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Cards of Fate
Morgana de Laurent is a witch who lives in-of all places-Perdetia, the last kingdom in Dresbourn to still enforce the practice of witch-burning. Orphaned in the anti-magic crusades of the cruel demon king, Morgana is adopted by a wealthy baroness, who urges her to hide her true identity in plain sight. But it's not the stake she's worried about; it's the fate of the only man she's ever loved, Leopold Ellingham, and the safety of her best friend, Princess Lafreya.
In the midst of a momentous political transition, a sudden kidnapping sends the young witch and her lover on an adventure to the far reaches of Dresbourn-as the future of all magic-users to hangs in the balance.
Part thrilling adventure, part erotic romance, Cards of Fate is a tale of facing one's fears and oneself, the lengths we go for love, and how much control we have over destiny.
In the midst of a momentous political transition, a sudden kidnapping sends the young witch and her lover on an adventure to the far reaches of Dresbourn-as the future of all magic-users to hangs in the balance.
Part thrilling adventure, part erotic romance, Cards of Fate is a tale of facing one's fears and oneself, the lengths we go for love, and how much control we have over destiny.
- GenresFantasy
408 pages, Paperback
First published February 14, 2023
1 person is currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
A.R. Kingston
12 books15 followersA.R. Kingston grew up in a small town in Massachusetts. She holds a degree in psychology and has spent several years working in the mental health field before turning to writing.
When she’s not reading or working on her own books, you can find her playing video games, enjoying archery and photography, or volunteering at her local pig rescue.
She currently lives in Colorado Springs with her two teenage boys, her dogs, and pet pigs.
When she’s not reading or working on her own books, you can find her playing video games, enjoying archery and photography, or volunteering at her local pig rescue.
She currently lives in Colorado Springs with her two teenage boys, her dogs, and pet pigs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
January 13, 2023
A pretty solid adult fantasy with magic, romance, and monsters.
I love how the author intertwined the tarot cards and magic into the story. I only wish there was more to the ending. The ending was easily predicted and a bit anticlimactic.
It only needed a little more oomph and that emotional pull. Other than that, it was an enchanting story. I would recommend it to fans of adult fantasy and romance.
***I would like to thank NetGalley, A.R. Kingston (the author), and Keen Quill Press for graciously sending me an ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.**
I love how the author intertwined the tarot cards and magic into the story. I only wish there was more to the ending. The ending was easily predicted and a bit anticlimactic.
It only needed a little more oomph and that emotional pull. Other than that, it was an enchanting story. I would recommend it to fans of adult fantasy and romance.
***I would like to thank NetGalley, A.R. Kingston (the author), and Keen Quill Press for graciously sending me an ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.**
February 13, 2023
* I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book*
This book was so much fun, I started it while I was in a huge reading slump and it’s helped immensely!
“Cards of Fate” follows the journey of our protagonist Morgana, a witch who was orphaned at a young age at the hand of the evil demon king, she was adopted by a rich baroness and consequently had to move to Perdetia, a kingdom where witches like her are outlawed and burned to the steak. She’s been in love with Leopold since they were kids, but his ambition to climb through the ranks and become captain of the royal guard has gotten in the way of their blooming love. Now that her best friend Princess Lafreya is about to be crowned queen, things could finally be different for them, but the future queen’s kidnapping sets in motion their journey to take her back.
This was such a thrilling read, filled with adventure, magic, friendship, love and also quite some spice. I would have loved it even more if the ending was a little more developed since it felt somewhat rushed, but overall I really enjoyed this novel and I’m so glad I got the chance to read it.
This book was so much fun, I started it while I was in a huge reading slump and it’s helped immensely!
“Cards of Fate” follows the journey of our protagonist Morgana, a witch who was orphaned at a young age at the hand of the evil demon king, she was adopted by a rich baroness and consequently had to move to Perdetia, a kingdom where witches like her are outlawed and burned to the steak. She’s been in love with Leopold since they were kids, but his ambition to climb through the ranks and become captain of the royal guard has gotten in the way of their blooming love. Now that her best friend Princess Lafreya is about to be crowned queen, things could finally be different for them, but the future queen’s kidnapping sets in motion their journey to take her back.
This was such a thrilling read, filled with adventure, magic, friendship, love and also quite some spice. I would have loved it even more if the ending was a little more developed since it felt somewhat rushed, but overall I really enjoyed this novel and I’m so glad I got the chance to read it.
May 17, 2024
Firstly, thank you to Netgalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
2.65⭐️: Glad I read it but wouldn't read again, It wasn't anything particularly special.
Cards of Fate is a typical romantasy/adventure book, following Morgana, a witch living in a kingdom that practices witch-burning. When her best friend is kidnapped, she and her lover go off to retrieve the abducted princess.
The main issue I noticed throughout the whole book is that it lacks depth. The characters, the romance, the adventure, the politics. All these aspects are executed fairly well, but they are slightly basic.
The characters were lovely at first. When we first meet everybody, I found their relationships with each other to be sweet and cute. Very lovable. As the story progressed, the more I realized how little character they actually held. Nothing about the lack of character made me not want to read this though, it only made the read less enjoyable. This book could've been drastically improved if the characters were just more intriguing.
The book is described as "part erotic romance". I heavily disagree. I found no chemistry between Morgana and Leopold. The smut lacked tension and was uninteresting. When I discovered this was a forbidden romance (one of my favorite tropes), I was excited to dive into the book, I must admit I am disappointed. I would still consider this a romance book, but certainly NOT an erotica.
I think in many fantasy books the writing and action keeps you reading, but I didn't feel that way while reading Cards of Fate. The writing was extremely straightforward- which I'd never expect nor want from a fantasy book. I feel slightly misled by the description of this book. Also, I found the ending to be very predictable. I think it was a good ending, but it would've been so much better if I didn't expect it.
I know i've mostly been addressing my issues with this book, but I don't regret reading it. I did have issues with the writing and characters but it wasn't insufferable. Would I read this again? No. But that's only my opinion. Was it worth the read? Yes, I am glad that I read this, and I think it was very creative and original. I loved the incorporation of tarot and I don't think I will read another book like this again. I think it could've been an amazing read if it improved more on adding depth and working on the issues I mentioned prior.
2.65⭐️: Glad I read it but wouldn't read again, It wasn't anything particularly special.
Cards of Fate is a typical romantasy/adventure book, following Morgana, a witch living in a kingdom that practices witch-burning. When her best friend is kidnapped, she and her lover go off to retrieve the abducted princess.
The main issue I noticed throughout the whole book is that it lacks depth. The characters, the romance, the adventure, the politics. All these aspects are executed fairly well, but they are slightly basic.
The characters were lovely at first. When we first meet everybody, I found their relationships with each other to be sweet and cute. Very lovable. As the story progressed, the more I realized how little character they actually held. Nothing about the lack of character made me not want to read this though, it only made the read less enjoyable. This book could've been drastically improved if the characters were just more intriguing.
The book is described as "part erotic romance". I heavily disagree. I found no chemistry between Morgana and Leopold. The smut lacked tension and was uninteresting. When I discovered this was a forbidden romance (one of my favorite tropes), I was excited to dive into the book, I must admit I am disappointed. I would still consider this a romance book, but certainly NOT an erotica.
I think in many fantasy books the writing and action keeps you reading, but I didn't feel that way while reading Cards of Fate. The writing was extremely straightforward- which I'd never expect nor want from a fantasy book. I feel slightly misled by the description of this book. Also, I found the ending to be very predictable. I think it was a good ending, but it would've been so much better if I didn't expect it.
I know i've mostly been addressing my issues with this book, but I don't regret reading it. I did have issues with the writing and characters but it wasn't insufferable. Would I read this again? No. But that's only my opinion. Was it worth the read? Yes, I am glad that I read this, and I think it was very creative and original. I loved the incorporation of tarot and I don't think I will read another book like this again. I think it could've been an amazing read if it improved more on adding depth and working on the issues I mentioned prior.
January 7, 2023
Cards Of Fate is an epic fantasy story that has found family and forbidden romance trope.
I enjoyed reading this book so much that I definitely already can tell that this is going on my top books list of this year
The story has a good pace and the writing style is beautiful. The characters are definitely what makes this book so good especially Morgana and her character development. Her journey of finding her voice and healing from her trauma was beautifully done.
The spice scene were not too much and felt realistic and didn't take away from the actual story.
If you love romantasy books then this is definitely for you.
I enjoyed reading this book so much that I definitely already can tell that this is going on my top books list of this year
The story has a good pace and the writing style is beautiful. The characters are definitely what makes this book so good especially Morgana and her character development. Her journey of finding her voice and healing from her trauma was beautifully done.
The spice scene were not too much and felt realistic and didn't take away from the actual story.
If you love romantasy books then this is definitely for you.
May 14, 2023
Beautiful cover, promising synopsis, but the story itself is rather flat and disappointing.
