AD – GIFTED | A little over a year ago I reviewed one of the most exciting fantasy books I’d read for a while, The Devouring Gray. And said I sincerely hoped a sequel was in the offing because I thought there were a LOT more secrets waiting to be revealed in Four Paths. So imagine my glee when The Deck of Omens dropped through my letterbox. But did the follow up tale of founding families, myths, magic live up to its predecessor?
The Deck of Omens
A new danger lurks in Four Paths and this time it might be closer to home than the Founder children realise…
Though the Beast is seemingly subdued for now, a new threat looms in Four Paths: a corruption seeping from the Gray into the forest. And with the other Founders preoccupied by their tangled alliances and fraying relationships, only May Hawthorne seems to realise the danger. But saving the town she loves means seeking aid from the person her family despises most – her and Justin’s father.
May’s father isn’t the only newcomer in town – Isaac Sullivan’s older brother, Gabriel, has also returned, seeking forgiveness for the role he played in Isaac’s troubled past. But Isaac isn’t ready to let go of his family’s history, especially when that history might hold the key that he and Violet Saunders need to destroy the Gray and the monster within it.
Harper Carlisle isn’t ready to forgive, either. Two devastating betrayals have left her isolated from her family and uncertain who to trust. As the corruption becomes impossible to ignore, Harper must learn to control her newfound powers in order to protect Four Paths. But the only people who can help her do that are the ones who have hurt her the most.
With the veil between the Gray and the town growing ever thinner, all of the Founder descendants must put their grievances with one another aside to stop the corruption and kill the Beast once and for all.
But maybe the monster they truly need to slay has never been the Beast…
Continuing to blend the horror of Stranger Things with the unsettling aesthetic of Riverdale, The Deck of Omens is a powerful follow-up to The Devouring Gray. Get ready for higher stakes, and more mystery and magic as you re-enter the world of Four Paths at your own peril… The Deck of Omens is available in paperback or Kindle from Amazon UK.
Born in New York City but raised in Japan and Hong Kong, Christine Lynn Herman subscribes to the firm philosophy that home is where her books are. She returned to the US for college, where she traded a subtropical climate for harsh, snowy winters and a degree at the University of Rochester. She resides in Brooklyn, where she works in publishing by day and writes novels by night. The Devouring Gray is her first novel.
First impressions
Sticks, Stones, Daggers, Bones. As before, I didn’t just get a beautiful book with some gorgeous blue outer edges. Also enclosed were four more cards to go with my first four: The Crusader (May and Justin’s father), VII of branches (May), VI of branches (Justin), and II of stones (Harper). Aren’t they beautiful? Such a lovely accompaniment to this book too.
The Deck of Omens picks up a short while after The Devouring Gray ended, with May and her mother, Augusta, trying to find out who attacked their tree. But May, whose connection with the forest is bone deep, discovers she can not only read her cards (the Deck of Omens), she can influence them to change too. And she needs help from her estranged father because this ability is not something that the controlling Augusta can know about.
Meanwhile, Harper, Isaac, Justin and Violet are all dealing with their own issues while trying to understand this frightening new corruption that is – quite literally – oozing out of the woods and the Gray. Something that they slowly begin to realise has its roots in whatever went wrong at the time of the original Founders. And that in order to vanquish the Beast once and for all, they are going to have to go into the past for answers, and then into the Gray itself again.
I said before that I loved the way Herman has written her main characters and their families. And my favourites are still Harper and Isaac. Both have lethal powers that threaten to take over and their struggles to control these, and understand the betrayals from those closest to them, are beautifully played out. This time, the links between Harper and Justin are reinforced, and the bond between Isaac and Violet is strengthened. Although I did feel the latter was a bit too neat, I would have preferred the original LGBTQ theme to have continued with the younger generation, not just the adults.
Without wanting to give away any spoilers, The Crusader is not who he appears to be and, once he reveals his true identity and purpose, the action speeds up markedly. We learn what happened all those years ago with the original four Founders, and how they came into their powers. And what now needs to be done to protect not only Four Paths and the Founder children, but the Beast as well. There are some truly gruesome episodes involving the roots, which certainly gave me the shivers.
At just over 400 pages, The Deck of Omens is a powerful follow-up to Christine Lynn Herman’s fabulous first novel, The Devouring Gray. This time, we explore what true evil really is and the ties that bond family together. I couldn’t put it down.
Would I recommend it?
