Ernie is a Dealer, a human empowered by her possession of a mystical deck of cards and their totem animal to perform acts which are simply magical - travelling in an instant to the other side of the world, for example. All Dealers are answerable to the Forger, however, a godlike being who can create new decks and totem animals and banish Dealers to hellish splinter dimensions on a whim. The new Forger, Victoria, may be gentler than the old one… but then again, she may not.
This is the third in the series, and I admit I was absolutely lost as to what was what was going on for about the first third. It helps that Ernie is a relatively new Dealer and still learning about her abilities and the magical world she’s now a part of, and I have to say I did find myself genuinely rooting for Ernie and her friends as they fight back against those trying to pull their strings. I would definitely recommend starting at the beginning of the series to avoid the confusion I suffered, but even if you don’t, I’d still give this a solid four stars as a book with a really interesting and different concept and an intriguing ending.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.