ok your posting had intrigued me… should i read the tarot sequence???
YESSSSSS (totally not biased)
But! if you want to know what it's about, the tarot sequence is an adult urban fantasy series set in "New Atlantis" (aka Nantucket island off the east coast of America). Atlanteans are a very old, not-quite-immortal society of magical people who have only recently been forced to reveal themselves to the greater human world, but some of their culture has leaked through in things like tarot cards—which are the names of the twenty-two rulers/thrones of their society.
The main character, Rune, is the heir to one of these thrones—the sun throne. Normally, this would give him a lot of privilege and power, but his family's throne fell when he was fifteen in a violent attack that left only two survivors—him, and his magically bonded Companion Brand. In the present, he and Brand are mercenaries picking up odd jobs to keep a roof over their heads, while at the same time Rune tries to investigate and discover who orchestrated the fall of his throne twenty years ago. The first book starts here, but before long Rune and Brand are given a new job that’s sets them on a collision course with people and events that will change their lives—and quite possibly the world—forever.
Some things these books have: queernormative societies, found families, overpowered MCs, unclear prophets who refuse to elaborate, characters with more snark than sense, unique magic systems, meddling teenagers, and plenty of creepy ghosts and ghouls and other paranormal creatures. They’re books about healing from your past and building a new life with the people you love, and they’re some of the most simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking books I’ve ever read. Right now, there are three books published out of a planned nine, with one bonus published novel from the pov of some secondary characters and a ton of extra content on the author’s website.
The last two things I’d note— first off, a big tw for sexual assault. The main event in question is in the past and is never described in detail, but it’s a huge part of Rune’s past and as a result a huge part of the story as he tried to both move past it and find the people who hurt him. So just something to know and consider before you start reading. The other thing is that the main complaint that I see about the series is that the first book is pretty white and male-centric, but if you can make it to the second book it gets wayyy better from there. Overall, it’s a super fun series and I really can’t recommend them enough! :D
YES YES YES !!! Ok so a few things - the trigger warnings for all the books are on the author's website if you need to glance at that before diving in. (Though there is a decent list its also a long series - and the heavy things like the assault are handled well/carefully but can be well . . . heavy. It's a survivor's story.) The "white male centric" thing is correct - the author is himself a queer man and The Last Sun was his first novel, he's said himself he's happy he's moved beyond that and included way more diverse characters from book 2 onward. The author also describes the series a "hopepunk" while earlier drafts were darker he's happily moved into a more "found family and healing" direction. That includes both facing trauma and acknowledging it hurt - and finding out how to heal, to let people become a support system.
