The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: January 2, 2013
Publisher: Harper Teen
320 Pages
The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms... is a girl with yellow eyes.
Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope...
Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king.
Intrigue and mystery, ancient lore and action-packed fantasy come together in this heart-stopping first book in a trilogy.
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Review:
Publisher: Harper Teen
320 Pages
The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms... is a girl with yellow eyes.
Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope...
Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king.
Intrigue and mystery, ancient lore and action-packed fantasy come together in this heart-stopping first book in a trilogy.
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Review:
I really like books that spin off Asian heritage. My love of the Eastern culture is pretty recent, but I will admit to having an addiction. I expected Prophecy to blow my mind, and I was really looking forward to read Ms. Oh's take on a Korean fantasy world. Too bad I noted that I was bored within the first ten percent.
I honestly cannot think of anything positive to say about this novel besides the gorgeous cover. It fooled me into thinking this novel would be amazing. The premise was glorious. Demons, murder, prophecies and royalty? It's everything a fantasy lover could wish for! The cover makes you believe that dragons will be involved, and they really weren't… Boy, was I in for a shock when instead of the epic story filled with dragons, magic and swords, I got swords and a tiny bit of magic!
Kira is the king's niece, the prince's bodyguard and the only female in the army. These are not the only things that makes her an outcast. She's also a demon slayer, which makes those around her immediately fear her. After her home, Hansong, is invaded, it is up to Kira and a small group of her companions to unfold to the Dragon King Prophecy and save the people and the kingdom.
Now what exactly was wrong with Prophecy? It was completely predictable. The characters were obnoxious, few seemed realistic and none of them were likable. The writing was an unsettling combination of modern and historical. I honestly couldn't get a good idea of the exact era the story was supposed to take place in--so obviously, the world-building is dreadful. This needed so, so much work.
It's almost impossible to like a book when you don't like any of the characters. And these characters were not easily to like. Personally, I didn't like any of them--to the point where I don't remember anyone's name besides Kira. The were unmemorable. No one else felt "solid," if you will. Kira's relationships with everyone were awkward. I absolutely could not stand her cousin, the prince. He might have been my least favorite character, which is sad because that means I liked the villains more than him.
The author really focused on the wrong aspects. She didn't write characters to connect with, or a captivating plot. She seemed to want to fill the story as much as possible instead. I mean, had the book been expanded, it held enough to really make an entire series! So much happened in such a small book. …I've never read a fantasy novel as short as this. I know that longer doesn't necessarily mean better, but Prophecy desperately needed some extra girth. So many details were brought into play, but nothing was expanded on enough to help the audience understand. The information that needed to be in the story was left out.
By the time it was over, I felt immensely relieved. FINALLY, I COULD START A NEW BOOK! But there was also some disappointment because I wanted so much for it to be good, but it fell totally and completely flat. I'm extremely annoyed because Prophecy was an utter mess. Nothing about the book made sense to me. It just did not work.
I won a copy of this novel in a giveaway and received an e-copy from the publisher for my honest opinion and review via Edelweiss.
Ooh. It's THAT kind of book. So sorry you didn't enjoy it. I hate predictability along with annoying characters and the overall feeling of "WHEN IS THIS GOING TO BE OVER?" I usually DNF it, but I don't have much patience. Great review!
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