An enthralling, addictive, unputdownable fantasy romance which gives you dark academia, new world building, tarot magic system, with Enemies to Haters to… well that’s for you to read and find out… So where was I with the list… oh yes…. Fake Engagement, Royal Politics, magical Academy, and so much more!

This book even with the new world and lore for me to grasp was a dream read. I was invested from the first chapter and was sad when I saw I had reached the end of this book.

Warning the book ends on a cliffhanger that had me screaming “NOOOOOOO!! WHAT??” And now the wait begins for book two!

Favourite Quote: I had so many, however as I don’t like to give spoilers… these two are the ones I will share…

“You should think of me as a man who will do whatever it takes to get what I want.”

“I know what I am. I know how the world sees me, and that they aren’t all wrong. To be honest most of the time I don’t even care. If to bring around a new world, a Better world. I must be the villain. If I must do evil things for the greater good, then so be it. I’ll play the part now, and be reborn the hero in the next life.”

Spicy Level - 🌶️🌶️

Note: Please read and review all trigger warnings before reading any recommended book. We love to read for our pleasure, so keep your mind, and emotions safe!

Audio Book Available
Publisher: Hodder&StoughtonAudio | Hodderscape
Narrator: Anna Burnett
Publication date: 22Jul2026

TLDR; fake engagement, dark academia setting, slightly chosen one vibes, cliffhanger ending

Nearly 21 year old Clara is rotting in prison when an audience with Prince Kaelis who put her there offers her a chance of freedom. She flees, only to be caught by the prince. Kaelis offers Clara his protection and a chance to become a student at Arcana Academy, all she has to do is pretend to be his fiancée and help him steal some tarot cards from the king.

Once this was set up, we follow Clara through the academic year with the usual problems of an newbie in a magical school. She's soon meeting a bully, doesn't easily get on with the classmates and teachers, and has trouble finding whom to trust. Her alliance with the prince, who's headmaster of the academy, doesn't help her either.

The middle of the book drags due to the many secondary characters that need to be established and the world needing to be built. The magic system is partially explained and things that didn't make sense at the beginning of the book suddenly take on some semblance of a shape. Clara finds her footing in the academy and in her relationship with Kaelis; there are even a couple of spicy scenes. Then the last 20% see the plot pick up speed only to end in a cliffhanger.


I had an advanced readers copy of the audiobook narrated by Anna Burnett.

Arcana Academy is a truly magical fantasy romance. I absolutely adored the wielding of tarot cards, this is very much central to the plot and offers a fresh idea to the genre.
The FMC is a survivor, morally grey and appears to have luck on her side. The MMC comes across as intelligent with a hidden agenda, I loved the mystery of him. The romance was enjoyable with a fake engagement, enemies to lovers and a heist thrown in.
Academy vibes are strong throughout, there are classes, various high stakes challenges and overall a good balance between academia and the relationships with the other students. There are a some interesting side characters offering more depth to the world and plot. I really liked the world and the politics, I cannot wait for more chaos to come. The ending wrapped up well, was build up to and totally what you want in a series - satisfied and yet left wanting more.
The narration is absolutely enthralling and exciting to listen to, highly recommend to bring this magical book to life.
This is definitely going to be very popular as it’s the same beloved tropes and vibes but with such unique magic it’s a standout.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Spectacular - give me 14 of them right now. It was a pleasure to read/listen to this book - it's so rare to come across something with a unique magic system, and it feels like there's still so much to learn!

Arcana Academy balances subterfuge, trials, found family and romance really well. There are so many sub-plots and stories that I hope we get to explore in the next book(s). The FMC and MMC also have fun enemies-to-lovers chemistry, and I'm here for it.

My only teeny-tiny challenge with the audiobook was that sometimes it was difficult to tell characters apart because there was no shift in tone/accent/pitch, which I've become used to.

Thank you for the ARC - I couldn't stop, and can't wait for my book trophy to arrive. So excited to find out what will happen next.

