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jenacidebybibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this book by the author, C.J. Anaya, for an honest review
Opinion:
It has finally come: the end of the road. The last crumb of the pie. The last of the Mohicans.
(This has nothing to do with the Mohicans).
After a long and emotional tug of war between soulmates, centuries, Gods, demons and amnesia; the Prophecy Series has come to an end.
But to be honest, I am left feeling pretty disappointed by this installment.
With every bit of knowledge from her past life, and the dangers in her present, Hope has finally reunited with her soulmate and begun the task of healing the veil. But nothing ever comes easy for Hope. With the Black Blossom binding her to the demon God Amatsu, she struggles to fight against her forced feelings for the God of the underworld and her true feelings for the God of Marriage, Tie. But with the bond between Hope and Amatsu only growing stronger, Hope and her friends rush to find the prophecy in hopes of learning the true translation. Only with the prophecy will Hope and Tie have a chance at healing the veil and saving the world, which means they must travel back to where it all started. In Kagami.
Let me begin by saying how much I enjoyed reading this series. The entire storyline is creative, well developed, and extremely addicting. The separation between past and present lives is so eloquently laid out, and the movement of the story between 1000 A.D. to the present gives this series an extra layer of WOW. I truly commend this author for creating such an exciting and detailed world for us readers. Even though Kagami was a dangerous place for Hope, I couldn’t help but want to be there with Musubi and Victor. This series gave a mix of history into this well created fantasy story, while also showcasing some brilliant girl power and complete badassery by our female characters. My weakness is a strong and capable woman who can do anything, so thank you to the author for…mostly doing that.
I do however, have a few qualms with the last installment of this story. First is with Mikomi/Hope when it comes to her being this strong and fierce female character. In her first life she was Mikomi, and she was a princess of the Kagami empire in 1000 A.D. who was the prophesized Healer meant to heal the veil. This character was beaten by her father, forced to be meek and obedient due to her culture, and given nothing in terms of choices for her future. But was this girl weak, HELL NO. She had strong morals and a wicked sense of what she wanted for herself. She did what she wanted, regardless of the consequences or what path was set out for her. So why, pray tell, does she become such a doe-eyed, man-needing, pre-teen as Hope? It broke my heart a little to see her become this childish version of herself that NEEDED Tie so badly that she became less independent, and more DEPENDENT. Tie’s wishy-washy behavior of “I’ll fight for you” and “I’ll let you go” was nauseating. If he goes, LET HIM GO. BYE!! Heal that damn veil on your own girl, you got this! I know it was love that conquers all, and that was one of the message from this story, but the Tie meltdowns were making me wish Hope would just finish it. THANKFULLY, Angie was my saving grace for a female who doesn’t need a man to do anything.
The only other issue I have with The Prophecy is the reason that it took me so long to get through the last book of The Healer series. I had a hard time with the characters transitioning from their lives in 1000 A.D., to their lives in present times. It wasn’t exactly the flashbacks from then and now, because those were constructed perfectly. It seemed as if the characters went from being these strong and mature people, to immature adolescents. In Hope and Angie’s case, I could understand them acting a bit younger due to them ACTUALLY being teenagers. They had only just remembered their previous lives, so naturally the culture now will have made them a bit more…innocent and childish? Sure, I can get on board with that. Makes sense. But WHY are Victor and Tie acting this way? THESE GUYS ARE GODS WHO HAVE LIVED FOR CENTURIES. They literally went from being MEN to BOYS. Why is Bishu the only character that has kept his eloquent form of speaking, and why is he the only one that still holds himself like he’s had years upon years of walking this earth? This made it incredibly hard for me to read this last book in the series. It made these characters feel so transparent and ridiculous, which is the exact opposite of the people I knew them to be. Needless to say, I am more than a little bummed out about how they turned out.
But with my complaining of characters aside, a review of this story as a whole is what I am really trying to get to. Hope finds herself bound to the demon God Amatsu, with his darkness only growing stronger inside of her. The true question of this book is this: Can Hope overcome this binding and fight for what she really wants? Because that is the REAL question in this entire series isn’t it?! Mikomi and Hope have been suppressed and forced to do so many things through their lives, except choose their own fate. So gold star for that! The real PEARL of this story is Amatsu though. Move over Musubi, Amatsu is my new male love for The Healer series. What can I say? I love a bad boy! I love a hated character, especially one engulfed in darkness and bad decisions! SWOON! Thankfully my boy finds himself a happy ending, though it was a bit unexpected.