2,5/5 ⭐
From the very first page, I felt that the writing style was not going to be quite right for me. In itself, if the story appeals to me super hard, I can still get over that while reading. Unfortunately, I also found it almost impossible to empathise with the characters and their behaviour. They all felt very immature (even though this book is not YA but adult). Between the love interests, any trace of chemistry was missing. Content-wise, the story felt rather flat and poorly thought out, many things just don't make sense. Furthermore, things just happened out of nowhere and were resolved within five minutes every time (You can actually even find a fixed pattern in it: a monster appears, they fight, they get injured, defeat the monster, "I thought I'd lost you", nurse their wounds and resume their journey again). The magic system has potential but is not sufficiently developed. The same goes for the tarot cards. I was so curious when I saw that these would play a major role, but actually almost nothing is done with them in the story. You also get hardly any explanation of how the cards work and what they mean.
The biggest plus for me were the chapter headings, these are really beautifully drawn.
So, in my opinion, this book definitely has potential and takes off from a nice idea. It is the execution that makes it not my cup of tea I guess.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
2,5/5 ⭐
From the very first page, I felt that the writing style was not going to be quite right for me. In itself, if the story appeals to me super hard, I can still get over that while reading. Unfortunately, I also found it almost impossible to empathise with the characters and their behaviour. They all felt very immature (even though this book is not YA but adult). Between the love interests, any trace of chemistry was missing. Content-wise, the story felt rather flat and poorly thought out, many things just don't make sense. Furthermore, things just happened out of nowhere and were resolved within five minutes every time (You can actually even find a fixed pattern in it: a monster appears, they fight, they get injured, defeat the monster, "I thought I'd lost you", nurse their wounds and resume their journey again). The magic system has potential but is not sufficiently developed. The same goes for the tarot cards. I was so curious when I saw that these would play a major role, but actually almost nothing is done with them in the story. You also get hardly any explanation of how the cards work and what they mean.
The biggest plus for me were the chapter headings, these are really beautifully drawn.
So, in my opinion, this book definitely has potential and takes off from a nice idea. It is the execution that makes it not my cup of tea I guess.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
February 14, 2023
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Morgana de Laurent is a witch who lives in Perdetia, the last kingdom in Dresbourn to still enforce the practice of witch-burning. Orphaned in the anti-magic crusades of the cruel demon king, Morgana is adopted by a wealthy baroness, who urges her to hide her true identity in plain sight. But it's not the stake she's worried about; it's the fate of the only man she's ever loved, Leopold Ellingham, and the safety of her best friend, Princess Lafreya.
Honestly, it sounded good. I loved the cover. But from the very first sentence until the last, I just could not get into this. The writing, for me, is clunky and flat. I did not feel the chemistry between Morgana and Leopold. I also found the plot a little underwhelming and repetitive. And the dreaded miscommunication trope just took me out of this completely.
I really wanted to enjoy this. Hopefully if you're reading this, you still want to read this book and it's something you'll enjoy.
Morgana de Laurent is a witch who lives in Perdetia, the last kingdom in Dresbourn to still enforce the practice of witch-burning. Orphaned in the anti-magic crusades of the cruel demon king, Morgana is adopted by a wealthy baroness, who urges her to hide her true identity in plain sight. But it's not the stake she's worried about; it's the fate of the only man she's ever loved, Leopold Ellingham, and the safety of her best friend, Princess Lafreya.
Honestly, it sounded good. I loved the cover. But from the very first sentence until the last, I just could not get into this. The writing, for me, is clunky and flat. I did not feel the chemistry between Morgana and Leopold. I also found the plot a little underwhelming and repetitive. And the dreaded miscommunication trope just took me out of this completely.
I really wanted to enjoy this. Hopefully if you're reading this, you still want to read this book and it's something you'll enjoy.
February 14, 2023
What drew me in right from the start are the Arthurian character vibes that you can feel from the very first pages:in fact from the beginning you will find a medieval setting with witches,knights, pyres, demons and a magic system based on tarot cards.
Each character in fact has his own tarot card to which his fate is linked. Also, as a lover of tarot, I really appreciated that each chapter was associated with a different card!
I really loved Morgana: she is a strong and independent protagonist who does not hesitate to sacrifice herself for the people she cares about. She also had a beautiful story arc in which she managed to face and overcome her own traumas, thus managing to give herself a well-deserved happiness.
Leo, on the other hand while he isn’t my type of character, managed to win me over with his sweetness and devotion to Morgana whom he always put first at every opportunity ,even if it leads him to risk everything he has always worked for.
Their relationship was the sweetest: it was the perfect example of loyalty,devotion,patience and mutual blind trust that made me melt several times.
I also really liked how Morgana , despite her being a runaway witch and all her secrets, found in Lafreya,Leighton and Leo a beautiful support group throughout the .
In conclusion, if you like stories with a medieval background full of magic , adventure and in which the main character manages to come to terms with himself,this is the book for you! The only flaw was one where I would have liked to see a little more of the Demon King, but otherwise it has very smooth writing and an ending that half will be obvious and half will surprise you!
Each character in fact has his own tarot card to which his fate is linked. Also, as a lover of tarot, I really appreciated that each chapter was associated with a different card!
I really loved Morgana: she is a strong and independent protagonist who does not hesitate to sacrifice herself for the people she cares about. She also had a beautiful story arc in which she managed to face and overcome her own traumas, thus managing to give herself a well-deserved happiness.
Leo, on the other hand while he isn’t my type of character, managed to win me over with his sweetness and devotion to Morgana whom he always put first at every opportunity ,even if it leads him to risk everything he has always worked for.
Their relationship was the sweetest: it was the perfect example of loyalty,devotion,patience and mutual blind trust that made me melt several times.
I also really liked how Morgana , despite her being a runaway witch and all her secrets, found in Lafreya,Leighton and Leo a beautiful support group throughout the .
In conclusion, if you like stories with a medieval background full of magic , adventure and in which the main character manages to come to terms with himself,this is the book for you! The only flaw was one where I would have liked to see a little more of the Demon King, but otherwise it has very smooth writing and an ending that half will be obvious and half will surprise you!
January 24, 2023
Thank you so much to the author and the publisher, Keen Quill Press, for sharing an ARC of this book with me on NetGalley!!
Trigger warning: mention of sa happening in the past, violence
“You need to die first. You’ll have plenty of time to rescue your girl. Trust me”
“Dear child, you can’t heal a wound by opening up a fresh ones.”
This book was totally unexpected!!! When I saw the cover and read the blurb I kind of had an idea of where it would have led me but I had no idea it would have been this good!!!
A fantasy romance with some characters you’d be fighting against the devil for.
Political intrigue as well as magic and a spicy romance made this book so interesting it was hard to put it down !!!
Morgana and Leopold were absolutely the sweetest and their friends so amazing I couldn’t just fall for them all!!
Leopold is mmc I don’t usually prefer (morally grey kinda gal here) but this time around his sweetness and devotion completely caught me in the net!!!
The magical system was great with mention of Slavic folklore and fully based on the deck of cards used for tarots.
And there were magical creatures too!!
But most of all I have to say I loved how the author dealt with the SA theme and how the character tries to deal with her emotions and feeling on the aftermath of that !!!
And that ending !!! Beautiful plot twist at the end of the book that, to be completely honest, was half expected and half not, and I absolutely loved it!!
I’m so glad I had a chance to read this book and I can’t wait for it to be out!!
“I am the luckiest man on the planet because you consider me to be important to you”
“What if I don’t care? What if I want to walk into hell with you and bathe in the flames at your side?”
“I know now that fate cards only show you a glimpse of your future. Good or bad, out destiny is up to us”
Trigger warning: mention of sa happening in the past, violence
“You need to die first. You’ll have plenty of time to rescue your girl. Trust me”
“Dear child, you can’t heal a wound by opening up a fresh ones.”
This book was totally unexpected!!! When I saw the cover and read the blurb I kind of had an idea of where it would have led me but I had no idea it would have been this good!!!
A fantasy romance with some characters you’d be fighting against the devil for.
Political intrigue as well as magic and a spicy romance made this book so interesting it was hard to put it down !!!
Morgana and Leopold were absolutely the sweetest and their friends so amazing I couldn’t just fall for them all!!
Leopold is mmc I don’t usually prefer (morally grey kinda gal here) but this time around his sweetness and devotion completely caught me in the net!!!
The magical system was great with mention of Slavic folklore and fully based on the deck of cards used for tarots.
And there were magical creatures too!!
But most of all I have to say I loved how the author dealt with the SA theme and how the character tries to deal with her emotions and feeling on the aftermath of that !!!
And that ending !!! Beautiful plot twist at the end of the book that, to be completely honest, was half expected and half not, and I absolutely loved it!!
I’m so glad I had a chance to read this book and I can’t wait for it to be out!!
“I am the luckiest man on the planet because you consider me to be important to you”
“What if I don’t care? What if I want to walk into hell with you and bathe in the flames at your side?”
“I know now that fate cards only show you a glimpse of your future. Good or bad, out destiny is up to us”
February 23, 2023
*Thank you to NetGalley and Keen Quill Press for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review*
And oh boy I'm gonna be honest. This is NOT a good book. Oh, scratch that. This isn't a book. It's an idea poorly executed that made me wanna through my kindle to the wall (shhhh he's gonna hear it!).
