The Master of Misrule

The Game of Triumphs #2

by Laura Powell

The a world like our own, but twisted beyond reality. Here, a deadly Game is played out, with prizes for some - and danger for all. When Cat, Blaine, Flora and Toby defeated the Game's Masters, they thought they had won. They thought wrong. Now, the Game is broken, and soon the four unlikely friends it's not just their own lives at risk - but the future of the whole world...The thrilling sequel to the critically acclaimed THE GAME OF TRIUMPHS.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Tarot, Magic, Family

356 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Laura Powell grew up in rural Wales and now lives in West London. She wrote her first book while studying Classics at Oxford and worked in publishing for five years before leaving to concentrate on her writing.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The Game of Triumphs, Cat and three other players banished the kings and queens of the Game, thinking that they were ending cruel and capricious tyranny. This sequel finds them realizing their error and attempt to restore the Game. Their experiences in the Arcanum have a dreamlike quality that reflects reality through a prism of their inner emotional states, and so they must all come to terms with events in their real lives in order to succeed. This sequel neatly finishes up the story, while still leaving open the possibility of further installments.

[Rhea Milner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn! I feel so much right now. My heart is just...I can't even say what I feel. I just feel empty but in a good way. My heart feels heavy but it feels good with the solemn end of this maddening game. Cat has lost so much for this bloody game. And everyone else...they're so at peace after. I am so glad I picked this up.

[Amy Lignor · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I came across the first book of this series, The Game of Triumphs, it didn’t take me very long to fall in love and have one of the most amazing adventures of my ‘reading’ life. Cat is the main character and she is everything from witty to charming. When we first met up with her and her friends, Cat was attending an exclusive party in the Soho District of London where she was drawn into an age-old and slightly frightening game of “Fortunes and Cards” (Tarot Cards). This mysterious game was run by four ‘game masters’ that passed out challenges that took place in the Arcanum, a dream version of our own world. If the player was successful they earned fortunes, and if they failed, death was an absolute possibility.

When Cat entered the game, readers were given a look into her family’s past, as sights and sounds were revealed that showed exactly what drove people to play the game. The game playing is beyond risky and a whole lot of fun, but the prizes were worth dying for.

Now, in this second adventure, Cat and her friends start out in a very peaceful life – believing that the game was completely over and they could go, with their prizes in hand. But the ‘Game’ is back and begins all over again (even more scary than the first book.) What Cat and her friends did not count on was the fact that the Master of Misrule was no dummy, and when he earns his freedom by duping the gang, he shows exactly the type of menacing figure that he really is. All of a sudden, Cat and her friends meet up with disaster. Refusing to leave all they have won behind, the Arcanum beckons and the group of teens have to play the ‘end game,’ which may just take them out for good, as well as the entire city of London.

ANY and ALL readers who love Harry Potter vs. Voldemort – the ultimate in good and evil – will hang on every page. As a sequel, or a follow-up, this is absolutely aces. This offers thrills and chills that are sometimes not for the faint of heart, but always a heck of a lot of fun to watch. What’s the downside? I want a Book III, and NOW!

Until Next Time, Everybody,
Amy

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please support my blog and read my review here: http://openletter2nyc.blogspot.com/20...

I was extremely excited to pick up The Master of Misrule after finishing The Game of Triumphs. The cliffhanger was killing me, and I needed to see where the characters would end up. I was surprised that The Master of Misrule picked up right where the first book left off, with no gap whatsoever in the story. While I was reading the books back-to-back, this second book includes a quick recap of the first book at the beginning if you need a refresher. I found that really helpful!

The Master of Misrule is thus a direct continuation of The Game of Triumphs, but with an added twist. Unlike the first book, where readers only followed Cat, we now get to learn more about her friends Toby, Flora, and Blaine as they work to get the game back under control after setting the Master of Misrule loose. I really liked getting to know the other characters, and I think Powell did an excellent job with character development. When I learned more about what the other characters had at stake, I was more invested in the story.

I also found that Powell's writing really matured in The Master of Misrule. The book flowed quite easily, the chapters were a good length, and I kept turning the pages to find out where the game would go next. As with the first book, I found that the story was difficult to predict, but each twist and turn in the plot was logical and believable. I especially loved how each character's story wrapped up at the end.

All in all, I really enjoyed the Game of Triumphs duology. I would love to see this repackaged as a bind-up of the two volumes, as one can't read the first book without continuing on, and because they take place without any lapse in time between the two. The story is imaginative, the characters are complex, and the ending is incredible. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a good young adult fantasy, especially those who are fans of the movie Jumanji. Trust me.

[ILoveBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Game is back and just as deadly as the first book. The reader will enjoy reconnecting with the characters from the first book. Cat and her friends thought the Game was finished and they could go, hopefully with their prizes in hand. However, nothing is ever that easy. The Master of Misrule has tricked them, when he got out of the hot water he landed in due to his own machinations he turned on Cat and her friends. Cat and her friends are understandably angry and desire to get revenge on the Master of Misrule. More than their pride is at stake, the Game is seeping out into the real world and chaos will ensue without Cat and her friends taking the proper course of action.



