3.75 rounded up! ⭐️

Arcana Academy was a magical trip into an immersive dark academia world! fans of tarot inspired magic, politics, and slow burn romance should be on the edge of their seats for this one.

Clara is a prison escapee and underground magic wielder with skills far surpassing “arcanists” of her age. She’s pulled out of prison by the prince whose family imprisoned her and forced to enroll in Arcana Academy, the kingdom’s elite institution to hone arcane magic. it’s survive the trials to be the best of the best, or die trying. (there’s so much more, but i don’t want to hint at any spoilers- check out the trope list at the bottom if you’re inclined)

Elise Kova’s writing is so immersive and detail oriented, I’ll admit that at times it made the story feel more slow paced. this is the main reason it wasn’t a five star read for me. despite this, I absolutely loved the multifaceted characters and how the world was set up for huge expansion in future installations.

Fans of Arcane (the show) and Ninth House will devour this one!

tropes & highlights:
- tarot inspired magic system
- trials
- academy setting
- found family
- slow burn + enemies
- forced proximity / engagement of convenience

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!

While it took me a minute to get into this one (around the 30% mark) once I was invested I couldn’t stop reading! This was a great start to a series and I still have so many questions!

What's to love…
- (REALLY COOL) tarot card magic system
- Magical academy with trials
- heist
- found family
- fake engagement with a dark prince
- political machinations
- mystery (I still have SO many questions)
- SLOW BURN
- New Adult (21 yo FMC) with spice

What's not to love…
- at times I felt like the plot was doing THE absolute most, prison break out + magic academy + heist + trials. I wish we would have focused on a single (or even two) main plots.
- The pacing was not ideal - a slow start, an action packed and fast middle, and then we slowed again towards the end.
- I could have done without the spice tbh - it felt like it was added just to have an explicit scene and check the spice box. I’m totally ok with spice when it adds to the story but this didn’t really do that for me.

🌶️ - Ch. 50 & 52 are the only chapters with explicit scenes, if you prefer you could easily skip ch 50 and avoid most of the spice. The scene in 52 is fairly brief.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

In Arcana Academy, Elise Kova introduces readers to a mesmerizing world where magic and deceit intertwine. The story follows Clara Graysword, a resourceful young woman who has navigated the dangerous underbelly of Eclipse City through thievery and illegal magic. After a heist goes wrong, Clara faces a lifetime sentence in prison for her unique ability to ink tarot cards—a skill only bestowed upon the elite practitioners at the prestigious Arcana Academy.

Just as hope seems lost, Clara's fate takes an unexpected turn when Prince Kaelis, the enigmatic headmaster of the academy, offers her a way out. His plan? To use Clara as a pawn in his scheme to steal a powerful tarot card from the king, which he intends to use to resurrect a legendary card long thought to be lost. To keep her close and protect her identity, Kaelis introduces Clara as his fiancée, plunging her into a world filled with arcane magic and royal intrigue.

As Clara navigates her new life at Arcana Academy, she grapples with her complicated feelings for the prince she initially swore to despise. In a place where every choice can lead to dire consequences, Clara must determine whether to risk her heart and power by trusting him or take matters into her own hands. Arcana Academy is the beginning of an enthralling fantasy romance series, filled with mystery, adventure, and a touch of forbidden love, making it a captivating read for fans of magical tales and royal court intrigue.

I had 10% left of this book to finish last night before bed and would not be mollified until the last page was read. An absolute brilliant, unique fantasy novel by one of my favorites. If you have never read a novel by the Elise Kova, then you need to grab one of her books TODAY (any one) and you can thank me later. Her world building, plots, and characters never disappoint. Arcana Academy is no exception to this rule.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group for the eARC in return for an honest review. I was royally entertained.

