The Game of Triumphs

June 20, 2011
In this stylish, tarot-based tale, 15-year-old Cat lives with her loving but blunt aunt Bel, a croupier, who has cared for her since her parents' deaths and who frequently reminds her, "you'll always be an orphan... and don't you forget it. People like a bit of tragedy. Adds color." One day while wandering London's Soho, Cat witnesses a possible murder and, when she investigates further, discovers she has entered the complicated and ancient contest of the Arcanum, the Game of Triumphs, as a "chancer," an accidental player represented by the Fool of the tarot deck. Upon visiting the game's alternate universe, Cat learns that her parents were murdered as part of the contest and, with three other chancers who share personal vendettas against the game, she sets out to overthrow it. Debut author Powell's use of the tarot is fascinating, although perhaps unnecessarily complex. Cat, a skeptic and survivor, is nicely differentiated from her fellow questersâstarry-eyed Toby, snooty Flora, and mysterious street rat Blaineâthough the novel's villainous Kings and Queens don't achieve much depth. Ages 12âup.

July 15, 2011

A stranger's plea for help draws an orphaned teen into a most unusual game, in which life and death are the least of the prizes.

Cat has always been a loner, which plays nicely off her young and outgoing croupier aunt/guardian. But when she stumbles onto The Game, played with the major arcana of the Tarot in both the real world and a parallel plane, she finds secrets from her past waiting to draw her in. After a slow start with a bit too much exposition, however well integrated, adventure takes over. Cat reluctantly allies with three other "chancers" (bystanders drawn into the game but forbidden from making moves): geeky, eager Toby; classy, rich Flora; and tough guy Blaine—all of whom have something or someone they want from the game. Together they decide to take the whole thing down by releasing the Fool, an otherworldly power at the heart of the game. As they tread the narrow path between trust and secrets, friendship grows. By the end of the first of this duology, page-turning action and a showdown with the rulers of the four suits will leave readers breathless, if disappointed that the conclusion doesn't resolve the mystery of Cat's past.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

December 1, 2011

Gr 7-10-Opening with a dramatic chase scene, a murder, and a lavish party where people seem to be risking everything for the chance to win big, Powell promises a high-octane fantasy novel in which 15-year-old Cat is jolted out of her mundane existence into a world of intrigue and danger. Unknown to everyone but the players-knights, knaves, game masters, and fools-The Game has been played throughout the centuries. Based on the tarot, the cards the players draw determine their fates. But unlike most games of chance, this one is for real and, while the right card offers fame, beauty, or fortune, the wrong one can mean a hideous death. The author's writing style is as dark and twisty as the labyrinth her characters navigate through the streets of London and in the alternate universe of Arcanum. Unfortunately, The Game is so complicated and the author devotes so much time to explaining it that the characters and plot get short shrift. While Cat and the aunt with whom she lives are fully developed and sympathetic characters, the other three "fools" who join Cat in her dark adventure aren't well fleshed out. On the other hand, if the occasional missteps in characterization and plotting cause readers some minor confusion, it all just contributes to the mysterious atmosphere of the story.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2011
Grades 9-12 A chance encounter with a desperate, anonymous man on a dark contemporary London street leads 15-year-old Cat to the Arcanum, an ongoing card game based on the tarot deck, that has very real consequences for those who play it. According to the Hanged Man, the game has gone off the rails, and only Cat and her three companions can redeem it. While confusing at times, Powell's first novel is an engaging, exciting quest of a different sort where three Fools, strangers to each other, must solve potentially fatal puzzles inside a tarot deck without interfering in the general game play. Powell helpfully provides separate information about the Major and Minor Arcana, both of which readers must at least begin to understand in order to make sense of the first few chapters, but once past the mechanics of the gamethe setup for the questPowell gives us flawed characters to care about and plenty of adventure to keep the pages turning.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)