Arcana Academy

MikoOctober 2026

★★★★★

🌙🎴 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓬 𝓲𝓼 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓭𝓼 🎴🌙 <i>Clara Graysword has spent her life surviving the shadows of Eclipse City, relying on her wits, a little luck, and the forbidden magic of inking tarot cards. When one job goes disastrously wrong, she finds herself facing a lifetime in prison, until an unexpected offer changes everything. Prince Kaelis, the enigmatic headmaster of the Arcana Academy, needs someone with Clara’s rare skill for a dangerous scheme: stealing a powerful card from the king to recreate a long-lost artifact of immense magic. To keep her close and protect her identity, he introduces her to the academy as both a new student and his fiancée. Within the academy’s towering halls, Clara is drawn into a world of cutthroat trials, political maneuvering, and secrets hidden behind every gilded door. The more time she spends at Kaelis’s side, the more the lines blur between rivalry and something far more dangerous. Every choice she makes will either keep her one step ahead of ruin,or place her heart and the fate of the realm into the wrong hands.</i> This was my very first book by Elise Kova, and I could not have picked a better place to start. I took a bit of a risk requesting this on NetGalley without having read her work before, but it paid off in the best possible way. From the very beginning, I was enchanted by the tarot magic system. It is intricate, clever, and unlike anything I have read before. The way the magic ties into the story gives it an added layer of richness that made the world feel alive. Clara immediately became a character I loved following. She is strong and determined, and I appreciated how she never lost sight of what she was working toward. Kaelis provided a true enemies to lovers dynamic that felt genuine, full of tension, mistrust, and slow-burning sparks. And then there was Silas, a mysterious figure I could never quite pin down. One chapter I was convinced he was on Clara’s side, the next I was questioning his every move. He quickly became one of the more intriguing characters in the entire book. <blockquote>“Look at me with all the hate you can manage and then some to hide the fact that you love me, and me alone.”</blockquote> The trials the characters face throughout the story were some of my favorite moments to read. Each one felt unique and intense, and I was completely drawn in, turning the pages to see how Clara and her friends would overcome each challenge. I know some readers have said that the book drags in places, but I personally found it engaging all the way through. The academy itself is described so vividly that I could picture its halls, and hidden corners in my mind, and I would gladly spend even more time there. There is a particular stretch of chapters, 41 and 42, that broke me completely. If you listen to Roseland by DEX 1200 while reading them, prepare yourself for tears. The emotions in those scenes hit hard, and they reminded me just how much I had grown to care for these characters. Clara’s family, Silas, and so many of the supporting characters have found a place in my heart, and I cannot wait to see what becomes of them. This book was an incredible start to what I know will be an unforgettable series. The magic, the characters, the romance, and the stakes all came together to create something special, and I am already very impatient for the next installment. My first Elise Kova book will not be my last. 📅 Arcana Academy was released on July 22, 2025. Special thanks to NetGalley, Elise Kova, and Hodder & Stoughton | Hodderscape for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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