jacquelinec's review against another edition
4.0
Dark, somber, mysterious, intriguing. That's pretty much all a girl can say about this amazing tale without giving too much away.
This first installment in the trilogy is all about the buildup. As the novel progresses and the mystery behind the ancient prophecy unravels, there is a steady climb in the feelings of danger and anticipation. Just when you you think things are at their most tragic or curious, something else happens to throw you for a loop. By the end, the intrigue has only deepened and nothing is resolved. Instead, one can't help but feel anxious for the continuation.
Zink has created a great cast of characters and has managed to make them all very relevant and involved in the overall plot. Perhaps my favorite thing that she does in the novel involves Alice...
...To continue reading this review, head over to my blog, The Eclectic Book Lover.
This first installment in the trilogy is all about the buildup. As the novel progresses and the mystery behind the ancient prophecy unravels, there is a steady climb in the feelings of danger and anticipation. Just when you you think things are at their most tragic or curious, something else happens to throw you for a loop. By the end, the intrigue has only deepened and nothing is resolved. Instead, one can't help but feel anxious for the continuation.
Zink has created a great cast of characters and has managed to make them all very relevant and involved in the overall plot. Perhaps my favorite thing that she does in the novel involves Alice...
...To continue reading this review, head over to my blog, The Eclectic Book Lover.
innae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
A solid start to a trilogy. I purchased this to give out to the truck or treaters and then decided to read it, just finished it tonight. It starts out pretty slow, but picks up as we learn more about the prophecy. I have added the next two books to my wishlist.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, and Child death
kiasatina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
marieeandree's review against another edition
4.0
Very good book. It was very interesting to read a book like this because there are so very few that deal with topics like this. Having us so close to Lia means we learn to hate Alice. I would have appreciated more of a back story on Alice and just the girls in general. Why have they always been so cold towards each other? It was, however, a very interesting book with Lia as a main character and Alice, her aunt, her brother, her friends and even her dead parents as secondary characters. The book makes you feel chills and makes you slightly uncomfortable at times if you are scared of ghosts and creepy things in the night. I am afraid of such things but did not find it to be too bad! All in all, a very intriguing book and I can't wait to read Guardian of the Gate and Circle of Fire!
littlemisslibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
The story was so captivating that I didn't want to ever put the book down. I felt like I was part of the story and the characters are developed so well that I thought of them as real people.
bak8382's review against another edition
5.0
Lia and Alice are another pair of twins in a long line of sisters who play a vital role in the lost souls quest to enter the living world. One sister is the Guardian, who must protect the world by keeping the souls out, while the other is the Gate, who has the ability to let them in.
The story is told from Lia's perspective, and she initially assumes she is the Guardian as Alice has been acting strangely. In a run of the mill fantasy this would have been the case, she is obviously the good one so she must be the Guardian. Yet in a refreshing change Lia discovers she is the Gate, and not just any Gate she's pretty much the Gate to end all Gates. Which as it turns out is probably a good thing as Alice is balking against her role as the Guardian, and someone has to keep the souls out!
This is an engrossing novel with intriguing and realistic characters. Almost everyone resides in a gray area neither totally good or totally bad. The historical setting and dark mood really set the stage for the interesting premise of fallen angels, lost souls, and magical abilities. In another refreshing change the love interest is human! I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel, and I can see why Booklist put this title on their top 10 first novels list for youth in 2010. http://www.booklistonline.com/default.aspx?page=show_product&pid=3800094
The story is told from Lia's perspective, and she initially assumes she is the Guardian as Alice has been acting strangely. In a run of the mill fantasy this would have been the case, she is obviously the good one so she must be the Guardian. Yet in a refreshing change Lia discovers she is the Gate, and not just any Gate she's pretty much the Gate to end all Gates. Which as it turns out is probably a good thing as Alice is balking against her role as the Guardian, and someone has to keep the souls out!
