This is one of my longest reads of the year so far. It’s a cute book I’m buddy reading with a date of mine. Of course, I finished it first, because I’m a huge nerd about the topic it covers but I can’t wait for the sequel.
The story follows Maeve Chambers a young woman, who is just trying to make her way at her Catholic school, St. Bernadette’s. Often getting in trouble in one way or another she finds a set of tarot cards and a walkman while cleaning out one of the old classrooms.
Maeve starts doing tarot readings and gets popular within her school for it. Maeve for her part thinks she’s just having fun and enjoying the popularity. She seems to find herself extra gifted at learning the tarot and things about magic. She’s always had trouble with school so this is a welcome gift to her.
Everything changes though when she does a reading for her ex-best friend Lily, the result of which is a mysterious card appearing and her letting out the thought that she wishes Lily would disappear.
Maeve wish comes true when Lily suddenly goes missing. And her life is turned upside down. Labeled as a cause of Lily’s disappearance. Maeve becomes a social pariah, only finding friends in Rory or Roe, Lily’s older brother and later another girl in her class named Fiona.
Roe, has things to hide himself. As a genderqueer teen in Ireland he has to keep parts of himself hidden. But he and Maeve start to bond as they try and find clues about Lily’s disappearance and soon fall into the mystical as they learn about the strange card that appeared in Lily’s reading called The Housekeeper.
The Housekeeper card it seems comes up when there is trouble and strife. Maeve starts getting visions of Lily missing and the mysterious woman in a wedding dress appearing with her.
Consulting with the local mystic and owner of a shop called Divinations. She advises them on spells and tries to warn them to be careful. The pair also finds evidence that a local alt-right group has been involved in luring teens away and checks that out. Only to find their leader Aaron to be especially eerie.
As things get more serious Maeve starts to tap into her magic. Finding out that this is not the first time the Housekeeper has appeared, she finds herself and her friends drawn into a thirty-year-old mystery that may end with her having to give her life.
This tale of adventure and magic kept me gripped from the first page to the last
Rose's Book Garden 