Book Reviews: The Xana Bard Tarot Mysteries (Books 1-3) by Bevan Atkinson

I’m going to cover the first three books in this fantastically fun and intriguingly populated series today. The last three will follow up next week. Some of the reviews are longer, some shorter – regardless of the length, rest assured that each book was a great read, some just lent themselves to longer descriptions than others.

This was a marvelous find – the mysteries are cozy, without aggressive sex or violence or language, which made them a great before-bed read for me. The characters are splendid – full of quirks, foibles, and sass that I found endearing, aggravating, hysterical, and highly entertaining. The mysteries were unusual and engaging, and even when they felt slightly familiar, they took unexpected twists and turns that kept me flipping pages and laughing throughout. A great find!!

The Fool Card
What a delightful find this was!! I love cozy mysteries like this – they’re easy, fun, engaging reads that don’t require a lot of effort and offer pure entertainment value. This one had the added bonus of well-developed, quirky characters who I loved from the opening pages. Xana is a delight – I enjoyed her insights into tarot, her self-reflections, and her utterly un-self-conscious recognition of her own limitations. The story itself was interesting although felt a bit rushed at times, as things hurriedly came together into a tidy package by the end. But that’s often a hallmark of cozies, I think, and it didn’t bother me at all. This was a fun read full of interesting people and if the story sometimes flew by, well, so be it. I enjoyed the journey wholeheartedly – and when you do, the trip often seems too quick! I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment…

The Magician Card
This is such a wonderful series – fun, entertaining, well-characterized… In this second installment we see a little less of Thorne, but despite that I thoroughly enjoyed it every bit as much as the first book. The mysteries are engaging, the characters and relationships are developing nicely, and the next book is already queued up on my Kindle!

The High Priestess Card
This is such a fun and fabulous series! The mysteries continue to engage and surprise me with their original premises. The ongoing characters and their relationships are maturing nicely, offering new opportunities for engagement and story development. And the writing is entertaining and easy-going, making them the perfect cozy mysteries in my mind…

This time we get more from DeLeon, which I found delightful. The cult angle was fascinating and one I haven’t come across in cozies very often, which made it a novel read for me. I thoroughly enjoy watching Xana take on the universe in these stories – I have to suspend disbelief occasionally, but the writing and plotting are smooth enough that I never mind, and she is such a deliciously fun character that I almost can buy that she’s as incredibly lucky and talented as she appears to be!

These are great stories, full of interesting tidbits and fun characterizations and I can’t wait to read the next!

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My review copies of these books were provided, obligation-free, by NetGalley and the publisher.