I really liked this book. Such an extraordinary idea that Dealers, with spirit animals living on their arms to assist them, carry cards with words that are used alone or in different combinations to create magic powers that help them fight for good or evil. The fate of the dealer comes down to their skill in dealing their cards. Ernie has recently become the Diamondback snake dealer and is still just getting used to using her deck. She struggles to help maintain the balance of good against evil in her world. Their leader, the Forger, assigns tasks to the dealers to create chaos and he creates objects that pits them against each other to create more chaos. All are trying to hold on to their own power and alliances are forming. Ernie's dad was a dealer but he left 20 years ago and no one has seen him since. A power hungry dealer attacks Ernie's friend/lover and as she is helping him fight, Ernie is sent to and trapped in another dimension. She has to try and find her way back to her home dimension before she forgets who she is and loses her powers. In her journey, she must discover her father's secrets if she is to return and help her allies. This is the second book in the The Immortal Dealers series. I had not read the first book so it took me a while to understand the world building and magical adventures but I do think this worked well as a stand alone. It is such a creative idea for a series that I will go back and read the first book and will continue reading the series when future books are released. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. ( )

Meh

This series isn't bad, but it is aimed at a younger audience and I find the books dull, in part because only a few of the characters are developed very far. At least here we retire two of these one-dimensional beings and give a couple more Dealers new powers, hinting that the next book might go off in some new directions. I'm not sure I'll read it though.

I received a review copy of "The Guardian: The Immortal Dealers, Book 2" by Sarah Fine (47North) through NetGalley.com. ( )