The Tarot Trials by Katee Robert

Book Review

Elloise

Kestrel lives in the shadows of a walled city in an area known as the Dregs, where she and her family live in poverty, like all of its residents. Meanwhile, farther in from the wall that keeps the dangers of the wild out, the Cups, Swords, Wands and Pentacles live in luxury, the Cinque, five rulers, overseeing all decisions, all expenditure, and keeping the Dregs firmly under heel.

But once every twenty-two years, there is The Culling, a chance for anyone to compete to become a member of the Cinque, and like her mother before her, Kestrel is determined to fight, win, and bring change. It is also the only chance she will ever get to find out why her mother was executed so soon after taking her place as the moon’s avatar and a member of the Cinque.

Each of the represented gods – magician, death, fool, high priestess, sun, moon, and so on – will ask for a champion, and candidates will fight to the death until only one remains for each god. Kestrel is as trained and as ready she‌ will ever be, and watches as one by one, strength, stealth and political alliances leave only one champion for each god. Over the coming days, through trickery and murder, these will be whittled down to the five. What chance does she, a malnourished girl from the Dregs, have against the strength and prowess of the nobility? Yet it seems that her mother’s curse leaves the moon undesired by another, so with no competition, Kestrel takes her place among them. 

The Tarot Trials brings us a unique world where ancient gods are said to no longer be around, but their chosen avatars are able to wield some of their power, thus enabling candidates in the Culling to use magical forces to give them the edge over others. The story follows Kestrel as she navigates a world she has never before stepped into, where unlikely alliances may bring success or defeat, and trust is something she will have to spend carefully. 

As with current fantasy there are romantic interests but these do not dominate the narrative, rather they add occasional tension to the underlying plot, which is Kestrel doing everything she can to become one of the Cinque, and trying to uncover the secrets behind her mother’s assassination. Death, a mysterious rival, holds the information she needs, but he is formidable, dangerous and doing all he can to avoid the moon’s new avatar.

The action is aplenty, and the worldbuilding is well described. The mysteries of the gods’ magics are always somewhat out of reach as Kestrel attempts to discover how to use the moon’s power, and there are plenty of near-misses and twists to keep things exciting. The pace is excellent, the betrayals and reveals keep coming, and the next in series will be highly anticipated.