Prince of Swords by Elise Kova: Characters, spice, review, cards
If you enjoyed Arcana Academy by Elise Kova, and were wondering if book two, Prince of Swords, was worth continuing the series for, my personal verdict is a resounding YES.
I personally think it really upped the ante on its predecessor and I cover why in my Prince of Swords review, which you can find a bit below.
Besides that, in this Prince of Swords book guide, I’m covering everything you want to know: synopsis, main characters and supporting character list, spice levels, where to find those spicy chapters, trigger warnings and a cards guide.
Please be sure to note that the FAQ section down the bottom will contain spoilers, so this is your sign to avoid reading further if you haven’t read Prince of Swords yet.
Prince of Swords synopsis.
Welcome back to Arcana Academy. Tarot magic, forbidden desire, battle, and betrayal collide for the power to change the world in the thrilling second book of this New York Times bestselling fantasy romance series.
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.
Prince of Swords characters.
Prince of Swords is told from the first-person lens of Clara Graysword. Like Arcana Academy, the story remains in first-person, with fast-paced plot and action, zippy banter and dialogue. The action kicks off right from chapter one and my personal experience is that I was gripped from the first page right through to the end.
Below is a quick recap of our main characters, followed by a list of the major supporting and minor characters from the students, professors and Starcrossed Club. And pets… don’t forget Priss!
Main characters.
Character art shared by author @elise.kova via Instagram. Artist: @julijanam
Clara Graysword.
Clara has gotten herself into a little bit of a pickle since the ending of Arcana Academy, and has had a full circle moment to be imprisoned again. That’s where things kick off in book two. How’s she going to get out of this one?
Prince Kaelis Oricalis.
The question remains in book two, Prince of Swords. What is Prince Kaelis’ long game? We will definitely see some of that revealed in Prince of Swords and all I can advise is, buckle up. Maybe grab a tea and a cookie and settle in. Perhaps a pillow to scream in, if you need it, when you get to that part.
All characters.
Here’s a list of most of the characters in Prince of Swords including on-page characters, minor characters and the occasional off-page mentions.
⚠️ Please be mindful that reading this character list may spoil some of the reveals in Prince of Swords! ⚠️
Prince Kaelis Oricalis
Clara Graysword/Daygar/Chevalyer
Arina Graysword/Daygar/Chevalyer (Clara’s sister)
Prince Ravin Oricalis
King Naethor Oracalis
High Lord Moreus Ventall
Glavstone
Leigh Strongborn, the Wind’s Bane, Clan Strength (Ravin’s wife)
Priss (cat)
Gilly (dog)
Liam
High Lady Helena Ventall
Sevan
Rewina (Kaelis’ maid)
Alphos
Elorin
Emelia Ventall
Prince Belen Oricalis (Kael
Xora
Ferier
Vacelle
Drakon
Ordin
Starcrossed Club.
Ren
Jura
Twino
Gregor
Students.
Sorza Sprigspark
Luren
Thal
Alor Ventall
Nidus
Cael
Dristin
Mentions.
These characters do not appear on-page in Prince of Swords:
Laylis Chevalyer (Clara’s mother)
Bristara (Star-crossed Club leader)
Eza
Malie (Gregor’s sister)
Queen Elari Revisan (Kaelis’ mother)
Malazar
Professors and their subjects.
| Professor Name | Subject |
|---|---|
| Las Rothou | Card Reading |
| Vaduin Thornbrow | Card Wielding |
| Lady Raethana Duskflame | Card Inking |
| Lady Armena | Unknown |
| Sophie Veillgar | Card Wielding |
Arcana Academy Major Arcana cards and their powers.
These are all the list of Major Arcana cards, their powers and the person who can channel their powers in Prince of Swords by Elise Kova. Note that we can assume that some cards and characters are yet to appear.
⚠️ Please note that this table WILL spoil some of the reveals in Arcana Academy.⚠️
Read at your own risk. *You’re the boss of yourself if you do want to spoil yourself.
| Card Name | Power | Person with Ability |
|---|---|---|
| The Magician | Calls upon and combines all the elements to manifest an object into existence from nothing. | Unknown |
| The High Priestess | Peers into someone’s mind and learns their innermost thoughts, secrets and truths. | Elorin |
| The Hierophant |
Blesses a regular Arcanist with the ability to use a Major Arcana card once. The blessing lasts an indefinite amount of time but disappears after the regular Arcanist uses a Major. Can be recast after the blessing is gone. Can also find and identify other Majors if they are standing within close proximity. |
Alphos |
| The Lovers | Can make two people fall in love if their true names are known. | Myrion Leva |
| The Chariot |
Teleportation between two locations that are known to the caster. The Chariot has passed to a new magical heir since Silas Erentu passed. The question is, who, and is it relevant to the plot? |
Unknown |
| The Wheel of Fortune | Manipulates luck. A turn of fate. The caster can ask for something to happen, but ultimately fate decides what’s given and how. | Clara |
| The Hanged Man |
Traps a target in a mental prison of the Hanged Man’s design. The target can experience pain but cannot die. The Hanged Man has passed to a new magical heir since Eza passed. The question is, who, and is it relevant to the plot? |
Unknown |
| Death | Kills anyone, anywhere, if the caster knows their target’s true name and face. | Prince Ravin Oricalis |
| The Sun | Removal of pain from an individual. Physical or mental. | Thal |
| Judgment | Can revive someone from the dead within five minutes of dying. | Quaelar |
| The Emperor | Exerts an undeniable command over someone. | Cael |
| The Tower | Unknown | Nidus |
| Justice | Sees truth and lies and can determine fact from fiction. | Sorza Sprigstark |
| Temperance | Unknown | Unknown |
| The Star | Can catch a true glimpse into the future. If they have a vision during reading, it will come to pass. | Arina |
| The Fool | Unknown | Click here if you want to majorly SPOIL YOURSELF. [Major spoiler alert] |
| The World | The ultimate wish. Can utter a single request that can change anything, or everything, about the world to fit the caster’s desires. | N/A |
Review: Arcana Academy by Elise Kova.
