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maatkare_j's review against another edition
4.0
Quick, fun read. Not sure why people have left so many negative reviews - it was an enjoyable martial arts/fantasy adventure, with a setting and mythology not utilized by most YA novels. Kira is a tough, capable protagonist who doesn't make stupid mistakes in the name of plot. And! There was no love triangle (but there was lots of taekkyon - bonus!).
rjdenney's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely had its faults and it was a chore to get through but all in all it wasn't bad. However I don't see myself reading the rest in this series anytime soon.
mollywetta's review against another edition
I had high hopes for this fantasy based on Korean mythology, but I was disappointed. The beginning of this was great. There's a scene where the protagonist, Kira, slaughters a demon. From there, it went downhill fast. The dialogue was clunky and soooo explain-y. It felt kind of cliched in terms of description. When the villain started stroking his beard, I gave up (at 27%). I liked the general hook and the set up of the prophecy and the protagonist, who had some quipy one liners in the style of Buffy, but overall the writing was just not to my taste. Others might like it, but it wasn't for me.
bookishmadness's review against another edition
4.0
What I thought: Ellen Oh gives us a heart stopping, action-packed Fantasy novel full of demons, fighting and a girl who's different. She leaves no character safe - so don't become too attached! Of course, it all adds ups to the intensity of the story. The story doesn't even pause for a breath, throwing things at you left, right and centre. Kira is a well written main character, tough from a life-time of hate and being a complete outcast. But she's a demon-slayer and she protects the people - whether they know it or not. All her supporting characters are equally as well written and you can't help but feel connected to them.
This novel has it all - a yellow-eyed demon-slayer girl, demons and possession (of course), a cute boy, a courageous dog, a murderous betrayer and a whole lot of action. Like no joke, it doesn't stop. This was a great read and I can't wait to read the next one in the series!
The Good: I love Fantasy novels and the worlds that are created and this one was no different. I feel in love with the world that Ellen Oh created.
The Bad: Sometimes all the constant action and life-threatening situations became a bit too much for me.
Rating: 4 bookstacks
This novel has it all - a yellow-eyed demon-slayer girl, demons and possession (of course), a cute boy, a courageous dog, a murderous betrayer and a whole lot of action. Like no joke, it doesn't stop. This was a great read and I can't wait to read the next one in the series!
The Good: I love Fantasy novels and the worlds that are created and this one was no different. I feel in love with the world that Ellen Oh created.
The Bad: Sometimes all the constant action and life-threatening situations became a bit too much for me.
Rating: 4 bookstacks
viviennemorgain's review against another edition
3.0
Lacking. In a sense, it felt like watching one of the Korean historical dramas. But it can't live up to them. Compared to this book, Korean historical dramas are much much better. If there's real history embedded in a fantasy, I love it to be more accurate and not just being a nice prop.
My problem was, that characters did things they would never do.
Some hair-raising examples:
A guy's hair escapes from his braid and falls over his brow. This could never happen, because the guy at that era did not have a braid.
Christian references: we are in the 14th century, but Christianity arrived to Korea several hundred years later.
"Using his fingers, he counted off from three to one." Koreans count with their fingers in a different way, so this can.just.never.happen.
And you just don't effing ruffle the crown prince's hair, even if he's a child.
On her website, the author mentions, that her father read out/translated important parts for her from Korean history books and it is painfully evident, that the author is not well-versed enough in this topic.
With a bit of research it could have been so much better a book.
My problem was, that characters did things they would never do.
Some hair-raising examples:
A guy's hair escapes from his braid and falls over his brow. This could never happen, because the guy at that era did not have a braid.
Christian references: we are in the 14th century, but Christianity arrived to Korea several hundred years later.
"Using his fingers, he counted off from three to one." Koreans count with their fingers in a different way, so this can.just.never.happen.
And you just don't effing ruffle the crown prince's hair, even if he's a child.
On her website, the author mentions, that her father read out/translated important parts for her from Korean history books and it is painfully evident, that the author is not well-versed enough in this topic.
