TBHonest earns commission if you click on the link to buy!
Arcana Academy is the first book in a new series from best-selling author Elise Kova.
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?
Arcana Academy is one of those books that, on paper, has everything you could want. It ticks all the trope boxes: fake engagement, Slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, Forced proximity, Magical school, morally grey, and girlboss meets cold royal. It does not disappoint.
The world building and the magic system built on tarots is absolutely fasnicating. Both Clara and Kaelis are intriguing main characters, each flawed in their own way, but who both make you like them, even when you really shouldn’t (especially with Kaelis).
It’s a book that hooks you well from the first page and has you absolutely desperate to read the next book in the series by the end.
One of the best new romantasy series of 2025!
You can get a copy of Arcana Academy here!
TBHonest earns commission if you click on the link to buy!
About Author
