3.5
Arcana Academy follows Clara, our main character, who can wield magic through tarot cards. After being sentenced to a a lifetime in prison for illegally inking cards, she finds a way to escape, but not without a price. Clara finds herself engaged to the prince, the headmaster of Arcana Academy, a school to teach students how to wield magic. The prince makes a deal with her- her freedom, for help to steal the most powerful cards inked from his father- the king.
The magic system in this book was unique and intriguing. I did, however, feel a lack of build up to the romance. The characters found themselves attracted to each other very early on in the book, despite them being enemies. I also feel as though the world building was a bit lacking, and not as immersive as I expected. The concept is brilliant, and I did enjoy the school aspect of it. I didn’t feel a connection to the characters as much as I hoped for, but I still found myself rooting for certain characters.
I still expect this book to be a popular one when it releases, and I can’t wait to hear others’ thoughts and opinions when it does!!

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova pulls you into a world where tarot-based magic isn’t just mystical—it’s a dangerous, high-stakes power struggle. With a richly built setting, the story follows Clara, a defiant young woman whose rare ability lands her in prison, only to be offered a chance at redemption within the elite Academy. But survival there is just as treacherous as life behind bars. Between ruthless trials, shifting alliances, and a reluctant partnership with the enigmatic Prince Kaelis, the book delivers a gripping mix of dark academia, political intrigue, and slow-burn tension.

The novel shines in its immersive setting, with the Academy’s strict hierarchy, cutthroat trials, and complex web of alliances making for a deeply engaging read. Themes of found family, betrayal, and survival are expertly woven in, and the book’s twists kept me on edge. However, the pacing is uneven—slow at the start, breakneck in the middle, then dragging toward the end. The romance, while promising, felt somewhat underdeveloped, and the spice felt more like an add-on than an essential part of the story.

Despite these minor flaws, Arcana Academy is a compelling start to what promises to be an unforgettable series. Fans of dark academia, intricate magic systems, and slow-burn enemies-to-lovers dynamics will find much to love. The cliffhanger left me desperate for book two. Find this on shelves July 22!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group | Del Rey and NetGalley for the complimentary eARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was amazing!! I am so thankful to have been one of the hundreds of readers given the opportunity to read it. It held my attention from the get to! So excited for more of this authors writing!

4.25 Stars

Arcana Academy has a refreshing take on creating a world filled with quite a unique magic system; which is based on the arcana cards. I found the way Kova describes the history, usage, lore, and details of how magic is created in this book to be enchanting and easy to follow.
The story is told through the experiences of Clara our FMC -- we are introduced to her in a horrid prison where she is trapped in filth and darkness. Rather quickly the story starts to explode into light and our journey begins and takes us to the academy. I enjoyed Clara and her journey as she tried to find answers to the mysteries that have plagued her life. Her evolution throughout was paced well with a few stumbles here and there. While you get to see her relationships evolve with the other initiates, I do wish we would have had more time (whether through flashbacks or another narrative) to bond to her initial crew and understand the depths of their relationships.
The evolution of her relationship to the MMC was an enjoyable slow burn. The MMC Prince Kaelis who is the headmaster of the academy -- is a brooding and multilayered character who has mysteries to his past and very existence that I have genuine high hopes will be explored in more detail when the second in the series comes out.
The romance had good banter, and the political tensions felt palpable which added to the slow burn. However, by the time we get to the spice, it somehow feels a tad bit forced. While the spice was well written -- if there had been more tense small interactions leading up to the explosion it would have felt more natural.
Overall Arcana Academy has potential to be a truly solid and great series, Kova did a wonderful job creating something unique in a competitive genre. I am rather excited to see where the series goes from here and have genuine high hopes that the second will be better than the first.

Thank you to NetGalley, The author and the Publisher for granting me the opportunity to read and review this arc.

*Will be published to my IG and Goodreads accounts closer to release date.

