Reviews

“The cards hold the truth. But careful what you ask…”

Maeve Chambers doesn’t have any special gifts. That is until she finds a dusty old pack of tarot cards, and starts giving uncannily accurate readings to everyone around her.

But when she reads for her ex-best friend Lily, a strange card appears in the deck - and everything goes wrong. Lily doesn’t come to school the next day, or the next, and Maeve knows she’s been taken somewhere the police will never find her.

Only the cards - and something older, something even more powerful - can bring her back.

Caroline O’Donoghue writes a gripping tale of tarot, magic, friendship and forgiveness. Friendships are made and tested, the natural world is put into question and what would a young adult novel be without a budding teenage romance?

I love how O’Donoghue incorporates topics surround LGBTQA+ identity so flawlessly and effortlessly into this story, while still gripping the reader into the realm of magic and mystery.

I was introduced to this text through the ‘One County, One Book 2021’ initiative with Cork County Council, and my Transition Year English students read this book during our ‘Drop Everything and Read’ literacy class. The students connected to this book almost instantly and it really inspired a love of reading in some of the weaker readers.

Through this initiative, I was given the fantastic opportunity to meet the brilliant mind behind this book, and Caroline was such a joy to be around. The students connected with her instantly, she was so down to earth, open and exciting. She was a pleasure to speak to and it really makes you love the book more when you know the author behind it is such a sweetheart. It also helps that she is a local Cork woman ⚪️🔴

I re-read this book two and a half years later and it was just as good as the first time I read. More over, I listened to a huge portion of the audiobook which is read by Siobhán McSweeney, who plays Sister Michael in 'Derry Girls', and she just understands how to make the book so authentically Irish in the best ways.

When I initially read this book, the sequel was only coming out and O'Donoghue was in the process of writing the third book, now all three are released so I am excited to read those next and see how the series continues, especially noticing some of the links at the end of this book with the title of the next one.

I re-read this in the lead up to our Junior Book Club and I am really excited to hear what the students thought of this.

Whether you’re a young adult, a teacher looking for a new and exciting book for your teenagers, or if you’re a love of tarot and witchcraft, this is the book for you and I couldn’t recommend it enough.