View my review and follow me on GoodReads here.
Spice level: 🌶 🌶 🌶
2.5/5, slow-burn, open-door spice, explicitly described
You know those series where the sequel makes book one even better because you realise book one was playing the long game all along and book two makes everything click into place?
If anything, this series in my opinion is the opposite of middle book syndrome, whatever that is. It’s left me feeling like what on dog’s green earth did I just read, while simultaneously kinda euphoric and exhilarated, with a huge book hangover, clawing my fingernails into the dirt as I dangle on a very big cliff to be honest, someone help? Not to be dramatic but the ending is pretty diabolical.
Of course I can’t speak to everybody else's individual experience but I rated Arcana Academy a commendable 4 stars when I read it last year. I found it was a dense world with a lot of information to dispense and digest. In hindsight, I suppose I rated book one as though it were trying to achieve the same thing as a standalone novel, when in reality I owe book one an apology, I wasn’t familiar with its game (of laying the foundation for something much loftier).
So yes, turns out all the magical worldbuilding for book one had such a remarkable return on investment for book two, in my opinion. I was captivated by Prince of Swords from page one right through to the end and now I highkey think Elise Kova is an actual genius because the ambition of the concept is actually matched by the execution. I personally find the magical tarot system incomparable to anything I’ve ever encountered in fiction before, it's so intricate and so rewarding.
But look, enough about the technical stuff. KAELIS. Our cinnamon roll purple-ish-haired monstrous prince dude with fathomless eyes and buckets of yearns. He delivers in the sequel big time and became even more interesting the more I learnt about him. I just adore everything about his character trajectory in Prince of Swords. If you were intrigued by him in the first book, then there’s a good chance book two will up the ante for you. I fear I can’t say more. Anyway, perhaps this is your sign to just read Prince of Swords if you enjoyed book one.
Some other minor notes: I found Clara’s character growth of allowing people in, from friends, to Kaelis really satisfying too. Banter is snappy and witty, j’adore. Amazing thoughtful representation again in this book too. Fantasy has always been a way to interrogate our own world and I think the political commentary and undertones are also well done (i.e. the king/monarchy are oppressive and they use enforcers to hurt and harm and we all know who and what that represents in real life).
Finally, I did an immersion read of listening and reading an e-pub and I must say, Anna Burnett the narrator killed it, she is perfect for Clara. Her tone is captivating yet kind of dry and restrained which is how I imagine Clara’s voice would be like if she was a real person.
If you couldn’t already tell, then yes I highly recommend the sequel to everyone who enjoyed book one. It's made me appreciate the first book more in hindsight, because it beautifully tied together the enigmatic yet deliberate earlier plot choices and foreshadowing while adding more edge-of-your-seat intrigue. Hopefully the final book 3 sticks the landing. I’ll be interested to see everyone’s reactions to this one.
Thanks so much to Hodder & Stoughton, Hodder & Stoughton Audio & Netgalley for the ARC & the ALC.
View my review and follow me on GoodReads here. I tend to yap about books.
Prince of Swords FAQs.
SPOILER ALERT:
⚠️ Some answers may spoil the book if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution. ⚠️
Is Arcana Academy a series?
Yes Arcana Academy is planned to be a trilogy, confirmed by the author via Instagram and Prince of Swords is book two in the series.
What are the content and trigger warnings?
Violence
Slavery
Confinemennt
Blood
Sexual content
Death
Injury and injury details
Cursing
Body horror
Death of parent (off-page)
Abuse
Toxic family relationships and dynamics
Classism
Murder
Infidelity
Torture
What is the age rating for Prince of Swords?
Arcana Academy is classified as adult, so ages 18+, due to adult themes and sexual content. Please also see the trigger and content warnings listed above.
What is the Prince of Swords spice level?
Is Arcana Academy spicy? Arcana Academy has lots of steam and slow burn tension and yearning. Plus the spice levels turn right up toward the end..
Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶
3/5, medium spice, several open door scenes with explicit detailed languge. I’d say the spice is spicier than book one, Arcana Academy!
What are the Prince of Swords spicy chapters?
Here’s your Prince of Swords spicy chapters map. Yes, it’s spicier than its predecessor and some of the scenes are pretty wild because did you know you can use tarot cards to spice things up when you’re doing the no pants dance? Yep, it’s true.
| Spicy chapter number | Spice rating |
|---|---|
| Chapter 34 | 🌶️🌶️ |
| Chapter 41 | 🌶️ |
| Chapter 54 | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ |
| Chapter 68 | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ |
Who is The Fool?
⚠️ MAJOR SPOILER BELOW. Proceed at your own risk. ⚠️
The Fool is the first card in the Major Arcana card pack and his workshop lies within Arcana Academy.
In Prince of Swords, we learn of The Fools identity: It’s Kaelis.
Enjoyed reading Prince of Swords? You may also enjoy reading:
Half City | Cursed City by Kate Golden
One Dark Window | Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
A Deadly Education | The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik
The Book of Azrael by Amber Nicole
INTERVIEW: In conversation with Elise Kova about her new YA fantasy, Dragon Cursed
