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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I found that this sequel started very slow. It felt like most chapters were fillers. Just past the middle of the book it finally started to pick up and it turned out great to read. You just have to read 200 pages of not great to get to the fun...đ
Still reeling from the betrayals and revelations in The Devouring Gray, the descendants of the founders of Four Paths must confront an even deadlier growing threat - one that seeks to destroy everything in town. But as they dig deeper into the cause, they discover not everything is as it seems, and the true enemy is closer than they ever could have imagined.
Told with the same fast paced, engaging way as The Devouring Gray, The Deck of Omens is the perfect continuation. My only complaint is that it ends, as this is a world I would like to see more of. Even so, the ending left me satisfied.
Told with the same fast paced, engaging way as The Devouring Gray, The Deck of Omens is the perfect continuation. My only complaint is that it ends, as this is a world I would like to see more of. Even so, the ending left me satisfied.
So, thereâs a lot going on in The Deck Of Omens. To the point where even though I was physically reading this and not listening to the audiobook, I was confused. I also did not really remember much from The Devouring Gray going into this. However, it stands up on its own pretty okay without remembering the previous book. I am glad to have finished this duology, but it did not make a huge impression on me and I donât necessarily think I will revisit. OH but there was one thing I really loved which was the Syracuse shout out which made this seem more legit in its Upstate NY creds. Read my full review here Link goes live 5/24/2021
This series was a steaming pile of rubbish.
I was so excited to read these books and Iâve been let down.. HUGELY.
The characters? Bland. The story line? Messy. The writing? Childish.
Just.. yeah... never reading these again. I donât want to see these books ever again.
I was so excited to read these books and Iâve been let down.. HUGELY.
The characters? Bland. The story line? Messy. The writing? Childish.
Just.. yeah... never reading these again. I donât want to see these books ever again.
3.75/4â I enjoyed revisiting this world and found the conclusion overall satisfying. I did find a couple of the plot points predictable though
For some reason I had a hard time with this one. It was still good but I enjoyed the first one much more. It could just be me though as I'm going through some medical issues right now and finding it difficult to concentrate. I'll probably come back to this one in a few months to give it a fairer second read. Still love the characters, Christine's writing is spooky and evocative, and the character development was fantastic, just felt like the plot was slightly lacking and that not much happened in the scheme of things, but it was a fun journey.
âAnd itâs as true as most stories are, which is to say that it is and it isnât.â
This book is an incredible sequel- one that I loved just as much as the book that came before it! I would HIGHLY recommend this series.
âMay was deeply private in a way even Isaac wasnât. Maybe at first Violet had mistaken that for disinterest and even disdain. But she knew by now that it was a defense mechanism against a world that she did not trust.â
This book follows the events of its predecessor, where the four protagonists (Violet, Isaac, Harper, and Justin) along with Justinâs sister May must pick up the pieces of what has happened. But a corruption is spreading throughout Four Paths, and these teenagers might be the only people who could stop it.
âHe thought he could beat you down until youâd follow him anywhere. But thatâs not what happened, is it?â
One thing I loved in this book is more May Hawthorne!!! She becomes more crucial in the story as she can read the Deck of Omens- and she brings in her father (who is hated by the rest of her family) to help her solve her problems. She brings a unique perspective to the story you didnât get to see as much in the first book so I was thrilled to see her more often.
âJustin made our family look good, and she kept all our secrets hidden. I never really understood what she wanted from me, but I knew that if I wanted her to care about me Iâd have to be an asset, tooâ
One important thing you get from Mayâs perspective is hearing about her relationship with her family, more importantly her mother. May and Augusta have a very strained relationship, where both are too stubborn to try to work on their issues. This is something I donât always see in books, ESPECIALLY fantasy, and Iâm thrilled it was included as it is the kind of thing Iâm sure many teenagers can relate to at times.
âFriends ask each other for help. Donât apologize for that.â
Both books in this series focus on the friendship of the protagonists- especially because they have been through so much, they have to support each other, and the author does a great job showing that.
âDo you ever worry that maybe youâre sad because itâs easy? Because youâre good at it?â
âI feel guilty when Iâm happy, too,â he said. âAnd then I feel guilty about feeling guilty.â
âhealing did not mean going back to the way things had been before. It meant transforming into someone new and accepting that person, sharp edges and all.â
This book also touches on mental health in a fantastic way. Every teenager in this book is struggling with a serious issue, especially Violet and Isaac. Violet has lost her sister, and Isaac is dealing with a horrible family (theyâre really just a cult). This book does a good job of showing how they work through their struggles while, you know, battling a forest monster and all the rest of it. It shows that if these teenagers could heal themselves through what they have been through, you could too.
