The Deck of Omens

oh hOLY- isaac and violet >>>>> (view spoiler)[i was 80% sure someone was going to die and slightly sure it was going to be either may or gabriel and then no one died and i was like "what" (hide spoiler)]

no❤️

The Deck of Omens var en bra bok.

Wasn't my favorite read and took awhile to get through it. It felt like a lot of build up for a lot of... nothing.

2.5

i don't think this was a bad book but i was so checked out throughout the entirety of it due to being burnt out to the point i have been barely functioning. the rating is just my best guess at what i would've thought of it, had my brain been ok. from what i managed to process, the book's strongest point was, once again, how incredibly atmospheric it was. unfortunately, it was v may centric and i realised i don't care about her. last but not least that comes to mind, (view spoiler)[bisexual people are still bisexual in a relationship with a person from the opposite genre. HOWEVER, choosing to write two bisexual characters who (partly) bond over their coming out certainly is a choice in 2020. (hide spoiler)] but i swear to god, this is a decent book.

Not bad, but this book is desperately in need of a good editor.

3.5

** spoiler alert ** 3,5** They really did ruin Justins and Harpers kiss ngl

4/5 stars ▪ !!TRIGGER WARNINGS!! Death/loss of a loved one, domestic violence, child abuse and attempted murder (in flashback), PTSD, depression, blood and gore, mild body horror ▪ Super fun and enjoyable! ▪ LOVED the very open and healthy discussions about mental health that the characters engaged in! ▪ I also adore that this series is one where there's a good reflection of a variety of parental/ familial relationships (i.e. Isaac's lost nearly all his family save for one older brother who's estranged from him; Justin and May's father left their family when they were young and while Justin is close with his mother, May has a very strained relationship with her; Harper is estranged from her father (for very good reasons) and has a distant relationship with her mother and siblings; and Violet's father and sister passed away, however she has a fairly good relationship with her mother). I also liked how most of the main characters have at least one parent alive and present and active in the story—it was a welcome change from the "absent parents" trope that's so common in YA fantasy! ▪ My only real complaint that caused me to take off a star was that the ending felt a tad rushed... ▪ I'd Recommend This Series For Fans Of: Stranger Things (Keywords: Eerie alternate dimension), The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (Keywords: Eclectic friendship group; Small town setting), Riverdale (Keywords: Mysterious and atmospheric setting)

4.25 Stars Is it weird that I liked this one better than the first? My issue with the first book was that I didn't feel the characters enough and I couldn't really understand their magics. I got a much clearer view of both things in this one. First off, my OTP lives! And that's always an amazing thing, but also, they're just super precious and the way she talks about him and how they've both grown together and morphed into new people and they just get each other and I'M HERE FOR IT. The other couple, their story is definitely different and I actually like where they ended up too. It definitely made sense for their characters and their pasts. There were some plot twists and history reveals here that had me SHOOKETH! I love when plots do that. Especially in YA when I'm just in it having a fun time, not really expecting much and then BAM! I liked the ending. I think the conclusion made sense and I think the way their powers end up works for the story being told. There's some definite mystery with the ending, and I like that. cover 4; characters 4; plot 4; pace 5; writing 4; enjoyment 4.

3.5

I really enjoyed going back to Four Paths! This is a great conclusion to the series everything is finally uncovered! The trees looking like human flesh really make it spooky and I regret not reading this book in spooky season. Nonetheless great characterization, I was so glad to have more POVs of May she is definitely one of my favorite characters she was so wronged by the others while she always did her best. Isaac my baby you deserved the world, I liked how his traumatic past was tackled. Harper continued to grow into a strong person and I appreciate the way the book ended on her relationship with Justin it felts very realistic. I will definitely read whatever Christine Lynn Herman published next :)

I really wound up loving this read. It was a great ending to this series. I really loved how this book had so many lead characters but they also all had time to shine. I really liked that the roamance element of this book was developed a little bit more. I also really liked the world building and the the mystery developd. It was super engaging read and def gave me massive strange thing vibes. I really enjoyed how this series ended!

There's quite a few flaws to this book, but I actually enjoyed myself greatly reading it, and kept wanting to pick it up! 3.5 stars

RTC

Not my favourite thing that I’ve ever read, but I did like it better than the first one! The characters were more interesting, and I liked where the plot went and how things were resolved. The ending (and everything else actually) was very predictable, but not necessarily in a bad way. I had a few eye-roll moments (do you really need to have a make out session while your world is being taken over by monsters? Really??) but otherwise it was good. Just fine is probably a probably a more accurate description, but regardless.

This was an exciting conclusion to The Devouring Gray duology and I enjoyed returning to Four Paths and especially to these characters. The Gray and the woods are as creepy and atmospheric as ever and if you thought everything was back to normal after the end of the first book, you’re in for a surprise. Things are just getting started. Absolutely my favorite parts are that we get to spend so much time with Isaac (love him) and that May plays a much larger role in this book than she did in the first one. Plus, we learn so much about the Founding Families, Four Paths, the beast and the Gray itself, I was delighted to get so much back story. There are times that the pacing in this lulls and it was easy to feel as though you were lost in the Gray itself while trying to unpack what was happening in the story and where it was going. However, I feel as though the last quarter or so of the book makes up for this well, especially as all of the pieces fall together. Needless to say, I’m greatly looking forward to seeing what Herman has in store for us next and absolutely look forward to reading her upcoming novel with Amanda Foody.

A truly enjoyable and thrilling conclusion to The Devouring Gray. I loved the changes in POV characters (though admittedly in some scenes it was hard to immediately tell whose POV it was and sometimes who was talking). Definitely recommend this one to Stranger Things fans.