This was never supposed to happen.When Valentina’s coven is attacked and she’s the only survivor, she saves the Suit of Spades, which she is sword to protect, and flees. Thank the Goddess there’s a solid protocol in place! All she needs to do is find the Major Arcana, and Keepers who are more powerful and experienced than her will take over from there and protect the Mysteries of the Tarot.Or … Tarot.
Or not.
What happens when half of the Major Arcana is destroyed? Valentina doesn’t know. There are no protocols. No precedent. She’s lost, but the good news is she’s not alone. She can count of her best friend, Piper, a hobgoblin who decided to follow them, and now on this handsome, hot as sin guy who claims he’s Loki himself, the God of Mischief.
It could have been worse.
Oh, wait! It’s going to be. Because in order to save the Tarot, Valentina will soon have to deal with even more gods. And, it is known, gods are impossible to work with! Mainly, because they hate each other. One witch to convince nine powerful gods to play nice?
Unlikely.
Note from the author: This is a slow-burn reverse harem book. Although the next books in the series will be steamy and 18+, this one is quite tame. Hang in there! The steam is coming! Also, make sure to check out the Prequel – The Test, to meet Valentina’s nine gods before she meets them for real in the series.
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This is a great read, a well written slow burn reverse harem with a fab storyline that shows much promise! One witch and nine powerful gods, there is so much more to come!!
She is part of the coven now and she is shocked she. They are attacked and she is the only one to survive and she saves the suit of spades. She needs to get it to safety but half of them have been destroyed. Now she needs to turn to the nine gods she met to help. See if they will
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What a rush! I need more! This book, as well as the prequel, is incredible! The world—or worlds created for this story is so fascinating and captivating. The characters are something else. I am addicted already. I am dying to know more and what happens next. The suspense and waiting game are going to kill me. Am in love with this story! So well written…
Being a new Keeper but being shoved into a higher position all at once to save the world is one crazy way for Valentina to start her day. Not knowing where to go and who to turn to, she starts the process of self discovery through her journey to protect the Tarot. Afraid of being alone, Valentina ends up sharing one of her biggest secrets with her best friend, only to have a hobgoblin and the god of mischief tag along in their journey.
At first, I was not feeling Loki. I kept yelling at the book, telling Valentina, “You don’t need him! You got this, girl! You can toss him aside now.” Eventually, I fell for him…and I fell hard! So in love with Loki! I want him to call me his ‘love’ too! Ugh. This is why falling in love with book characters is so hard!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I love how different religions and gods are mixed in this book. Valentina is an over achiever, who has to live up to her family legacy in the magical community. Except, she has a secret, a bit of a memory loss, and a strict policy against breaking rules. When everything she knows is threatened and she has to save the tarot she’s training to protect, rules are thrown out of the window, gods are found, secrets are unveiled, cards are burnt as well as friendships. With unlikely allies and men that are hotter than they should be, will Valentina be able to save the whole deck, or will cards be lost and the world of ordinaries be thrown into chaos?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Weirdly interesting, supposedly reverse harem
This is the strangest dilemma for a reader, or book reviewer, to encounter. I really like this book, and I really don’t like it. A love-hate relationship. On the one hand, the heroine, Valentina, does not improve with time. She’s spoiled, opinionated, distrustful of everyone, and firmly convinced that she’s completely out of her depth while simultaneously rejecting anyone else’s aid/input because she knows best. The resulting cognitive dissonance makes her behavior seem utterly unhinged. On the other hand, she back-door stumbles her way victoriously through one clue after another. She may succeed inadvertently, but you can’t really argue with success… As to romance, the actual story so far contains only PG rated unrequited crushes – none of them Val’s. ( I don’t think she’d recognize true love if it smacked her in the face with a dead fish.) I can see where there’s an incipient reverse harem being set up, but the author’s taking her own sweet time delivering the goodies. The potential for hot and steamy sexy times could be near volcanic. And that ‘s the heart of the matter, right there. There’s so darned much POTENTIAL here! The story is original and imaginative as pixie dust. The use of the Tarot as both the inspiration for the plot and for the characters Val interacts with is just brilliant. The writing is descriptive, the imagery is clever and clear, the world-building is complex and ever-unfolding… I could go on, but you get it, I’m sure. Despite receiving a free copy of this book via Booksprout, I am voluntarily leaving an independent and uncompensated review. So, it’s a frustrated 3 stars AND a recommendation to read The Hanged Maiden, and continue with the next in series.