âA world he could not access. Powers he could not reach.â
This book also does a great job of building on what was established in the first book- it turns what you thought you knew into something even bigger, and gets you excited for everything thatâs to come.
âBecause it was not ash falling from the sky. It was snow.â
This book also does a great job of ending itself- wrapping up every loose end from both books in a way you WILL NOT expect.
âHe would heal, and he would grow, and he would live.â
If you couldnât tell, I loved this book, and if you like fantasy, or adventures, or honestly if youâre just bored, youâll like it too. I would rate this book 5/5 stars.
This book is an incredible sequel- one that I loved just as much as the book that came before it! I would HIGHLY recommend this series.
âMay was deeply private in a way even Isaac wasnât. Maybe at first Violet had mistaken that for disinterest and even disdain. But she knew by now that it was a defense mechanism against a world that she did not trust.â
This book follows the events of its predecessor, where the four protagonists (Violet, Isaac, Harper, and Justin) along with Justinâs sister May must pick up the pieces of what has happened. But a corruption is spreading throughout Four Paths, and these teenagers might be the only people who could stop it.
âHe thought he could beat you down until youâd follow him anywhere. But thatâs not what happened, is it?â
One thing I loved in this book is more May Hawthorne!!! She becomes more crucial in the story as she can read the Deck of Omens- and she brings in her father (who is hated by the rest of her family) to help her solve her problems. She brings a unique perspective to the story you didnât get to see as much in the first book so I was thrilled to see her more often.
âJustin made our family look good, and she kept all our secrets hidden. I never really understood what she wanted from me, but I knew that if I wanted her to care about me Iâd have to be an asset, tooâ
One important thing you get from Mayâs perspective is hearing about her relationship with her family, more importantly her mother. May and Augusta have a very strained relationship, where both are too stubborn to try to work on their issues. This is something I donât always see in books, ESPECIALLY fantasy, and Iâm thrilled it was included as it is the kind of thing Iâm sure many teenagers can relate to at times.
âFriends ask each other for help. Donât apologize for that.â
Both books in this series focus on the friendship of the protagonists- especially because they have been through so much, they have to support each other, and the author does a great job showing that.
âDo you ever worry that maybe youâre sad because itâs easy? Because youâre good at it?â
âI feel guilty when Iâm happy, too,â he said. âAnd then I feel guilty about feeling guilty.â
âhealing did not mean going back to the way things had been before. It meant transforming into someone new and accepting that person, sharp edges and all.â
This book also touches on mental health in a fantastic way. Every teenager in this book is struggling with a serious issue, especially Violet and Isaac. Violet has lost her sister, and Isaac is dealing with a horrible family (theyâre really just a cult). This book does a good job of showing how they work through their struggles while, you know, battling a forest monster and all the rest of it. It shows that if these teenagers could heal themselves through what they have been through, you could too.
âA world he could not access. Powers he could not reach.â
This book also does a great job of building on what was established in the first book- it turns what you thought you knew into something even bigger, and gets you excited for everything thatâs to come.
âBecause it was not ash falling from the sky. It was snow.â
This book also does a great job of ending itself- wrapping up every loose end from both books in a way you WILL NOT expect.
âHe would heal, and he would grow, and he would live.â
If you couldnât tell, I loved this book, and if you like fantasy, or adventures, or honestly if youâre just bored, youâll like it too. I would rate this book 5/5 stars.
I feel like The Deck of Omens wasnât as interesting as the first book. I definitely didnât feel like the stakes were high, and even when the characters were in danger, I didnât believe the danger. The two books would have told a better story as a stand alone, maybe I would have cared more then? Maybe the characters and their powers would have been better written? I would love to know what exactly they protected the town from while on patrol, because that never made sense. Like what from the Gray was physically coming through to attack the town, and how could someone with powers like May fight it? Or even Violet for that matter.
TW: lots of body horror; possession; domestic violence
Even though I could not find a summary online of all the details of book one before reading this second book, I got back into the world quickly. This has a lot of elements that I enjoy: spooky corrupted forest, almost the entire cast of characters being disaster bisexuals, tarot cards, and some necromancy. While there are some definite plot holes in the world building and how the magic works, I still overall enjoyed this series and the atmosphere. I fly through these books. Some of the ending was rushed, but I really liked how a few plot points in particular were resolved.
