The cards await, ready to unveil their secrets. Are you prepared to witness their magic?
Olivia Pembroke is in her final year at Chester College, where she will vie against her friends and rivals for qualification in the Final Evaluation. Designed to be the ultimate test of Intelligence, Strength, Creativity and Courage, the Final Evaluation is set by a mysterious figure called Rasmus, who is wrapped in secrets.
Olivia has no doubt she is going to win and claim victory and pride for her family. That is, until her grandmother dies, and leaves her with a tarot deck, which she claimed could see past, present and future…
The cards await, ready to unveil their secrets. Are you prepared to witness their magic?
Olivia Pembroke is in her final year at Chester College, where she will vie against her friends and rivals for qualification in the Final Evaluation. Designed to be the ultimate test of Intelligence, Strength, Creativity and Courage, the Final Evaluation is set by a mysterious figure called Rasmus, who is wrapped in secrets.
Olivia has no doubt she is going to win and claim victory and pride for her family. That is, until her grandmother dies, and leaves her with a tarot deck, which she claimed could see past, present and future…
Olivia’s head was bowed, her neck straining in its awkward position. She had braided her hair neatly, in a half-crown at the top of her head, at her mother’s insistence. Olivia was already regretting the decision. The weather was drizzling, the mist cool on her flushed skin, but she had no protection from its light drops.
Nor did she have any shield from the flurry of mourners.
Her mother was standing at the front, clad in a black suit, skirt, and black boots. Her face, starting to line with age, was stone cold and remote. Her father was standing at her side, and like Olivia, he was looking at the floor. He appeared hunched and strangely small.
The casket, black and shiny, was lowered slowly into the ground.
The priest was speaking, but his words were wrong. He was talking about Olivia’s grandmother like someone who had never met her before; he called her a bright and radiant light, kind and gentle and generous. She had not been any of those things, but Olivia had loved her anyway. She had been strong and resilient and a force of nature. She had advocated for Olivia when nobody else had—attending every school event when her parents could not. Her grandmother had stayed at the Pembroke Estate with her while her parents were traveling for work, assisting with schoolwork and answering Olivia’s many questions. She was always supportive and never judging. She always made time for her.
But now she was gone...
And Olivia had never felt so alone. The distance between her and parents was like a chasm, so far and almost unbreachable. Olivia blamed them for their part in her grandmother’s death—for all they had done to her—and it was a thought, a feeling, that she could not shake. Olivia’s mother had always had a competitive and contentious relationship with her. If they had not sent her away, maybe she’d be alive... maybe she would still be with Olivia. She did not know what to do now.
How could her grandmother leave her? She didn’t understand. What had she done wrong? Olivia wanted to cry, the conflicting emotions bubbling beneath her skin. She felt trapped, like she was suffocating under a black cloud only she could see. After all, her mother was always watching.
As soon as the thought crossed Olivia’s mind, her mother turned toward her, reaching, as though she hadn’t done anything wrong. Olivia swallowed and backed away.
“Don’t let this distract you, Olivia,” said her mother, her quiet voice loud in the oppressive silence. Olivia jerked slightly, unable to suppress the flinch. She did not reply.
Her mother barrelled on. “This is the most important year for you,” she continued, oblivious to Olivia’s thoughts and feelings, as always. “You could achieve anything.”
In that moment, Olivia did not care.
Her grandmother was not coming back.
Olivia is on the verge of the test of her life.
She is a competitor in the Chester College Final Evaluation, an event that tests and rewards the best of the best among the school’s senior students. She also become the heir of her grandmother’s tarot cards, and the wielder of present, past, and future.
What she doesn’t know is that her grandmother’s gift is imbued with enchantments and truths she’ll be forced to face.
The enchanting addition of the tarot cards is a sentient symbol of Olivia’s grandmother and her destiny. Readers will enjoy learning about the different tarot suits and and what they mean. Add in how they play into to the Evaluations, and the cards become a vital and fascinating character in the novel.
But which is Olivia's true test: the Final Evaluation or the destinies told within her cards? Or is it the person she must learn to become when faced with challenges?
As a character, overcoming her personal setbacks of impatience, mistrust, and quickness to react angrily or impulsively is important to her growth. I'd love to see her internal thoughts included throughout her struggles; Olivia could come alive for the reader and make us want to root for her even more than we already do.
No one has completed the Evaluation in ages, but Olivia is determined to best it, even with the mysterious Rasmus as the final foe. He's the star character for me.
A magician, a trickster, an enigma—whatever he is, the reader anticipates Rasmus' every appearance. He steals the show. It would be fun to see a chapter or two from his perspective.
I enjoyed putting the pieces of the puzzle together as The Book of Wands progressed. Who will Olivia become through these tests? Who is Rasmus? What will the next game entail?
Illusions and intrigue are the name of the game; the question the reader is left with is: can Olivia win?
It’s up to her.
Guided by the cards, can she find a way to learn to trust those she should and beware of those she shouldn’t? Her character growth is one of the vital elements of the novel, though the chapters covering the final test and the subtle nods to Harry Potter books are also aspects readers will find entertaining.