I like strangely written books (most of the time). The ones that meander through the protagonists' lives and give glimpses of seemingly random people in the periphery who turn out to have major impacts at later stages in the narrative.
This was one such book that I did not enjoy as much as I wanted to. I found the plot interesting, but I was not as invested in the outcome as I should have been. I am in the minority since most others who have read the book have rated it highly.
We are introduced to a unique girl with some abilities her mother would rather she keep hidden. Then, we encounter the girl again several years down the line, and the company she keeps then are also people we have some inkling of the history of.
I like the author's skill in weaving the tale, joining all the different threads together when one least expects it, but the political machinations of the storyline ( here, the politics surround magic and its possible uses).
There are a lot of subplots that lead somewhere by the end. Even though this book is the first in a series, it felt like a complete narrative by the time I set it aside.
I think most people who read magically altered historical fiction will appreciate this more than I did.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This started well and I quite enjoyed it. There are some fantastic characters and they really helped to bring the story to life. Unfortunately, as I continued to read I found my interest waning and the second half didn’t quite live up to the first.
Overall, still a good story.

❥ 2 stars ☆

❝Magic is out every night, but tonight all mortals can touch it.❞

I wanted to read this book thanks to the book title, and because it’s about tarot and Pamela Colman Smith.

This book is historical fiction, but Pamela Colman Smith was a real person who is best known for illustrating the Rider–Waite tarot deck for Arthur Edward Waite. It’s seen as the original tarot deck for most tarot readers, and it’s still the most used one today. Pamela also had the nickname Pixie.

The story follows Pamela through her life, and many tarot related things are mentioned that you will recognise if you’re familiar with tarot yourself, and some other famous names of people who have existed are also mentioned.

I thought it was funny that the book mentions Sweden and a Sweden-borgian church, when in reality Sweden is considered one of the most secular countries in the world, with a high proportion of irreligious people.

I liked reading about Pamela, and I would have liked to read the story only from her point of view. I didn’t like how the story jumped between some chapters and other people in the first half of the book, and it also had more info about the theatre than necessary as well as other things I wasn’t interested in reading about. I didn’t like the book as much as I thought I would.

I got 60% through before I ran out of time from my netgalley arc.

I want to say this specific feedback because I just did not find myself wanting to pick up this book. I thought the writing was good, and the topic was interesting but the pacing just really made me not engage with it.

The most interesting story was Pamela and the magic she saw, but her chapters were too far apart and with limited pov. And each time she came back the time had jumped forward. Same with the other stories. We never learned enough to become really attached. That with the fact that there were many characters, it was just too much. It may very well come all together in the end and feel rewarding but so far that isn't the case.

I did request it from the library to finish it, it is just a slow read for me. I have it as a 2.5 star for now. Will update once I eventually finish it.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Magician and Fool is available now.

It doesn’t happen very often, but every now and then I’ll read a book that leaves me a little bit confused. Magician and Fool was just such a book for me. I am left scratching my head a little at the description of the book vs the book that was written. The blurb seems to revolve the plot around a small aspect of the book, making it sound like a very different tale. I expected more of a fantastical tale with a small sprinkling of historical events or people. Instead, it is a fictional twist on historical characters and events with supernatural elements popping in.

Magician and Fool had a different cadence to its writing, and at times felt a little off-kilter. There was a lot of information to give, and, unfortunately, it led to some info dumping. It had a slow setup and at times I felt my attention wandering. The pacing was a victim of the author’s massive vision. I was surprised by how big her ideas were. There was a lot happening and things were implied that could have easily become separate books in their own right.

I also have zero experience with tarot decks, which means that things that would have emotional resonance for readers who understand that side of things just didn’t have the same effect on me. At this point, you’re probably thinking, “Why on earth did you decide to read this book when you are obviously not the intended reader?”, which is a very valid question. I am not the right reader for this book.

Because of this, take my quibbles with a very large grain of salt.

The characters themselves were interesting and the book is definitely not like anything I’ve read before. Alas, this wasn’t a book I enjoyed reading.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Unfortunately, this was a DNF (at least for now) for me.