Before I read The Deck of Omens, I went back and re-read The Devouring Gray, to make sure I remembered every little detail. And I’m glad I did, because there are a lot of nuances in the sequel that I would probably have missed otherwise! But I was so happy to return to the town of Four Paths, and I loved the new cast of characters (especially Gabriel). Perceptions continually shift and you’re never quite sure who has what agenda or why. All of which makes for an exciting read and – always a good sign – I was really very sad when the book ended.
Thank you so much to Titan Books for my copy of The Deck of Omens, and accompanying tarot cards. It’s everything I was hoping for, a breathtaking page turner and fabulous sequel to the first book. If you’re a fan of YA fantasy, I promise you will not want to miss either of these two books, and I can’t wait to see what Christine Lynn Herman has in store for us next 🙂
* This book was sent in exchange for a review and this post contains affiliate links but all opinions are my own. Please do feel free to check out my other book reviews too.
This sounds really good! Thank you for sharing!
It really is, you’re welcome 🙂
Hello 🙂
i wanted to order it of titan books to get the cards included, but it proposes 3 different websites to buy from ?
ForbiddenPlanet.com
Mighty Ape
Booktopia
did you get it from one of these ?
thank you and have a lovely day 🙂
Hello – I’m afraid my copy was an advance reader copy direct from the publisher for a book review – I don’t know if any of the websites you’ve listed will include the cards as well, sorry! Maybe try contacting Titan Books directly to see what they suggest?
I do love my fantasy books, I’ve not come across these before, they sound interesting though.
They’re such escapism, aren’t they? I love mine 🙂
Great! I will give this a read 😀
I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Great post! This sounds like a really good book and I’m gonna check it out!
Thank you, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!
THis sounds like a great “double book” read! Can’t wait to get my hands on it!
It is, I feel very fortunate to have been gifted them both!
This book sounds interesting to read. I believe it has an exciting storyline. Thank you for sharing your review.
It’s really good, one of my recent faves 🙂
I’m getting some Stranger Things vibes from this cover! I’m definitely considering getting the first book in this series – I love the sound of it and your reviews have made me really want to read it! So thank you for adding to my ever-going pile of books, Lisa! xxx
Oh yay, you really should, if you love Stranger Things then this will be right up your street! And thank you, that’s so good to hear 🙂 xxx
This sounds really interesting – I haven’t read either book yet, so I’ll have to grab both. That way I can read them back to back and not miss any of the smaller details that you’re talking about!
Back to back is definitely the best thing to do if you can, a real bingefest!
I haven’t read a lot of fantasy but this sounds really captivating! Thank you for the great review!
And I think I’ll be re-reading in a few months’ time too – and thank you!
Sounds amazing, reminds me a bit like the Caraval Series, especially with the Tarot Cards. I do love a book like this though, betrayal, magic, family problems, forests, what more could you want! The story line sounds interesting too but of course I will have to read the first book! I love that you get cards with the book! I love YA Fantasy and I really like the sound of this series, definitely adding to my GoodReads wishlist. Thanks for sharing xx
Ooooh, I don’t know the Caraval series, I’ll have to look out for those, they sound like they might be up my street too. Yes, I think the cards are a wonderful touch, so creative and thoughtful. I hope you enjoy these books if you do try them! xx
I love that this book came with a deck of tarot cards; it is fitting somehow given the title of the novel!
I love people who have connections to the land and the forest especially, and this sounds like a fascinating read. I will have to start with The Devouring Gray, but it will give me something to look forward to knowing there is a second book. 🙂
It was such a lovely surprise, with both books in fact. And yes, I’m so glad there was this sequel, I loved the first book but there were so many unanswered questions, haha!
I’m not big on fantasy usually but you’ve convinced me that this is something I need to read in the not too distant future. You’ve made this sound incredible! I’m glad the follow up lived up to your expectations. There’s nothing worse than when the sequel is a major disappointment. Off to order the first one…x
Sophie
Oh yay, that’s absolutely wonderful to hear, the best news for any book reviewer! I hope you love them too, let me know what you think 🙂 xx
It’s a couple of years since I last read a fantasy novel but this review has got me wanting to read both of them so thanks. Great review.
Love the cards what a nice touch x
Yay, that’s great to hear, thank you so much! x
I haven’t read fantasy books for a while. This seems like a good series to restart, will possibly make surviving this quarantine a bit easier. Horror, mystery and intrigue? I am down for it.
Love the review.