Ok so explain something to me. The title is called Cards of Fate. So is it a rhetorical title? I mean where were the cards? Yeah, on the title of the chapter.
So the writer needs to do a little (ok a lot of research) when she wants to write a historical novel. Ok? I mean Mr Google has a LOT of info about time frames. You can't use "My Lady" and then speak like formal slang. You know?
Don't get me started on the I'm-a-witch-in-a-land-that-witches-are-burned-and-staked. Ok? even Edward's "I'm a vampire" scene in Twilight was better executed (no offense Stephenie Meyer).
It's a fantasy romance. So you expect romance. Yes? Well uh no. So, everyone says it's ok to like him. She likes him. He likes her. So they get together. Yes? No. Confused?
Man don't even get me started on the sex scene. Ok let me tell you something? Am I the only one that felt that the sex scene was cringy? Like kiss her neck, not lick it. I mean what? Maybe we have different opinion on what's considered sexy. Yup. That's might be it.
This was a book with a No No in multiple aspects. But yeah, no.. it wasn't for me. It's ok though. Not everyone can write a book. Clearly.
And it's sad because I haven't read anything by this author but based on this novel I won't read anything of her again.
And oh boy I'm gonna be honest. This is NOT a good book. Oh, scratch that. This isn't a book. It's an idea poorly executed that made me wanna through my kindle to the wall (shhhh he's gonna hear it!).
Ok so explain something to me. The title is called Cards of Fate. So is it a rhetorical title? I mean where were the cards? Yeah, on the title of the chapter.
So the writer needs to do a little (ok a lot of research) when she wants to write a historical novel. Ok? I mean Mr Google has a LOT of info about time frames. You can't use "My Lady" and then speak like formal slang. You know?
Don't get me started on the I'm-a-witch-in-a-land-that-witches-are-burned-and-staked. Ok? even Edward's "I'm a vampire" scene in Twilight was better executed (no offense Stephenie Meyer).
It's a fantasy romance. So you expect romance. Yes? Well uh no. So, everyone says it's ok to like him. She likes him. He likes her. So they get together. Yes? No. Confused?
Man don't even get me started on the sex scene. Ok let me tell you something? Am I the only one that felt that the sex scene was cringy? Like kiss her neck, not lick it. I mean what? Maybe we have different opinion on what's considered sexy. Yup. That's might be it.
This was a book with a No No in multiple aspects. But yeah, no.. it wasn't for me. It's ok though. Not everyone can write a book. Clearly.
And it's sad because I haven't read anything by this author but based on this novel I won't read anything of her again.
January 17, 2023
The concept for Cards of Fate is downright awesome, loved the use and theme of tarot that threads through the story. And while I can’t say I know much about tarot at all, it added some much needed depth to an otherwise fairly straightforward romantic fantasy adventure.
This tale takes us on a journey to rescue a princess from a demon king from the point of view of a witch called Morgana. A knight named Leopold joins her, as does a friend found in an intriguing character named Leighton, who rules a city nearby to that of the princess that they’re all trying to save. Morgana and Leopold are destined to be together, which is made very clear from the start, but the unfolding of their romance is a nicely paced one. Leighton seems like an extremely interesting character but often feels a bit like a third wheel in all of this, I would have liked to have known more about him.
Apart from the tarot theme, this novel reads like a good standard fantasy adventure. The twist at the end was extremely obvious to me from near the beginning but was worth finishing to see the development of Morgana’s character. The idea for the story is great but I couldn’t help to feel like it could have had a bit more meat and detail to it, same goes for some of the characters.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review!
This tale takes us on a journey to rescue a princess from a demon king from the point of view of a witch called Morgana. A knight named Leopold joins her, as does a friend found in an intriguing character named Leighton, who rules a city nearby to that of the princess that they’re all trying to save. Morgana and Leopold are destined to be together, which is made very clear from the start, but the unfolding of their romance is a nicely paced one. Leighton seems like an extremely interesting character but often feels a bit like a third wheel in all of this, I would have liked to have known more about him.
Apart from the tarot theme, this novel reads like a good standard fantasy adventure. The twist at the end was extremely obvious to me from near the beginning but was worth finishing to see the development of Morgana’s character. The idea for the story is great but I couldn’t help to feel like it could have had a bit more meat and detail to it, same goes for some of the characters.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review!
February 12, 2023
“ Everyone is born with a fate card…Most folks these days preferred to pretend that they were the masters of their own destiny, but their card would guide them on their journey, even if they were not aware of it. “
I've always found stories about tarot cards and witches very fascinating, so when I saw this story with this cover I immediately picked it up. Unfortunately it was not what I expected.
The story is about a witch, Morgana, who lives in a kingdom where witchcraft is illegal.Having the princess as an ally Morgana is about to change the political system so all the magical creatures will be able to live freely, when the princess takes over the kingdom. But an unfortunate event changes the plans and the fate of these creatures is at stake...
Although the idea was great I found it not well developed. There wasn't the intrigue, the witch hunt and the use of the tarot deck that I would have liked. Also the dialogues were a bit immature..
Overall it is an easy to read story that can be picked up by someone who likes light fantasy stories.
Thank you so much Keen Quil Press and NetGalley for providing the eARC in exchange of an honest review.
I've always found stories about tarot cards and witches very fascinating, so when I saw this story with this cover I immediately picked it up. Unfortunately it was not what I expected.
The story is about a witch, Morgana, who lives in a kingdom where witchcraft is illegal.Having the princess as an ally Morgana is about to change the political system so all the magical creatures will be able to live freely, when the princess takes over the kingdom. But an unfortunate event changes the plans and the fate of these creatures is at stake...
Although the idea was great I found it not well developed. There wasn't the intrigue, the witch hunt and the use of the tarot deck that I would have liked. Also the dialogues were a bit immature..
Overall it is an easy to read story that can be picked up by someone who likes light fantasy stories.
Thank you so much Keen Quil Press and NetGalley for providing the eARC in exchange of an honest review.
February 11, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley and Keen Quill Press for giving me an eARC in exchange for my honest review! This review is based on my experience reading CARDS OF FATE, and is in no way affected by my receiving an ARC.
In CARDS OF FATE by A. R. Kingston, we meet Morgana de Laurent, a witch who lives in the one kingdom where witchcraft is still illegal, Perdetia. She knows she won’t have to worry for longer, as her best friend Lafreya is poised to become queen. However, after danger strikes in the form of a kidnapping, Morgana and her beloved Leopold race to save the lives of many.
This book was really unique! I loved the magic system in this world, it’s one that I have not seen before. I also loved the worldbuilding; I wish there would be another book in this world so we could see more of it!
There was an aspect of CARDS OF FATE that I was not a huge fan of, however. Issues with danger or even relationships seemed to be solved quickly with very little tension. I would have liked to see certain situations take longer to be resolved.
Overall, this was a fun read. It was full of adventure, romance, and magic. The development of Morgana throughout the story was a particular highlight for me!
In CARDS OF FATE by A. R. Kingston, we meet Morgana de Laurent, a witch who lives in the one kingdom where witchcraft is still illegal, Perdetia. She knows she won’t have to worry for longer, as her best friend Lafreya is poised to become queen. However, after danger strikes in the form of a kidnapping, Morgana and her beloved Leopold race to save the lives of many.
This book was really unique! I loved the magic system in this world, it’s one that I have not seen before. I also loved the worldbuilding; I wish there would be another book in this world so we could see more of it!
There was an aspect of CARDS OF FATE that I was not a huge fan of, however. Issues with danger or even relationships seemed to be solved quickly with very little tension. I would have liked to see certain situations take longer to be resolved.
Overall, this was a fun read. It was full of adventure, romance, and magic. The development of Morgana throughout the story was a particular highlight for me!
February 12, 2023
I received an ARC by netgalley in exchange of an honest review:
I loved this book, it was so well written, the characters were everything and the world building was so well done too. Morgana was a strong woman that loved her friends fiercely and was loyal to the people she cared about. Leo was a good man in a dificult position but he chose her everytime, no matter what. These two show us what true love really is, it's patient, loyal, ever lasting, forgiving, trusting, just the way they loved each other, each of them would rather die than be without the other and would do anything to keep the other save and I loved that, that's true love. I guessed the twist at the end because there only two options and one of them made more sense than the other but I really liked it nonethless, that twist was necessary and well done
I loved this book, it was so well written, the characters were everything and the world building was so well done too. Morgana was a strong woman that loved her friends fiercely and was loyal to the people she cared about. Leo was a good man in a dificult position but he chose her everytime, no matter what. These two show us what true love really is, it's patient, loyal, ever lasting, forgiving, trusting, just the way they loved each other, each of them would rather die than be without the other and would do anything to keep the other save and I loved that, that's true love. I guessed the twist at the end because there only two options and one of them made more sense than the other but I really liked it nonethless, that twist was necessary and well done
February 14, 2023
I noticed that the reviews were all over the place for this but I have to say that I loved it! 5 ⭐️ because it really worked for me. I liked the flow and story telling. I’m not big on witches lately but I loved Morgana de Laurent!
