PROPHECY starts out with a bang. Kira is a yellow-eyed demon killer and with her supernatural ability to (literally) sniff out demons, people think she's half-demon herself. When we meet her, she's hunting a demon man through a crowded marketplace in a town filled with people who hate her. It almost has Jigoku Shoujo vibes, another Asian supernatural story about an eerie and unliked girl with weird powers.
However, this book is set in Korea (Joseon era, I think?), but it's like a fantasy Korea filled with demons and prophecies. Demons are gaining strength and the other parts of the empire are rallying to stage a coup. Kira has to project her cousin/prince because everyone thinks he's the chosen one, but there's a traitor somewhere in the center of his court, and if she and her brother's can't sniff him out, the kingdom will fall.
I ended up liking this book but it ended up being waaaaay too slow in the middle section. It kind of felt like the author maybe wasn't sure what to do with her ideas and was making it up as she went along. Especially since the beginning was SO gripping. I liked the court intrigue and the way the author included Korean culture into her fantasy world-building, but it was definitely a slow read. Also, this book is DARK. Which I liked, but it has a pretty high body count for a YA book.
I'm not sure I'd read more in this series but I'd definitely check out more from the author.
2.5 to 3 out of 5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.