Christine Lynn Herman has created another masterpiece. I was so excited to return to Four Paths as I fell in love with The Devouring Gray. The writing was just as beautiful and the mystery of the town continues to suck me right into the book and make me never want to put it down.

I will say that I was so disappointed with Harper and Justin’s ending. I don’t understand them getting together just for them to split at the very end. They were friends to enemies to lovers excellence and deserved better!! But I guess I can’t knock a star off for that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

There is a corruption leaking into Four Paths. At first, people things it's the Gray, But it's not. The Beast is sick, it smells awful, and people are getting attacked by trees, being devoured by the roots. Everything is beginning to look a bit darker.

I was a bit hesitant to request Deck of Omens because I was a bit tossed up about The Devouring Gray. I certainly love a good atmospheric setting as well as YA paranormal, which I think we're seriously lacking right now, but this books just feel so...I'm not sure how to describe it. There's something missing in the writing for me. I really want to like them, but I don't know what else to do.

I'm going to give Deck of Omens another shot in audio format (I did the same for Devouring Gray and my ratng went from 3 stars to 4), but I just felt like this was a bunch of teenagers complaining and then trees attacking. I'm sure if you don't mind the slower pace and less action in the setting, you'll enjoy it.

#TheDeckofOmens #NetGalley
A wonderful and decadent book of world building. I loved the first one and have to say I think book two is just a little better. The lies, betrayals, and story just kept me on the edge of my seat.

The Deck Of Omens has such a Riverdale/Stranger Things vibe! Ultimately I really enjoyed the story-line in this book but I just really struggled to connect with the characters. At times, I felt like the pace was a bit slow going and that made it difficult to get into. I also didn't like the 4 different perspectives and had a hard time relating to the characters. I had the same issue with the first book. But I really did enjoy the small town mystery/strange beast vibe going on in the book. It definitely has its own unique feel to it which I appreciate. It was definitely a strong continuation after The Devouring Gray as well.

As usual, it's going to be hard for me to write a review for this second and final book of the duology.

The Deck of Omens has the same atmospheric writing and setting. There's something about Four Paths and the forest that I love reading about. Book two focuses a lot more on the founder's past and how to fix things. There is some type of corruption seeping into Four Paths. At first, they think it's the Gray, but the corruption is happening there, too. The beast is feeling sick. The smell is terrible in both places. And now the trees are attacking people. The roots burrow into them, needing a host.

May is still struggling with getting her mom to respect and love her as much as she does Justin. Justin is dealing with the town finding out about him not having powers. He's not longer a friend to them. Isaac is dealing with his past which gets harder when his brother, Gabriel, shows up in Four Paths. Harper is still strong, but is having issues from her father and that she has feelings for Justin. Violet is still trying to get everyone to trust her.

May decides to call her father for help after she sees something weird happening to the trees. He tells her how special she is and reminds her of a ritual they did when she was younger. He hides out from Augusta and Justin, but comes to see May often. They spend time in the woods trying to figure out how to fix things. According to her dad, Hetty Hawthorne could change the future and he believes May is the first to be able to do it since then. Things continue to get bad and they have to evacuate the town. Only the founding families will stay to protect it.

We find out a lot about the founders and how the Beast and Gray were created in this book. A lot of lies and betrayals come out. Nothing is what the kids were told and they all must work together to figure out a way to save Four Paths and possibly the rest of New York.

I gave this book 4 1/2 stars, rounded up to 5. Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for my review copy.