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A review by julesg
Arcana Academy by Elise Kova
medium-paced
3.0
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.
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.