Cat is still an interesting character. All of her friends display bravery and loyalty to one another. The reader will like the dynamics between the friends and get to know each of them very well. The Master of Misrule appears very fictitious at first, but the reader will slowly realize that he has grown in him/her and become the evil antagonist the reader expects. There are not too many other characters that are focused upon, the reader will get to know Cat and her friends to the point where he/she can predict their actions/thoughts fairly accurately.



The events were fast-paced, Cat and her friends do not have any chance to breathe as they rush to stop the Master of Misrule's nefarious plans. The plot is much the same as the first book in some ways, but different in others as Cat and her friends technically conquered the game. Teen/middle grade readers will love this novel.

[Hailee · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the first book, I feel like this book had a lot of potential that the author didn't unlock. Personally, I would have liked to read more about players actually playing the Game in order to get a better understanding of it. I thought this book did a better job of that than the first book, but still think that with more detail it would have been better. To me, both books felt a little rushed. One of my complaints with the first book was that the Game was too easy for Cat and the chancers, but this book fixed that as Cat and the chancers had a harder time in the Arcanum. Overall I guess I did enjoy this book and I think it's a fun, quick read. But I would have appreciated it so much more if it had some richer details. Laura Powell could have expanded this into a longer series and that would have been fine with me. On a side note, I think if this series was made into a TV show that focused more on the Game and the Arcanum for a while and showed the chancers playing the Game before Misrule was brought about, it would be wildly successful (or at least I would watch it).

[Miss Bookiverse]

I bought this straight after I finished The Game of Triumphs. I don't remember why, I didn't even like Game of Triumphs all that much. Fast forward 3 years and I still haven't read this, so I decided to finally give it a go. Turns out this book series is just not for me. I really enjoy the concept of the Arcanum, the tarot-like playing cards and their meaning. It's very creative and cool but everything else falls flat. I just can't bring myself to care for the characters, they're not annoying or dislikable, they're just... I don't know, I don't feel anything towards them. Same goes for the writing style and the pace of the story. It goes on and on and I just feel bored and can't seem to bring myself to care. So I stopped after about 40%. This is not a bad book, it simply didn't manage to capture me.

[Michael Alan Grapin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might have enjoyed this more had I read the first book, but I think I gleaned enough of the back story from this second book. Cat, Toby, Blaine and Flora are four teenagers who forced their way into an exclusive game and helped to free The Hanged Man. He in turn became the Master of Misrule and set about destroying the magical realm in which a game, based on a Tarot deck, was played. In the second book, the teens discover this magical realm in shambles and the mundane world in peril. They discover that their victory wasn't what they'd hoped for and set about righting the wrongs for which they were responsible.

[PopcornReads - MkNoah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure what drew me to The Master of Misrule by Laura Powell although the title just sounds like a book that’s going to be up to all kinds of no good, as my grandmother would have said. Even though it’s the sequel to The Game of Thrones, I had no trouble getting into it and figuring out what was going on so I think it’s fine as a stand-alone novel. This is a YA novel that is really going to appeal to gamers; however, I think its topsy turvy adventure is also going to appeal to people who like fantasy novels. Read the rest of my review at http://popcornreads.com/?p=4073

[Breezy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I tried reading this book a few months back and I failed to make it past the third chapter. It was not because it wasn't interesting; I find anything to do with tarot fascinating. I can say now that I have read this book and wasn't disappointed. This is a fabulous spin on the Arcana and what they mean. I found this book to be fun and exciting, at parts thrilling and enthralling. I can't figure out why I couldn't start it before. Amazing details and the characters are all from a different background so it's easy to find one to relate to. It was just great to see how it all came together.

[Aspen Junge · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the previous book, the heroes end the Game of Triumphs by releasing the Hanged Man. Now the Master of Misrule, the Hanged Man is trying to make the entire mundane world a game of chance, and our heroes must stop him. Once again, teens have to save the world from a mysterious force nobody else knows about, let alone understands (a feature of the genre, by which I have no business being annoyed).

I would be interested to peek in at the characters as adults; they've had a unique learning and growing experience, and it would be interesting to see how it plays out in their adult choices.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot more than the game of triumphs. Although both of them are confusing, the second one was so intricately plotted and everything tied up with itself; it was really well done. Also the descriptions in certain scenes were amazing, not over the top, but really good. I love the characters created, especially The Hanged Man even if he is evil and how the tarot cards are imbodied. A really good, but unusual read

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this duo of books for Older YA. Twisted and corrupted, the plot weaves it's way to the ultimate ending. Choices are made for good and for evil and fate tosses the coin - which way will it land, place your bets if you dare. Wonderful characters and detailed storyline make for a fascinating trip into another world.

[Elegale · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES!! I finally found this book!
I've never read the first book but I loved this one. I fell quickly for the plot, the cards, the setting and the characters.
I'll try to read the first book, now that I've almost forgotten this one....

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Loved this book, i just finished it and im still tearing up!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, not the best but it was different to what I usually read. Give it a go, but don't expect anything too amazing.