This was a sci-fi fantasy that had romance (my personal favorite), adventure and a rescue. The world building was great and I loved Leo! The romance and friendships really made this a five star. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks Keen Quill Press via NetGalley.
This was a sci-fi fantasy that had romance (my personal favorite), adventure and a rescue. The world building was great and I loved Leo! The romance and friendships really made this a five star. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks Keen Quill Press via NetGalley.
March 5, 2023
Let me start by saying the idea of this book intrigued me, and the story has such great promise, I hadn't really read anything where tarot cards were assigned and pretty much set up your life so I was really excited for a new idea.
Unfortunately the book itself just didn't live up to the premise, I tried to like this book, I wanted to like it so much but there were so many inconsistent moments and dialogue.
While we're talking about the dialogue it just didn't make sense, the current or 90s slang terms in a book that's supposed to be set in a magical world just don't make sense to me, and make it really hard to get into the book.
I did finish the book, and while there were moments that held promise it was just a miss for me and I truly hate saying that.
This is unfortunately a two star read for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Keen Quill Press for providing a copy of this ebook, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Unfortunately the book itself just didn't live up to the premise, I tried to like this book, I wanted to like it so much but there were so many inconsistent moments and dialogue.
While we're talking about the dialogue it just didn't make sense, the current or 90s slang terms in a book that's supposed to be set in a magical world just don't make sense to me, and make it really hard to get into the book.
I did finish the book, and while there were moments that held promise it was just a miss for me and I truly hate saying that.
This is unfortunately a two star read for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Keen Quill Press for providing a copy of this ebook, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
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April 4, 2023*Thank you to NetGalley, Keen Quill Press, and to the author for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review*
DNF at 24%
Oh boy, I was so excited about this book. The concept sounded really interesting. The world sounded intriguing and the fact that people are born with their tarot cards which decide their fate sounds amazing. The magic was also interesting, and talking about mana and the way it drains was also interesting. Unfortunately, the execution was lacking. The writing itself was the issue in my opinion, many times the characters said things that made me cringe and I didn't really like the characters. I was expecting an adult fantasy book so tried to finish it but I really couldn't.
DNF at 24%
Oh boy, I was so excited about this book. The concept sounded really interesting. The world sounded intriguing and the fact that people are born with their tarot cards which decide their fate sounds amazing. The magic was also interesting, and talking about mana and the way it drains was also interesting. Unfortunately, the execution was lacking. The writing itself was the issue in my opinion, many times the characters said things that made me cringe and I didn't really like the characters. I was expecting an adult fantasy book so tried to finish it but I really couldn't.
February 1, 2023
Thank You Netgalley for a free copy of this book! Now to my thoughts
TW: SA of a child is mentioned.
TL;DR: This book needs more time in the oven before it was written. The characters are flat. The world-building was difficult to follow. And the sex scenes had no tension.
Firstly, this cover is what grabbed my attention. Then the blurb about political intrigue grabbed me like a toddler holding onto their new obsession. The cover is beautiful, the intrigue is nonexistent. That is probably the best word for the book, nonexistent, all the promises that are given aren't held up. We are promised a scary demon king, he turns out to be easily killed with teamwork and magic. We are promised a country that hates magic. We get a few chase scenes. We are promised erotica. We get a couple who have no real barriers to keep them apart and are both. Nice? They're both normal nice people? I don't think there is one interesting thing about Leo that I can remember off the top of my head. And I don't even remember what he looked like. This isn't like reading ACoTaR and I can tell you what Rhysand, Tamlin, and Lucien look like. I don't remember what anyone looks like.
The world-building in this book is abysmal. There is such a great idea here. Fate being a part of everyone's life? How a society would suffer and grow because people know what they are going to do? That's fascinating, but it's not used. Not really outside of Morgana might or might not do something. Sadly outside of the premise things fall apart. Morgana's best friend is a princess who is going to be married so her husband can rule. Though she has a younger brother who in normal monarchies would have taken over after her. It's not explained why she is still going to inherit when her brother would. There is no explanation about the different countries we run through(and yes run, I don't remember the names because there was so little time in them).
Morgana has to be saved for 90% of the book and was knocked out for a good third so we were stuck with the guys who had the same personality just with different goals. The book feels like it's head hopping but the author utilizes scene breaks to justify the head hops. I started to lose track of who I was with and it became a daze for me. I wish we had stuck with just Morgana and Leo if we had to stick with anyone. The moment we popped into Baba Yaga's head I was done. Also yes, Baba Yaga is in this, and she's as disneyfied as I worried she would be. There was no world-building for her so she appeared out of nowhere and I was left questioning if we were in a Slavic country with characters with French names.
Just a little bit more on the romance. Leo and Morgana have the tension of a puddle of water. Why they can't be together on page one is flimsy and once they are on the run it keeps getting dragged on and on about how they both love each other and want to be together, but then don't. It is frustrating to read. and other is no 'will they won't they' it's more 'they're going to be together whatever'. And since they have no tension I also don't want to see them romantically together. The sex scenes were flat because there was no desperation. Then they have a lot of really boring sex scenes and I thought for one moment there was going to be a shift where Leo was going to be manipulating Morgana, but no. They were just horny. Nothing to shake up the story from the characters. They passively continued toward their mission.
Speaking of being passive. That was an issue throughout the whole book. The whole time Morgana and the gang are having to dodge what's happening to them. Yes, they are on their way to save the Princess (I can't remember her name, there were so many L names that I didn't learn the Princess or the Duke's names), but they don't do anything. There is no action being done. Gathering allies in other kingdoms. Tricking the demon king into a trap. Creating a cult to summon another demon who could fight for them. There were so many things the characters could have done to be proactive but they didn't.
I know I've ripped this book apart pretty hard, but I do this to warn folks and to get out all the anger I have in a healthy way. I do hope to see a book with this premise one day. I'm devastated that it wasn't this book. Also I'm giving this a two star review because I didn't DNF and I didn't see typoes on every page. Two stars means it's a book I wish I hadn't picked up and will advise against.
TW: SA of a child is mentioned.
TL;DR: This book needs more time in the oven before it was written. The characters are flat. The world-building was difficult to follow. And the sex scenes had no tension.
Firstly, this cover is what grabbed my attention. Then the blurb about political intrigue grabbed me like a toddler holding onto their new obsession. The cover is beautiful, the intrigue is nonexistent. That is probably the best word for the book, nonexistent, all the promises that are given aren't held up. We are promised a scary demon king, he turns out to be easily killed with teamwork and magic. We are promised a country that hates magic. We get a few chase scenes. We are promised erotica. We get a couple who have no real barriers to keep them apart and are both. Nice? They're both normal nice people? I don't think there is one interesting thing about Leo that I can remember off the top of my head. And I don't even remember what he looked like. This isn't like reading ACoTaR and I can tell you what Rhysand, Tamlin, and Lucien look like. I don't remember what anyone looks like.
The world-building in this book is abysmal. There is such a great idea here. Fate being a part of everyone's life? How a society would suffer and grow because people know what they are going to do? That's fascinating, but it's not used. Not really outside of Morgana might or might not do something. Sadly outside of the premise things fall apart. Morgana's best friend is a princess who is going to be married so her husband can rule. Though she has a younger brother who in normal monarchies would have taken over after her. It's not explained why she is still going to inherit when her brother would. There is no explanation about the different countries we run through(and yes run, I don't remember the names because there was so little time in them).
Morgana has to be saved for 90% of the book and was knocked out for a good third so we were stuck with the guys who had the same personality just with different goals. The book feels like it's head hopping but the author utilizes scene breaks to justify the head hops. I started to lose track of who I was with and it became a daze for me. I wish we had stuck with just Morgana and Leo if we had to stick with anyone. The moment we popped into Baba Yaga's head I was done. Also yes, Baba Yaga is in this, and she's as disneyfied as I worried she would be. There was no world-building for her so she appeared out of nowhere and I was left questioning if we were in a Slavic country with characters with French names.
Just a little bit more on the romance. Leo and Morgana have the tension of a puddle of water. Why they can't be together on page one is flimsy and once they are on the run it keeps getting dragged on and on about how they both love each other and want to be together, but then don't. It is frustrating to read. and other is no 'will they won't they' it's more 'they're going to be together whatever'. And since they have no tension I also don't want to see them romantically together. The sex scenes were flat because there was no desperation. Then they have a lot of really boring sex scenes and I thought for one moment there was going to be a shift where Leo was going to be manipulating Morgana, but no. They were just horny. Nothing to shake up the story from the characters. They passively continued toward their mission.
Speaking of being passive. That was an issue throughout the whole book. The whole time Morgana and the gang are having to dodge what's happening to them. Yes, they are on their way to save the Princess (I can't remember her name, there were so many L names that I didn't learn the Princess or the Duke's names), but they don't do anything. There is no action being done. Gathering allies in other kingdoms. Tricking the demon king into a trap. Creating a cult to summon another demon who could fight for them. There were so many things the characters could have done to be proactive but they didn't.
