I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

On an ordinary Monday morning, eighteen-year-old Mikaela Broussard receives the shock of her life. During a customer’s tarot reading at her family’s occult shop, she turns over the Death card and envisions the beautiful stranger stabbing her in the heart.

In order to determine why the girl, Joelle, wants to kill her, she’ll have to keep her close. But the more time Mikaela spends with her soon-to-be murderer, the more irresistible she finds her.

As if imminent death isn’t worrisome enough, witches are turning up with their magic stolen. And it’s clear some very dark magic is at work. Mikaela, as the next Witch Queen of her coven, is tasked with figuring out who’s behind the horrific acts—a mystery that will put her and her power to the test.

Short and Sweet Review

Mikaela has a lot on her plate. Between grieving her grandmother, helping out at her family’s occult shop, and preparing to take on the role of Witch Queen, she already has enough to worry about. Then, during a tarot reading, she turns over the Death card and has a vision of the girl sitting across from her stabbing her in the heart. Instead of staying away from her potential killer, Mikaela decides to keep Joelle close and figure out why she wants to kill her. At the same time, witches in her coven are having their magic stolen, and Mikaela has to figure out who is behind the dark magic before more people are hurt.

I really wanted to love this one because the premise had so many things I enjoy. Witches, tarot, a mystery, a murder prediction, and a potential enemies to lovers situation all sounded right up my alley. I especially liked the New Orleans setting and the way the story incorporated Black witches, family, ancestry, and the coven. Mikaela’s relationship with her family, particularly her twin brother and Gramps, was one of the stronger parts of the book, and I thought her grief added a nice emotional layer to her character. Unfortunately, I found myself getting frustrated with Mikaela and the other characters quite a bit. So much of the conflict seemed to come from people making assumptions instead of actually communicating with each other. Mikaela would be given information that should have made her question what was happening, but instead she would continue down the same path, and I kept wanting to yell at her to just stop and think for a second. I understand that she’s young and still figuring things out, but it made some of the mystery feel more frustrating than suspenseful. The romance between Mikaela and Joelle was probably my biggest disappointment. There was definitely an interesting setup with Mikaela knowing that Joelle was supposedly going to kill her, but I never felt like their relationship developed enough to justify how strong their feelings became by the end. I wanted more time with them actually getting to know each other and building a connection instead of having the romance feel like it was happening mostly in the background. I also thought there were too many different subplots competing for attention. The stolen magic, the coven dynamics, the rival coven, Mikaela’s development as a witch, the racism within the magical community, the romance, and the mystery surrounding the villain all had potential, but some of them felt rushed or unfinished. I especially wanted more development with Mikaela’s magic because we’re told early on that she isn’t as skilled as some of the other witches, but by the end she suddenly seems incredibly powerful without really getting to see that growth happen. The ending was where things really fell apart for me. I did enjoy the mystery and was curious to see who was behind everything, but the reveal didn’t feel as satisfying as I wanted it to. Some of the villain motivations felt too obvious, while other parts seemed to come out of nowhere. There were moments where I could see what the author was trying to say with the story, but the execution didn’t quite work for me.

Overall, Death Card had a really interesting premise and some genuinely enjoyable elements, especially the magical setting, family dynamics, and Mikaela’s personal journey. I just wish the story had slowed down enough to develop its characters, romance, and different subplots more fully. There was definitely potential here, but by the end I felt like I was left with more frustration than excitement.