Review: Prophecy of the Sisters

Title: Prophecy of the Sisters
Author: Michelle Zink
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Paranormal
Pub Date: August 2009; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Hardcover, 352 pages
Book Source: purchased from BN.com

Synopsis

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters-

One good...

One evil...

Who will prevail?

Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.

Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.

They just know they can't trust each other.

My Thoughts

It took me awhile to read this book--there were many glowing reviews out there and I figured I would wait a bit before jumping in and checking it out. In the end, I am definitely glad I read it, but I have to admit it was slow going for me for about the first 100 pages--I had a difficult time getting drawn into the story initially.

The writing is great--as some of you may know from past reviews, I am not usually fond of the first person present tense in many books I read. The phrasing can feel awkward at times, in my opinion. Not so with this book! It was so well-written that I didn't even notice the point of view and tense for most of the book, which was a pleasant surprise. I also enjoyed the late 19th-century setting and felt that Zink did justice to the language and customs of the time.

Ultimately what I really appreciated about this book was the refreshing premise--this story is different from so much of the paranormal young adult fiction out right now. I also really appreciate the fact that the synopsis doesn't give too much away--that really adds to the enjoyment of the story, in my opinion. Once I was able to really be drawn into the plot and the characters I didn't want to put the book down. And silly me--somehow, even with all of the reviews out there, I didn't realize this was going to be a trilogy going into the book, and now that I've finished it I wish I had the second book close at hand! I am hoping that there will be further character development of some of the secondary main characters in the coming books. I feel that there was so much focus on the sisters, Lia and Alice, that some of the other important characters were left out in the cold.

The final verdict: Prophecy of the Sisters was definitely worth the read and, for me, mostly lived up to all the hype and great reviews out there.

My rating:



Other reviews of Prophecy of the Sisters:

Reverie Book Reviews ~ Juiciliciousss Reviews ~ Ink and Paper

Harmony Book Reviews ~ Presenting Lenore ~ My Favorite Author

Traveling to Teens ~ Steph Su Reads ~ The Book Reader

Persnickety Snark ~Reader Rabbit ~ Shooting Stars Mag

An Adventure in Reading ~ Read This Book!

Tales of a Ravenous Reader ~ Garden of Books (For Teens)

bookshelves of doom ~ Pop Culture Junkie ~ Frenetic Reader

Reading Rocks ~ The Reading Life

If you have reviewed this book and would like to see a link to your review here, please leave a comment with the URL for your review and I will add it to the list!