With a bit of research it could have been so much better a book.
squirrelsohno's review against another edition
3.0
PROPHECY was a book I had spent the majority of a year looking forward to. I dedicated a lot of my educational life to studying East Asia, even if it was focused on Japan (although I did take a Korean class that boggled my mind and scared me until I peed my pants). But sometimes, expectations fall short and I’m left disappointed.
The first in The Dragon King Chronicles, PROPHECY is the story of, well, a prophecy. Kira has spent her life as an outcast, protecting the heir to the throne in her ancient Korea-inspired kingdom. But when the demons she can mysteriously sense grow stronger, assisted by the daimyo of a Japanese-inspired empire determined to take over the seven kingdoms for itself, only Kira and her twelve-year-old cousin the prince can stop the advance before it is too late.
PROPHECY is compulsively readable, or at least it was for me. I finished this in a few sittings over the course of maybe two or three hours. The story is action-packed with very few tedious spots. For younger readers of YA, this might be the perfect entry into older YA fantasy, alongside books like STORMDANCER. Actually, STORMDANCER is a pretty apt comparison title – East Asian-inspired fantasy for teens. But where STORMDANCER excelled as an elegant, dramatic, and awe-inspiring saga, PROPHECY faltered.
In her debut, Ellen Oh has laid the groundwork for a series that could have been one of the best fantasy entries of 2012. But several missteps leave PROPHECY sitting at the back of the pack.
For example, a comment I have noticed in several other reviews – the propensity for the author to tell rather than show. A lot of things in PROPHECY are never described in detail. We’re told about them later, including character traits, events, past experiences, etcetera. With only 312 pages, there was plenty of room left for going even a little more in depth, at least in my mind. The story was taut but left many things to be desired, such as more information that could have easily been threaded in. For example, Kira’s powers, Kira’s family, the history of the Seven Kingdoms, and more about why the Yamatos are crazy. We’re just told a lot of this and never in any great detail, leaving the reader clueless to many other facts that would have solidified the story.
Moving onto the characters… There are a great number of cardboard cut outs here. Kira is another entry into the kick butt heroine class of YA main characters, but she never pulls herself away from the pack except for her ethnicity (yay persons of color in YA!). She is fierce, protective, humble, and strong, but we rarely see more. Her entire life revolves around the Prince, leaving her up a creek without a paddle when it comes to revelations about her life. I knew the twist from early on because of the way it was heavily foreshadowed, not because of her actions. Once again, telling versus showing. The third person narration didn’t help, either. We never got into Kira’s mind to care about her, and her personality was lacking. Save the world, save the world, save the prince, like the boy! That was the extent we saw.
The faces around her were also cardboard. I never felt anything for anyone except for Taijo, her bratty cousin and the heir to Hansong. And for him, I wanted to smack him and shut him up for acting like a spoiled rotten child in the face of certain death. And Kira half the time supported this, wanting to continue festooning him with rights and titles and privileges even when he threatened to destroy everything. As for the others, including our handsome, darkly brooding love interest Jaewon? I never felt anything. Shin Bo Hyun (ALWAYS referred to by his full name) the villain fiancé? Cliché bad guy. They were simply there, simply existing on some plane where I never cared.
Likewise, the story never advances past the bare bones it rests on. We have the foundation for something amazing, but it never rises above. The writing is standard, the characters are standard, and the plot is standard. The thing that is amazing? The setting. I loved the Korean history-inspired fantasy, even if the words did confuse me at times. That alone was worth a star, plus the 1.5 I gave it for being compelling and fast-paced. And I round up because I am nice. But does it stand apart from a vast sea of fantasy in 2012 and upcoming in 2013? Not really.
VERDICT: A cardboard cutout instead of a vivid portrait of Asian-inspired fantasy, PROPHECY rests on safe and tried and true instead of standing apart. A let down.