Let me start by saying, I think I didn’t like this book simply because I wasn’t the right audience. I was intrigued by the premise, but the more I got into it the more I realized it wasn’t what I expected and wasn’t really what I wasn’t looking for.

I also found the back and forth and way of writing very confusing in the first chapters - it was a lot of info dumping, and the writing felt very unclear and I was often rereading passages, trying to figure out what happened. We’d go from a child’s game to a vision to magic back to home….or from talking the actor to the character they were playing…..and the execution just lacked the clarity I needed.

I’ll definitely hang on to this as a “may return to”, but for now I won’t be finishing. But for those interested in tarot this promises to be a great read!

3 Stars
One Liner: Interesting premise but lacks execution

Pamela Colman Smith is ten years old when she first sees the image of a man standing atop a cliff with one foot in the air and two paths to choose from.
Aleister Crowley feels his life change forever when his loving preacher father dies and his mother can’t stand the sight of him.
The Golden Dawn group is working on various magical experiments to create a powerful tarot deck, no matter how long it takes.
The Lyceum Theatre is flourishing with Henry Irving, Ellen Terry, Bram Stoker, and William Terriss shouldering the work.
In a chance incident, a young Pamela goes to the Lyceum Theatre and realizes it’s the place to find magic. Years later, she is back to audition at the same theatre and takes up the job of illustrating the tarot deck for Golden Dawn. However, Aleister Crowley, now a powerful magician, is determined to own more magical power.
With Irving and Terriss to protect her, Pamela must learn about her hidden powers and a second sight to illustrate the cards and control her gifts.
The story comes in the third-person POV.
Don’t read the Goodreads blurb.

What I Like:
As a tarot learner, I loved the premise based on real people. The Raider White Smith deck was first illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith (a piece of information lost for years before it came to light).
The climax is wonderful. Magic is unleashed with full force, and seeing Pamela understand her powers to save people she admires and loves. It is the best part of the book.
Ahmed, the Egyptian scholar, is my favorite character. His resentment towards the English ‘scholars’ who want to benefit from ‘exotic’ magic without acknowledging the cultural heritage comes out clearly. I echo his sentiments. The idea of ‘discovering’ treasures in other lands and claiming them as the world’s property is something the international chor bazaar (I mean the British Museum) excels at.
Despite the issues I have with the book (listed in the next section), I can’t help but feel happiness bubbling inside me each time little bits of tarot symbolism are mentioned. Newbies are told to focus on the imagery as well as the standard interpretation, and the book highlights why this advice is so important.

What Could Have Been Better for Me:
The blurb doesn’t suit the book. The said events don’t occur until after 70%. The first 55% establishes the backstory. As such, this isn’t a problem because we do need to know the characters. However, the entire thing reads like a badly patched-up assignment.
The story has three tracks- Pamela’s, The Lyceum Theatre, and Aleister Crowley’s. They merge in the second half. However, the execution is choppy and full of info dump. It reads more like an early draft needing a capable developmental editor.
Many real-life people are characters in the book. That’s fine too. But they seem to have no personalities and feel like cardboard cutouts. It doesn’t help that none of them, including Pamela and Crowley, are explored in depth. Since the book has a what-if premise, exploring Pamela’s second sight (or synesthesia) and Crowley’s obsession with magic shouldn’t be a problem.
There are issues with time jumps and connections between scenes. The transition is jumpy, jerky, and hard to follow. It doesn’t help that the characters seem surreal and impossible to connect with. It’s hard to keep track of things (though I can go with the flow, I can’t help but feel confused when it is erratic).
Despite the scenes with paranormal elements, most of them don’t make an impact except for the climax. This could be because the aspects are not detailed. They are mentioned but not explored in full. A book dealing with magic, the occult (light & dark) should present the supernatural in all its glory. Bring it on!