This is the first book by Elise Kova that I've read and it certainly won't be the last!
Right from the beginning I was completely drawn into Arcana Academy and I listened to it within just a couple of days.
The magic system is brilliantly unique, the book has fantastic pacing and I loved how different all the characters were.

The audio narration was fantastic and made for an enjoyable listening experience! I would definitely listen to more audiobooks read by the narrator.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton Audio for this arc.

I really enjoyed this, I found the plot engaging and interesting and while I wouldn't necessarily say the characters are good people I wanted to know more about them.

There was a lot going on and so I am glad I picked this as an audiobook as I found it easy to follow and the narrator did well to add emotion to the story as a whole. I also very much enjoyed some of the characterisation of the FMC that was built through the narration.

I would definitely recommend trying out this audiobook if you are looking for a fantasy romance to pick up.

I actually enjoyed the beginning, so I'm sad the rest felt pretty dull.

But lets start with the positives. While taking inspiration from One Dark Window when it comes to the magic system, I felt like Kova put her own spin on it, so it didn't feel like a copy and paste. The word however could've been a little fleshed out more. Ecplise city is one part of the kingdom but the significance is lost on me. The politics and clans on the other hand were very well explained and an aspect I enjoyed.

Now to what I didn't like:
The characters didn't feel fleshed out enough. Both the MC and Love Interest seemed bland to me.
He is supposed to be a dark, mysterious shadow daddy, and that was all there is. I couldn't name one character trait, thought he MC likes to call him cunning just because the prison break plan was good. Okay, I need more to establish that as a character trait. I guess we can't because he's so mysterious and doesn't share his plans. Which as far as I could tell consists of Clara taking all the risks.
The chemistry between them was non existence and I didn't feel anything at all. It seemed like they only started liking each other because they made out once at it felt great. Also, I am personally not the biggest fan when the couple has sex in the first book when it's a planned trilogy. To me it was too soon, especially because their connection lacked any depth.
The academy setting could've been great but since everything with magic just falls into Clara's hands and she had an incredible easy times made it completely unimportant and kept me from becoming invested.

Now what I really hated:
The blatant COPYING of QUOTES from other media. Here some examples.
"I am the crown" (House of Dragons)
"If you wanted to see me naked, you could've just asked" (Vampire Diaries)
"A prince is never late, everyone else is simply early" (Princess Diaries)
If it happened only I might have believed it was an accident but at this point it just seems deliberate. Also the Love Interest being called void born because he's born on the longest night of the year was lifted of ACOTAR.

The narrator was great!

The magic system was really cool and I’m a big big fan of Elise Kova’s writing but I did find myself getting a bit frustrated with how cliche their dynamic is. The cruel prince who has a soft spot for the chosen one etc etc etc. it’s a great trope but when the supporting characters/dynamics/characterisations are all really cliche/bland I struggle to care.
The magic system was really cool, but the training was all very surface level and felt less about learning about magic and more and progressing the romance. A fun read but I wanted more :(((

The narrator was fantastic though, really really solid audiobook I really enjoyed it I’m not sure I would’ve finished the book had I not been listening to it!!

This book put me through so many emotions..
The magic system was so unique, I never read anything like this before. I absolutely loved it, it was such an amazing story.
I had to get the ALC too, because I couldn't wait to reread it!! It's absolutely one of my favourite reads of this year.

Arcana Academy was founded to teach and control Arcanists, those who have the ability to ink, read and wield tarot cards and their magic. Power only reserved to those under the crown.
Clara was imprisoned for using it illegally. Until Prince Kaelis, dark and enigmatic headmaster of the academy, helps her escape, gives her a new name and a place in his academy as a first year student. She will be his bride-to-be and help him steal the tarot cards from his father, cards that are key in creating a powerful card, a card that can change worlds. He is her enemy, one she swore to hate, but there is more to him than it seems. Some choices will be hard to make..

