Prophecy Of The Sisters (Prophecy of the Sisters, #1)

by Michelle Zink

[Jo]

I don’t really know what I expected with this novel, but this book is so much more than anything I could have expected! It sounded awesome, which is why I wanted to read it, but the blurb just scratches the surface. The excitement that surged through me as I read this novel was so, I can’t even begin to explain.

Some of you may be aware that I am a huge David Eddings. I love his novels for a great many reasons, one being that Pawn of Prophecy was THE book that made me an avid reader, and whenever I read it, I get that same feeling of awe that books can be so enchanting as when I first read it . It may sound odd to be mentioning my love for Eddings in this review, but I do have a reason; Eddings’ Belgariad series was about a quest to fulfil a prophecy, it was intricate, it was magical – just like Prophecy of the Sisters. And just like Pawn of Prophecy, I was filled with the same awe, and the same feeling of how lucky we are that books, stories and authors exist for our enjoyment when I read Prophecy of the Sisters!

This is the kind of fantasy that I absolutely adore! You are left guessing with every page you turn, with every clue there are so many possibilities that could be the answer, and the excitement and wonder at Zink’s incredible story telling abilities just grow and grow.

This story is so complicated. When I read the prophecy, I sat there blinking at it, unable to make any sense of it at all, but as the story unfolds, and the clues arrive, and the jigsaw pieces are slowly fitted together, I challenge anyone to read this book and not be amazed at just how intricate this is! J. K. Rowling should watch her back, she has competition in the complicated and clever stakes!

It’s known by a fair few that I am not really a fan of historical fiction, so once I opened the first pages and saw it was historical, I inwardly groaned. I was sure I wouldn’t like it, and didn’t think it would work; a historical urban fantasy? But it does! The historical aspect makes Prophecy of the Sisters feel more like a high fantasy, which I love!

I love the characters! Lia makes a great main character, and despite the time period, she is very relatable. Strong, yet human and deals with her problems as such. Sonia and Luisa are just brilliant secondary characters, with their easy friendship, but their concern and worry that is very normal; I think sometimes, in some novels, people seem to accept the fantastic far too easily, and cope far too well with the issues, but it’s not the case with Sonia and Luisa, and it makes them more likable and believable.

Alice is probably the most impressive character; she is absolutely despicable, and far too disturbing for words, but utterly brilliant in that she evokes such dislike and abhorrence. As weird as it may sound, I am excited to see just how cruel and evil she can become, to what lengths she’ll go to next to try to get what she wants. To see if she can make me loath her even more.
I can’t tell you just how amazing this book is! I absolutely loved it, and I am itching to read the next in the series, Guardian of the Gate. If you haven’t read this book yet, get yourself to a bookshop now, you NEED this book!