Review: A Gripping Start to an Unpredictably Good Series!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 20, 2013
A review copy was provided for an honest review. The thing about The Prophecy is that I had very mixed feelings about it. I was drawn to the cover the second I laid eyes upon it, but I also had such high expectations. These expectations were somewhat met because I did enjoy the story but I had a couple of minor issues with it. Almost instantly I wanted to know what was going on with the protagonist Starlette, and why she is so angry all the time. Her behavior made me curious, and I enjoyed watching her spiral further into darkness--the harder the fall the more difficult it is to climb back up--I like damaged characters that have to overcome their problems. I loved the contrast in personalities between Star's friends Rose and Brandon; they added a level of fun and playfulness to the disaster that is Starlette's life. I grew fascinated with the unfolding events, and random clues dropped, and strange outbursts. Starlette was relatable through her anger--as we all feel that way at some point--it was however, incredibly amusing to see how she dealt with it.Starlette McKinley is seventeen-years-old and has just moved from bustling LA to the small quiet town of Shiloh. Her parents have decided a fresh start is just what she needs, that, and for her to see a therapist. Her move to a lifeless town was motivated after an incident occurred with a previous friend of hers. Star has an uncontrollable temper and once she's set off her anger rears its ugly head and bad things happen. Their is darkness brewing in Shiloh and it would appear she's at the epicenter. Her emotions are quickly getting out of hand and she fears her dark side will consume her and endanger anyone that stands in its way.Now what threw me for a loop was the shifting of everyone's personalities. Star's parents are painted out to be nice and caring but as the story progresses they flip a switch and suddenly they're incredibly mean. Star continually looses it on them multiple times over really inconsequential things and she realizes she's hurting them but continues to do it anyways. Now her parents recognize she's temperamental and dealing with something huge but instead of helping they make things worse for her. It's a continuous battle of anger against anger and it kind of felt nonsensical and disjointed. Another thing that caught my attention was that Star's new to town and all of a sudden these boys start tripping over themselves to integrate themselves into her life. Granted, she's oblivious to their strange magnetism to her but at the same time she wants them. As is the case with most young-adult novels I wasn't feeling the insta-love or the chemistry between her and the guys. But on the other hand their is the potential for them to develop their relationships in the next book so I look forward to seeing that. Their is also an astounding amount of bad language on every other page which I'm usually all for but it was unnecessarily placed that neither furthers the story or enhances the character's portrayal of emotions.Overall I was entertained by what was happening to Star, and super interested to see how it would all end. It leaves off at an unanticipated cliffhanger that has a pretty big twist. The writing is good, their is a few plot holes but nothing too noticeable, the story itself is very compelling so I will be continuing with this series to find out what becomes of Star and her friends. I liked that The Prophecy purposefully builds up momentum to a larger picture, I only wish we got to see more of it sooner. Fans of the paranormal genre should find this refreshing in its deliverance. It's a great start to a gripping series, certainly worth a read! But be warned of the inappropriate language as this novel is best suited for those 15 years or older.