I am so honored to be interviewing Elise Kova all about Prince of Swords – one of my most anticipated sequels of 2026. I had all these burning questions after finishing and was thrilled to be able to ask them! Talk about a dream interview! Keep reading this blog post to read my interview with Elise Kova.
Summary
I am terrified. Yet my heart skips a beat. This man might be a monster, but he is my monster.
Clara Graysword is Oricalis’s most wanted. Hunted and cornered, not even her mastery of tarot can save her this time . . . until the mysterious Worldkeepers appear. This secretive order may hold the key to changing Clara’s fate. If she dares to trust them.
But the most dangerous alliance of all is one she’s already deeply ensnared Prince Kaelis.
Kaelis, second-born prince of Oricalis and headmaster of Arcana Academy, is the one man she can’t escape—maybe she doesn’t want to escape. Ruthless, dangerous, and bound to Clara by destiny and desire, Kaelis tests her heart as much as her loyalty. Together, they grow closer to the most powerful secrets of the tarot . . . and to the truths they both hide that could destroy the passion that they no longer deny.
Hidden in plain sight within Arcana Academy, Clara walks the dagger’s edge. Revelations about Oricalis threaten everything she thought she knew, and every choice she makes is the difference between salvation and ruin.
To change the world, Clara must risk everything—her power, her beliefs, and her heart.
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Find Prince of Swords on Goodreads, Storygraph, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.
Interview
Transformation is a huge theme in PRINCE OF SWORDS. What draws you to this idea of the power and dangers of transformation? Do you think we can truly transform our nature or are there things we can never escape?
Power is the foundation of a lot of my worldbuilding because I think the way it influences people and places is fascinating and synonymous with most human history. So it becomes a natural pin for a lot of my narrative—who has power, how do they get it, what will they do to achieve it, and what will they do when they have it? The exploration of that creates a lot of fascinating tension for me. As a person, I like to believe in the fundamental good of most people—that most people can change for the better if they want. And I hope that at least some of my characters reflect that as well.
Sisters are huge in this series and even more so in PRINCE OF SWORDS. What were you looking forward to developing further in this relationship and character? What were you apprehensive of?
Clara as a character is so driven by family and all the forms it takes. She’s driven by her mother’s untimely death. Formed by protecting and guiding her sister following. And loyal to the found family she made in the Starcrossed Club. In book one all of these relationships were introduced, so book two became a way to deepen them in some cases, explore them in new ways in others… and, for some, break down those relationships. It’s always hard though when relationships and the characters in them evolve, you want to be authentic to the characters, but you also don’t want to turn off any readers in the process.
Speaking of side characters, there are some real gut punches in this sequel. From ARCANA ACADEMY, which side characters did you already know were going to go through it? How much of a general plot points do you have before you drafted book one?
I would say I had about 50% of the plot points decided for PRINCE OF SWORDS when starting ARCANA ACADEMY. I always have the “big” story elements in my head. So elements of Kaelis’s backstory, for example, or Clara’s family revelations, were all there. I also had ideas for moments of character gut-punches, but there were some instances where I didn’t know exactly who or how until I began to work on PRINCE OF SWORDS and saw it play out in the moment. Characters always evolve for me in ways I don’t entirely expect. So I like to leave room for that to happen. I might think [___] character is going to be the most impactful character death, for example, but by the time I get to that point, it doesn’t make sense for [___] to be the one to die, or to even be in the scene at all. So, sometimes I know, and sometimes it just evolves.
You’re currently balancing YA and Adult releases with DRAGON CURSED and PRINCE OF SWORDS in the same year. What do you think are the challenges and unique experiences in YA versus Adult spaces and releases? Do you draft differently when you envision other age groups?
I’ve gone back and forth between YA and Adult since going from upper YA with my Air Awakens series to my adult Loom Saga back at the start of my career. Alternating YA and Adult releases started with my Married to Magic books and my Trial of Sorcerers series. So it’s been pretty natural for me for a long time. I think I originally gravitated toward it because it offers a nice palette cleanser for me. They do draft differently and have different narrative styles. So working on a YA after working on an Adult, or vice versa, is a nice break to relax one part of my brain and work another.
Being vulnerable is a real struggle for Clara in this sequel. Going into book two, did you encounter any moments of doubt or moments of uncertainty especially as we are surrounded by the reception of ARCANA ACADEMY?
I am an author who does read reviews. But, before we all take a collective gasp or anxious shriek at that, I only read about the first 100-200 reviews across platforms following ARCs and then the book’s release. I do this to get an idea of what’s resonating with my readers and what isn’t, and I believe that the first couple hundred reviews are probably some of my most loyal readers if they’re reading and reviewing immediately, so they’re a good temperature check.
In PRINCE OF SWORDS Clara struggles with balancing these moments of joy and the struggle, of the love we can experience and being afraid of another thing to lose. What was one challenge with Clara’s character that you struggled with in this drafting of PRINCE OF SWORDS? As Clara continues to make allies and lose – and make – friends, what do you think her motto for this book might be?
Across the three books in the series, Clara is evolving. Book one very much establishes who she is and begins to call into question some of the core beliefs she holds about herself and the world. Because of that questioning, in book two she’s confronted with opportunities to grow and change. I think that part of growing as a person is acknowledging a problem within ourselves… but learning how to fix that problem, or how to prevent ourselves from even getting into circumstances where the problem arises are different skills. And that’s very much where Clara is. Sometimes it’s hard to write a character who’s doing something authentic to their character, but maybe not the smartest choice. But I’ve definitely had moments where I know I’m doing something ill advised and even in the moment I’m thinking, “Why am I like this? Why am I doing this?” But I don’t know how to stop myself in that second. That’s very much where Clara is.
As for her motto, I think it’s probably something along the lines of, “Do your best, and keep moving forward.” Because, for better or worse, Clara doesn’t have time to wallow.
As someone who has so many amazing books and worlds behind you, what do you think continually draws you to fantasy and to creating new worlds? When you first have an idea for a book does it come to you as a character, a theme, an idea? Is it different every time? Do you learn something new about yourself as a writer the more books you write?
Every book is different in how it comes to me. Some books it’s the magic system. Other it’s a character. For some it’s a scene. No two books are the same.
But what I think draws me back to fantasy time and again is the wonder of it. I love being swept away to another world as both a reader and a writer. It never gets old because no two fantasy worlds are alike.
For someone who wants to fill the time between PRINCE OF SWORDS and the next book, what books would you recommend?
Well, I’d be remiss if I didn’t highlight that my Married to Magic books are getting republished with brand new covers from Del Rey (USA) and Hodderscape (UK). All five of these stand alone novels went through a round of edits to tighten them up and polish them even further from their original publications (without changing the story). So I hope that if readers haven’t checked out those from my backlist they will.
For other books, I’d recommend These Shattered Spires by Cassidy-Ellis Salter if you want to stay in deadly gothic academy with messy characters, in the best of ways. If you’re looking for something fresh-feeling in the fantasy space, Defy the Dusk by Danielle L. Jensen blew me away.
About Elise Kova
ELISE KOVA is a #1 New York Times, #1 Sunday Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author. She enjoys telling stories of fantasy worlds filled with magic and deep emotions. When not writing, can be found playing video games, drawing, chatting with readers on social media, or daydreaming about her next story.