Oh the Places We Will Go (In Deck of Cards)

Occasionally, a reader will ask what the significance is of the place names in Deck of Cards.  If you've even read the book blurb, you know that the novel is loosely based on an actual deck of cards.  So, what do the place names have to do with that? If you're in to symbolism, then this is the post for you!

Princess Katherine. Will she be forced to marry King Philip?

The story starts within the walls of Castle Blackthorn, in the Kingdom of Clovington. Blackthorn is actually a type of tree or shrub known for having very dark bark and a plethora of thorns growing around it.  The castle is also known for being quite dark and difficult to penetrate.  Clovington comes from the clover--or club. King Philip is the first "black" king, the King of Clubs.

Castle Blackthorn, where Matthew is held captive and Princess Katherine is to wed King Philip.

Next, we find out that Princess Katherine is from the Kingdom of Placidia. While Placidia does not represent any of the suits, the Queen of Placidia, Nichole, is actually one of the four Queens discussed in the book (there are five if you  count the Queen who abdicated from Zurconia--we won't count her). In the game of cards unfolding in the book, Placidia is sort of like the Joker. It could go either way, play with any suit.  Of course, we know what side is eventually taken, but for the most part, Placidia is placid and uninvolved.

The castle in Placidia is high in the mountains with gorgeous views.

We know that King Matthew, the captive king whom Philip is holding hostage somewhere within the castle, comes from the Kingdom of Zurconia.  It is clear from the beginning that Zurconia represents the suit of Diamonds and that Matthew is a "red" king--one of the "good guys."

The castle in Zurconia where Philip's men relied on espionage and sabotage to take Matthew captive.

We are given hope that Matthew will survive his ordeal when we find that his brother, King Caleb, is on his way to Castle Blackthorn in an attempt to rescue Matthew. Caleb hales from the Kingdom of Arteria, the suit of hearts, our other "red" king. Though at first it may not be quite clear why King Caleb is, in fact, the King of Hearts, as the story unfolds, it becomes more evident.

Castle Caine in Arteria is highly fortified and would be nearly impossible to penetrate.

The final kingdom that we are introduced to is Gradenia, which represents spades, a tool one uses in the garden.  Why is it not Gardenia? Just to keep you on your toes.... Gradenia is ruled by the sinister King Leopold, our final "black" king.

King Leopold, The King of Spades, rules Gradenia.

One may ask, why are the kings delineated and the queens are not? In a way they are.  We have two queens whose kingdoms are invaded and their families torn apart (Doloris and Margaret) and two queens who over-come great obstacles and fight for what they believe in (Nichole and Katherine) so, in this sense of the word, we could possibly assign suits but that takes the symbolism a bit too far for me. I'm content with leaving our four queens be and focusing on the kings and kingdoms.

Did you find the suits obvious or were they a bit tricky to unravel? What other aspects of the novel are you wondering about?

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