Lastly, I would like to comment on the battles and the imagination behind the place that Kagami had turned into. These battles are EPIC and there are a TON of them. Someone is constantly trying to kill Hope and her friends, and I have to be honest, I was feeling it. Demon cat-like creatures coming from the underworld trying to maul them? Um hello, sign me up! We even get to meet Bishu, a demon who was a God once upon a time who lives as a hell cat, but has a heart of gold! Aw. The world of Kagami is where this story really excels though. The trek to Hope’s former home is a dangerous one, and the forest they travel through is crawling with all sorts of dangers. Every aspect of this land can kill you, and everything is alive. This makes for an AMAZING and EXCITING adventure.
All in all, I did really enjoy this series. I was pretty disappointed with this book in regards to the characters, but the story makes up for it. I read a few other reviews from other readers who DO NOT share my opinions on the characters, so keep that in mind. These are just my feelings and observations. This is still an amazing and creative series, and I think it is well-worth any readers time.
Opinion:
It has finally come: the end of the road. The last crumb of the pie. The last of the Mohicans.
(This has nothing to do with the Mohicans).
After a long and emotional tug of war between soulmates, centuries, Gods, demons and amnesia; the Prophecy Series has come to an end.
But to be honest, I am left feeling pretty disappointed by this installment.
With every bit of knowledge from her past life, and the dangers in her present, Hope has finally reunited with her soulmate and begun the task of healing the veil. But nothing ever comes easy for Hope. With the Black Blossom binding her to the demon God Amatsu, she struggles to fight against her forced feelings for the God of the underworld and her true feelings for the God of Marriage, Tie. But with the bond between Hope and Amatsu only growing stronger, Hope and her friends rush to find the prophecy in hopes of learning the true translation. Only with the prophecy will Hope and Tie have a chance at healing the veil and saving the world, which means they must travel back to where it all started. In Kagami.
Let me begin by saying how much I enjoyed reading this series. The entire storyline is creative, well developed, and extremely addicting. The separation between past and present lives is so eloquently laid out, and the movement of the story between 1000 A.D. to the present gives this series an extra layer of WOW. I truly commend this author for creating such an exciting and detailed world for us readers. Even though Kagami was a dangerous place for Hope, I couldn’t help but want to be there with Musubi and Victor. This series gave a mix of history into this well created fantasy story, while also showcasing some brilliant girl power and complete badassery by our female characters. My weakness is a strong and capable woman who can do anything, so thank you to the author for…mostly doing that.
I do however, have a few qualms with the last installment of this story. First is with Mikomi/Hope when it comes to her being this strong and fierce female character. In her first life she was Mikomi, and she was a princess of the Kagami empire in 1000 A.D. who was the prophesized Healer meant to heal the veil. This character was beaten by her father, forced to be meek and obedient due to her culture, and given nothing in terms of choices for her future. But was this girl weak, HELL NO. She had strong morals and a wicked sense of what she wanted for herself. She did what she wanted, regardless of the consequences or what path was set out for her. So why, pray tell, does she become such a doe-eyed, man-needing, pre-teen as Hope? It broke my heart a little to see her become this childish version of herself that NEEDED Tie so badly that she became less independent, and more DEPENDENT. Tie’s wishy-washy behavior of “I’ll fight for you” and “I’ll let you go” was nauseating. If he goes, LET HIM GO. BYE!! Heal that damn veil on your own girl, you got this! I know it was love that conquers all, and that was one of the message from this story, but the Tie meltdowns were making me wish Hope would just finish it. THANKFULLY, Angie was my saving grace for a female who doesn’t need a man to do anything.
The only other issue I have with The Prophecy is the reason that it took me so long to get through the last book of The Healer series. I had a hard time with the characters transitioning from their lives in 1000 A.D., to their lives in present times. It wasn’t exactly the flashbacks from then and now, because those were constructed perfectly. It seemed as if the characters went from being these strong and mature people, to immature adolescents. In Hope and Angie’s case, I could understand them acting a bit younger due to them ACTUALLY being teenagers. They had only just remembered their previous lives, so naturally the culture now will have made them a bit more…innocent and childish? Sure, I can get on board with that. Makes sense. But WHY are Victor and Tie acting this way? THESE GUYS ARE GODS WHO HAVE LIVED FOR CENTURIES. They literally went from being MEN to BOYS. Why is Bishu the only character that has kept his eloquent form of speaking, and why is he the only one that still holds himself like he’s had years upon years of walking this earth? This made it incredibly hard for me to read this last book in the series. It made these characters feel so transparent and ridiculous, which is the exact opposite of the people I knew them to be. Needless to say, I am more than a little bummed out about how they turned out.