“The Hanged Maiden” is book one of the “Rise of the Ash Gods” series and I recommend you read the prequel “The Test” first to fully understand what’s going on in this book. Valentina was in training to become Keeper of Spades when her coven was completely destroyed. As the only survivor she saves the Suit of Spades. We go with Val on her journey to deliver the Suit of Spades to the Major Arcana only to discover they have been attacked too. You have to get the book to find out what happens next and believe me this is one series you don’t want to miss. This book is full of action, drama, mystery, danger, suspense, secrets and twists and turns that had me hooked from the prequel.
A Fun Globetrotting, Cross-Dimensional Quest!
I loved this book! It grabbed my attention right away and didn’t let me go! It starts with a bang when a young witch finds her coven under attack at their place of worship. A coven mate holds the evil forces at bay while Val collects the images of the tarot suit of swords from behind the altar into her personal deck. Over the course of the first couple chapters, Val reveals to her best friend information about herself and her coven: Val is the Keeper of the Suit of Swords, and her coven is one of six globally charged to keep the original tarot intact–and if they fail to protect the cards, it portends bad things for humanity.
The rest of the book details how she tries to sort out what has happened and make it right again. Other covens were attacked, the male major arcana burned . . . and Loki (the god of mischief) shows up, just to make it interesting.
The dialogue is often witty and snappy. It was great fun to follow Val and her Ordinary friend Piper try to figure out what to do as they search for clues in Italy, England, and beyond (way beyond!) . . . and then do their best to do it even when confronted with a variety of obstacles. The main characters are quirky and fun, even under dire circumstances. There is a free prequel available that details how Val became a Keeper (The Test). That book and this definitely set up what is going to be a long series.
I enjoyed this book so much that I’ll be along for ride every step of the way. If you enjoy light fantasy or tarot-based stories, you might like this book, too!
I received a free copy of the book, but that did not affect my review.
Change of pace with this story, The Tarot protects the and Wirches defend the Tarot. When our heroine, Valentina runs for her life a whole new destiny seems to sweep her away. This is the start of a new series filled with magic, danger and sparks.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Valentina’s coven is attacked 3 years after passing her test to become a keeper. Now she must find a way to save the cards and possibly the world. She and her best friend head off on a journey and along the way they find so much more than expected. I am really enjoying this series so far. Valentina is a bit much at times, but she is also only 21 and has a lot going on. I am looking forward to watching her grow up and stronger during this series. Can’t wait to see where they all head next.
The Hanged Maiden – A Reverse Harem Romance (Rise of the Ash Gods, Book 1) by Cara Wylde is a wonderful start to a brand new series this is book number one. I loved reading it very much and can not wait to see what happens in the next story. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves a wonderful story about Gods to read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
After reading the prequel I was incredibly excited to read this book and I am happy to say that it not only met but exceeded all my expectations. I am a fan of Ms Wylde already and this has just cemented my respect and admiration for her talent in creating characters that are vivid and larger than life who leap off the pages and straight into your heart. The imagination that it takes to create a story like this, one that weaves a spell and transports you to a fantastical place where magic is real, the danger looming and the journey embarked upon by Valentina thrilling and engaging.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Well worth reading!