This is an engrossing novel with intriguing and realistic characters. Almost everyone resides in a gray area neither totally good or totally bad. The historical setting and dark mood really set the stage for the interesting premise of fallen angels, lost souls, and magical abilities. In another refreshing change the love interest is human! I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel, and I can see why Booklist put this title on their top 10 first novels list for youth in 2010. http://www.booklistonline.com/default.aspx?page=show_product&pid=3800094
banana83854's review against another edition
2.0
Wasn't for me..didn't really care..stupid decisions were made..maybe 2.5 stars
ashwolff's review against another edition
2.0
i am disapppointed that this is a series. Nothing actually happened in the first book, neither did i ever feel that the protagonist was ever in any real danger, evertying is resolved too easily. I was hoping to finish the story when i finished the book. I doubt i will read any of the books that follow.
kricketa's review against another edition
4.0
lia is still mourning her father's death when she notices a strange mark appearing on her wrist. then her suitor henry, who is helping to catalog her father's books, finds a mighty strange one hidden in his collection. furthermore, lia's twin sister alice is behaving oddly- doing creepy things at night in unused rooms, showing an unusual interest in their father's books.
lia's suspicion that something isn't right is confirmed when she meets two other girls in the town bearing the same wrist mark as she- with one small change. with their help, she discovers that she is a key player in a prophesy described in her father's secret book. alas, she doesn't want to be.
it took me a while to get into this, but once i figured out what was happening i was hooked. the ending demands a sequel, which i want to read NOW!...but unfortunately this first one doesn't even come out until august. i will definitely order it for my library's teen collection.
lia's suspicion that something isn't right is confirmed when she meets two other girls in the town bearing the same wrist mark as she- with one small change. with their help, she discovers that she is a key player in a prophesy described in her father's secret book. alas, she doesn't want to be.
it took me a while to get into this, but once i figured out what was happening i was hooked. the ending demands a sequel, which i want to read NOW!...but unfortunately this first one doesn't even come out until august. i will definitely order it for my library's teen collection.
michellesantiago's review against another edition
4.0
Soon after her father's death, a strange mark appeared on Lia Milthorpe's wrist and her twin sister, Alice, started acting more suspicious and secretive than usual. Soon, Lia learns that she is part of a dark, ancient prophecy in which she and her sister will eventually come to head and only one will come out victorious and alive.
The whole good twin versus evil twin sister premise of this book caught my attention but before I made my purchase, I read a bunch of reviews to see what other readers are saying. The main complaint seems to be that it was slow moving. Yes, I agree that it is--except for Lia finding out that she's a major player in a prophecy and her learning more about her part in it and who her allies are, not much happens and there is hardly any action. Except for Lia, I wasn't sure of the other characters like Lia's boyfriend, her family and her newfound friends. They seemed one dimensional and I felt that they weren't fleshed out. The book is written in first person through Lia but I almost wish that we are also given Alice's first person perspective or at least that she's in the book more. Alice's character has a lot of potential and I thought the author could have done more with Alice as she is a fascinating character in her own right.
However, I thought the book an interesting read anyway and I quickly finished reading it in a couple of days. Lia is a very likable character and as she gains more knowledge about the prophecy, so does the reader--I really liked that I was with Lia every step of the way. This book is a bit of a dark read with filled with secrets, magic and the mysterious unknown--as I was reading it I kept picturing mists, an overcast sky and damp earth in my mind. I really like the mood of this book! Like other reviewers, I going to have to say that if you liked Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series and you're looking for a historical young adult novel of the same vein, Prophecy of the Sisters is worth checking out.
3.75 out 5 stars
The whole good twin versus evil twin sister premise of this book caught my attention but before I made my purchase, I read a bunch of reviews to see what other readers are saying. The main complaint seems to be that it was slow moving. Yes, I agree that it is--except for Lia finding out that she's a major player in a prophecy and her learning more about her part in it and who her allies are, not much happens and there is hardly any action. Except for Lia, I wasn't sure of the other characters like Lia's boyfriend, her family and her newfound friends. They seemed one dimensional and I felt that they weren't fleshed out. The book is written in first person through Lia but I almost wish that we are also given Alice's first person perspective or at least that she's in the book more. Alice's character has a lot of potential and I thought the author could have done more with Alice as she is a fascinating character in her own right.
However, I thought the book an interesting read anyway and I quickly finished reading it in a couple of days. Lia is a very likable character and as she gains more knowledge about the prophecy, so does the reader--I really liked that I was with Lia every step of the way. This book is a bit of a dark read with filled with secrets, magic and the mysterious unknown--as I was reading it I kept picturing mists, an overcast sky and damp earth in my mind. I really like the mood of this book! Like other reviewers, I going to have to say that if you liked Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series and you're looking for a historical young adult novel of the same vein, Prophecy of the Sisters is worth checking out.
3.75 out 5 stars