guylou 's review for:

These Deadly Prophecies by Andrea Tang

3.0

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 I was really excited to dive into 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗟𝗬 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝗴, especially with its promise of a magic-infused murder mystery. The concept of a teenage sorcerer’s apprentice, Tabatha Zeng, solving her boss's murder sounded thrilling. The book's description and the comparison to *Knives Out* and *The Inheritance Games* really drew me in. However, as I read, I found myself a bit disappointed. The narrative, written from Tabatha's perspective, felt juvenile and often went off on tangents. While I appreciated the conversational tone, it sometimes felt more like a ramble than a compelling story. The investigation itself was underwhelming. Instead of actively solving the mystery, Tabatha and Callum spent a lot of time speculating without substantial evidence or real detective work. The twist at the end was a decent surprise, and despite my frustrations, I was curious enough to see it through to the end. Overall, 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗟𝗬 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗦 had potential but didn’t quite deliver the gripping mystery I was hoping for.