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A review by constant2m
The Cursed Tarot: A Dark Alice In Wonderland Retelling by Killian Wolf
5.0
I didn't know anything about tarot cards when I picked up this book, and I probably still don't, but the world that was made via the cards was very cool. Alice, whose name is actually Soren, is a foster kid. Her current family lives at a circus and utilizes her skills as a thief. But when she is caught, or more likely set up, she manages to create a portal into another world using the tarot card she swiped from the local fortune teller she had been visiting earlier. And the rest of the book is spent with her trying to get back to her own world.
But that's only the beginning. Soren discovers a world in which magic is constantly changing. At some point it was controlled by the three fates, but as they traveled to other worlds, they brought back other magical objects, like a tarot deck, and the world absorbed the new magic. So it's kind of hard to figure out all the rules...or how to get back home.
Before she knows it, Soren is caught up with pirates, undead, soldiers, queens, merfolk, and even talking flowers - this is Alice in Wonderland like you've never seen it, larger than life, full-color, and easy to lose yourself in. And it's a fantastically beautiful world. It also has its moments of darkness. Her captor is rather cruel at times, as is the queen who harms people for sport. And even those who are kind to Soren one minute, turn on her the next. It's hard to know who to trust. Which is why she really shouldn't risk falling in love. She has to get back to her sister!
I loved all the twists and turns in this story. It was easy to get lost in it because you really couldn't predict what would happen next and I love that kind of surprise. I also love the sort of stories that take you from place to place meeting all different sorts of people. And this book definitely took me on that kind of a journey. The magic was unique and interesting. People had marks based on tarot cards that determined their roles and potentially their abilities. And different cards had different types of power. Or power might have developed in a person as a teenager. Or they could be born with it. You just never really know. It really makes me want to keep reading to see where the story goes and what kind of powers Soren gets, because she has to!
I received an early copy of the book for editing purposes and have reviewed it willingly. And also, isn't the cover just so pretty?
But that's only the beginning. Soren discovers a world in which magic is constantly changing. At some point it was controlled by the three fates, but as they traveled to other worlds, they brought back other magical objects, like a tarot deck, and the world absorbed the new magic. So it's kind of hard to figure out all the rules...or how to get back home.
Before she knows it, Soren is caught up with pirates, undead, soldiers, queens, merfolk, and even talking flowers - this is Alice in Wonderland like you've never seen it, larger than life, full-color, and easy to lose yourself in. And it's a fantastically beautiful world. It also has its moments of darkness. Her captor is rather cruel at times, as is the queen who harms people for sport. And even those who are kind to Soren one minute, turn on her the next. It's hard to know who to trust. Which is why she really shouldn't risk falling in love. She has to get back to her sister!
I loved all the twists and turns in this story. It was easy to get lost in it because you really couldn't predict what would happen next and I love that kind of surprise. I also love the sort of stories that take you from place to place meeting all different sorts of people. And this book definitely took me on that kind of a journey. The magic was unique and interesting. People had marks based on tarot cards that determined their roles and potentially their abilities. And different cards had different types of power. Or power might have developed in a person as a teenager. Or they could be born with it. You just never really know. It really makes me want to keep reading to see where the story goes and what kind of powers Soren gets, because she has to!
I received an early copy of the book for editing purposes and have reviewed it willingly. And also, isn't the cover just so pretty?