The Magical Tarot Deck

The Madigan Chronicles Book 2

Fiction - Fantasy - Urban
286 Pages
Reviewed on 09/08/2021
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite

When someone steals a magical artifact, the combination of its loss and old secrets threatens a family's survival in the urban fantasy novel, The Magical Tarot Deck (The Madigan Chronicles Book 2) by Marieke Lexmond. Tara Madigan feels good after outwitting her sister Lucy by hiding the dagger somewhere she will never think to look. However, in the fight's aftermath, Ceri is stuck in Fairyland, and Bridget and Maeve are still working through their trust issues. In the meantime, Cal, Lucy's grandson, steals the Tarot deck that embodies each member of Tara's family, including non-magical spouses and children. Any time someone pulls a card for a reading, the person depicted on it will disappear from their current location and magically reappear before the reader, and unfortunately, they are captives until they interpret the question. With the deck in Lucy's possession, the theft spells disaster for the Madigan family.

The Magical Tarot Deck (The Madigan Chronicles Book 2) by Marieke Lexmond is a stunning novel infused with sorcery and enchantment. It is a fabulous story with a complex plot, dual story world, and engaging characters, good and evil. The Madigan family's ongoing drama and their magical rites are intriguing, and it is fascinating to see where the series takes them. Mab, the queen of the fairies, and the frightening and evil Madigan relatives, Lucy and Mara, are the perfect villains and easy to despise and distrust. This book is the second in the series, and even though it does all right as a standalone, there are times it can be confusing if you haven't read the first one. It does leave readers on a cliffhanger, but it is an excellent segue into the next book. Everyone who enjoys urban fantasies containing witches, fairies, and voodoo, will not want to miss this series.

K.C. Finn

The Magical Tarot Deck is a work of fiction in the urban fantasy genre and serves as the second installment of the Madigan Chronicles series. It is aimed at the general reading audience and was penned by Marieke Lexmond. Having secured the Dagger of Consciousness in the previous book, the Madigans are ready to live a peaceful life with their prize. However, this plan is disrupted when the dangerous and vindictive Lucy steals their Magical Tarot Deck to threaten the Madigans into handing the dagger over to her. With family drama threatening to undermine their efforts to recover the tarot deck, will the Madigans be able to stop Lucy’s plans?

It’s of paramount importance with fantasy stories (especially those in which magical abilities and artifacts take such prominent center stage in the story) that the rules and limitations that come with magic are established quickly and rigorously adhered to from beginning to end. The job is made harder in the second novel in a series, where the original story rules must be obeyed and expanded upon. Marieke Lexmond clearly has a full and consistent magical world ready for readers to get lost in and explore. The members of the Madigans are able to spring to life under her skillful prose and her ability to build a vivid and beautiful fantasy world. The Magical Tarot Deck lives up to the quality of its predecessor and continues a journey of conflict between dangerous forces, both good and evil. It is a highly engaging and dynamic story that has been very well told, and I recommend it to all.

Rabia Tanveer

The Magical Tarot Deck is the second book in The Madigan Chronicles by Marieke Lexmond. Things are not looking too good for the Madigan family. With Ceri stuck in Fairy, the family is one person short, and Lucy is still at large. The whole family wants to get rid of Lucy, but it looks like Lucy is ready to make more trouble for them all. It turns out just getting the Dagger of Consciousness away from Lucy is not the only thing they need to be careful about. Somehow, Lucy has taken the Magical Tarot Deck that belonged to their family. She now has incomparable power and it looks like her plans will bring more damage to the family than they anticipated. It is now up to Tara, Ceri, Ron, Wes, Bridget, and everyone else in the Madigan family to stop Lucy before it is too late.

Magical realism and urban fantasy are two of the hardest genres to cover, and author Marieke Lexmond does justice to both. I love how the author sets the story's tone from the very beginning and gives readers an inkling of what will happen next. We already know Ceri is stuck, Lucy has an agenda, and Tara has no idea what is about to happen to her family. Each character plays a flawless role in furthering the plot; all of them have the power to improve and help the fight against Lucy. Bridget is slowly letting her magic blossom, which is the most fun part of the story for me. However, I don’t think that the story is any less entertaining. There is action, suspense, and a rush of fantastic plot that just kept me reading on and on. Highly recommended to fans of urban fantasy and paranormal action!