Official Review: Minor Arcana by Jerry Lambert
Posted: 21 Jan 2020, 01:45
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Minor Arcana" by Jerry Lambert.]
Minor Arcana by Jerry Lambert is a fun and fast-paced book that takes place mostly in New Orleans, where Georganne, an interior designer, is trying to stay afloat in the world of acerbic Southern socialites alongside her business partner, Tom. She's commissioned to decorate for Réveillon, a major New Orleans celebration, by an attractive European conductor. Of course, things don't go as planned. A violent murder, ominous visions, and a mysterious secret society throw Georganne right into a life-threatening conflict with supernatural origins reaching back hundreds of years.
On the whole, this book manages its pacing quite well. It's the second book in a series, but I found it fairly easy to jump in without having read the prequel. The beginning does a great job of setting up the central story and conflict, and the characters are unique, with their own lives and goals. I also enjoyed how the book handles LGBT+ themes. They're integrated naturally into the plot, and they serve to make the characters even more distinctive by giving them their own unique identities.
The characters are fleshed out further through the use of a variety of viewpoints, from a witch in the 1800s to Georganne's rival, Blair. Despite the depth they provide, I found that they made the pacing seem disjointed and awkward, making it hard to follow the narrative. It was hard to keep track of everything being presented, and I felt like a lot of the events were superfluous and unnecessary. These shifts in viewpoint are less common further into the book, though, so they didn't detract from the story's conclusion.
While its characters are striking, the worldbuilding is, by far, this book's greatest strength. The author grew up in the Deep South, and his mastery over Southern behaviors and mannerisms is top-notch. This makes the world feel engaging and realistic, providing a vivid backdrop for the story and significantly improving immersion. While the writing style is effective, the number of typos the book contains is not insignificant. They mostly have to do with homonym confusion and quotation mark placement, but they make the writing seem rather unpolished.
If I could, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 4, but as it is, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It's an intriguing and enjoyable story, but it can be a little rough around the edges. It does have some profanity and sexual content, so it's best suited for older audiences who aren't sensitive to these elements. If you enjoy supernatural fiction or are curious about the culture of New Orleans, it's worth checking out.
******
Minor Arcana
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Minor Arcana by Jerry Lambert is a fun and fast-paced book that takes place mostly in New Orleans, where Georganne, an interior designer, is trying to stay afloat in the world of acerbic Southern socialites alongside her business partner, Tom. She's commissioned to decorate for Réveillon, a major New Orleans celebration, by an attractive European conductor. Of course, things don't go as planned. A violent murder, ominous visions, and a mysterious secret society throw Georganne right into a life-threatening conflict with supernatural origins reaching back hundreds of years.
On the whole, this book manages its pacing quite well. It's the second book in a series, but I found it fairly easy to jump in without having read the prequel. The beginning does a great job of setting up the central story and conflict, and the characters are unique, with their own lives and goals. I also enjoyed how the book handles LGBT+ themes. They're integrated naturally into the plot, and they serve to make the characters even more distinctive by giving them their own unique identities.
The characters are fleshed out further through the use of a variety of viewpoints, from a witch in the 1800s to Georganne's rival, Blair. Despite the depth they provide, I found that they made the pacing seem disjointed and awkward, making it hard to follow the narrative. It was hard to keep track of everything being presented, and I felt like a lot of the events were superfluous and unnecessary. These shifts in viewpoint are less common further into the book, though, so they didn't detract from the story's conclusion.
While its characters are striking, the worldbuilding is, by far, this book's greatest strength. The author grew up in the Deep South, and his mastery over Southern behaviors and mannerisms is top-notch. This makes the world feel engaging and realistic, providing a vivid backdrop for the story and significantly improving immersion. While the writing style is effective, the number of typos the book contains is not insignificant. They mostly have to do with homonym confusion and quotation mark placement, but they make the writing seem rather unpolished.
If I could, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 4, but as it is, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It's an intriguing and enjoyable story, but it can be a little rough around the edges. It does have some profanity and sexual content, so it's best suited for older audiences who aren't sensitive to these elements. If you enjoy supernatural fiction or are curious about the culture of New Orleans, it's worth checking out.
******
Minor Arcana
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I love mystical stories and would give this one a try. Also, I loved the title. Thank you for a great review!
I love how the book sounds mysterious, fun and well written at the same time. I love that the book is fact paced so it won't make me or the readers in general bored to read. Also the fact that we do not need to read the previous book relieves me. The review is well written and makes me excited to read the book. THANK YOU.