I know I've ripped this book apart pretty hard, but I do this to warn folks and to get out all the anger I have in a healthy way. I do hope to see a book with this premise one day. I'm devastated that it wasn't this book. Also I'm giving this a two star review because I didn't DNF and I didn't see typoes on every page. Two stars means it's a book I wish I hadn't picked up and will advise against.
February 20, 2023
thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book for an honest review!
1 star and DNF at 57%
I'm gonna get one thing completely straight: this book is the WORST
I went into this book with high expectations like an adult fantasy with political intrigue and some romance?? omg a fantastic premise. too bad the execution was completely and utterly horrible.
i had so many things I hated about this book I had to start a whole NOTE about them and there were some bad things I had to say. if yall could see my kindle highlights you would be LAUGHING.
-the tarot cards aspect is LITERALLY only the names of the chapters omfg i wish there was more but the author apparently wanted a dull romance instead of what the description said.
-There were so many plot holes, SO. MANY. like we get told that our main character, Morgana, is a witch in a land where witches arent allowed to be and will be killed if found out. her longtime crush, Leo, is the captain of the guard but coincidentally does not agree with killing witches and has had a long crush on her too.
ok cool ig, is it a slow burn and both think their love is unrequited?
no. they both are in love and know the other likes them too.
so WHY are they not together?
because morgana doesn't think its the right time even though EVERYONE says its fine and he doesn't know shes a witch and even if he did, he would not care.
guess what happens?
NOT EVEN HALFWAY SHE HAS TO USE MAGIC IN FRONT OF HIM
"yes leo, I'm a witch" and then she passes out.
like WHY DID YOU HIDE IT THAT LONG IF YOU WERE JUST GONNA USE IT AT THE MOST LIKE MUNDANE TASK. FIXING A GODDAMN BRIDGE. LIKE YOU COULDN'T JUST.... JUMP OVER IT HOW LONG WAS THE CHASM??
- between the two guys that are with her. One guy is Leo and the other is Leighton, who is engaged to the princess of their land and is on a quest with them to save her.
YEAH. THE PLOT OF THE BOOK IS TO SAVE THE PRINCESS WHO IS KIDNAPPED BY THE DEMON KING. THIS PLOT IS BROUGHT UP AS LIKE ITS NOT IMPORTANT?? like that plot is so buried i forget about it until Leighton brings it up.
anyways back to the two boys. so leo hates leighton cause leighton is friendly with morgana and morgana is LEOS GIRL obviously. then morgana passes out
yall remember. after she used magic to build a bridge.
and he suddenly trusts Leighton after they get to a witch named Baba Yagas house and she saves Morgana.
now don't get me started on how every single random character can just TELL morgana and leo wanna fuck so bad.
"oooo i can smell yalls lust cause I'm a witch and that's all i care about and anyone cares about in this entire book." like i get it but... there is no reason they arent together.
okay anyways next grievance:
-the POV's
i get what the author is trying to do but why tf did i care about what Baba Yaga thought about the three main characters? like couldn't the author had made this a little interesting and made us think maybe this witch is evil? that would've been a good like quest thing to do. also on kindle i have no idea whos mind we are in until the author says their name.
- THE NAME MORGIE IS SO UGLY WHY IS THAT HER NICKNAME IS SHE A FUCKING FROG???? LIKE WHAT WAS THE REASON THATS SOMETHING U CALL UR LITTLE SISTER NOT UR LOVER??
- there was one point where leo said morgana had told him when they were kids that she felt she had a connection with the demon king. BUT SHE DIDN'T TELL HIM SHE WAS A WITCH LIKE IS IT BETTER TO BE CONNECTED TO THE DEMON KING???
-morgana lived in a land where magic was forbidden and talking about magic was forbidden. But she knows every single thing about magic users and magic spells and all this shit? how???? no explanation ok
- THE WAY THEY TALK OMFG like are we in royalty and you say "my lady" and all that or are you gonna say "nah i think you need to think about your life" WHICH IS A REAL QUOTE FROM THE BOOK BTW. like get the way of speaking correct before you write characters in a timeline where they speak in a different way like what.
- so morgana and the boys get back to their homeland (which forbids magic users) and there's a fake princess there who says they need to lock morgana up. i was like omg ok so some action morgana is gonna get tortured whats gonna happen all that. cause they make it such a huge deal that they have to lock her up and shes getting executed the next day.
WRONG.
shes saved by the nightfall. which is in 4 pages. nothing exciting leo saves her easily and they fight some soldiers and leave. but leo doesn't care to kill his men even though at the beginning of the book he cared a lot and wanted to make sure they could spare their lives. nah toss those morals out the window!!!
- okay at one point morgana cuts her hand to use magic and leo stops them in their path to bandage her up. but at the same time morgana notices his arm is cut and bleeding so she says they should bandage it up too and he just...smirks at her??? and says its okay??? like dud you have all the supplies out just do it
- OK THERE WAS A MONSTER and leighton says that to kill it u have to sever its head. okay cool we have something to do. OH ACTUALLY ITS HEAD CAN FLOAT OFF ITS BODY AND EAT U. so how tf are you supposed to sever its head?????? no sense.
- everything is so overly explained. like if the author didn't mention SA and cocks in the first 10 pages of the book i would've thought it was for middle schoolers. why are you telling me more than showing?? why are characters talking for half the page to tell me what they are doing?? like SHOW ME.
- also morgana goes into a shop to buy new clothes and yk she needs to go in and out, but she literally starts telling the shopkeeper her whole life story?? like "yeah i was gonna get executed" "yeah I'm a witch" "yeah i was orphaned" oh and guess what? this RANDOM SHOPKEEPER COULD CLEARLY TELL MORGANA AND LEO WERE A THING. no reason how or why. then she gives morgana some free salve and then basically tells morgana to fuck leo to tell him thank you. .......WHY IS THIS RANDOM LADY TALKING TO YOU ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE AND YOU ARE FINE WITH IT??
- the sex scene.
i literally just wanted to read to this part to see if it would be any good.
it was like 3 pages long and not good.
he kisses her, licks her neck. she STOPS HIM IN THE MIDDLE TO SAY HES TURNING HER ON LIKE???? duh??? and then he just fucking sticks it in. shes guttural screaming and he purposely chooses to cum inside her. without permission.
great.
100% a pregnancy is gonna happen but i do not care to read further to figure that out.
also this book is so predictable. the demon king saves her so many times and morgana has no idea why!!!????? then she remembers only her bio mom who got killed by the demon king when she was 3 but has hazy memories of her dad. omg i wonder who it is!!! morgana also has this random shadow that is like her "evil side" and she doesn't allow it to control her. omg babe i wonder why!!!!!
the demon king is her fucking father I'm placing all bets rn.
The writing? also bad. nothing made sense, i found a ton of grammar mistakes too, so i assume she edited this herself? very dull, very boring, and it sometimes would try to describe things whimsically, but would just repeat the same thing over and over again, like i get it the forest was as black as night. the darkness seemed to swallow them, etc etc etc. and again, the way they spoke had no flow to it at all and would basically be telling the reader what they're doing like SHOW DONT TELL.
i am so tired.
1 star and DNF at 57%
I'm gonna get one thing completely straight: this book is the WORST
I went into this book with high expectations like an adult fantasy with political intrigue and some romance?? omg a fantastic premise. too bad the execution was completely and utterly horrible.
i had so many things I hated about this book I had to start a whole NOTE about them and there were some bad things I had to say. if yall could see my kindle highlights you would be LAUGHING.
-the tarot cards aspect is LITERALLY only the names of the chapters omfg i wish there was more but the author apparently wanted a dull romance instead of what the description said.
-There were so many plot holes, SO. MANY. like we get told that our main character, Morgana, is a witch in a land where witches arent allowed to be and will be killed if found out. her longtime crush, Leo, is the captain of the guard but coincidentally does not agree with killing witches and has had a long crush on her too.
ok cool ig, is it a slow burn and both think their love is unrequited?
no. they both are in love and know the other likes them too.
so WHY are they not together?
because morgana doesn't think its the right time even though EVERYONE says its fine and he doesn't know shes a witch and even if he did, he would not care.
guess what happens?
NOT EVEN HALFWAY SHE HAS TO USE MAGIC IN FRONT OF HIM
"yes leo, I'm a witch" and then she passes out.
like WHY DID YOU HIDE IT THAT LONG IF YOU WERE JUST GONNA USE IT AT THE MOST LIKE MUNDANE TASK. FIXING A GODDAMN BRIDGE. LIKE YOU COULDN'T JUST.... JUMP OVER IT HOW LONG WAS THE CHASM??
- between the two guys that are with her. One guy is Leo and the other is Leighton, who is engaged to the princess of their land and is on a quest with them to save her.
YEAH. THE PLOT OF THE BOOK IS TO SAVE THE PRINCESS WHO IS KIDNAPPED BY THE DEMON KING. THIS PLOT IS BROUGHT UP AS LIKE ITS NOT IMPORTANT?? like that plot is so buried i forget about it until Leighton brings it up.
anyways back to the two boys. so leo hates leighton cause leighton is friendly with morgana and morgana is LEOS GIRL obviously. then morgana passes out
yall remember. after she used magic to build a bridge.
and he suddenly trusts Leighton after they get to a witch named Baba Yagas house and she saves Morgana.
now don't get me started on how every single random character can just TELL morgana and leo wanna fuck so bad.
