to bid for entry. There are tests, trials to pass and live through and a sacrifice that must be made each year to the chalice. You must give up three parts of yourself, future, current or past to remain to graduate.

The world building is fantastic, I liked the main characters a lot and I cannot wait for the next book in this series!
This is making my top 10 list with no problems.

FANTASTIC world-building! This felt like a fresh voice in an an oversaturated world of dark academia romantasy. I absolutely loved the magic system in this book. It was so cool. The development of the characters was strong and the relationships were super compelling. LOVED!!

This book had a lot going on!

The tarot card magic was so detailed, but since I know nothing about tarot, I definitely felt overwhelmed at times with the amount of different magics the cards could use. I did find out, at the end, there is a glossary in the back that might have helped me during the book. I think people that have more knowledge of tarot will be absolutely obsessed with this book!

I loved the relationship blooming between Clara and Kaelis. They're both so in denial about what they want. Super forced proximity and them pretending to be engaged made for some very tense moments!

I'm really interested to see how the story is going to progress. There were a lot of political movings in the background and I want to more about certain aspects!

Read if you love:
-Forced proximity
-Fake dating/engagement
-Secret family lines
-Tarot card magic
-Dark academia

Thank you Random House/Del Rey publishing for the eARC. My thoughts are entirely my own.

4.5/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️
~
(Thank you so much to NetGalley, Hachette and Hodderscape for this eARC in exchange for an honest review)

THIS. BOOK. Oh my goodness I’m having a hard time typing because I just finished it and I need to get my thoughts about before they disappear. But seriously, this book was everything I wanted and more.

Arcana Academy is a dark academia, slow burn, magical heist romantasy, that felt very fresh and unique to dive into. I understand Harry Potter comparisons (because let’s be honest, it’s the most iconic of fictional magic schools), but besides the “houses” aspect, Arcana Academy was a whole new magical and fascinating world that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I love me some good world building, and I felt that Elise Kova did this in a way that didn’t drag or just “explain” everything directly to the reader. The hardest part for me was learning all the characters and trying to connect with the many various side characters. I almost wished I had a glossary to keep up with everyone! (The glossary of spells at the end was very helpful though). But can we please take a moment to talk about how DAMN COOL the magic system in this book is. The Shepherd Duology by Rachel Gillig is the first card-based magic series I read, but I felt that this book created something new and amazing that felt completely separate and unique, but easy to grasp. I see the similarities but I don’t think they can truly be compared because the way cards work in Arcana Academy is so unique and different. I loved every bit of it.

Clara, our headstrong FMC, fell into a few familiar “fantasy girl” tropes towards the beginning (“omg I just got out of a dingy cell but I hate that the Prince is making me wear dresses. I just want to wear pants.”), however the way her character grew throughout the book really surprised me. Her backstory and the eventual reveal of her lineage kept me on my toes the whole time. However, I was very wary of our MMC Kaelis at the start (to be honest, I wasn’t sure if Kaelis was our endgame MMC or not because HELLO??? Silas??? Totally thought there may be a sneaky love triangle there.) but slowly I started to come around to him. I LOVED that their relationship wasn’t the kind of enemies to lovers that feels very “insta-love” at the same time. You could tell Clara reallyyyyyy didn’t like him. And as she learned to like him, so did I as the reader. That was very well done in my opinion.

But the real kicker… the true feat that this book has accomplished is that it kept me guessing THE. ENTIRE. TIME. From the start to the end (especially the end because wtf was that ending I literally shot up out of bed and shouted WHAAAAAT). If you know me, you know how hard it is to catch me off guard with a book. I predict things very easily and can see things coming a mile away. Not this book. This book had me pondering and writing down theories until that last final insane sentence. Elise Kova, you are a true queen.

Overall, this book is a solid 4.5/5. Loved the world building, the love story (when I say slow burn… I MEAN SLOW), the magic system, the secrecy and politics, and there’s even an adorable cat. It even made me cry a few short times. The only reason it’s not a full 5/5 is because there were so many characters and not enough time to really care about them all as much as I would’ve liked. Certain characters who get “unalived” didn’t have as much impact because I just didn’t really come around to caring about them. Other than that… this book is spectacular. I’m upset I have to wait for the next book. Seriously. That ending. My goodness.

4⭐

Thank you Elise Kova, Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC.

Arcana Academy is for those who like an intricate and unique magic system with a long-suffering protagonist who fights against an unfair system and who has a mysterious and captivating shadow guy as an enemy, all tied together with dark academia and political intrigue vibes.

The magic system in this book is among the coolest I’ve ever read! Well developed and detailed without feeling like it’s all been dumped on you at once!

Clara is an incredibly strong main character who knows how to hold her ground and fight back. Which is incredibly fun and entertaining to read.