The first in The Dragon King Chronicles, PROPHECY is the story of, well, a prophecy. Kira has spent her life as an outcast, protecting the heir to the throne in her ancient Korea-inspired kingdom. But when the demons she can mysteriously sense grow stronger, assisted by the daimyo of a Japanese-inspired empire determined to take over the seven kingdoms for itself, only Kira and her twelve-year-old cousin the prince can stop the advance before it is too late.
PROPHECY is compulsively readable, or at least it was for me. I finished this in a few sittings over the course of maybe two or three hours. The story is action-packed with very few tedious spots. For younger readers of YA, this might be the perfect entry into older YA fantasy, alongside books like STORMDANCER. Actually, STORMDANCER is a pretty apt comparison title – East Asian-inspired fantasy for teens. But where STORMDANCER excelled as an elegant, dramatic, and awe-inspiring saga, PROPHECY faltered.
In her debut, Ellen Oh has laid the groundwork for a series that could have been one of the best fantasy entries of 2012. But several missteps leave PROPHECY sitting at the back of the pack.
For example, a comment I have noticed in several other reviews – the propensity for the author to tell rather than show. A lot of things in PROPHECY are never described in detail. We’re told about them later, including character traits, events, past experiences, etcetera. With only 312 pages, there was plenty of room left for going even a little more in depth, at least in my mind. The story was taut but left many things to be desired, such as more information that could have easily been threaded in. For example, Kira’s powers, Kira’s family, the history of the Seven Kingdoms, and more about why the Yamatos are crazy. We’re just told a lot of this and never in any great detail, leaving the reader clueless to many other facts that would have solidified the story.
Moving onto the characters… There are a great number of cardboard cut outs here. Kira is another entry into the kick butt heroine class of YA main characters, but she never pulls herself away from the pack except for her ethnicity (yay persons of color in YA!). She is fierce, protective, humble, and strong, but we rarely see more. Her entire life revolves around the Prince, leaving her up a creek without a paddle when it comes to revelations about her life. I knew the twist from early on because of the way it was heavily foreshadowed, not because of her actions. Once again, telling versus showing. The third person narration didn’t help, either. We never got into Kira’s mind to care about her, and her personality was lacking. Save the world, save the world, save the prince, like the boy! That was the extent we saw.
The faces around her were also cardboard. I never felt anything for anyone except for Taijo, her bratty cousin and the heir to Hansong. And for him, I wanted to smack him and shut him up for acting like a spoiled rotten child in the face of certain death. And Kira half the time supported this, wanting to continue festooning him with rights and titles and privileges even when he threatened to destroy everything. As for the others, including our handsome, darkly brooding love interest Jaewon? I never felt anything. Shin Bo Hyun (ALWAYS referred to by his full name) the villain fiancé? Cliché bad guy. They were simply there, simply existing on some plane where I never cared.
Likewise, the story never advances past the bare bones it rests on. We have the foundation for something amazing, but it never rises above. The writing is standard, the characters are standard, and the plot is standard. The thing that is amazing? The setting. I loved the Korean history-inspired fantasy, even if the words did confuse me at times. That alone was worth a star, plus the 1.5 I gave it for being compelling and fast-paced. And I round up because I am nice. But does it stand apart from a vast sea of fantasy in 2012 and upcoming in 2013? Not really.
VERDICT: A cardboard cutout instead of a vivid portrait of Asian-inspired fantasy, PROPHECY rests on safe and tried and true instead of standing apart. A let down.
lindssong's review against another edition
2.0
Just.....not great. I have been reading a lot of AAPI authors especially as a Korean-American who simply did not grow up with any of these stories available in the English language. I absolutely loved The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and was looking for fantasy books similar to it. I was SO excited for this book, but it was incredibly disappointing and honestly felt like a waste of time. Most of the storyline was predictable, and there were many, MANY points in the story where I asked, "WHY did the author add this?" It just didn't make sense to have certain romantic interests if they weren't going to be developed well at all. I just didn't find the point to most of the plot points, relationships between characters, inner conflicts of the MC, or even the conflicts in the story. The story felt flat, and I hated the main character because of how the author wrote her. Overall, it felt like a waste of time to read this book and I simply can't bring myself to read the other books in the series just for the MINIMAL hopes that they will redeem this series.
daniela807's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm... this one was a bit disappointing. More of a 2.5 star rating, but since I will probably read the next one, twas bumped up to 3.
