I'm Surprised | The Prophecy of Shadows



The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals #1)
Author: Michelle Madow
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Publish Date: January 26, 2016
eARC courtesy of NetGalley
Status: Complete
          When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly…she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers-and, to her dismay, by Blake-the school’s notorious bad-boy.
          Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.
          When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect-it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town…and possibly the world.

          Wow. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It was really fast paced and incredible intriguing. The author combined "the real world" and fantasy and spun such a great story. However, I thought it was somewhat original, but full of cliches.
          If you read the synopsis, I usually skip them, you'll know that: Nicole, her love interest, her lover interest's love interest and a couple of others had a magical transformation. Cue the special snowflake and the romance ray. I honestly don't think the synopsis puts the book in a good light. It's like the synopsis to Wicked by JLA, it focuses on the romance and the guy. Prophecy of Shadows is so much more. Introducing the love interest 4% into the book doesn't help my case, neither does the instant, obligated bestie/school guide.
          I thought the book was extremely fast paced. It's faster than a Usain Bolt, cheetah hybrid. It lacked a strong base/a foundation in general. The author dived straight into the story and it's hard to grasp everything because it's happening so fast. The fact that Nicole questions the news slightly, then fully accepts everything made me pissed and confused. If someone sprung that information on my after couple years of mundane-ness, I would question everything and take a week to take everything in, not a school day. I also questioned how they [elders/the teacher's name who I forgot] knew Nicole was a witch. Plot hole. Another plot hole: why can every other person channel their element from themselves, but one needs an inanimate object?
          If you saw Elementals in the title, you know that the story has people controlling the elements: water, air, fire, earth, and spirit. I already grouped the people to the element because the author did not drop subtle hints. The eyes, seriously...

          If you like(d): Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Mortal Instruments, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and/or The Secret Circle, you'll enjoy this book a lot. It had elements of those books/TV show. The author is informative when building the world, but does it in an intriguing way. It's not obnoxious and it doesn't make you drag your hands down your face. However, some things are repeated a couple hundred times. "It's okay if you get shit-faced and face-plant the floor, I can heal you!... I can heal you... I can heal you..." Can you heal me after I bust my head through the wall?

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