I really liked this book, I don't read too much in this genre so it typically takes a good hook to draw me in but I thought this one sounded intriguing. I enjoy a fantasy book that involves an academy and has trials they have to go through, it often makes for a tightly paced book and this was no exception. I'd definitely be keen to read the next book when it comes out.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7353342118

Enjoyed this one lots. A real page turner of a romantasy in the vein of Fourth Wing, Crescent City etc. Very much looking forward to the next one and thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Elise Kova has written an amazing fantasy/romance. This is a new series that is based on tarot cards and in this world, special arcanist are able to wield and create tarot cards that have magical powers. These special individuals are then recruited to attend a school to learn how to better hone their powers and serve the crown. However, there are a few extra special individuals that can create cards that have only ever been myths.

Cara is an illegal arcanist who has been sent to jail. She escapes, but is now in a different kind of prison. She has now found herself in the arcanist school, where the crown prince who is the headmaster is stating if she claims to be his fiancé and help him create and steal these rare tarot cards to create a new world he will keep her safe from going back to jail.

It is a wonderfully written fantasy and the world building is fantastic. It ended on such a cliff hanger that I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Thank you NetGalley & Random house, Delray for this ARC!

I am absolutely blown away, from the very start, 2% in, I was absolutely enamored by the magic system & the FMC. The magic system in this book is truly unique & nothing like I’ve ever read.

I absolutely loved that it focused more on the magic system, the mysteries & the academy & LESS on the romance.. that’s coming from someone who loves good spice. The tension between Kaelis & Cara is so beautifully done that I truly didn’t miss the one million sex scenes you would normally encounter in fantasy. This is definitely not YA because there is a little spice but it’s very much earned after a slow burn of enemies to lovers.

I could not put it down the last 30%. I didn’t want to do my dishes, clean my house, fold laundry or mother my children. I wanted to rot in bed & see how it ended.

The ending has me absolutely spiraling. I must have read the last 3 pages 10 times. Jaw on the floor. I can’t wait for the rest of the world to get their hands on this while also upset that it’s not even published & I am begging for book 2.

“Don’t weep for an empty coffin.” ⚰️

Bravo! This book is absolutely excellent. I was blown away by how quickly I devoured it. Clara is an incredibly stubborn FMM who is determined to get exactly what she needs. While the book is dense and its pace can be challenging at times, the magic system more than makes up for it. It pulls you in and keeps you hooked. I’m completely obsessed with the series now and wish I already had the second book in my hands. This is definitely a must-buy for my friends and for my library. I can’t wait for its official release!

Elise Kova never disappoints. Arcana Academy is absolutely enthralling and grabbed me by the throat from chapter 1. I LOVED this book and I cannot wait to see where Kova goes after this.

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova is a captivating and enchanting read that will transport you to a world of magic, mystery, and adventure. This delightful novel follows a young protagonist as they navigate the challenges of attending a prestigious magical academy, where they must master their arcane abilities, forge new friendships, and confront the darkness within.

Another brilliant book from Elise Kova! I have read all of her books and this one is a new favourite! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

dare i say this very well may be one of if not THE fantasy book of 2025? never in my life have i read something so unique and enthralling. ill be quite honest this was a very hard read for me as the magic system and world building was pretty intense but it was SO insanely rewarding and kept me engaged the entire time.
one of my favorite things about this book was the magic, it felt insanely refreshing and in a world where we have so many different fantasies and magic systems i feel like that a very rare thing to accomplish. i loved loved loved every fight scene, i think the use of the cards made everything feel 10x more intense and high stake.

This book was incredible- halfway through I was cursing myself that I was reading a proof as I already knew I would want to immediately devour the sequel.
A brilliant, throughly constructed magic system with a true enemies to lovers, slow burn relationship arc.
The characters were so distinctive and well brought to life, the narrative was so well paced that it made it a captivating read from chapter 1.