But with my complaining of characters aside, a review of this story as a whole is what I am really trying to get to. Hope finds herself bound to the demon God Amatsu, with his darkness only growing stronger inside of her. The true question of this book is this: Can Hope overcome this binding and fight for what she really wants? Because that is the REAL question in this entire series isn’t it?! Mikomi and Hope have been suppressed and forced to do so many things through their lives, except choose their own fate. So gold star for that! The real PEARL of this story is Amatsu though. Move over Musubi, Amatsu is my new male love for The Healer series. What can I say? I love a bad boy! I love a hated character, especially one engulfed in darkness and bad decisions! SWOON! Thankfully my boy finds himself a happy ending, though it was a bit unexpected.
Lastly, I would like to comment on the battles and the imagination behind the place that Kagami had turned into. These battles are EPIC and there are a TON of them. Someone is constantly trying to kill Hope and her friends, and I have to be honest, I was feeling it. Demon cat-like creatures coming from the underworld trying to maul them? Um hello, sign me up! We even get to meet Bishu, a demon who was a God once upon a time who lives as a hell cat, but has a heart of gold! Aw. The world of Kagami is where this story really excels though. The trek to Hope’s former home is a dangerous one, and the forest they travel through is crawling with all sorts of dangers. Every aspect of this land can kill you, and everything is alive. This makes for an AMAZING and EXCITING adventure.
All in all, I did really enjoy this series. I was pretty disappointed with this book in regards to the characters, but the story makes up for it. I read a few other reviews from other readers who DO NOT share my opinions on the characters, so keep that in mind. These are just my feelings and observations. This is still an amazing and creative series, and I think it is well-worth any readers time.
si0bhan's review against another edition
4.0
Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow.
I can assure you, The Prophecy does not disappoint. It’s wonderful in so many ways, making a coherent review difficult. All the things that occur, all the twists and turns – just wow. I’ve had so many feels about this series, and the final book simply works to bring them all back to the forefront of my mind.
Before I go into too much detail about this particular book, I wish to do a quick recap of the series. I do this because I want – no, need – you to understand the complex emotions it has brought about. This could be rather lengthy, and for that I apologise – but you cannot understand my emotional reaction to this book without understand my emotional reaction to the series as a whole.
I came across C.J. Anaya through a Goodreads giveaway for the first three books in this series. Unfortunately, I did not win the books, but I did sign up for her newsletter. Through doing so, I received the first book and a short story. I had intended to read it for quite some time – but my to-read list is ridiculously long. Despite having not read any of her work, though, I signed up to join her advance read team when I saw she was looking for people to join. This meant I got to read her Marry Your Billionaire at the start of the year – and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I knew right then that I would be reading more of her work. Still, I didn’t pick up this series right away. It had nothing to do with a lack of interest, rather I had so many advance reads to get through and there were so many new books I’d been waiting on, it just sort of fell to the bottom of my list. A bit later in the year, I noticed that C.J. Anaya was looking for people to review the series for her. Thus, I contacted her. I explained that I had the first book and would love to read the rest of the series. She was lovely enough to send me books two and three.
Then came the dreaded exam period that puts a dampener on bibliophiles. Despite wanting to read a book a day, such a thing isn’t really advised. Thus, it was put aside for a while. Finally, however, I got to work on the series. After finishing book one I knew I wanted more. However, what I did not expect was for me to find myself so crazy addicted to the second book. As soon as I was done reading it, I knew I needed to start book three. I did my usual trick when addicted to the series – I read it in one sitting. The ending left me on edge, counting down the days until I could get my hands on the conclusion. It has felt like years, waiting to know what happens next, when in reality it has been mere months. I’m lucky, compared to some fans, as I know others were waiting much longer than I have been.
Fear not, for the wait is over and it is more than worth it. All the emotions of the first three books are brought together in this one, leaving you more than happy to call the series a massive success.
The first book was a fun read, although I wasn’t crazy addicted to it. I enjoyed it a lot, as it pulled me into the series, and it more than left me wanting more. It wasn’t until the second book that I reached crazy fangirl level. It was at this point that I started recommending the series to everyone I could. If I knew someone to be interested in Japan, I would suggest the books to them; if I knew someone was interested in mythology, I would suggest the books to them; if I knew someone was interested in young adult romance or fantasy, I would suggest the books to them. Basically, any reason to suggest the books to a person and I was doing so. Throughout I’ve said this series needs more attention, and I stand by that statement. I would love to see this series become one that everyone is talking about, as it’s so worthy of the attention that many other books in this genre are given. In fact, I enjoyed this series more than I’ve enjoyed some of the series that have a lot of hype surrounding them.
