carlybrooke 's review for:

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

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I suspected and hoped this would be a five star read as it was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2025. I was correct and I do not give out five star ratings easily these days. For me personally, this book ticked all the boxes. 

We follow our protagonist / FMC, Clara into the depths of a magical academy as she becomes a student despite already knowing how to wield tarot with skill and precision. She and our MMC, Prince Kaelis (kay-liss), are upholding the ruse of being madly in love with the intention to be married. Prince Kaelis is the mastermind behind this magical academy and is the one responsible for relieving Clara of her imprisonment at at a prison known as Halazar. Prince Kaelis has motives that Clara becomes privy to and familiar with. Each character has their own history that we learn about and with that we uncover their own motives. 

Clara’s sister is also an Arcanist and the last time Clara had contact with her sister, she was at Arcana Academy. Now that Clara has access to the world beyond prison, she discovers that her sister has vanished under mysterious circumstances. This is eerily similar to how the girls’ mother died, suspected to be murdered, several years ago. Clara places much of the blame on Prince Kaelis and the crown. The rumors and stories about the dark, second born prince have Clara constantly questioning his motives even as she becomes closer to him. As Clara uncovers well kept secrets as well as truths to some of her questions during her time at the academy, we begin to see the larger forces at play. 

Now to get into what I thought of the book aside from the fact that I loved it. I have been craving an immersive dark academia setting with unique magic and that is exactly what we get with Arcana Academy. The magic is unique, interesting and had me pulled in from the start. The setting comes to life as we read about the time spent using the cards and learning about the different aspects of this world. We aren’t just told about Clara’s time at the academy, we are shown, and I loved every minute of it. Seeing how the magic is actually used within a book is important to me as a reader because I want to be able to feel the world come to life. The world building itself was done well and maybe could have even been expanded upon but it was just enough. There is a bit of info dumping that occurs at the beginning of the book, but it’s done in a way that isn’t infuriating. At first all of the variations within the magic system caused me to believe that I may be confused throughout the book, but I wasn’t. The card magic is outlined in the glossary of this book, but the glossary is only included in the physical copy and not the ebook. The audiobook reads through the glossary at the very end. I wish I had checked one of my physical copies for the breakdown of the card magic but I didn’t even realize there was a glossary until the end of my immersive reading when the ebook ended but the audio continued reading. So if you’re reading this review and have yet to read the book, keep that in mind when you’re introduced to the magic system. 

The characters were well written. Our FMC isn’t a damsel in distress, she can handle herself and also has determination to accomplish the difficult tasks she is given. She also values family which introduces us to a found family trope within this book that fit the story well. While I can appreciate Clara’s positive attributes, it is not lost that she also has her fair share of weaknesses and she is far from perfect. I think we will see her grow in the books to come in this series. The MMC is morally grey, perhaps even morally black and exudes mystery but is also attractive and alluring. For some he may come across as yet another “shadow daddy” but he’s not quite the same as other MMCs and I picked up on those elements. We get to know him and come to learn things are not just surface level and Prince Kaelis has a soul even though the rumors in the book make him seem incapable of feeling and devoid of human emotion. The relationship between these two characters is enemies to lovers and we are reminded of the disdain they hold for each other throughout the book. The tension and yearning between them was ever present and had me waiting on the edge of my seat for interactions to happen. The spice fit well within the plot and the chemistry between Clara and Kaelis is felt.

I truly enjoyed this story and I can’t wait to pick up the next book, however far away that may be. The author put her own spin on dark academia and created a unique magic system. I loved how the setting and tarot magic, the characters and relationships, the enemies to lovers romance and court politics all come together to create an immersive story. The ending had me panicking and completely on the edge of my seat. If you like enemies to lovers, unique magic systems, court politics, mystery, suspense and characters willing to stop at nothing, then Arcana Academy deserves to be on your TBR.