It would be a great duo to restart – I hope you love them as much as me – and thank you 🙂
It is great that you got to read The Deck of Omens! Always cool to read stories where characters have some powers. Oooh wow! Christine has been around different cities around the world! It is great that you enjoyed the book overall. I agree with changing perceptions!
Nancy ♥
Yes, I think it’s a very American thing (Stranger Things, The Vampire Diaries) but I’m a huge fan! 🙂
I am racing through books at the moment, so i am always on the look out for recommendations. I am not a huge fantasy fan but I think my partner might enjoy this. I will have to check out both books for him. He is really in to fantasy and has completely run out of reading material. He has been reading the same Empire magazine all week!
If he’s a fantasy fan then I’m sure he’d love these – at any rate it would make a change from Empire magazine, haha! x
It sounds like the book lives up to the beautiful cover!
It sure does! They’re both fabulous 🙂
This is so cool book. I love to read fantasy stories and books and this is very interesting. The way how you review it makes it even better.
Thank you so much, Jack, that’s very kind of you to say so.
This sounds like a really good book. I like the fact it is a little like Riverdale and Stranger things. I also love the cover, perhaps this is a book I should give a go! Thank you for sharing this and bringing it to my attention
Em x
It’s such a good book, a very worthy sequel – but do read the first one first if you’re tempted to give it a go! x
It’s always great when a sequel is just as a good the book that came before it! I really love the sound of this book x
This one had a LOT to live up to, so yes, I was really pleased that it was so good! x
This book looks beautiful! I love that they include the cards too 🙂
Brynn
The artwork is so stunning, isn’t it? And those cards are just gorgeous 🙂
I haven’t read any fantasy books for years but this sounds really good! Might have to order the first one and see how I get on!
They are sooooo good, I feel very lucky to have read them! I hope you enjoy TDG if you do read it 🙂
This sounds like a book I definitely need to check out (but the first in the series before this one haha), thanks for the great review!
Oh yes, definitely read TDG first, then this one, that would be perfect!
Love the artwork. I have a lot of non-fiction books to read at the moment, so I’m not sure I would pick this one. It does seem very interesting though, and, as I said, the artwork if beautiful.
The artwork and cards are just beautiful, aren’t they? A fabulous accompaniment to the books 🙂
I love the sound of this book Lisa! The accompanying cards are beautiful too! I do love a good series of books. I hate when stories end and always love the sequel! Thanks for sharing xxx
Oh, I’m so pleased! These two are definitely on my re-read pile, I loved the everything about them 🙂 xxx
This book looks right up my alley (and “The Devouring Gray” as well). I love fantasy, especially dark fantasy. This sounds similar to “The Bone Season,” by Samantha Shannon (which I could not recommend more, though she is taking her time completing the series). Will definitely add to my reading list. Thanks!
Ooooh, I don’t know The Bone Season but, despite what you said, I might have to look into that one – I’ll just have to re-read it when the sequel comes out, haha!
This sounds so good! Another book to add to my TBR haha ♥
Luna | proudhufflepuffbooks.wordpress.com
Yay, I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Sounds like a wonderful read. Thanks for sharing 😉💕
It really is, and you’re welcome! 🙂
I have to admit I’m a big reader hit fantasy is not my genre. This does sound intriguing and I will recommend it to my friends who love this type of book. Thanks for the review
Fantasy isn’t for everyone but I’m glad you think some of your friends might like it!
This sounds like such a great read. Thanks for sharing your review. I am always looking for a great new read!
It’s soooo good, I hope you love it if you read it too!
This definitely sounds very mystical and I love how it sounds. Since getting into stranger things I have started to enjoy more things mystical etc. So this actually sounds really interesting. I definitely think that was a good move to read the previous book again, I do that with some series or movies, just so you know you get every reference and background. You have shared such a detailed review! I love the photographs! Thank you for sharing Lisa xxx
Aw, thank you so much, Lauren, this is very kind of you! Yes, if you love Stranger Things I think you’ll definitely enjoy TDOO although I’d recommend reading TDG first. I loved both books so much, they’re on my re-read pile now, I know I’ll enjoy them again in the future too! xxx
I’ve not heard of these books before, bu they do sound good. 🙂
They are really good, if you’re into YA fantasy 🙂
I’ve read literally every genre in my life. But down the lane got tired of these ones. Now I’m limiting to only a handful. But a great review. Your pen style was very profound! Loved it xx
Isa A. Blogger
Thank you very much, that’s very kind of you to say so 🙂