Don't know about you, but I have had my fill of academy novels, and if it had been any other author, I might have passed this one by. BUT, this was a Kova novel so...and thank goodness it was because this isn't your average academy fantasy novel. While the MFC does go to an academy for gifted students who can access a very specific kind of magic provided to them by the arcana (yes, think tarot), she is an adult and there is SPICE (hello Kaelis head master of Arcana Academy...my newest book boyfriend). This is an enemies to lovers and a GOOD part of the novel they are slow burning their way into the sheets, but when they do...perfection. Except this novel doesn't just focus on the romance and that had me turning the pages even faster. The plot and world building are marvelous and you will get sucked into Clara's extreme situation and a heist that surely is leading up to a "world" changing, mind-blowing climax.

This is a MUST read, but the series isn't done yet!!! I highly recommend any of Kova's amazing series and some are finished. Don't wait!
5 out of 5 stars
No friggin regrets!!!! Not one.

This is a tough one. I reality enjoyed the tarot magic and dark academia style setting. But the romance part was hard to connect to. I was going to call it slow burn but idk if they really get there emotionally.

In the first half of the book, there was so much info being shared. All in smart ways, but it felt like my brain couldn’t and in all the cards, houses and clans at the same time.

I definitely felt compelled to finish though, so that’s speaks for itself as well!

✨Book Thoughts ✨
Arcana Academy by Elise Kova
Pub Date: 7/22/25

Kova intertwines a unique tarot-based magic system with elements of dark academia, trials, and an enemies-to-lovers romance, creating a very intriguing story. While the world-building took a little to understand, the story’s depth and character development make it a compelling read. The tension between Clara and Kaelis is a steady simmer, driving the plot through unexpected twists and turns. I can’t wait to see where the story heads next as this one leaves us with a huge cliffhanger.
Thank you to @netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Read If You Like
⚔️❤️Enemies to Lovers
👿❤️‍🔥🗡️Revenge Plots
☀️🌙Tarot
🖋️🏛️Dark Academia

**Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC**

Ooof. I tried. I really tried getting into this, but the way the arcana were explained just confused me. I know nothing about tarot cards, which didn't help. Also, the fact that she beginning reads like the first chapter of Throne of Glass by SJM makes things worse. Like, I literally just kept picturing Celaena talking with Dorian and Chaol and them offering her a deal to get out of prison.

I have a feeling that this book is going to be one of the top romantasy reads of the year. The yearning, enemies to lovers, slow burn, twists and turns; all of it was so engaging. I love Kaelis and Clara but wish we got a little more in terms of side characters and their own backstories to add to how everyone is intertwined. The magic in this book is very unique to anything I’ve read and really makes the setting feel otherworldly. This book really encompasses all my favorite things: fantasy, dark academia, betrayal, plot twists and THAT ENDING. I can’t imagine waiting to find out what happens next…

Yeah, i just don't see myself signing up for the 15-20 more hours in this world it would likely take to finish the series. It's solidly okay, but the magic could use some fleshing and the romance is...mysterious in a bad way, like, the mystery of why that would even be happening.

Another great read from Elisa Kova! This has such a unique concept of entirely tarot-based magic. I haven't seen that before and it's incredibly refreshing to read about a new and original magic system. I can't wait for the next installation!

Let me just say I devoured this book in 24 hours. This is a new to me author, but not anymore now I am off to read all her back log.

This is the kind of fantasy that I have been looking for. Something to completely loose my self in. Absolutely amazing 5 stars from me

Thank you Random House/Del Rey and Netgalley for letting me read Arcana Academy by Elise Kova! Ever since this book was announced, social media hype has been building, so I’m thrilled I was allowed to read it early. Considering how much happens in this book, the pace actually struck me as very slow, which I think is a consequence of the fact that everything feels like it’s building up for bigger payoffs in following books in this series. If asked to tagline this book, it is essentially Yu-Gi-Oh meets tarot cards, which is really fun! If you want a romance-heavy story, this isn’t the book for you—there’s some romantic tension and potential in latter books, but very little payoff in this one. Overall, eager for the sequel but wish this one more satisfying.

