Arcana Academy is one of my most anticipated releases. And it 100% delivered. I love this tarot card inspired fantasy meets an elite academy. I have loved Elise Kova’s books and this is no exception. Keep reading this book review of Arcana Academy for my full thoughts.
Summary
Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job gone 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?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Tarot card magic? Sign me up. My love for Arcana Academy only strengthened the more I read. The world is expansive and immersive at the same time. Kova tells us a story about the magical costs, the grabbing of power, and the inequality and terror of the academy. With a lack of options, Clara is forced into a marriage of convenience in a secret plot and heist. I loved the way Kova explains the world to us – the pressure points and manipulation. A constant theme Kova asks is what is the cost of freedom. It’s a game of illusions with secrets abound. Tenuous alliances are formed as Clara explores the dangers of fate.
(Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links. For more information you can look at the Policy page. If you’re uncomfortable with that, know you can look up the book on any of the sites below to avoid the link)
If you love characters who have to change their perceptions, who are more than meets the eye, then you have to read Arcana Academy. It’s a tense story about sacrifice, benefit, and ambition. I loved how Clara very much has the mentality I would have about wondering why we should care about the greater good. Always we have these ‘heroes’ who are so selfless, who don’t care about the sacrifices, but Clara always thinks about what the powerful, the ‘good’ has ever done for her. Don’t even get me started on the romantic tension!
Arcana Academy was everything I wanted and more! Find Arcana Academy on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.