"The Prophecy of Shadows" (Elementals #1) by Michelle Madow

The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Dreamscape Publishing for the ARC of The Prophecy of Shadows...

Perhaps the best word I can think of to describe this book is "solid". There's not too much particularly wrong with it, but the story also did not grab me. Maybe I'm just being a spoiled reader...

The Prophecy of Shadows was a really fast-paced story. Nicole finds out that she's a witch for the first time ever about two pages into the novel. Apologies for my crass terminology, but I could have used a little more 'foreplay'; a chance to get to know who Nicole is outside of this new destiny.

For better or for worse, this novel was a real page turner, going from action scene to action scene. Sometimes this was great - like when you are learning about the magical community. Other times, it was not so great - like on their quest, when they conveniently understood exactly what all the clues meant immediately, even though they were 300 years old and should have been written in more obfuscatory language. Anyway, all this definitely made it a quick read, which is a bonus if you're looking for a decent book to read but you have commitment issues.

Speaking of commitment, I found the romance between Nicole and Blake utterly forced and irrelevant to the plot. I was not barracking for them to get together at all, because Nicole was basically attracted to Blake because he was pretty. There was no relationship development, which is pretty much my biggest pet peeve ever. Especially when the romance is marketed as being a central plot point.

On the positive side, I thought the concept of diluted Grecian god blood was interesting. Madow had some good world-building happening, and I never found myself questioning the magical elements in this novel. It can be hard to write about Greek mythology, because it's such a huge theme in YA, so I was impressed with the mythology aspects of The Prophecy of Shadows. I plan on reading the second novel, as I think this one was mostly a prequel to the later adventures of 'The Elementals'.

Overall, this was a fast-paced novel with interesting Grecian elements, but a pretty weak romance. I would recommend to someone who wants a quick, action-packed read.

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