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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
That ending thooo
Ok, ok, let's be serious for a second: I really really liked it! A tad less than The Devouring Gray, but still an amazing read! And again, that ending!!!!
More thoughts on this will be written over on Readerly and my Instagram (@jessthebookslover)!
Ok, ok, let's be serious for a second: I really really liked it! A tad less than The Devouring Gray, but still an amazing read! And again, that ending!!!!
More thoughts on this will be written over on Readerly and my Instagram (@jessthebookslover)!
The Deck of Omens is the sequel to Christine Lynn Herman’s debut, The Devouring Gray, which came out in April 2019. Just as its predecessor, it’s full of small town secrets, once again features a strange & terrifying wood—as well as the Beast that resides within it—and is perfect for fans of an ensemble cast of (queer!) characters!
The Deck of Omens begins about a week after the events of The Devouring Gray, so our protagonists don’t have much time to cope with all that’s happened to them. Harper has to learn how to use her powers, while laying low in the Saunders’ manor, together with Violet. Justin and May have to deal with their mother, her lies, and her dwindling hold on her place at the top of Four Paths. And Isaac—Isaac has not only the Beast to worry about, but also the return of his brother, as well as the various inner demons his arrival makes all the more difficult to ignore.
I read The Devouring Gray right when it released, so, after two years, there are obviously some of the details missing from my memory, when it comes to book one in the The Devouring Gray duology. What I haven’t forgotten, though, are the characters. Christine Lynn Herman has an incredible talent for creating characters that are not only so very human, but also so unique to each other. Violet, Harper, Isaac, Justin, and May—our five protagonists—could not be more different from each other if they tried. They all have such a distinct voice to them, they all have their own tragedies and traumas, but also their hopes and wishes, and so much love to give: for each other, for themselves, and even for the town that’s given them so much grief.
A lot of The Deck of Omens is focused on healing from past trauma, from loss and grief; it’s never about forgetting the things that happened to you or the people you lost, but about recognising that you deserve to heal from that pain, that you deserve to be happy, too, even though the sadness might linger, but at least not as overwhelmingly as it did before. I loved to see our five protagonists grow into themselves, not defined by their families, by the ones who came before them. They all carry a legacy, but they’re so much more than that—and they deserve to figure out what life could hold ready for them, outside of all these expectations.
I would have never anticipated the direction Christine Lynn Herman would take with The Deck of Omens, but I couldn’t have imagined a better ending for this story. It holds everything that I adored about The Devouring Gray—even more small town secrets, disaster bisexuals (actually called that on page, which I’m living for), a strange magic & an eerie wood, and a monster that is not exactly what it appeared to be at first—but this sequel also delves even deeper into some of the topics that were previously only broached in passing. What if the monster didn’t want to be a monster? What if the monster was not what you thought it would be at all?
Overall, I truly, truly enjoyed The Deck of Omens. I might even prefer it to The Devouring Gray, although I loved both books. So many elements in this series are things that feel so uniquely relevant to my interests: an eerie but magical small town with lots of dark secrets; a terrifying forest; a group of friends coming together to solve all these mysteries & fight a monster; so much queer (and especially bi!) representation; and a thoughtful examination of past trauma, loss and grief. I’m very excited to see what Christine Lynn Herman has planned next!
The Deck of Omens begins about a week after the events of The Devouring Gray, so our protagonists don’t have much time to cope with all that’s happened to them. Harper has to learn how to use her powers, while laying low in the Saunders’ manor, together with Violet. Justin and May have to deal with their mother, her lies, and her dwindling hold on her place at the top of Four Paths. And Isaac—Isaac has not only the Beast to worry about, but also the return of his brother, as well as the various inner demons his arrival makes all the more difficult to ignore.
I read The Devouring Gray right when it released, so, after two years, there are obviously some of the details missing from my memory, when it comes to book one in the The Devouring Gray duology. What I haven’t forgotten, though, are the characters. Christine Lynn Herman has an incredible talent for creating characters that are not only so very human, but also so unique to each other. Violet, Harper, Isaac, Justin, and May—our five protagonists—could not be more different from each other if they tried. They all have such a distinct voice to them, they all have their own tragedies and traumas, but also their hopes and wishes, and so much love to give: for each other, for themselves, and even for the town that’s given them so much grief.
A lot of The Deck of Omens is focused on healing from past trauma, from loss and grief; it’s never about forgetting the things that happened to you or the people you lost, but about recognising that you deserve to heal from that pain, that you deserve to be happy, too, even though the sadness might linger, but at least not as overwhelmingly as it did before. I loved to see our five protagonists grow into themselves, not defined by their families, by the ones who came before them. They all carry a legacy, but they’re so much more than that—and they deserve to figure out what life could hold ready for them, outside of all these expectations.
I would have never anticipated the direction Christine Lynn Herman would take with The Deck of Omens, but I couldn’t have imagined a better ending for this story. It holds everything that I adored about The Devouring Gray—even more small town secrets, disaster bisexuals (actually called that on page, which I’m living for), a strange magic & an eerie wood, and a monster that is not exactly what it appeared to be at first—but this sequel also delves even deeper into some of the topics that were previously only broached in passing. What if the monster didn’t want to be a monster? What if the monster was not what you thought it would be at all?
Overall, I truly, truly enjoyed The Deck of Omens. I might even prefer it to The Devouring Gray, although I loved both books. So many elements in this series are things that feel so uniquely relevant to my interests: an eerie but magical small town with lots of dark secrets; a terrifying forest; a group of friends coming together to solve all these mysteries & fight a monster; so much queer (and especially bi!) representation; and a thoughtful examination of past trauma, loss and grief. I’m very excited to see what Christine Lynn Herman has planned next!
The beginning of the second book was solid, and I thought even to give this book 4 stars but...in the last half something brakes. The plot is still fine, the characters are still themselves, what keep happening is the author used the same words over and over again which was so annoying! And I couldn’t stand it
This was pretty average with just a few good scenes. I definitely wish the characters were more complex and nuanced. I liked Augusta and Juniper's characters, they were at least somewhat grey. Also, loved the amount of bisexuals I got in this book
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
just ok, which is what I expected
I've changed my mind on who's the best character, as May is my new favorite. And thankfully we didn't get Justins point of view this time around.
I've changed my mind on who's the best character, as May is my new favorite. And thankfully we didn't get Justins point of view this time around.
I like it when a book provides backstory to remind us what happened in book one. It grounds the reader and makes it easier to get up to speed easily, especially if there is a lot of reading time between the two. The world building filled most of book 1 allowing for focus on character development. With interesting characters like Justin, May, Harper, Gabriel, Violet, Isaac, the Beast, Augusta, the Founders and on and on (take a breath), this book needs the room for the characters. These elements made for a satisfying duology.
dark
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
that feeling when you finally read a really good book after a while >>>>