The Master of Misrule, by Laura Powell

The Master of Misrule is the sequel to Laura Powell's novel The Game of Triumphs, which we enthusiastically recommended last October. Like The Game of Triumphs, The Master of Misrule is a fast-paced and richly imagined fantasy inspired by the rules of the Tarot.

In Powell's first book, British teenagers Cat, Flora, Blaine, and Toby destroyed the merciless rulers of the magical contest known as the Game of Triumphs, and freed a mysterious prisoner who promised them their hearts' desire. In The Master of Misrule, their good (-intentioned, at least) deeds come back to haunt them: the Game is plunged into chaos, their "prizes" come with life-threatening drawbacks, and the prisoner is revealed to be the traitorous Fool, an anarchic figure determined to spill the Game's dark magic into the real world.

If you haven't read The Game of Triumphs, there is zero point in reading The Master of Misrule, as the second book spends very little time explaining the plot and character developments featured in the first. (This isn't really an independent story; it's more like a 360-page-long extension of the earlier novel.) However, readers who enjoyed The Game of Triumphs should be delighted, as The Master of Misrule offers a new-and-improved take on the first book's many charms. The action is even more ferocious, the characters are explored in greater depth, and the book closes with a thoughtful, satisfying conclusion—and just a hint of possible future adventures.

Review based on publisher-provided copy.