I regretfully have decided to set this book aside, it’s just not for me. About 60% in and I’m still not connected to the characters or interested in what’s happening. Completely a me issue, I can see why others would enjoy this! It gave great elements (magic, academia setting, romance) it just unfortunately did not hit the right spot for me!

4.5⭐️s - thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

i absolutely ate this book up, it had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end and by the last 20% i was full on STRESSED. the world is a little overwhelming but it’s explained slowly and is easy enough to grasp as a concept. the characters are fascinating - i love when neither you nor the main character ever really knows who to trust.

speaking of, i love a dark, bitter, twisty main character and while clara definitely has her heart in the right place, she can also be so selfish, shortsighted, and reckless that i found myself screaming at her on occasion. but it never got to a point where it was annoying or came off as stupidity, she just felt very realistic and god she’s such a badass.

kaelis is still an enigma to me but he is clearly so horribly down bad for clara that i know when we fully understand him it’s going to be worth the wait

this is obviously book 1 of a new series so you are left with lots of questions unanswered and my mind is theorizing big time right now. i almost wish i hadn’t read this before publication so i wouldn’t have to wait so long for the next one bc i cannot wait for the rest of this series omg

As always, Elise Kova's writing is fun and fast paced. The world was fun, I can never say no to a magic university. 4 stars because the romance was so predictable. It follows the same flow as every other romance she writes. The same villain that's actually not the villain, bad boy but he's different to her, trope all her books do. It's a good trope, but I'm struggling to get invested in it again when I feel like I've read it ten times by the same author already.

Oh my god??!!??!!?

What??!?

This book was amazing. It has a completely unique magic system, great romance (and oh my the tension), and some very unexpected twists at the end (I cannot even keep track of them, but they all make sense??). I cannot wait for the next one. I was expecting a cliffhanger, knowing how Elise Kova does things…but still this mostly caught me off guard. Please read this book immediately.

Some of the tropes and other things I loved in this book:
- He falls first, and harder
- Magic school, but the magic comes from tarot cards
- True enemies to lovers (like she actually wants to kill him for awhile)
- So much action
- Great plot twists
- Deep world building (although you’ll be confused for a bit)

Literally my only complaint about this book was that the first 100 or so pages were a bit slow, but it was almost 600 pages, so I’ll accept it. Also that I cannot immediately have the next book in my hands. I’ll be waiting very impatiently for however long it takes.

Thank you to Del Ray, Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 ⭐️

Wow. Hear me out.....wow. I've never been a fantasy girly but in 2025 I'm really trying to read outside of my comfort zone. To be honest, I chose this book on NetGalley (Thank you!) because the cover is absolutely gorgeous and I'm a ~spiritual~ woo woo tarot crystal Universe gal. I didn't really read the description so I was going in blind as a bat.

Pros: Amazing premise and plot development. The writing style is wonderful. The dialogue all served a purpose and every plot point was relevant to the story - essentially nothing was really unnecessary filler. All relationships had great development and the characters all grew and evolved in appropriate ways.

Cons: Our main girl Clara can be so insufferable at times, where I would literally want to jump into the pages and shake her by the shoulders. But it worked for her storyline and the circumstances. I'm also a Certified Stubborn ™️ so as frustrating as I found her sometimes, I so related. I'll be discussing that in therapy, thank you. The book was really quite long and I thought some points were really dragging, however as I said before, everything was pretty relevant for progression. And my last con, I have to wait forever and a day for book 2. I'll be thinking about the cliffhanger ending every single day until I have the second book in my hands.

If you don't think you like fantastical stories, this is a great beginner into the genre. I cannot wait for everyone to get their hands on this.

Wow! I'm completely blown away - this is a strong, beautifully built fantasy with a romance to die for and plenty of twists and turns. I need the second book now!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the ARC! I was stunned by how much I loved this book. I cannot wait for the second book and I know it must be very very far away.

Unfortunately I DNF’d this book super early on. The writing and dialogue between the characters felt kind of childish and confusing for me.