Prince Kaelis, is the powerful head master of the Arcana Academy. When we meet him he is cruel, mean and deceptive yet incredibly intelligent and calculated.

The revelations and the ending had me screaming to the pillow. Overall, it was an amazing fantasy read with strong-willed protagonists, angst and a perfect blend of mystery and romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the eArc of this book! I believe this is going to be one of the next big romantasy books! This is a must read if you love true enemies to lovers, dark academia, and a unique magic system with rich world building!

What drew me into this novel at first was the unique magic system and it did not disappoint! Although I don’t know much about tarot cards in real life, I was really interested in how the magic operated based of so many factors — the artists, the drawing, the ink, the intent, etc. I appreciate all the details provided by the author to really immerse me into the world building and magic, even if it felt over explained at times, I welcomed it!

The main characters tension with one another was so good! True enemies (and I mean hate!) to lovers is rarer these days and I so appreciated the slow burn journey in this novel!

My only complaint is that the pacing felt off at times but it didn’t detract from the overall plot! It felt slow when it was slow, but it picked up and was very exciting overall!

Cannot wait for the next installment and hoping for some dual POV!

This is truly the epitome of what a Romantasy book should be! From the very first page, I was utterly captivated, drawn into a world so rich and vivid that I found myself unable to set it down. The magic system was intricately crafted, weaving enchanting elements such as spellbinding incantations and mystical artifacts that pulled me deeper into the narrative’s spell.

I absolutely adored the main male character; his complexity and charm left a lasting impression. He was not just a dashing hero but a multi-dimensional figure whose personal struggles and vulnerabilities made him relatable and compelling. Equally mesmerizing was the female lead, whose strength and determination were balanced beautifully by moments of introspection and vulnerability. Together, they created a dynamic partnership that resonated with authenticity and emotional depth.

The side characters added a delightful richness to the story, each imbued with their own unique quirks and backstories that piqued my curiosity. I found myself eager to delve deeper into their relationships and learn how their intricate lives intertwine with the protagonists. However, I do wish there had been a bit more interaction among these captivating side characters, as I have a soft spot for the warmth and connection that flourishes in a well-crafted family narrative. The subtle ties that bind them could have added another layer to this already enchanting tale.

To begin, I would like to thank Elise Kova and Del Rey publishing for the chance to read this arc.

This was such an amazing read. I went into the book a bit sceptical with the pacing, but the magic system was enough to make me want to stay. And honestly, I'm beyond impressed and happy with how it turned out.

It combined everything from magical duels, heists, a true enemies to lovers and fake engagement that literally had me loving Kaelis. But back to the magic system, it had the perfect set up while being obscure and vastly different from others. I was so happy to know it was tarot-based magic system.

Then there's the characters specifically. Clara has a lot of qualities seen in other fmc's, but she held it differently. I didn't get bored of her being a strong, intelligent female character because she was equally a very helpful person to anyone who deserved it. She had an inert sweetness that came about around particular characters... need I mention her and her prickly roommate appreciating one another's company after coin day!!

Then there's Kaelis. I was honestly shocked to find out he was a prince and headmaster. He's definitely an mmc with personal issues he doesn't like airing with people, but the dedication he had to make sure that his plan went correctly was so admirable. Even when he was clearly in the wrong, I still loved that he had a vision he wanted to carry out, even at the behest of his family. It's so obvious that he's a powerful arcanist (I feel theres more to reversed cards and their powers), but I loved how that didn't overshadow his scholarly nature. He was made to be different and it paid off well.

I'd say that the only issue I had was with pacing. It often went back and forth between slow and fast, with moments that occurred too fast feeling more like something I imagined up until it clicked. However this was such a mild issue when I pretty much devoured the book once pacing issues were overcome.

I read this over a month and a half ago, and I was so scared to get to writing this review since it makes everything so final. I can't wait to get my hands on the physical copy to reread again. It was such a good experience. 4.5/5 stars!!

Arcanists are individuals who can harness and use the power of cards...but only under the strict eye of the Oricalis royal family. With the help of her sister Arina and their found family, Clara has been continuing the work of her dead mother, rescuing Arcanists who have been Marked to toil in the mines and smuggling them out of the country. Tracking down clues about her mother's suspicious death leads to Clara being locked away in the terrible depths of Halazar prison. When Clara attempts to escape and is recaptured, she must make a difficult decision: be thrown deeper into the pits of Halazar or join the Arcana Academy and play a role in the void-born second prince Kaelis' twisted scheme as his rags-to-riches fiancee? But joining the Academy has its own challenges as Arcanists who don't manage to pass the trials will be Marked and sent to the mines like those she has been struggling to help.

For fans of tarot and magic, enemies-to-lovers, and high stakes trials, Arcana Academy awaits you.