I absolutely loved Kaelis, it's always the tortured souls that get me. He and Clara fought so hard against their feelings, it made me want more of them.
But this book was so much more than that, with the trials Clara had to go through at the academy, the heist, the secrets. Clara was strong and determined, but so stubborn. I loved her even when she drove me crazy.

I loved the audiobook too, the narrator did a great job. It was very slow though, I had to listen at 3x speed for it to be at my liking, when I usually listen at 2x, max 2,5x. But other than that, it was well done and I really enjoyed it.

I'm not gonna lie, the beginning was slow, it took me a while to get into the book, but once I did, it didn't let go. I was consumed by it.
I have so many questions still, I simply don't know how I'm going to survive until book two. That ending...
I promised myself I would stop starting series that aren't finished, but here I am, once again, with questions I won't get answers to for quite some time.. I can't make myself regret it though, I loved this book far too much for that.

3.5 stars. In a world where magic is controlled by the use of tarot cards, the King and related hierarchy try to control access to this power. Clara is a young woan who has been locked away in prison for illegally making tarot cards (she hasn't been to the Academy so the crown isn't controlling her therefore it's illegal!) She gets broken out though by Prince Kaelis, who decides to say she is a long lost noble and now his fiance, because of course nobody would posibly question that.

There is so much promise in this book, the tarot magic system could have been so interesting and expansive but there was so much waffle about only using the lower tier cards and not enough explanation of what the cards actually do. There are 4 main suits - Cups, Swords, Coins and Wands and each card of that suit (Ace through to King) has different powers. Then there are the picture cards - or the Major Arcana, and most of these cards are completely skimmed over except for when we need to be told mutiple times the same rules that apply to these cards and who can use them.

So apparently if you find all the individual people who can draw these cards and get one of each and do something else magicky you can get The World card which can reset the entire world by the sound of it? I don't know it was mentioned A LOT but it was never really clear what it did or how it worked - like you're supposed to get one wish that can be anything but you've got to be careful using it or the card might flip it round. Anyway.

Clara and Kaelis weren't a believable couple - they go from fundamentally being at odds which each other to all of a sudden ripping each others clothes off all the while reminding us and themselves that they can't be together, and there are a lot of secrets and betrayals on both sides lurking in the background. But he did have a cat named Priss, so there's that.

It got really frustrating constantly being drip fed tiny bits of information that Clara then dwells on for ages then apparently forgets all about.

All in all a very long book that had a great premise but I don't feel lived up to it. I'll read the sequel when it's out as I hope some of these things are addressed and I do want to see what happens next but won't be rushing for a release day edition.

The audiobook is good though! Narration is clear but quite slow (even when sped up).

I loved this book when I read it as a Kindle ARC and my god the audiobook didn't disappoint either. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this advanced copy.

I found the narrator a little monotone in places but I think she was just trying to convey how sort of 'numb' Clara was to everything after being in Halazar!

I had totally forgotten how much that ending blew my mind, and I absolutely can't wait for the second book. The twists and turns are brilliant, the use of magic through tarot cards is unique and I simply couldn't get enough of it. One of my favourite reads of the year for sure!

Hands up for a 5-star read!

Aaaah! What an incredible read. I need Book 2 now!

Arcana Academy is Elise Kova's best book yet (and I loved her series of Married to Magic standalones.)

✨️ Dark academia
⚔️ Ruthless magic
✨️ Will it be enemies to rivals? to lovers? to...?
⚔️ Fake engagement
✨️ Sizzling chemistry
⚔️ Tarot
✨️ Royals
⚔️ Oppressive rule
✨️ Found family
⚔️ Sisters
✨️ Secrets

Arcana Academy is a darker book with sharper edges. Every character is morally grey and pushed to their limits.

I'm not always one for tarot, so I didn't know how I'd feel about that. But Elise Kova's tarot is the jumping off point for a unique magic system that I loved, and that gets ever deeper as the book goes on. My mind is still reeling with theories.

