Official Review: Minor Arcana by Jerry Lambert

[Poppy Drear]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Minor Arcana" by Jerry Lambert.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

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

[adamgreenrock]

It does look interesting from the cover alone, but to know that it's about New Orleans and how the world building of it is southern-based deepens it even further.

Pretty solid review!

[Rayasaurus]

The world building sounds fantastic; and I love that LGBT+ issues are treated respectfully. Thank you for the review!

[kdstrack]

A New Orleans mystery with unique characters and good pacing - looks good! Thanks for the recommendation.

[Ellylion]

The Southern background seems to be very charming and interesting I love mystical stories and would give this one a try. Also, I loved the title. Thank you for a great review!

[Ogoskino]

New Orleans, a town where mystery lives, as suggested in the series "the originals". I would like to see how this story develops. Great review.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like an intriguing paranormal thriller with interesting characters. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your informative review!

[Aan Granados]

Even though I’m not a fan of paranormal stories, your review makes me want to try it out. I’m intrigued and I also like the setting. Thanks for your review!

[Souraja mitra]

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.

[Queenyx]

The book cover doesn't seem quite attractive. However, the review does give a succint overview of what to expect. Although A fan of thriller novels, the sexual scenes in this book definitely will not make me want to read this. Congrats on BOTD

[Ngozi Onyibor]

An immersive story with striking characters set in New Orleans, it sounds like a perfect meld for a paranormal story.

[iknwuzoh]

This sound like a fiction. The characters are developed in New Orleans. It is book for those fond of panorama. Thanks for the review.

[brendanwhite]

From your well-written review, I can tell that it could be a captivating story. It is good to see that you enjoyed it, but I do not think it is the book for me.

[Amy+++]

The book sounds really good. I can't wait to read more! Normally I wouldn't be interested in this book, but I like the reviews that I have seen.

[Vickie Noel]

The cover art is reminiscent of Greek mythology, so I'm a bit surprised the setting is in New Orleans. It sounds like an interesting story, but I'm averse to reading LGBT- themed material, especially one that contains profanity and sexual content. I'll pass on it, congrats on BOTD.