Even though I could not find a summary online of all the details of book one before reading this second book, I got back into the world quickly. This has a lot of elements that I enjoy: spooky corrupted forest, almost the entire cast of characters being disaster bisexuals, tarot cards, and some necromancy. While there are some definite plot holes in the world building and how the magic works, I still overall enjoyed this series and the atmosphere. I fly through these books. Some of the ending was rushed, but I really liked how a few plot points in particular were resolved.
4/5 stars.
Sad to see this duology come to an end, but what an ending it was! Deck of Omens offers a great conclusion to the Devouring Gray duo, rounding the story off with great closure for all the characters.
It was nice seeing the developments from Devouring Gray with Harper now with her powers back and Violet in the know, suddenly there being a more even playing field for the Founder kids and giving more room for the plot to grow and up the ante â which is certainly does. There are more secrets, more powers, more things lurking in the dark. It definitely delved more into horror than its predecessor, but not as much mystery as it since, as I mentioned, more of an even playing field especially with the main characters trying to work together this time.
I enjoyed May being a bigger part in this book. She irked me in the first one, the annoying little sister trying too hard, but we really got to see her personality here and see her shine. Her abilities, which I thought powerful but not as interesting as the others, played a big role and it was exciting seeing where her story went. Her interactions with her mother grinded my gears but in the best way because I really connected with Mayâs story in just wanting to impress her and not be the forgotten younger sibling.
Once again I did not care much for Justin, but it was sad seeing the fallout of his secret and how the town turned on him. No longer the Golden Child, people could see that he was basically as bland as I thought. It was sad seeing him lose not only that but Isaac as well, but I was so happy for Isaac trying to stand on his own two feet and stop being co-dependent on Justin. I adored all of Isaacâs development, learning more about what happened to his family and his ritual, and it was wonderful seeing him connect with Violet about their losses and them forming a beautiful relationship.
Violet had less development than in the first book, now she knew about the town secrets and was coming into her powers, but nonetheless she still was great, and I enjoyed her and her mother becoming closer and forming a bond, and seeing the friendships she made blossom. Her and Harper being best friends was so sweet and wonderful, I loved how they looked out for each other. Harper was amazing too, having been through so much and slowly coming to terms with it and gaining control over her powers.
I donât think it was essentially as good as Devouring Gray, but still great writing and ominous nonetheless, especially finding out that the monster was even more threatening than the gray. Iâm glad we got to learn even more about the town and the magic, and see the main characters come together once and for all to put a stop to the evil.
Sad to see this duology come to an end, but what an ending it was! Deck of Omens offers a great conclusion to the Devouring Gray duo, rounding the story off with great closure for all the characters.
It was nice seeing the developments from Devouring Gray with Harper now with her powers back and Violet in the know, suddenly there being a more even playing field for the Founder kids and giving more room for the plot to grow and up the ante â which is certainly does. There are more secrets, more powers, more things lurking in the dark. It definitely delved more into horror than its predecessor, but not as much mystery as it since, as I mentioned, more of an even playing field especially with the main characters trying to work together this time.
I enjoyed May being a bigger part in this book. She irked me in the first one, the annoying little sister trying too hard, but we really got to see her personality here and see her shine. Her abilities, which I thought powerful but not as interesting as the others, played a big role and it was exciting seeing where her story went. Her interactions with her mother grinded my gears but in the best way because I really connected with Mayâs story in just wanting to impress her and not be the forgotten younger sibling.
Once again I did not care much for Justin, but it was sad seeing the fallout of his secret and how the town turned on him. No longer the Golden Child, people could see that he was basically as bland as I thought. It was sad seeing him lose not only that but Isaac as well, but I was so happy for Isaac trying to stand on his own two feet and stop being co-dependent on Justin. I adored all of Isaacâs development, learning more about what happened to his family and his ritual, and it was wonderful seeing him connect with Violet about their losses and them forming a beautiful relationship.
Spoiler
and him going to therapy in the end with his brother was amazing!! I love the mental health help representationViolet had less development than in the first book, now she knew about the town secrets and was coming into her powers, but nonetheless she still was great, and I enjoyed her and her mother becoming closer and forming a bond, and seeing the friendships she made blossom. Her and Harper being best friends was so sweet and wonderful, I loved how they looked out for each other. Harper was amazing too, having been through so much and slowly coming to terms with it and gaining control over her powers.
I donât think it was essentially as good as Devouring Gray, but still great writing and ominous nonetheless, especially finding out that the monster was even more threatening than the gray. Iâm glad we got to learn even more about the town and the magic, and see the main characters come together once and for all to put a stop to the evil.