I listened to the audiobook through Netgalley, and the narration was brilliant. I was gripped from the first chapter and sped through the 20+ hours in days. I may well buy the audiobook so that I have it to keep and for rereads. I'd love a beautiful hardcover copy for my shelf too!

I can't with this book. If you’re into dark academia with unique magic, romance, and high-stakes schemes, Arcana Academy delivers it all and then some!

The story follows Clara Graysword, a thief skilled in forbidden tarot magic who’s sentenced to life in prison after a heist goes wrong. Her only shot at freedom comes from Prince Kaelis, the mysterious and cold headmaster of Arcana Academy. He asks her to help him steal a powerful tarot card from the king in order to recreate a long-lost, world-altering one. To cover her identity, Kaelis introduces her to the academy as a new student and his bride-to-be. And from there—chaos, secrets, danger, and magic unfold!

Let me just say this: the romance is actual enemies to lovers. Clara and Kaelis don’t fall in love by chapter five while claiming to hate each other. No, this is a slow spark that smolders and deepens until it's an all-consuming fire. Their dynamic had everything: fake engagement, dances, jealousy, soft moments of vulnerability, tending to wounds, tension-filled arguments, and yes, the spice was absolutely spicing. It was beautiful and hot and felt so earned.

I loved how we saw Kaelis through Clara’s perspective. She’s suspicious of him, angry even, and so we see him through that lens at first. But as she slowly softens, we do too. And when he starts showing more of himself? I was gone. Clara is one of my favorite protagonists in a while; sharp, determined, and deeply loyal to her (found) family. I related to her so much, especially her drive to protect the people she loves.

The relationships in this book are honestly one of the highlights. Elise Kova does such a phenomenal job fleshing out every character, no matter how small. The friendships, rivalries, betrayals, and bonds all felt real. You can feel the tension between classmates, the weight of past wounds, and the joy of small, hard-earned trust. I had a favorite side character who completely stole my heart, and let’s just say... I’m not okay about what happened.

The worldbuilding is stunning. The tarot-based magic system is not only creative but incredibly detailed. It’s not just about using cards, but crafting them, inking them, reading them, and understanding how they can shift (or reverse) in dangerous, unpredictable ways. There’s real history behind the magic, real rules and risks. And that made it so satisfying to read about. Plus, the world around Arcana Academy is rich with clans, politics, legends, and tension bubbling beneath the surface. It felt layered and alive. And the trials! Loved them, so intense!

I also had the absolute joy of listening to the audiobook, narrated by Anna Burnett, while reading. And wow, she nailed it! Her voice was smooth and expressive, and she captured Clara’s fire, Kaelis’s intensity, and all the emotion in between. She did a phenomenal job with the different voices and really brought the relationships to life. Her performance made it even more immersive, and once I started listening, I couldn’t stop. I’d honestly listen to anything she narrates!

And that ending? I’m devastated. I’m obsessed. I need book two immediately!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for both the audiobook and the eARC!

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Arcana Academy had One Dark Window vibes for sure. The magic system was interesting and I liked the main characters but just didn't feel the middle was interesting enough. The ending was strong though even when I saw it coming.

The romance fell a bit short for me too. Wish there was a bit more angst and tension earlier on.

But I'll definitely pick up the second book.

This was a 4.25 ⭐️ read for me.

I heard from others that the felt that it was quite slow in the beginning and then jumped into the action, but I felt that there was some serious time spent world building that was super important for the story now and the sequels to come. The tarot magic system was done in a unique way and it was fascinating seeing it played out in an academy setting.

Clara and Kaelis had great chemistry from the start and the hate to love element was there, though the hate was more on Clara’s side in my opinion. The story wove together past and present timelines really well and I’m excited to see where it goes. This was my first Elise Kova book and I really enjoyed it and will be reading more from her. The ending landed on such a huge cliffhanger and I can’t believe we have to wait until the next book (hopefully not too long a wait).