"oooo i can smell yalls lust cause I'm a witch and that's all i care about and anyone cares about in this entire book." like i get it but... there is no reason they arent together.
okay anyways next grievance:
-the POV's
i get what the author is trying to do but why tf did i care about what Baba Yaga thought about the three main characters? like couldn't the author had made this a little interesting and made us think maybe this witch is evil? that would've been a good like quest thing to do. also on kindle i have no idea whos mind we are in until the author says their name.
- THE NAME MORGIE IS SO UGLY WHY IS THAT HER NICKNAME IS SHE A FUCKING FROG???? LIKE WHAT WAS THE REASON THATS SOMETHING U CALL UR LITTLE SISTER NOT UR LOVER??
- there was one point where leo said morgana had told him when they were kids that she felt she had a connection with the demon king. BUT SHE DIDN'T TELL HIM SHE WAS A WITCH LIKE IS IT BETTER TO BE CONNECTED TO THE DEMON KING???
-morgana lived in a land where magic was forbidden and talking about magic was forbidden. But she knows every single thing about magic users and magic spells and all this shit? how???? no explanation ok
- THE WAY THEY TALK OMFG like are we in royalty and you say "my lady" and all that or are you gonna say "nah i think you need to think about your life" WHICH IS A REAL QUOTE FROM THE BOOK BTW. like get the way of speaking correct before you write characters in a timeline where they speak in a different way like what.
- so morgana and the boys get back to their homeland (which forbids magic users) and there's a fake princess there who says they need to lock morgana up. i was like omg ok so some action morgana is gonna get tortured whats gonna happen all that. cause they make it such a huge deal that they have to lock her up and shes getting executed the next day.
WRONG.
shes saved by the nightfall. which is in 4 pages. nothing exciting leo saves her easily and they fight some soldiers and leave. but leo doesn't care to kill his men even though at the beginning of the book he cared a lot and wanted to make sure they could spare their lives. nah toss those morals out the window!!!
- okay at one point morgana cuts her hand to use magic and leo stops them in their path to bandage her up. but at the same time morgana notices his arm is cut and bleeding so she says they should bandage it up too and he just...smirks at her??? and says its okay??? like dud you have all the supplies out just do it
- OK THERE WAS A MONSTER and leighton says that to kill it u have to sever its head. okay cool we have something to do. OH ACTUALLY ITS HEAD CAN FLOAT OFF ITS BODY AND EAT U. so how tf are you supposed to sever its head?????? no sense.
- everything is so overly explained. like if the author didn't mention SA and cocks in the first 10 pages of the book i would've thought it was for middle schoolers. why are you telling me more than showing?? why are characters talking for half the page to tell me what they are doing?? like SHOW ME.
- also morgana goes into a shop to buy new clothes and yk she needs to go in and out, but she literally starts telling the shopkeeper her whole life story?? like "yeah i was gonna get executed" "yeah I'm a witch" "yeah i was orphaned" oh and guess what? this RANDOM SHOPKEEPER COULD CLEARLY TELL MORGANA AND LEO WERE A THING. no reason how or why. then she gives morgana some free salve and then basically tells morgana to fuck leo to tell him thank you. .......WHY IS THIS RANDOM LADY TALKING TO YOU ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE AND YOU ARE FINE WITH IT??
- the sex scene.
i literally just wanted to read to this part to see if it would be any good.
it was like 3 pages long and not good.
he kisses her, licks her neck. she STOPS HIM IN THE MIDDLE TO SAY HES TURNING HER ON LIKE???? duh??? and then he just fucking sticks it in. shes guttural screaming and he purposely chooses to cum inside her. without permission.
great.
100% a pregnancy is gonna happen but i do not care to read further to figure that out.
also this book is so predictable. the demon king saves her so many times and morgana has no idea why!!!????? then she remembers only her bio mom who got killed by the demon king when she was 3 but has hazy memories of her dad. omg i wonder who it is!!! morgana also has this random shadow that is like her "evil side" and she doesn't allow it to control her. omg babe i wonder why!!!!!
the demon king is her fucking father I'm placing all bets rn.
The writing? also bad. nothing made sense, i found a ton of grammar mistakes too, so i assume she edited this herself? very dull, very boring, and it sometimes would try to describe things whimsically, but would just repeat the same thing over and over again, like i get it the forest was as black as night. the darkness seemed to swallow them, etc etc etc. and again, the way they spoke had no flow to it at all and would basically be telling the reader what they're doing like SHOW DONT TELL.
i am so tired.
January 18, 2023
**TW** - There is no trigger warning on Netgalley or in the beginning of the book - This book contains depictions of SA of a child by an authority figure and Mental Health issues and trauma responses relating to that abuse
I picked up this title due to the description - our main character an 'orphaned witch living in the last kingdom in Dresbourn to still enforce the practice of witch-burning' and the mention of 'a momentous political transition'.
I was expecting some political intrigue, some "burn the witch" vibes and then on top of that there is a kidnapping forcing our witch to go on a quest to save magic. It truly seemed like something I would enjoy.
For starters, there's very little political intrigue, and very little focus on the fact that our main character is a witch in a kingdom where witches are hunted - one singular druid is burned which takes all of 2 pages to discuss. So in that regard, I feel like the description is misleading. If you were hoping for "burn the witch" vibes you aren't really getting that here.
When I first started reading, I thought that I had accidentally requested a middle-grade novel, as that is how the writing presented. Which is fine, but I felt like right away I was not the target audience. Soon enough we had some very adult content (the description of SA and trauma) and I realized that this was not in fact a middle-grade book. This was disappointing because even though I originally thought that I was not the intended audience, I was much more forgiving of the writing style and the dialogue with the understanding that this was intended for younger readers. The mesh of spicy scenes and the writing did not mesh for me at all, it at times made me cringe. Honestly, I skimmed a lot of this.
I did enjoy the tarot card element, the idea of fates and intertwining fates. I liked some of the creatures and magic that appear throughout the quest (the death echos in particular were really cool to me) and I liked the characters to some extent even though their dialogue (which is a major part of how I get to know a character) was painful. I think the premise of the story had a lot of potential, but the execution did not work for me at all.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
I picked up this title due to the description - our main character an 'orphaned witch living in the last kingdom in Dresbourn to still enforce the practice of witch-burning' and the mention of 'a momentous political transition'.
I was expecting some political intrigue, some "burn the witch" vibes and then on top of that there is a kidnapping forcing our witch to go on a quest to save magic. It truly seemed like something I would enjoy.
For starters, there's very little political intrigue, and very little focus on the fact that our main character is a witch in a kingdom where witches are hunted - one singular druid is burned which takes all of 2 pages to discuss. So in that regard, I feel like the description is misleading. If you were hoping for "burn the witch" vibes you aren't really getting that here.
When I first started reading, I thought that I had accidentally requested a middle-grade novel, as that is how the writing presented. Which is fine, but I felt like right away I was not the target audience. Soon enough we had some very adult content (the description of SA and trauma) and I realized that this was not in fact a middle-grade book. This was disappointing because even though I originally thought that I was not the intended audience, I was much more forgiving of the writing style and the dialogue with the understanding that this was intended for younger readers. The mesh of spicy scenes and the writing did not mesh for me at all, it at times made me cringe. Honestly, I skimmed a lot of this.
I did enjoy the tarot card element, the idea of fates and intertwining fates. I liked some of the creatures and magic that appear throughout the quest (the death echos in particular were really cool to me) and I liked the characters to some extent even though their dialogue (which is a major part of how I get to know a character) was painful. I think the premise of the story had a lot of potential, but the execution did not work for me at all.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
February 3, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Cards of Fate in return for an honest review. The book is about a witch in hiding trying to find her cousin, the princess, from the Demon Lord. Morgana, the witch, is being accompanied by Lafreya’s (the princess) fiancé, Leighton and the captain of the guard (and Morgana’s love interest) Leopold. I decided to dnf this book at 17%. The few things I think should be revisited are: 1) the writing. It was very hard for me to want to continue reading this book because the writing style felt akin to when I used to write short stories in middle school. I feel that maybe the author and the editor could go back and revise some of the novel. 2) the characters. I am sorry but I couldn’t attach myself to any of the characters. I feel they were very two dimensional and they would just say the most random things that in that moment no character would say. For example, when Lafreya is kidnapped, Morgana feels responsible because she was under her care. Leopold (her love interest) shows up and this man who is in love with her says (to the effect of) well if I had been there this wouldn’t have happened. But oh well. I just don’t think a character would say that to someone who they supposedly love. 3rd) there is mention of SA in the novel and they way it is handled feels (to me) very random and also brushed over like it isn’t a big deal. You have the characters inner monologue about how that was hard for her and then in the next sentence the character is acting like it wasn’t a big deal. It felt very weird to read. The book comes out 2/14/23 but I will not be purchasing it.
February 16, 2023
Obsessed.
Right from the beginning.
