SUMMARY
Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job goes awry, Clara is sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards-a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy.
Just when it seems her luck has run dry, the academy’s enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her an escape-for a price. Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king and use it to re-create an all-powerful card long lost to time.
In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be.
Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems.
But can she risk giving him power over the world-and her heart? Or will she take it for herself?
Summary from Goodreads.
REVIEW
Sometimes the TBR jar really knows what it’s doing. I do not know why I waited this long to read Arcana Academy.
Arcana Academy was another random pick from my physical TBR jar and honestly, I couldn’t have chosen a better time to read it. This was my first book by Elise Kova so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but within the first few chapters I was completely hooked. Before I knew it, I’d read the entire book in one sitting because every time I thought about putting it down, another chapter pulled me right back in.
This ended up being one of those books that reminded me exactly why I love fantasy.
One of the biggest standouts for me was the magic system. Fantasy lives and dies by how interesting its world feels and Elise Kova absolutely delivered here. The use of tarot cards as the foundation for the magic system was something I’d never come across before and it immediately made the story feel fresh. The concept of inking the cards and then wielding their power was such a creative idea and I loved slowly learning how the different Arcana worked alongside Clara. It felt mysterious without being confusing and every new piece of information only made me more invested in the world.
Speaking of the world, I thought the world building was incredibly well done. It never felt like I was being overwhelmed with pages of world building, but instead the history, politics and magic naturally unfolded as the story progressed. There was always enough information to understand what was happening while still leaving plenty of mysteries to uncover later in the series. By the end of the book, I felt like I’d only scratched the surface of this world, which made me even more excited to continue.
Clara was such an easy protagonist to root for.
I love female main characters who refuse to back down and Clara fits that perfectly. She’s stubborn, determined, fiercely independent and constantly questioning the people around her instead of blindly accepting what she’s told. Even when she makes mistakes, they’re understandable because they’re driven by her desire to survive and uncover the truth. She isn’t perfect and that’s exactly what made her feel so real.
One of my favourite parts of the story was how her backstory was revealed little by little instead of being dumped on the reader all at once. Every revelation added another layer to who Clara was and why she made certain decisions. Rather than answering every question immediately, the book trusted the reader to piece things together alongside her and I loved that. Every new revelation made me even more invested in seeing where her journey would take her next.
Then there’s Prince Kaelis.
I’ll admit that I spent a large portion of this book not entirely trusting him and I think that was exactly what Elise Kova intended. There was always this lingering feeling that he knew more than he was letting on and I constantly found myself questioning his motives. Was he helping Clara because he genuinely cared or because she was useful to his own plans?
As the story unfolded though, I found myself warming to him more and more. Yes he clearly has his own agenda, but it also became obvious that he genuinely wanted to help Clara. I really enjoyed that complexity because it stopped him from becoming a one dimensional love interest. He isn’t simply the mysterious prince who’s there to rescue the heroine. He’s calculating, intelligent and carries his own burdens, making him feel like a fully realised character in his own right.
The romance was another pleasant surprise.
Going into this, I expected more romance simply because it falls into the romantasy category. Instead, this is very much a fantasy first story with a romance quietly simmering beneath the surface. If you’re expecting constant romantic moments, you’ll probably be disappointed. But if you love a true slow burn where every conversation, every lingering glance and every moment of growing trust feels earned, this absolutely delivers.
The enemies to lovers dynamic never felt forced. Clara and Kaelis don’t suddenly fall for each other overnight. They challenge each other, question one another’s motives and slowly begin building respect before anything romantic develops. It takes its time and because of that, every small step forward feels incredibly rewarding. Honestly, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Elise Kova’s writing was also a huge reason why this book worked so well for me. It flowed effortlessly, making it incredibly easy to keep reading chapter after chapter. She balances action, mystery, character development and world building without any one element overshadowing the others. Even during slower moments, I was never bored because there was always another secret waiting to be uncovered or another piece of the puzzle falling into place.
If I had one small criticism, it would be that there were a few sections in the middle where I wanted answers just a little sooner. The mystery surrounding Clara’s past and the wider world is intentionally drawn out and while I appreciated the gradual reveals, there were moments where I felt just slightly impatient. That said, looking back after finishing the book I think the slower pacing actually made the final revelations much more satisfying.
And then came that ending. I genuinely wasn’t prepared for that cliffhanger.
Just when I thought I had a handle on where the story was heading, Elise Kova completely pulled the rug out from under me and left me desperately needing the sequel. Thankfully, I don’t have too long to wait because the second book releases next month and it’s already shot straight to the top of my July TBR. There is absolutely no chance I’ll be waiting long to continue this series after an ending like that.
Overall, Arcana Academy was such a pleasant surprise and one of my favourite fantasy reads of the year so far. It delivered a fascinating tarot inspired magic system, immersive world building, compelling characters and a genuinely satisfying slow burn enemies to lovers romance. More than anything, it left me desperate to return to this world as soon as possible and that’s always the sign of a great first book in a series.
-Rachelle
I’m on Instagram at @rachellesbookshelf
