Author: Ava Morgyn
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: 2nd March 2021
Release Date: 2nd March 2021
Publisher: AW Teen
Book Description:
Ten years ago, Cat's volatile mother, Mary, left her at her grandmother's house with nothing but a deck of tarot cards. Now seventeen, Cat is determined to make her life as different from Mary's as possible. When Cat's grandmother dies, she's forced to move to New Orleans with her mother. There, she discovers a picture of Mary holding a baby that's not her, leading her to unravel a dark family history and challenge her belief that Mary's mental health issues are the root of all their problems. But as Cat explores the reasons for her mother's breakdown, she fears she is experiencing her own. Ever since she arrived in New Orleans, she's been haunted by strangely familiar visitors—in dreams and on the streets of the French Quarter—who know more than they should. Unsure if she can rebuild her relationship with her mother, Cat is realizing she must confront her past, her future, and herself in the fight to try.
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MY REVIEW
After her grandmother's sudden death, Cat finds herself having to reach out to her estranged mother, who takes Cat to live with her in New Orleans. While staying with her mother, Cat learns of a dark family history that her beloved grandmother kept hidden from her, involving a sibling she never knew existed, and if she is to learn the truth and heal the relationship between her and her estranged mother, she would have to face her fears and let her guard down.
I want to start off by saying I love the cover. It's very mystical and caught my attention right away. I also liked the writing style. It was engaging, and even when the story wavered at times, I found myself still reading on due to the enigmatic and persuasive nature of the narration. Good characterisation throughout, but I felt the story lacked in plot development in certain parts. There were topics mentioned that wasn't fully explored, characters introduced that weren't utilised to a full degree, which had these elements been fully employed, would have added more depth to the story. The story idea was one of intrigue, however, the execution of the story and the way certain parts unfolded wasn't as satisfactory as I would have liked. Still, I enjoyed reading the book.
Cat was an interesting character, as was Mary, whose backstory was very fascinating and traumatising. The portrayal of Mary's bipolar disorder was hard to swallow at times and might not be well received by some readers for the fact that it appears the problem stems from Mary's bipolar and not the negligence of her receiving proper treatment for her condition. In other words, it may appear to some that the problem with Mary is that she is bipolar, which I don't believe was the intention. I didn't find Daniel engaging nor was I fully convinced there was actually chemistry between him and Cat. I wanted to swoon over him, but it just never happened. I wasn't charmed, I'm afraid.
This was a good story with a lot of potential.
VERDICT
Award: Silver
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Source: Author
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