Even though I adored both book three and now book four, I still believe book two is my favourite. All four books are amazing – but number two blew my mind in so many ways. Whilst book four has gone on to blow my mind, the mind blowing happened for completely different reasons in this book.
The third book ended on a big ‘what happens next’ moment, and book four picks up straight away. Events have been building throughout the prior books, and this one throws us into the action from the very start. I admit that it took me a couple of chapters to get back into the story – but that’s mostly because it’s been so long since I read the third book. Once my mind clicked back into the story, I was pulled in and refused to put the book down. I constantly wanted more; I was absorbing it better than the promises made by all those kitchen towel adverts.
There is so much action, with everything being brought together. In fact, there were new aspects brought to light that weren’t brought to a complete conclusion and it’s left me wanting a spinoff series. That is not to say we’re left unaware of things – everything related to the main story plays out. But side characters, those we have come to love throughout, had storylines I want to see more of. I’m not going to say who or what, but I know a lot of fans will be wanting a spinoff series to see how something plays out for a fan favourite.
I will say, however, that I was surprised by how little the prophecy played into this book. It was constantly being mentioned, it was always the end goal, and yet when they had the answers and things played out… well, it took up very little of the book. That is not to say I disliked the story – I enjoyed the way the story came about, the way we got to see so much, and I really enjoyed the actual prophecy and the events that unfolded – yet I felt as though it wasn’t given quite as much attention as I’d been expecting. By the time we get to know the truth of the prophecy, we’re so caught up in so many other events that the mind sort of goes ‘oh, so that is what it was all about’. I loved the prophecy, I loved the way everything came together – I’m simply surprised it was held off for so long. I appreciate the suspense, I get that there was to be a lot of mystery, and I understand it needed to be held off until near the end – I simply wanted more time focused upon it and the events that played out after. The post-prophecy revelation events merely felt too little compared to the action that occurred throughout the rest of the book. There were so many twists and turns throughout that I feel as though the actual prophecy wasn’t the biggest shock of the book.
Nevertheless, the ending was wonderful. Was it what I had been expecting? No. Was I happy with the way it ended? Yes. Did we get a happily ever after? I’m not going to give you spoilers. Just know that I was super happy with how things ended. Endings are always bittersweet, and this one was more sweet than bitter. But there’s plenty of bitter to be had, too. Seriously, be ready for emotional events. If you’re the emotional sort, have a tissue ready because the ending will play with your emotions big time.
Okay, I realise this is becoming a rambling mess of feelings. In short, this is a magnificent ending to the series. You will not be disappointed. C.J. Anaya has written a wonderful ending to a beautiful series, and I recommend you get to reading this series right now.
As a final note, I would like to send the biggest thanks possible to C.J. Anaya for allowing me to advance read The Prophecy. Such made me a very happy fan, and I cannot wait to see what comes next!
I can assure you, The Prophecy does not disappoint. It’s wonderful in so many ways, making a coherent review difficult. All the things that occur, all the twists and turns – just wow. I’ve had so many feels about this series, and the final book simply works to bring them all back to the forefront of my mind.
Before I go into too much detail about this particular book, I wish to do a quick recap of the series. I do this because I want – no, need – you to understand the complex emotions it has brought about. This could be rather lengthy, and for that I apologise – but you cannot understand my emotional reaction to this book without understand my emotional reaction to the series as a whole.
I came across C.J. Anaya through a Goodreads giveaway for the first three books in this series. Unfortunately, I did not win the books, but I did sign up for her newsletter. Through doing so, I received the first book and a short story. I had intended to read it for quite some time – but my to-read list is ridiculously long. Despite having not read any of her work, though, I signed up to join her advance read team when I saw she was looking for people to join. This meant I got to read her Marry Your Billionaire at the start of the year – and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I knew right then that I would be reading more of her work. Still, I didn’t pick up this series right away. It had nothing to do with a lack of interest, rather I had so many advance reads to get through and there were so many new books I’d been waiting on, it just sort of fell to the bottom of my list. A bit later in the year, I noticed that C.J. Anaya was looking for people to review the series for her. Thus, I contacted her. I explained that I had the first book and would love to read the rest of the series. She was lovely enough to send me books two and three.
