Confessions of a Readaholic: Prophecy by Ellen Oh

Prophecy by Ellen Oh

Prophecy by Ellen Oh

Release Date: January 2, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: The Dragon King Chronicles, Book 1
Rated: YA 13+
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
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The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms... is a girl with yellow eyes.

Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope...

Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king.

Intrigue and mystery, ancient lore and action-packed fantasy come together in this heart-stopping first book in a trilogy.

Wow. When a fantasy is done-well it's amazing, and ladies and gents, this was not only done-well but done-to-perfection. Prophecy was a breath of fresh air mingled with the foundation of all great fantasy novels. It was not only fantasy though– to my delight, it's also blended in quite a lot of Korean mythology. I feel that Asia is completely under-represented in YA fiction, and I'm so glad that some of the stories from this culture are integrated into this novel.
The reason how I came about to picking up this book is because I actually got an eGalley of the sequel, Warrior. I've heard so many people rave about this book, being one of the strongest debuts this year with a totally kick-ass cover, and so I knew that I would never really get the chance to read this one until WAY later in the future (my TBR pile is just massive). I'm so glad that I got the chance to, because I fell instantly in love. Literally, and I'm not exaggerating, from the first line, I was sold.

Kira! For some reason or the other, I kept picturing Mulan, the Once Upon a Time television series version, as her...and for a good reason! They're both such incredible characters– girl power truly represented here folks. I like that she's an outcast, and has to keep hiding the pain. Though the book is told from a third-person point of view, which totally worked by the way, you could really see why she needs to constantly put on a cold exterior. Being a female warrior truly must be tough, because some of the things she has to go through, whether it's socially, physically or emotionally, is quite sad and you really can sympathize with her character.
The supporting cast was also amazing. Even though there are so many names and being only somewhat familiar with Korean culture, I was still actually able to recognize who was who, and didn't end up confused like I normally do with fantasy novels and the billion minor characters. I loved the prince, Kira's cousin, and Kawn, Kira's brother, as well as some interesting developments with what I hope is a possible love interest. I was just glad the whole story in fact did not revolve about a teenage girl finding love when clearly the story line is so much more important. It was a refreshing take on fantasy, compared to so many others where in fact it becomes more about the romance than what is actually going on. Points to Ellen Oh for this!

Prophecy is a promising and enticing beginning to what will be an amazing trilogy. I'm excited to find out more about the stories in Korean mythology, because the little additions here and there in this story were fantastic, and really made the story richer by adding much more depth. Ellen Oh's debut is absolutely riveting and spellbinding, and will be sure to capture the attentions of readers of all ages. I'm hooked onto this series and can't WAIT to venture in Warrior.