Elise Kova

Elise Kova's A Duel with a Vampire Lord is entertaining and alluring. From the moody, atmospheric setting of Hunter's Hamlet, where hope seems distant, to the deeply textured world of Midscape, Kova continues to impress.

Floriane, the forge maiden, isn't just your typical hero; she's full of determination and resilience, braving her destiny and its challenges. It's not just her blacksmithing skills that make her essential, but her unwavering spirit that makes her unforgettable.

I loved that in show more the world of Midscape, vampires (vampir) are not wired to be vicious monsters, but rather they are a kind species and one of the most vulnerable in Midscape. Ruvan, the mysterious vampire lord, is a testament to that. Though I wanted more depth from his character initially, his coldness melting into vulnerability with Flor made it worth the wait. I really came to love Ruvan 🥰.

A Duel with a Vampire Lord was a gripping read that wrapped up nicely, giving me all the feel-good feels!
4 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. show less

I wasn't certain what to expect when I first picked up ARCANA ACADEMY by Elise Kova. I knew it was generating some positive attention in all the right places, but I wasn't certain if I needed another romantasy in my life. Thankfully, my concerns proved to be baseless because ARCANA ACADEMY is one of the few novels I've read in the past month that still has me thinking about it.

For one thing, I do not consider ARCANA ACADEMY to be a true romantasy. There is obvious chemistry between Clara show more and Kaelis, with a few explicit sex scenes to go with that chemistry. However, as the story closes, they are not a fated pair. Their relationship remains nebulous, if nonexistent, and a secondary issue to the main drama. The number of questions Clara holds regarding Kaelis' intentions regarding the fate of the world indicates a serious lack of trust, a serious indicator of the health of their relationship, and another reason why I do not consider ARCANA ACADEMY among the many other romantasy novels published this summer.

Not only does Ms. Kova buck the romantasy trend by leaving the fate of her couple's relationship open-ended and quite possibly dead before it started, but she also does not hold back on showing the results of Clara's harsh upbringing and prison time. Clara does not simply walk out of her jail cell and act like she did before her incarceration. She shows signs of the trauma she endured there, both physical and mental. She also exhibits other mental health concerns connected to the loss of her mother and her father's abandonment. To put it simply, Clara has issues, and it shows. I always appreciate when an author does not pretend that a traumatic event does not leave a scar, physical, emotional, or mental, on a character. Ms. Kova takes pains to ensure that we understand that Clara's mind isn't as clear as it could be throughout the story, and it is a huge plus in my book.

The world-building in ARCANA ACADEMY is decent. We learn about the academy and the rest of Clara's world through her eyes, either via direct experiences or her mind working through plans. As a result, it is unavoidable that our knowledge of this world is limited to Clara's. It quickly becomes obvious that Clara does not know as much as she thinks she does. We have many unanswered questions remaining by the end of the story. While you might view this fact with disappointment, I believe the ending is satisfying. Ms. Kova stops the story at the perfect moment to launch the next book with plenty of secrets left to discover and answers to reveal.

There is no doubt that Clara's story is far from over as ARCANA ACADEMY draws to a close, and I am excited about it. Clara is one of the more compelling heroines from the myriad of other fantasy novels released during the summer. Troubled but determined, with a flawed understanding of the world and its magic, and an obvious attraction to her enemy's son, following her journey was memorable and entertaining. I am eager to see what Ms. Kova has in store next for her damaged heroine. I'm sure it's not going to be good! show less

5/5 stars

Elise Kova, you've done it again. You've ripped out my heart with this sequel to Air Awakens and I was in such a shock the days after I finished Fire Falling. Did all of that just happen? I'm going to try to steer clear of all the spoilers, but this was how I felt after reading the ending.

I gave a copy of the book to my friend for her birthday too, and her reaction mimicked mine.

In Fire Falling, Vhalla is coping with everything that has happened in Air Awakens - her trial, the death show more of her friend, the loss of everything she once knew. By coping, I'd say the poor girl was a mess. I actually was confused by this, because after the epic final scenes of Air Awakens (when Vhalla cuts her hair and embraces her air powers and swears to become stronger), I thought that would happen in the sequel. But the way Elise Kova wrote out Vhalla's development made sense. Vhalla is human; after everything, she was bound to break down eventually.

For more of this review, in its gif filled glory, check it out here at Wonderland Novels! show less

What I Loved:

I had 0 expectations going in to this book. It’s a lesser known book for sure so there wasn’t any hype surrounding it, which I was glad for. It was actually really nice going into a book not having any expectations or knowing anything at all. It only made the book more exciting for me.

I loved how intense every single character in this book was. All the main characters were so different from each other, even the brothers! I love the relationships that Vhalla was starting to show more form with all these new people and I can’t wait to see what becomes of them. It’s kind of nice getting to know these characters at the same time Vhalla does because it means we have to figure out who to trust along with Vhalla. It gives the book a little extra mystery. Plus all these characters seem very realistic because there’s no “perfect” character at all. Even the love interest isn’t described as perfect which I know I hate. Most of the characters have pretty obvious flaws and that’s what I like about them.

I also really enjoyed the pacing of the plot. It went by quickly enough so that I wasn’t bored and even during the slow parts I was entertained. I found that everything flowed together really well and every part was important to the bigger story. It didn’t feel like a typical fantasy plot to me, there was a lot more going on that was a little different and interesting. I read this whole book in one day because it sucked me in so deeply and I had this physical need to keep reading. It was one of those times where I was so into it that I turned the page and was shocked that it had just ended. “I could have sworn there was more pages than that!” I’m sure you all know those moments well. Another thing to note is that this book wasn’t predicable at all. Sure I could have guessed a few things but the major plot points came out of nowhere!

Huge reason to read this book: no insta-love! The romance is a little slow burning in this book but I think it works and I find myself really enjoying it. My favourite part is that the romance feels very passionate and hopefully a little steamy in books to come. Those are my favourite kinds of romance and so far is hasn’t disappointed in that department.

What I Didn't Like:

My only complaint was that I could have used just a little bit more information about this world they’re living in, though I can tell we will get a lot more next book. I just had so many questions about so many things that I would have liked an answer to but they were teeny tiny questions compared to how much I loved this book.

Who I'd Recommend To:

I’d recommend this to any YA fantasy lover. If you don’t like fantasy, you probably won’t like this book. While there are still a couple book tropes in here, the plot and characters are so well done that you won’t even notice them. It’s also a great book for you if you like some romance with your fantasy.

These are just some of the highlights of my review. To see the full review click here. show less