I received an ALC and thought the narrator was excellent and the pace was very effective. The only thing was sometimes I got a bit confused where I was or what was happening and it was much harder to go back and find out. I will definitely be reading the physical copy of this book again much closer to the release date of book 2.


Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the dark and twisted story of Clara and her talent for inking tarot cards and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of her sister as well as the death of her mother. I found the world and magic system quite unique and can’t wait to see more of this world in the next book. However I would probably have enjoyed this more as a physical book then the audio book as I found it hard to follow the large amount of characters at the academy. Also the reading style of the narrator was not my favourite. While her voice is beautiful, I found her narration lacking different emotions and my mind wandering off quite often and then I had to go back to not miss something. It would have been the perfect narration for an audio book to soothe me in the evening but the story was too exciting for that.

I don't even know where to start with this review because with the audiobook coming in at over 20hrs, it took me a week to finish this wonder of a book.

My initial thoughts on writing this are as follows:

1 - read this book if you like Divergent, Harry Potter and The Hunger Games books.
2 - tarot enthusiasts, this is your book too.
3 - the romance didn't suck in this one! Yay!

I will try to put these thoughts into a cohesive review, starting with point 1. There were definitely elements of all three book series mentioned above, without feeling like a carbon copy. The similarities were subtle but gave me that lovely nostalgic feeling, such as the initiation into the academy mirroring the initiation for factions in Divergent. I loved this and would reread it for this reason alone.

Point 2 is quite self-explanatory, but, as you can expect, there is A LOT of arcana lore, so it's a must for horoscope addicts.

Point 3 is a very personal stance because I'm extremely fussy with YA romantasies, often hating the romance but loving the plot and world building etc. This was a rare occurrence when I actually liked all three! Don't get me wrong, the romance is no Everlark and never will be, but it was perfectly realistic and palatable.

The only reasons why this wasn't a 5 star read are due to pacing and plot cohesion. I struggle with audiobook formatting when the pacing is fast one moment and slow the next, as I keep having to rewind to catch things I missed. I felt like most of the book was fast-paced, but there also seemed to be some filler which was considerably slower paced. The romance is extremely slow-paced and not focused on too heavily, which I didn't mind, but other readers may want more from this.

The plot was very convoluted and relied on past knowledge, which would require some minor "info dumps" to fill in gaps, as this is the first in the series. I feel this could have been done a bit better, but it was managed better than a lot of other books that do this. I did feel like the dream/nightmare sequences were hard to keep up with, as these just happened and it's explained afterwards that they weren't real.

The narration was flawless, if a little monotone, but I do like Anna Burnett's narration, so it may just be that her soothing voice didn't always fit the fast pace.

Overall, it really is a wonderful book and one that I would highly recommend. It has its flaws, sure, but I enjoyed my time with it and truly felt immersed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton audio for the ALC.

This book was surprising.

The first half was really slow and I almost give up on it, but then it got better and better and I couldn't put it down.

The magic system was so unique, I never read anything like this before. I absolutely loved it, but I feel it needs much more explanation, since I have so many questions about how the cards really work.

I loved both Clara and Prince Kaelis, and their enemies to lovers story. As well as their personal character arcs. I think Kaelis is a very enigmatic character and still has much more to offer to the story.

I wish the trials Clara has to go through lasted longer and were more detailed because I loved that part and it was really interesting to see the working of the cards and magic, and their effects.

I overall enjoyed the book, and I can't wait to read more after that ending!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio for this ALC, all opinions are my own.

I DNF this audiobook. The Narrator seemed to suck the life out it for me. I found her voice more like AI.

It did sound like it had potential to be a good book so given 3 starts and will read the book rather than listen.

Sometimes you just want a fun braincandy read to devour and sometimes you want a rich, well-developed and immersive dark fantasy tale to get totally lost in, and somehow Elise Kova delivers both at once in Arcana Academy. I mean, a dark academia romantasy with some mystical tarot magic and a deliciously sloooow-burn enemies to lovers romance through a false engagement? Say less, please.

