From the New York Times bestselling author of the Dark Olympus series, this high-octane, fast-paced epic fantasy of tarot magic and deadly competition launches an explosive new series perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab and Carissa Broadbent.
The deck has always been stacked against her.
Kestrel has trained her whole life to compete in the Tarot Trials. Her mother won once, earning a place among the five ruling Cinque-then paid for it with her life, executed for alleged treason against the Minor Court.
But fortune favors the bold.
Now it falls to Kestrel to take up her mother's mantle as Champion of the Moon, enter the Trials, and face her fate. If she can master her new powers of shadow and illusion, navigate the poisonous game of alliances and lies, and corner the fellow Champion who dealt the killing blow to her mother years ago, she may uncover the truth she's seeking without losing her head... or her heart. But in the Trials, betrayal is a question of when, not if. And winning the game isn't about what she must do to win, but who she needs to survive.
Themes & Tropes:
- Deadly Trials
- Enemies to Lovers
- A Dash of Romance, but Not a Romance
- Only 5 can Survive
- Tarot themed magic system
- Death Games
- A Walled City
- Solve the Mystery of her Mother’s Death
Book Review:
Katee Robert said, “Let me try fantasy,” and apparently decided to absolutely knock it out of the park!
I went into The Tarot Trials not really knowing what to expect because I’m so used to reading Robert’s romance books. This was a nice surprise, and I ended up really enjoying it! But let me start by saying THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE BOOK. There is a very, very small romance subplot, but it’s barely there at this point. We are here for the fantasy, the deadly trials, the magic, and the intrigue!
Meet Kestrel, a woman on a mission to win the Tarot Trials and discover why her mother was murdered after winning her own competition. She’s determined, ambitious, and ready to do whatever it takes to get answers.
Tarot Trials are a competition to become one of the gods’ champions. Kestrel is competing to become the Moon’s champion, but things get interesting when she’s the only one making progress during the competition. Everyone around her keeps whispering that the position is cursed.
And then Kestrel becomes the Moon’s champion without much fuss.
GIRL. The position is supposedly cursed, and you’re just going to carry on like everything is fine?! 👀
But winning is only the beginning. There are supposed to be 22 champions, one for each of the Major Arcana, but only FIVE can survive to become members of the Cinque. During the day, everyone is expected to be pleasant, rest, and attend parties and gatherings hosted by the Minor Arcana, the wealthy and privileged members of society. But from sundown to sunrise? All bets are off!
The champions start forming alliances, groups work together to eliminate the competition, and everyone is trying to survive. Meanwhile, Kestrel is trying to figure out what happened to her mother while navigating a competition that might be way more dangerous than she anticipated. Because apparently, trying to solve your mother's murder while fighting to stay alive isn't enough to keep a girl busy. 😂
I LOVED THIS BOOK. The magic system was fascinating, the world-building was fantastic, and the concept of using the Major Arcana as gods and the Minor Arcana as the privileged elite was so clever. Add in the politics, social hierarchy, mysterious powers, and deadly competition, and you have a recipe for an extremely entertaining read.
I’m always a sucker for a deadly trials trope, and this one did NOT disappoint! Give me dangerous competitions, alliances, secrets, political intrigue, and characters who may or may not make it out alive.
I enjoy Katee Robert’s books, so it was fun getting to experience something different from her. The characters, the world, the magic, the intrigue… it was all chef’s kiss. 🤌 Robert really left me wanting more, and I have SO many questions!
And now I have to wait a WHOLE YEAR for the next book?!
A WHOLE. YEAR. ðŸ˜
Katee Robert was made to write fantasy. I said what I said! I can’t wait to see where she takes this story next because I need more of this world, more of the magic, and ANSWERS.
Anyway, I highly enjoyed this one, and now I’ll be impatiently waiting for the next book like everyone else.
Katee Robert, you have me in a chokehold. See you in a year, I guess…
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