TL;DR Review: A fun, fresh, and fast-paced urban fantasy with neurodivergent representation done right.
Synopsis:
Four tribes of ruthless demigods rule over luck in our world. Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades. To save her mom, Aggie must join them…
As a future scientist, I don’t believe in gods or in luck. My OCD is under control—mostly—and I’m on track to be class valedictorian.
But when my mom disappears, the search for her leads me to the dangerously handsome Jack of Hearts, a demigod with the power to control luck. Mom may have been captured by bad luck gods. To save her, I have to join Jack and his fellow Valentines. I find myself whisked into their world of opulent mansions, gorgeous people, and fancy cars.
But being a demigoddess isn’t all glamor and popularity. It can be deadly. Now, I’ll have to master my newfound luck powers, battle the dark suits, and brave the unlucky underbelly of Detroit, all while keeping my OCD at bay—or risk losing my mom forever.
Full Review:
Girl of Hearts takes us for one heck of a ride into the world of the Luck Gods, mortal beings given the powers over either good or bad luck.
The story is told through the perspective of Aggie, a brilliant science-minded high schooler who is working with her mom to develop some dark matter machine. When things inevitably go awry, the results are…infinitesimal at first, but quickly grow and draw her into an adventure with some truly insane-sounding people—including a very handsome “luck god”, Jack Valentine.
Aggie is soon swept up into the world of the luck gods, where each of the suits has a different ability—Hearts have power over romance, Diamonds have power over money and business, Clubs have power over war and violence, and Spades have power over death and disease. An ages-old war between the suits has continually decimated their ranks and kept them at odds. So it’s no surprise when Aggie, who draws the attention of the Hearts, finds herself hounded and attacked by Clubs.
I found this to be an absolutely delightful and wonderfully unique flavor of urban fantasy. The use of the card suits was something I’ve never read before, and it made for a very fun and fresh story.
There’s action and magic aplenty, some great characters of all shapes and sizes around Aggie, and enough intrigue to definitely keep me reading chapter after chapter (I devoured it in two sittings).
One of my favorite parts is the way neurodivergence is treated. Aggie has developed OCD following the death of her father, and from the beginning, you see how it controls every aspect of her life. It’s her safety mechanism to help her cope with the anxieties and uncertainties of a life filled with good and bad luck.
Inevitably, it’s something that will stop her from making full use of her abilities, and may even get in the way of her saving those she loves. So we follow along on her journey through understanding and coming to terms with her OCD, and channeling the feelings that have caused it to develop into something more productive. It doesn’t give a simple “wave your hand and it’s done” solution for OCD, doesn’t magic it away, but walks Aggie through her struggle with the disorder and finding an equilibrium with it.
Though the character was young, the story never strayed into YA territory, but kept up the danger and action all the way from start to its epic finish. Her development of combat abilities felt a bit rushed—she’s never held a weapon in her life in the beginning, and by the end, she’s dueling with swords and daggers—but it wasn’t done to an excessive degree.
All in all, Girl of Hearts was an excellent urban fantasy adventure that definitely sank its hooks into me and has me wanting to dive back in and read the rest of the series to see how it all plays out. The book ended with some excellent mysteries and promises that have me needed to see what comes next.
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