I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Deck of Omens by Christine Lynn Herman Series: The Devouring Gray #2
on April 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Contemporary, LGBT, Monsters, Thrillers & Suspense
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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This thrilling fantasy will draw in fans of The Raven Cycle and Stranger Things, as the fearless May Hawthorne finds danger waiting for her at every corner.
Though the Beast is seemingly subdued for now, a new threat lurks 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 realize the danger. But saving the town she loves means seeking aid from the person her family despises most—her father, Ezra Bishop.
May's father isn't the only newcomer in town—Isaac Sullivan's older brother 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, the Founder descendants must put their grievances with one another aside to stop the corruption and kill the Beast once and for all. But the monster they truly need to slay may never been the Beast . . .
The Deck Of Omens by Christine Lynn Herman is the sequel to The Devouring Gray. This book takes us back to the town of Four Paths in Upstate New York and back to the teens from the first book. This paranormal story concludes the duology. It also provides resolution for each of the main characters as well as for the town of Four Paths.
The Beast, which basically roams the gray is not really an issue in The Deck Of Omens. Rather, there is a new issue with this book. Namely that there’s a tree important to the Hawthorne family that is dying. There’s also a leak from gray into Four Paths which is making the residents really sick. It is up to the Founders Families to figure out what the issue is and get things back to normal.
The main characters are May, Violet, Harper, and Isaac. But there’s also May’s brother, although he does not seem to have powers like the other Founder families. For help, May calls on her father even though literally no one else in her family likes him and he’s been estranged for awhile. Also, Isaac’s brother shows back up and helps out with the healing. And so, Isaac has to come to terms with his past and previous traumas.
So, there’s 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 don’t 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.
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