To summarize, Magician and Fool has great potential but falls flat almost throughout (until the climax, which is a gem). A solid round of structural editing and polishing should make this a 4-star read. Still, I look forward to book two (I do love tarot).
You don’t have to be a tarot reader to enjoy the book, but knowing the basic symbols and cards will help visualize them easily.
Thank you, NetGalley and SparkPress, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

While the premise of the book is interesting, the challenge lands with the fact that the book cannot seem to decide if it wishes to be historical alternate-universe fiction or occult. As a result it attempts to do both causing a confused sense to it.

Numerous historical figures litter the pages, sometimes to the point of distracting, as is the jumping between time and location and characters.

The times when Wands focuses on the fantastical elements are when the book shines, and that curiosity carries most of the book. Exploration of occult rituals but also Pamela’s own magic creates a backdrop to the power struggles of the historical figures.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

The premise of this book, a fantastical version of Pamela Colman Smith's creation of her famous tarot cards, intrigued me. Unfortunately the plot fell flat.

The first 50 percent or so felt more like an info dump of parts of multiple characters’ biographies - various members of the Golden Dawn, Pamela herself and Aleister Crowley - without giving any of the characters much personality or explaining seemingly important parts of their backgrounds. It’s possible that having a deeper knowledge of the actual history would help fill in those gaps. For someone without that background, it gave an abundance of tangential information and not enough about the actual plot or the magic of the cards, Pamela or Aleister Crowley. It left the characters feeling two-dimensional and the action that took place in the second half feeling over the top and unearned.

I wanted to love this book and its Victorian mystical and theatrical drama, but unfortunately I did not. Two and a half stars.

If you love books that merge fantasy with historical fiction, and have an interest in the history of the occult in Victorian society, you'll love "Magician and Fool" by Susan Wands. Exploring the history of tarot cards in Victorian society, including the larger-than-life historical figures like Alistair Crawley, the author highlights Pamela Colman Smith's contributions to the illustrations of the famous cards, which is fascinating to learn about.

In terms of character development, the main characters are mostly well-realised, with clear motivations, and the relationship between the characters is set-up well. However, some characters lack true depth and could have benefited from more development. Despite this, the story remains engaging as readers become invested in the characters' journey.

The pacing of the story is generally well done, but there are times when the plot drags or speeds through scenes too quickly. The author's descriptive style is commendable, but the long info-dumping paragraphs can bog down the story. However, if you are willing to take your time and work through those paragraphs, the payoff is worth it.

Overall, "The Magician and the Fool" is an enjoyable read for anyone who is interested in a fantasy reimagining of the occult in Victorian England. Despite some minor flaws, the novel's strengths lie in its interesting premise and well-developed characters, making it a solid addition to any reader's bookshelf.

Unfortunately, I ended up not finishing this book after reading 26% of it.

I was excited for Magician and Fool, the premise of the story sounded very intriguing. I struggled with this book right off the bat; the writing was flowery but also choppy at the same time. There was a lot of info dumping and a lot of the dialogue between characters seemed forced. I felt like there was a lack of coherency and the story was ultimately hard to follow. The writing was very “tell” and not “show”.
I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me.

Thank you Spark Press and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review.

In her book "Magician and Fool", Susan Wands took me on a fantastic journey of magick in both the right hands and the wrong ones through the eyes of a young Pamela Coleman Smith who, like me, stifled her gifts for a time to refrain from calling attention to herself. Those with some familiarity with the Tarot will recognize many of the names and symbols depicted in this fast-paced, page-turner of a novel. Above all, it left me waiting with bated breath to follow along on the rest of the Fool's journey to enlightenment (I prefer looking on the bright side in this case).

Her depictions of Alistair Crowley and of the Golden Dawn may have followed things I've read myself, but she gave both a life which mere research can't create. Her words drew me into each manifestation, leaving me on the edge of my chair as my eyes raced across the page to reach a conclusion which only piqued my curiosity for what her characters might pull out of their sleeves, minds, or magicks next.

She gives you a fair share of heart-stopping moments, and tender ones too. Friendships are formed in unlikely places, and events take turns you don't see coming. There are characters you'll love, those you'll want to help protect, and a couple who'll make you want to reach through the pages and throttle their ill-begotten hides. One thing she never does is leave you wanting.