ok I read Lure Academy and fell in love but The Hanged Maiden is of another level. Val did get on my nerves a little bit but with everything happening I don’t blame her for being the way she is. and Loki so yum and the hobgoblin Magny I just loved and thought he deserved more air time. All in all this book rocked and I really need book two now to see whats next. These characters are awesome I just need more if all Cara’s books are like these then she has a fan for life
Okay, I liked the The Test, however the more the story progressed, the more Valentina became way to whiny for me, her BFF Piper was a better character in the book. Also, reading the prequel “The Test” then this book, I was so confused, because it really doesn’t say 3 years has passed. I like my heroines to have some backbone, but man is she whiny. The story line isn’t bad, the surrounding characters are funny and witty, overall, I do recommend this book, however, it is a continuation so, no HEA.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I never understood much about the Tarot cards and not quite believing in their predictions but I am finding Valentina’s journey to be interesting and a bit thrilling with Loki’s tricks and Valentina’s need to be in control of everything. In many ways she has some growing up to do as well as facing parts of herself. I cannot wait to see which God she will ask to go into their tarot image. The fact that the Tarot cards can be summoned outside of the card is quite fascinating.
I think the world building is is great, the characters well defined and the gods she seeks incredibly sexy at least the ones she has met so far. I have enjoyed many stories by this author and she has never failed to entertain and leave you feeling those warm fuzzies.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An enjoyable slow-burn reverse harem romance filled with some unusual events. The characters continue to develop throughout the story-line & get up some unexpected antics.
There is: a young female witch (Valentina), a caring human friend (Piper) a trickster god (Loki), friends, witches, covens, tarot cards, twists & turns, intrigue, action, adventure, danger, attacks, anger, self-doubt, determination, verbal conflict, emotional turmoil, astral projection, warnings, confusion, dreams & surprises
I am waiting with great anticipation for the next book in the series.
This book is well designed not only in the plotting but in the whole scene in which everything takes place. Valentina is young at 21 to have so much placed on her shoulders, but she has friends helping her along the way. She just has a long way to go. The mystery of what happened is in the background most of time but we get a whiff of an answer sometimes. The story moves fairly quickly especially toward the end of this installment, hang onto your hats it’s a wild fun ride.
This is a NON-SPOILER REVIEW. The Hanged Maiden by Cara Wylde is Book 1 in the Rise of the Ash Gods. I read the prequel, The Test and really enjoyed the read. The Hanged Maiden picks up at the very end of The Test and continues Valentina’s nightmare. While training to be a Keeper (of the Spades) Valentina is suddenly thrust into the actual job of Keeper and is barely prepared for what is coming. Cara Wylde does a good job of giving us characters that are likeable and annoyingly familiar, situations that can cause you to do the wrong thing for the right reason and facing the consequences of decisions made in haste. This is a clean read that will keep you on the edge of your seat and trying to guess what will happen next. I highly recommend this book and to anyone looking for something different and entertaining to read. I also recommend reading The Test first as it will give you a bit of background on the Tarot’s part in this story. For anyone who hasn’t worked, played or is familiar with the Tarot, it can become a little confusing initially as you get used to the terms used to describe the Major Arcana and Suits. Cara Wylde does a great job trying to keep everyone on the same page.
This honest and voluntary review was made possible by reading an advance copy through Booksprout.
I had trouble understanding what was happening in this story. I have not read the prequel book yet, so that might have helped. There was quite a bit of world building as well as explanations in at least the first half of the book. Then the reader followed along and learned right along with the main character, Valentina.
There is quite a bit of adventure taking place as Valentina tries to figure out what to do next. Loki, the trickster God, plays an important part in this book. This is supposed to be a reverse harem book, so It must be a slow burn because the only thing that has happened so far was a kiss.
I will give the next book a try when it comes out. Hopefully it will be easier to understand since we now have the background information.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the first installment in Ms. Wylde’s new serial “Rise of the Ash Gods”. I usually avoid serials because I have no patience…I want a HEA now! I do make an exception for certain authors and Ms. Wylde is one of them. I know that, while I may not get instant gratification, I will get one heck of a story in the end. I only hope I can last thru the “slow burn” the author has promised without turning into embers.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.