Elise Kova never disappoints. I'm a sucker for a dark academia vibe and her past works have been some of my favourite reads. The action packed opening of this novel was phenomenal and had me cackling like a mad woman and demanding more. Each plot twist had me clapping with glee - this book felt like wandering through a maze with something new and fantastic around every corner.

While I generally shy away from a slower burn when it comes to romance and the enemies-to-lovers element had somewhat blunter edges than similar reads, such as Fourth Wing and Quicksilver, I found the Six of Crows-esque heist factor and fascinating magic system drew my focus so much so that the romance almost fell into the background in a very natural way - not that it didn't have moments where it flared front and centre.

I enjoyed this immensely and cannot wait to see what will come next - especially with the tantalising little twist dropped at the end.

Clara very well might be my favorite fmc so far this year, likewise this book as a whole has earned itself a high spot on my yearly tier list. The relationships in this book are to die for, both romantic and platonic. In a genre where it's easy for books to blend together Arcana had truly found a way to stand out and offer every familiar trope with a fresh gasp of air.
The worst complaint I can manage for this book is that there are some slow spots that lean heavily towards being info dumps. If you are like me and you love world building that won't be an issue, but if you are someone who doesn't tend to be very interested in deep building it might have a few boring parts for you. Push through, itll be so worth it.

This was definitely a really interesting read and plenty of depth and world-building.
I do think a large portion of the beginning was a huge information dump to the point where it made the read quite slow and difficult to absorb all at once.
The magic system in this is really unique and cool but personally found hard to follow at times.
I still think this was a good book and would recommend it for all fantasy lovers!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I didn't go into this book thinking it was going to be my top fantasy book of the year...but here we are.

The sheer uniqueness of the entire story absolutely blew me away. The popularity of fantasy and romantasy has obviously grown exponentially in recent times so it feels like everything under the sun has been written but Elise proved me wrong - so so wrong. The magic system and the world building are top notch (learning it all was an undertaking but it was 100% worth it). It was such a refreshing and unique take on magic in a time when I feel like a lot of authors are just leaning into the "normal" avenues.

Clara is an FMC that I truly adore. I loved everything about her and her relationship with Kaelis - I literally just couldn't put it down because of them. The friendships, found family, enemies to lovers, slow burn - it was all just masterfully written and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I honestly don't know how I'm going to wait for book 2.

The vibes were very similar to One Dark Window meets Throne of Glass - its very atmospheric (like ODW) while also feeling adventurous (like TOG).

I'm just in complete awe. I've read some of Elise's books before and while I enjoyed them none of them hit me quite like Arcana Academy has. I feel like I'm just fumbling for words but truly, just go and read it. Like, now.

Thank you NetGalley, and DelRey for providing an e-arc of Arcana Academy, in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first story I’ve read by Elise Cova and I’ll start by saying, I want to dive into everything she’s written. If you enjoy stories with morally grey characters, dark academia, intricate magic systems and enemies to lovers dynamics, this one is for you.

The magic system is like nothing I’ve ever read. I’ll admit, it took me a while to get my head around it (and I probably still don’t have a full grasp on it) but I LOVED it. It was so unique and so incredibly thought out - from the major and minor cards with varied uses, wielding, inking and reading.

Our FMC is fiery, loyal and brave. I loved following her character arc throughout the dangerous games she’s playing, hiding her true identity and toying with politics and magic that could very well prove to be lethal for her.

Our MMC is an especially complex man, who at first glance comes across as rude and arrogant however as the story goes on, we slowly get to see what’s underneath. I really enjoyed reading scenes with Kaelis and I’m excited to see where he goes in the next book. Whilst there isn’t much spice in this, when there is, I’d just like to say Kaelis had me GASPING 😮‍💨

This is a standout start to what I believe will be an unforgettable trilogy. That cliffhanger ending had me speechless. I’m already so excited for the next book and I will be recommending this to anyone who listens