Reviews - These Deadly Prophecies

360 reviews for:

These Deadly Prophecies

Andrea Tang

3.5 AVERAGE

calcifire's review against another edition

2.5

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

red_raven22's review

3.25

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

elwan_enchanted's review against another edition

3.75

dark mysterious medium-paced

bostieslovebooks's review

3.0

Thank you Penguin Teen for the gifted ARC book.

When Sorcerer Solomon is murdered, his apprentice, Tabatha, and son, Callum, team up to identify the killer in order to clear their names. The task is extra challenging due to the suspect list being full of rich magical members of the sorcerer’s family. Tabatha also isn’t sure she can trust Callum.

Although I found the premise intriguing, THESE DEADLY PROPHECIES was a YA fantasy murder mystery that unfortunately fell flat for me overall. I had a hard time staying engaged as the plot felt pretty predictable and the pacing quite slow. The fantasy aspects of the sorcerer’s apprentice and the magic were fun concepts, but it didn’t seem like there was enough of that included, at least not as much as I’d have liked. It felt more like this was a murder mystery with a touch of fantasy. The ending was also a bit cheesy. I think this book will be enjoyed by the right audience – that just wasn’t me.

tbrwithmel's review

4.0

A big thanks to Penguin Young Readers Group and Netgalley for providing me the ARC.

Tabatha Zeng, a young sorcerer-in-training, has been studying with the famous Sorcerer Solomon for three years when his mysteriously prophecized death turns her world upside down. Everyone is a suspect, including herself and it’s up to her to piece together the puzzle of the mentor she thought she knew. Working alongside her mentor’s son, Callum, she uncovers the dirty truths hidden behind the curtains of Solomon Manor.

Overall, this was quite a thrilling journey. The story is told in contemporary, fourth-wall breaking commentary reminiscent of Fourth Wing. Tabatha is a witty and funny honor roll student and fairly likable. The mystery of the book dragged me in and kept me reading on. That aspect reminds me a bit of Inheritance Games, so if you’re a fan of that series you will most likely be a fan of this.

Some of my criticisms (noting that I read an unrevised version):
1. There was some repetition in some of the language that became a bit bothersome.
2. I did like the casual tone between the character and the reader, but sometimes it was a bit over the top and became cringy.
3. The romance wasn’t built up enough and wasn’t entirely believable to me. It was a bit awkward and didn’t leave me rooting for them.
4. The beginning and end were strong but the story dragged in the middle for me a little bit.
5. The book is short, which can be a nice thing, but I feel that it leaves space to develop the characters, romance and magic system more. It would take this book from good to great.

With that being said, I really did enjoy the book! It’s a bit outside my normal fantasy, a bit more on the contemporary mystery thriller spectrum, but still a good one. I’d definitely recommend it to YA readers, especially those new to fantasy.

This was a bit hard for me to rate in solid stars, it’s between a 3 and a 4 for me but I did enjoy it so I rounded up.

book_lover_andrea's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

This was an enjoyable read - perfect for a plane ride! I enjoyed getting to know Tabitha and her involvement in magic. I liked how the book was part magic and part murder mystery. I guess my main criticism would be - I was waiting for Tabitha to come into her own and kick some serious ass. But that didn’t happen. A bit disappointing, but also maybe it’s good to have a main character who is learning and still has a lot to learn.