I look forward to reading the rest of this series, and frankly I'd buy them now if they were available (and yes, I looked!). "Magician and Fool" comes out on May 2nd. If I were you, I'd pre-order it now, and follow Susan so you'll know when the next episode drops!

This re-print unearthed a real gem on this second print run and fresh cover. I love any Victorian era tale so Susan Wands had my number with this one. I truly enjoyed the tarot system in this book and it is clear that Wands is an expert. Also, I appreciated the discussions of imperialism and feminism.

Pamela is new to Victorian London and seen as odd in society, especially since she illustrates tarot cards for a living. She ends up in a battle against Aleister Crowley and has to learn to conjure her magic to beat him.

I think this took a little too long to get to the main plot for me. I think people that enjoy high fantasy more though will enjoy this more.

This book took me a very long time to finish. Not because it was long, but because there was so much back and forth, it was very confusing and hard to follow. I could not get into the characters either. I really wanted to love this book but I just wasn’t able to get into it.

While tarot cards have been around for centuries, most modern decks owe their basic design and symbolism to the iconic deck created by Pamela Colman Smith (and unfortunately known for many years as the Rider Waite deck, named for two men who had far less creative input). Smith's history is a fascinating one, given her itinerant childhood and her early work with the Lyceum Theatre and great figures such as Henry Irving, Ellen Terry, and Bram Stoker. She became involved with the Order of the Golden Dawn, which commissioned her to create the tarot deck for their magical studies and rituals.

The book Magician and Fool offers a fictionalized version of this history, and while it's interesting to see behind the scenes at the Lyceum or within the secretive walls of the Golden Dawn, ultimately it was not a book I really enjoyed reading. The writing often feels stilted, including in some conversations that feel a little pointless to the narrative, and there are so many viewpoint shifts and Wikipedia-esque infodumps throughout the pages that I honestly struggled to find a coherent thread even past the halfway point. And while the characters are pretty much all real historical figures, most of them actually felt two-dimensional or even simply symbolic, just as Smith used them in her tarot drawings. (Even Smith, depicted as having synesthesia without it diagnosed as such, seems to have a limited range of personality, which seems completely unbelievable, given her history.)

I did appreciate that the author highlighted the sexism within the Golden Dawn and offered a character who could address the cultural appropriation inherent in the Golden Dawn's work. But the book also had cringey moments, like the scene in which Smith auditions for the Lyceum folk by telling a story from her Black nanny, using "a Jamaican accent." Just... ew, no.

In a way, the book reads more like a biography or simple historical novel -- except that it doesn't strictly adhere to the actual history, the historical figures don't pop to life, and the fantastical elements are really over the top.

A serious disappointment. 2 stars.

Thank you, Spark Press and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

This was a book that started off very slowly, and I'm not sure it needed to. The introduction to the world, characters, and politics did not need to be as long as it was. I enjoyed the commentary about imperialism within the book and the magical symbolism. I did not enjoy the overly long and slow beginning, nor how disjointed the story felt at times. I feel like it should have been more concise.

The book started off slowly, with the introduction of multiple characters and settings. At times, I wondered where this was all going. But the book was fantastic at creating moods and scenes and I put those concerns aside. But when everything came together, the book was very good. Thank you to Netgalley and SparkPress for the digital review copy.

Interesting book, I think it helps to know a little about Tarot to recognise certain aspects and hints throughout the story. Very interesting people pop up through the book and add to the story.

A good start to what I think could be a very good series!

Magician and Fool by Susan Wands is a historical fiction story based on the life of Pamela Colman Smith who is the artist of the famous Rider Waite Tarot deck. The story follows her from childhood to adulthood and how she ultimately became involved with the Golden Dawn.

I'm not sure how much was fact and how much was fiction in this story which makes it a little hard to review.
There were a lot of interesting characters and events in this book that had supernatural and mystical elements. There were many shocking moments and the story was rich with detail which made it an entertaining read. If this is the first book in a series, I look forward to reading the next installment.