Now, when we first meet our fierce babe Clara Graysword, she is not exactly thriving. See, she got caught inking tarot cards, a rare power exclusively reserved for the elite practitioners at Arcana Academy, which has landed her in prison with a lifetime sentence. But then (OH BUT THEN!!), the dark, enigmatic headmaster of the Academy, Prince Kaelis, offers her a surprising escape and whisks her away to the Academy, where she’s thrust into a cutthroat world of arcane magic and royal intrigue. The only catch behind this incredibly kind offer? She’ll have to help him with his own schemes and pretend to be his happy bride-to-be, all while trying to survive the dangerous trials and tribulations of being a first year student at the Academy. What could go wrong, right?

Honestly, I have always been and will always be a sucker for a good magical school setting, so I immediately loved the whole atmosphere of the dangerously alluring Arcana Academy with all its dark secrets. I mean, it’s not like Kova reinvents the wheel in terms of this trope, but the vibes were vibing real hard and I was just so here for all the quintessential school bullies/rivalries, cruel teachers and tentative friendships that you can expect from this type of setting.

And you know what? At no point did Arcana Academy even come close to feeling derivative or predictable, because the intrigue and imagination just bleed off every page. I really loved discovering all the hidden corners and dark secrets of the Academy and its inhabitants together with Clara, and the whole concept of the card inking and mystical tarot magic just had me completely entranced. Now, did I ever really grasp all the intricacies of the magic? No, I sure did not, but I think that was more a me-problem rather than due to any lack of development or skill on Kova’s part; just my pea brain being too tired to take it all in.

But what truly makes Arcana Academy stand out from the crowd for me is the fact that I actually really enjoyed Clara as a FMC, especially because she didn’t fall into the ‘too dumb to live’ category like so many of the other protagonists in romantasy do. Yes, she’s brash and stubborn and probably a bit too curious and snarky for her own good, but her actions always matched her strong personal motivations, and I personally felt like her bold audacity only helped keep things interesting for me. And then add to that her mysterious backstory with unexpected roots (who would’ve guessed?!) and lots of tragedy, which just made her all the more compelling to follow.

Also, do not get me started on the delicious tension and banter between Clara and Prince Kaelis as they navigate their dangerous alliance and fake engagement, I ate it uppp! He’s admittedly not the most well-developed love interest ever, but I will always be trash for a tortured man who is down bad for a woman he shouldn’t love, so don’t mind me swooning over him in all his broody, snarky, and unfairly sexy glory. Moreover, I have been calling Arcana Academy romantasy because that is how it is marketed, but I honestly think it feels more like a dark fantasy with some great romantic tension and a tiny bit of hot steam sprinkled in at the end. Like, the slow-burn is burning REAL slow, but fuck me, if the crumbs of pay-off we get aren’t just delectable!

Now, the side characters admittedly fell a bit flat for me compared to Clara, which hindered both my investment and the emotional impact of the story a bit for me. Moreover, the pacing is wobbly at best with its choppy, hectic start, slow middle section and then bombastic high-stakes ending, and I think Arcana Academy overall doesn’t fully earn its 500+ pages. That said, I effortlessly breezed through this book, especially with the help of the immersive and brilliantly narrated audiobook (thank all that is holy for a female narrator in romantasy who doesn’t sound whiny!), and the wild ending definitely hooked me in for book 2; bring on the trauma and emotional turmoil!!

This might have been my first book by Elise Kova, but it certainly won’t be my last because I had a blast with this. Arcana Academy was somehow exactly what it was promised to be but then also really exceeded my expectations, and I think especially fans of Carissa Broadbent or Rachel Gillig’s One Dark Window will find a lot to love here. So, whether you are in the mood for some dark fantasy brutality, charmingly pretentious dark academia vibes or addictive romantasy fun, Arcana Academy will deliver it all, and then so much more. What a wild ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Aracana Academy is scheduled for release on 22 July 2025.