Book profile

Arcana Academy

Name: Arcana Academy
Author: Elise Kova

by Elise Kova

Subgenre: romantasy
Edition year: 2025-07-22
Rating: ★ 3.8 · 81 ratingsExternal reader rating · Hardcover
Spice: Heat not verified

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Why these tropes fit

Clara Graysword, a thief who wields illegal tarot-card magic, is sentenced to life in prison until the Arcana Academy's enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her freedom in exchange for helping him steal a powerful tarot card from the king. To conceal her true identity as a convicted criminal and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara into the academy under cover of a false engagement, introducing her as his bride-to-be. Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue where one misstep could return her to prison, Clara must navigate her new role while the prince she initially resented begins to seem different than expected, forcing her to weigh giving him power over the world—and her heart—against taking that power for herself.

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Read the source evidence

Magic Academy: “a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy” source
Hidden Identity: “In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy” source
Heist: “Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king” source
Court Intrigue: “a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue” source
Enemies to Lovers: “Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems” source
Strong Heroine: “Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic” source
Forced Proximity: “keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be” source