To the end.
“I won’t only listen - I’ll help heal your wounds.”
Firstly, the writing style 🤌🏻
It fit the entire narrative of the book perfectly. It was elegant and easy to follow. But the toned and the writing style gave a different depth to reading.
Now the book.
It’s got romance, straight of the bat with a love interest she claims “the timing isn’t right for” but is quite obviously into.
It’s got magic. A world where there are anti-magic laws and people are burnt at the stage. Our main character is a magic user. But has a personal advantage of being “cousins” and best friends and a personal adviser to the princess and soon to be queen.
There’s adventure, when the princess is kidnapped they have to go searching.
There is talk about fate and destiny and how much control we have over who we are and will become.
It’s third person so you get to see the entire story with a Birds Eye view. You get to understand how each character feels and their individual decisions and obstacles.
There is a bit of spice, nothing too radical but it is throughout the story.
And it’s a happy ending that made my heart so full ❤️
Triggers:
There are times when memories are visited about when the main character was 13 and her 50 year old teacher took advantage of her.
The books setting is more of a historical feel where something like this might be considered the “norm”
Finally,
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and A. R. Kingston for allowing me to read and review this book! I have absolutely adored it and want more!
Right from the beginning.
To the end.
“I won’t only listen - I’ll help heal your wounds.”
Firstly, the writing style 🤌🏻
It fit the entire narrative of the book perfectly. It was elegant and easy to follow. But the toned and the writing style gave a different depth to reading.
Now the book.
It’s got romance, straight of the bat with a love interest she claims “the timing isn’t right for” but is quite obviously into.
It’s got magic. A world where there are anti-magic laws and people are burnt at the stage. Our main character is a magic user. But has a personal advantage of being “cousins” and best friends and a personal adviser to the princess and soon to be queen.
There’s adventure, when the princess is kidnapped they have to go searching.
There is talk about fate and destiny and how much control we have over who we are and will become.
It’s third person so you get to see the entire story with a Birds Eye view. You get to understand how each character feels and their individual decisions and obstacles.
There is a bit of spice, nothing too radical but it is throughout the story.
And it’s a happy ending that made my heart so full ❤️
Triggers:
There are times when memories are visited about when the main character was 13 and her 50 year old teacher took advantage of her.
The books setting is more of a historical feel where something like this might be considered the “norm”
Finally,
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and A. R. Kingston for allowing me to read and review this book! I have absolutely adored it and want more!
March 9, 2023
A fantasy adult with magic, monsters and tarot cards (🙃) not to be missed.
Morgana de Laurent is a witch living in Perdetia, the last kingdom of Dresbourn where the practice of burning witches is still in force. Orphaned during the anti-witch crusades of the cruel demon king, Morgana is adopted by a wealthy baroness, who urges her to hide her true identity.
In the midst of a major political transition, a sudden kidnapping sends the young witch and her lover, Leopold Ellingham, on an adventure to the edge of Dresbourn, while the future of magic hangs in the balance.
With "Cards of Fate" I approached A. R. Kingston's writing for the first time and I must admit I was particularly impressed.
The author's pen is very clear, smooth and compelling. I couldn't put it away and so, I ended up devouring it in just 48h.
The characters are all well characterised and right from the start I empathised with Morgana, our protagonist.
Being a fantasy with adult romance there are spicy scenes. If you follow me on social media, you know how much I "hate" explicit sex scenes, so much so that I sometimes skip those parts, but in "Cards of Fate" I found them very enjoyable and not disturbing at all.
"Cards of fate" is a story about facing your fears and yourself, how far we go for love and how much control we have over destiny.
I loved this book from beginning to end. However, I feel like giving it an average rating because of the overly predictable ending.
3.5⭐/5
*Thanks to A. R. Kingston, Keen Quill Press and Netgalley for sending me the ARC copy of this wonderful fantasy in exchange for an honest review. *
Morgana de Laurent is a witch living in Perdetia, the last kingdom of Dresbourn where the practice of burning witches is still in force. Orphaned during the anti-witch crusades of the cruel demon king, Morgana is adopted by a wealthy baroness, who urges her to hide her true identity.
In the midst of a major political transition, a sudden kidnapping sends the young witch and her lover, Leopold Ellingham, on an adventure to the edge of Dresbourn, while the future of magic hangs in the balance.
With "Cards of Fate" I approached A. R. Kingston's writing for the first time and I must admit I was particularly impressed.
The author's pen is very clear, smooth and compelling. I couldn't put it away and so, I ended up devouring it in just 48h.
The characters are all well characterised and right from the start I empathised with Morgana, our protagonist.
Being a fantasy with adult romance there are spicy scenes. If you follow me on social media, you know how much I "hate" explicit sex scenes, so much so that I sometimes skip those parts, but in "Cards of Fate" I found them very enjoyable and not disturbing at all.
"Cards of fate" is a story about facing your fears and yourself, how far we go for love and how much control we have over destiny.
I loved this book from beginning to end. However, I feel like giving it an average rating because of the overly predictable ending.
3.5⭐/5
*Thanks to A. R. Kingston, Keen Quill Press and Netgalley for sending me the ARC copy of this wonderful fantasy in exchange for an honest review. *
March 16, 2023
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC. In exchange this is my honest review.
The story felt flat to me. The storyline, the characters, the chemistry just felt flat. And it failed to grab my interest to the end of the story. I tried to enjoy it but gave up after half of the story went on. I just read just to know how the story ended.
One, some of the plot felt unnecessary to the story. It doesn't help much in terms of character development or story progression. If I imagine some of those parts weren't in the story, it still can go on without missing any context. I see that the author tried to connect it with something but the connection made wasn't strong and doesn't justify much. The reason could be solid if it was written in the right way. For example the card fate. I even forgot that thing existed unless it was mentioned in the story. I see why it was put there (of course since it's the name of the story) but the card's existence itself wasn't strong. And I can list on more but that just spoiled the story.
Two, the main characters felt like a POV of the 2nd main characters. There's no problem with making a non-royalty as a main character. It's totally fine. But the main characters were written like the 2nd main lead but with their pov. And their chemistry, either Morgana-Leo or Lefreya-Leighton were bland. It doesn't hold any sparks. Nothing excites me when reading about their relationship progress. Basically the overall story doesn't reach my emotions.
But still thank you for writing this story!
The story felt flat to me. The storyline, the characters, the chemistry just felt flat. And it failed to grab my interest to the end of the story. I tried to enjoy it but gave up after half of the story went on. I just read just to know how the story ended.
One, some of the plot felt unnecessary to the story. It doesn't help much in terms of character development or story progression. If I imagine some of those parts weren't in the story, it still can go on without missing any context. I see that the author tried to connect it with something but the connection made wasn't strong and doesn't justify much. The reason could be solid if it was written in the right way. For example the card fate. I even forgot that thing existed unless it was mentioned in the story. I see why it was put there (of course since it's the name of the story) but the card's existence itself wasn't strong. And I can list on more but that just spoiled the story.
Two, the main characters felt like a POV of the 2nd main characters. There's no problem with making a non-royalty as a main character. It's totally fine. But the main characters were written like the 2nd main lead but with their pov. And their chemistry, either Morgana-Leo or Lefreya-Leighton were bland. It doesn't hold any sparks. Nothing excites me when reading about their relationship progress. Basically the overall story doesn't reach my emotions.
But still thank you for writing this story!
January 27, 2023
I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley. But all the opinions are my own.
TW – SA of a child
Cards of Fate follows an orphaned witch who was adopted and moved to a kingdom which kills witches. The main character then tries to help find someone who is kidnapped.
The description was just up my alley. Also, the idea of using tarot cards reminds me of another book I read recently and loved. So, I was extremely excited to read this book. I believe that the writing was not up to par with the content of the book. I think that the writing style was more suited for a younger audience.
I think if the book had more political intrigue, no trauma, and enrich the characters it would have been a much better book. As someone who has dealt with SA in my life a trigger warning would have been great. Also, I do not appreciate how the topic was handled in the book. It was done in poor taste.
There is a lot of spice that at times was cringe and did not feel natural. I wish this book was executed differently. If the writing style and dialogue was edited better, I think it would have been more enjoyable. The world building needed to be fully fleshed out and the ending was predictable.
I will not be purchasing or recommending this book.
TW – SA of a child
Cards of Fate follows an orphaned witch who was adopted and moved to a kingdom which kills witches. The main character then tries to help find someone who is kidnapped.
The description was just up my alley. Also, the idea of using tarot cards reminds me of another book I read recently and loved. So, I was extremely excited to read this book. I believe that the writing was not up to par with the content of the book. I think that the writing style was more suited for a younger audience.
I think if the book had more political intrigue, no trauma, and enrich the characters it would have been a much better book. As someone who has dealt with SA in my life a trigger warning would have been great. Also, I do not appreciate how the topic was handled in the book. It was done in poor taste.
There is a lot of spice that at times was cringe and did not feel natural. I wish this book was executed differently. If the writing style and dialogue was edited better, I think it would have been more enjoyable. The world building needed to be fully fleshed out and the ending was predictable.