The basic idea was good. The writing did a huge disservice to the plot. Chapters were short, choppy and overall were in need of help. It read more like an outline for a screenplay for a movie than an actual novel. If I wanted to see "Prophecy" or something like it, I would. I really wanted to read the story, to go much deeper into Kira's world.
The most irritation was the treatment of Taejo, Kira's younger cousin and prince. The book says he is to be around 12 years old... really? The writing and basic treatment of his character had me determined this kid was only 7 or 8 years of age. Even considering the surrounding events, there is no way Taejo was represented with the approriate age.
Unfortunately, there is a romantic spin which Oh "trys to hide" until the next book. While I liked Jaewon (and his sidekick Seung), this pairing is blantant and boring. Oh wow, he doesn't shy away from the demon slayer. Oh, he says she's pretty. Wait, he'll stick around if she says please... gag me.
I loved the Koren aspect, as I always love Chinese or Japanese influences as well. It was refreshing, since the "Asian World" is more than China and Japan. What was a bit irritating, however, was how the book tried to be like Alison Goodman's Eon (which I loved). It's almost like Oh read the novel, suddenly became "inspired", destroyed the novel and produced this, hoping for a movie deal (which seems to be the case with most trilogies lately).
Overall, I read this book in a day - not necessarily a good thing, given the above. While I do feel I could have devoted myself to a better read, I did not feel like I wasted my time. When the second one comes out, I would read it, but hopefully Ellen Oh will take a closer look at her writing and fix it. Given the usual "doom and boring"-ness that typically follows a second in a series, if the writing does not improve, I will probably skip the final novel.
If you're looking for a quick read, go for this one. Do not expect anything like Graceling or Eon, or you will be greatly disappointed.
The basic idea was good. The writing did a huge disservice to the plot. Chapters were short, choppy and overall were in need of help. It read more like an outline for a screenplay for a movie than an actual novel. If I wanted to see "Prophecy" or something like it, I would. I really wanted to read the story, to go much deeper into Kira's world.
The most irritation was the treatment of Taejo, Kira's younger cousin and prince. The book says he is to be around 12 years old... really? The writing and basic treatment of his character had me determined this kid was only 7 or 8 years of age. Even considering the surrounding events, there is no way Taejo was represented with the approriate age.
Unfortunately, there is a romantic spin which Oh "trys to hide" until the next book. While I liked Jaewon (and his sidekick Seung), this pairing is blantant and boring. Oh wow, he doesn't shy away from the demon slayer. Oh, he says she's pretty. Wait, he'll stick around if she says please... gag me.
I loved the Koren aspect, as I always love Chinese or Japanese influences as well. It was refreshing, since the "Asian World" is more than China and Japan. What was a bit irritating, however, was how the book tried to be like Alison Goodman's Eon (which I loved). It's almost like Oh read the novel, suddenly became "inspired", destroyed the novel and produced this, hoping for a movie deal (which seems to be the case with most trilogies lately).
Overall, I read this book in a day - not necessarily a good thing, given the above. While I do feel I could have devoted myself to a better read, I did not feel like I wasted my time. When the second one comes out, I would read it, but hopefully Ellen Oh will take a closer look at her writing and fix it. Given the usual "doom and boring"-ness that typically follows a second in a series, if the writing does not improve, I will probably skip the final novel.
If you're looking for a quick read, go for this one. Do not expect anything like Graceling or Eon, or you will be greatly disappointed.
katetj's review against another edition
1.0
True Rating: 1.5
Review to come.. maybe, because I was pretty mean in my status updates and probably shouldn't write a rage review.
Review to come.. maybe, because I was pretty mean in my status updates and probably shouldn't write a rage review.