Then came the dreaded exam period that puts a dampener on bibliophiles. Despite wanting to read a book a day, such a thing isn’t really advised. Thus, it was put aside for a while. Finally, however, I got to work on the series. After finishing book one I knew I wanted more. However, what I did not expect was for me to find myself so crazy addicted to the second book. As soon as I was done reading it, I knew I needed to start book three. I did my usual trick when addicted to the series – I read it in one sitting. The ending left me on edge, counting down the days until I could get my hands on the conclusion. It has felt like years, waiting to know what happens next, when in reality it has been mere months. I’m lucky, compared to some fans, as I know others were waiting much longer than I have been.
Fear not, for the wait is over and it is more than worth it. All the emotions of the first three books are brought together in this one, leaving you more than happy to call the series a massive success.
The first book was a fun read, although I wasn’t crazy addicted to it. I enjoyed it a lot, as it pulled me into the series, and it more than left me wanting more. It wasn’t until the second book that I reached crazy fangirl level. It was at this point that I started recommending the series to everyone I could. If I knew someone to be interested in Japan, I would suggest the books to them; if I knew someone was interested in mythology, I would suggest the books to them; if I knew someone was interested in young adult romance or fantasy, I would suggest the books to them. Basically, any reason to suggest the books to a person and I was doing so. Throughout I’ve said this series needs more attention, and I stand by that statement. I would love to see this series become one that everyone is talking about, as it’s so worthy of the attention that many other books in this genre are given. In fact, I enjoyed this series more than I’ve enjoyed some of the series that have a lot of hype surrounding them.
Even though I adored both book three and now book four, I still believe book two is my favourite. All four books are amazing – but number two blew my mind in so many ways. Whilst book four has gone on to blow my mind, the mind blowing happened for completely different reasons in this book.
The third book ended on a big ‘what happens next’ moment, and book four picks up straight away. Events have been building throughout the prior books, and this one throws us into the action from the very start. I admit that it took me a couple of chapters to get back into the story – but that’s mostly because it’s been so long since I read the third book. Once my mind clicked back into the story, I was pulled in and refused to put the book down. I constantly wanted more; I was absorbing it better than the promises made by all those kitchen towel adverts.
There is so much action, with everything being brought together. In fact, there were new aspects brought to light that weren’t brought to a complete conclusion and it’s left me wanting a spinoff series. That is not to say we’re left unaware of things – everything related to the main story plays out. But side characters, those we have come to love throughout, had storylines I want to see more of. I’m not going to say who or what, but I know a lot of fans will be wanting a spinoff series to see how something plays out for a fan favourite.
I will say, however, that I was surprised by how little the prophecy played into this book. It was constantly being mentioned, it was always the end goal, and yet when they had the answers and things played out… well, it took up very little of the book. That is not to say I disliked the story – I enjoyed the way the story came about, the way we got to see so much, and I really enjoyed the actual prophecy and the events that unfolded – yet I felt as though it wasn’t given quite as much attention as I’d been expecting. By the time we get to know the truth of the prophecy, we’re so caught up in so many other events that the mind sort of goes ‘oh, so that is what it was all about’. I loved the prophecy, I loved the way everything came together – I’m simply surprised it was held off for so long. I appreciate the suspense, I get that there was to be a lot of mystery, and I understand it needed to be held off until near the end – I simply wanted more time focused upon it and the events that played out after. The post-prophecy revelation events merely felt too little compared to the action that occurred throughout the rest of the book. There were so many twists and turns throughout that I feel as though the actual prophecy wasn’t the biggest shock of the book.
Nevertheless, the ending was wonderful. Was it what I had been expecting? No. Was I happy with the way it ended? Yes. Did we get a happily ever after? I’m not going to give you spoilers. Just know that I was super happy with how things ended. Endings are always bittersweet, and this one was more sweet than bitter. But there’s plenty of bitter to be had, too. Seriously, be ready for emotional events. If you’re the emotional sort, have a tissue ready because the ending will play with your emotions big time.
Okay, I realise this is becoming a rambling mess of feelings. In short, this is a magnificent ending to the series. You will not be disappointed. C.J. Anaya has written a wonderful ending to a beautiful series, and I recommend you get to reading this series right now.
As a final note, I would like to send the biggest thanks possible to C.J. Anaya for allowing me to advance read The Prophecy. Such made me a very happy fan, and I cannot wait to see what comes next!