I will not be purchasing or recommending this book.
February 24, 2023
Firstly I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for sending me the digital ARC copy of this book.
Our main character Morgana de Laurent is a witch who lives in an old kingdom where witchcraft is forbidden. Adopted by a rich baroness she disguises herself as a human to live a simple life.
But after the death of the king new problems arise. She needs to protect her only friend Princess Lafreya and her true love Leopold Ellingham.
The peculiarity of this book is the fact that the whole world is tied to tarot cards. In fact, since the birth a certain tarot is assigned to a certain person. Besides, this tarot enhance and foresee the future life and destiny of the person in question.
I really liked reading this book, not only for the interesting plot but also for the world where it was set. Moreover, the writing style of the author is magical and intriguing. In certain ways mysterious.
As for the charactes, I really appreciated Morgana. She develops during the narration, becoming stronger and wiser. Even though sometimes she thinks too much about the others's safety than hers.
Last but not the least I enjoyed reading about the love story betwenn Morgana and Leopold which develops along the different adventures.
I suggest this book to fantasy readers who are fascinated by tarots and their use.
Our main character Morgana de Laurent is a witch who lives in an old kingdom where witchcraft is forbidden. Adopted by a rich baroness she disguises herself as a human to live a simple life.
But after the death of the king new problems arise. She needs to protect her only friend Princess Lafreya and her true love Leopold Ellingham.
The peculiarity of this book is the fact that the whole world is tied to tarot cards. In fact, since the birth a certain tarot is assigned to a certain person. Besides, this tarot enhance and foresee the future life and destiny of the person in question.
I really liked reading this book, not only for the interesting plot but also for the world where it was set. Moreover, the writing style of the author is magical and intriguing. In certain ways mysterious.
As for the charactes, I really appreciated Morgana. She develops during the narration, becoming stronger and wiser. Even though sometimes she thinks too much about the others's safety than hers.
Last but not the least I enjoyed reading about the love story betwenn Morgana and Leopold which develops along the different adventures.
I suggest this book to fantasy readers who are fascinated by tarots and their use.
April 7, 2023
The mystery, the tension, love, friendships, the adventure, the action! This book has it all!!
I love how you can tell how much work has been put into this book with the details and the amazing descriptions of the settings and scenes.
At first I wasn't sure about the narrator third person form of story telling because I've never really read books like that. But I enjoyed being able to get multiple point of views in a certain scene that would be missed in block chapter character POVs.
The romance wasn't the main plot point. I loved how there was magic, struggle, culture, and romance. I was vying for everything and everyone every step of the way! I wanted the Captain with Morgana, I wanted her friend to be happy with the Duke.
There were twists I saw coming, but still enjoyed the arrivals of.
I absolutely loved the detail to the adventure part of this book with the mystery aspect of how to get through each part! It was very well done.
I also loved the importance of the cards in this! It was expressed multiple times. Morgana's mother was a believer, she was a believer. Everything was in the cards. But when it came time for the fate cards to play out in real life. I love how Morgana decided to change her fate. Such a good takeaway from the story.
I love how you can tell how much work has been put into this book with the details and the amazing descriptions of the settings and scenes.
At first I wasn't sure about the narrator third person form of story telling because I've never really read books like that. But I enjoyed being able to get multiple point of views in a certain scene that would be missed in block chapter character POVs.
The romance wasn't the main plot point. I loved how there was magic, struggle, culture, and romance. I was vying for everything and everyone every step of the way! I wanted the Captain with Morgana, I wanted her friend to be happy with the Duke.
There were twists I saw coming, but still enjoyed the arrivals of.
I absolutely loved the detail to the adventure part of this book with the mystery aspect of how to get through each part! It was very well done.
I also loved the importance of the cards in this! It was expressed multiple times. Morgana's mother was a believer, she was a believer. Everything was in the cards. But when it came time for the fate cards to play out in real life. I love how Morgana decided to change her fate. Such a good takeaway from the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel!
DNF pg 174 (45%)
1/12/23 - 1/21/23
loved the premise of this and the tarot card aspect!
not much has really happened so far. I normally will give a fantasy about 100 pages to worldbuild and introduce the plot, but I was getting a little bored throughout the sections I had read.
here are some of my thoughts:
characters: 3 out of the 4 main characters’ names start with L (Leo, Leighton, Lafreya) and it’s a little hard to keep track of them. I’m not really attached to the characters.
plot: I could tell I was getting to a more exciting part when I DNFed the book, but it shouldn’t take this long. So far, it was just a journey to rescue Lafreya but there hasn’t been too much action. I actually enjoyed the earlier portion that showcased Lafreya and Morgana’s friendship a bit more.
romance: both of the couples were already in love when the book started, and I feel like the romance isn’t as big of a plotline as I would expect from a romantasy.
overall, the idea was there, but the outcome just wasn’t what I expected.
DNF pg 174 (45%)
1/12/23 - 1/21/23
loved the premise of this and the tarot card aspect!
not much has really happened so far. I normally will give a fantasy about 100 pages to worldbuild and introduce the plot, but I was getting a little bored throughout the sections I had read.
here are some of my thoughts:
characters: 3 out of the 4 main characters’ names start with L (Leo, Leighton, Lafreya) and it’s a little hard to keep track of them. I’m not really attached to the characters.
plot: I could tell I was getting to a more exciting part when I DNFed the book, but it shouldn’t take this long. So far, it was just a journey to rescue Lafreya but there hasn’t been too much action. I actually enjoyed the earlier portion that showcased Lafreya and Morgana’s friendship a bit more.
romance: both of the couples were already in love when the book started, and I feel like the romance isn’t as big of a plotline as I would expect from a romantasy.
overall, the idea was there, but the outcome just wasn’t what I expected.
February 7, 2023
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for e-ARC in return for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I really did not enjoy this book.
The concept was really interesting but honestly got lost in the writing and almost became an after thought.
The writing style wasn’t for me, I found it clunky and the dialogue for me was unbelievable.
The story is over explained in some places (the draining of mana) and under explained in other places (what magic can Morgana actually access - this seemed to change to fit the plot).
There was a lot of repetitive info dumping and tropes that I just don’t go for - miscommunication, pregnancy - and plot holes.. at one stage a character essentially zones out while ‘off screen’ for a fight scene and animals regularly running away during fight scenes but conveniently returning once the action is over.
This book has given me a severe dislike of the word amble - why can no one walk and how does a horse amble exactly?
Unfortunately, I really did not enjoy this book.
The concept was really interesting but honestly got lost in the writing and almost became an after thought.
The writing style wasn’t for me, I found it clunky and the dialogue for me was unbelievable.
The story is over explained in some places (the draining of mana) and under explained in other places (what magic can Morgana actually access - this seemed to change to fit the plot).
There was a lot of repetitive info dumping and tropes that I just don’t go for - miscommunication, pregnancy - and plot holes.. at one stage a character essentially zones out while ‘off screen’ for a fight scene and animals regularly running away during fight scenes but conveniently returning once the action is over.
This book has given me a severe dislike of the word amble - why can no one walk and how does a horse amble exactly?
January 21, 2023
Cards of Fate has an interesting premise! I liked the use of tarot cards! Did not quite hit the mark for me!
At the beginning, I was a bit boring! Yeah sure things are happening but it all felt very superficial and at times it felt like incomplete! The plot twist, you can see it from a mile away!
Morgan’s is a good FMC but lacks depth! I didn’t felt like we got to know her or see her character develop. 😒😒
The spicy scenes, could have been better! The connection between Morgan’s and Leo was not substantial 😢
Overall, the book was ok. It had a lot of potential but there was never a point where it felt like “ OMG.. I can’t put this down”
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
At the beginning, I was a bit boring! Yeah sure things are happening but it all felt very superficial and at times it felt like incomplete! The plot twist, you can see it from a mile away!
Morgan’s is a good FMC but lacks depth! I didn’t felt like we got to know her or see her character develop. 😒😒
The spicy scenes, could have been better! The connection between Morgan’s and Leo was not substantial 😢
Overall, the book was ok. It had a lot of potential but there was never a point where it felt like “ OMG.. I can’t put this down”
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
February 2, 2023
Writing: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Character Development: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Warnings: Language, Sexual Contenr
Themes: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance
Cards of Fate is about a witch who lives in a kingdom that burns witches. Her best friend is kidnapped and she must work with a duke abd the captain of the guard, who she has feelings for, to rescue her. I really enjoyed the story and the characters. Sometimes I wished the author would go into more detail but other than that this was a good read.
This is great for anyone who loves magic, adventure and a quest to save a princess.
I received a free copy of this book and am leaving an honest review.
Plot: 4/5
Character Development: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Warnings: Language, Sexual Contenr
Themes: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance
Cards of Fate is about a witch who lives in a kingdom that burns witches. Her best friend is kidnapped and she must work with a duke abd the captain of the guard, who she has feelings for, to rescue her. I really enjoyed the story and the characters. Sometimes I wished the author would go into more detail but other than that this was a good read.
This is great for anyone who loves magic, adventure and a quest to save a princess.
I received a free copy of this book and am leaving an honest review.
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