We’re both suckers for fantasy romance so when that intersects with dark academia? Just give it to us.

This season is really delivering on making us read authors we’ve wanted to try for ages and never gotten to as we’re reading Elise Kova’s very much anticipated new releases, ‘Arcana Academy’. This launches a new series about illegal magics, tarot, royalty and a deal gone awry. We’re very, very excited for this one.

A woman who wields magical tarot cards lands herself in a false engagement with the headmaster of a mysterious academy in this first instalment of an enthralling fantasy romance series from the bestselling author of A Deal with the Elf King.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?

We absolutely love the sound of this and we can’t wait to get stuck into this chunker. We’re hoping for some swoon and danger as well as those dark academia vibes that we’re always craving.

In this episode we discuss:

- The richness of the magic system, and the lack of the general world-building

- Clara and Kaelis: a potential love story of the ages?

- Sophie’s internal struggle of reading this alongside a fantasy giant and the consequences she inflicted on herself