#MyTBRL Review: The Fire Prophecy by Megan Linski and Alicia Rades

The Fire Prophecy by Megan Linski, Alicia Rades
Series: Academy of Magical Creatures #1
Published by Self Publish on 2019-01-08
Length: 434 pages
Reviewing Kindle from Kindle Unlimited
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2019 New Release Challenge

Fire and Water don’t mix.

Sophia
I’m Sophia Henley, your typical college freshman. I never expected a lion to be stalking me, nor for fire to come shooting out of my hands to protect my sister. Next thing I know, a drop-dead gorgeous guy shows up on my doorstep to sweep me away to a magical school, where I’ll learn to control my element and bond with a powerful creature called a Familiar.
I don’t believe I’m the savior of an ancient tribe, or the missing piece of a prophecy that’s more myth than reality. Worst of all, I’m forced to enter the Elemental Cup, where I’ll either earn my place in this society… or die trying.

Liam
The night I met Sophia, I didn’t think we’d form an undeniable connection. But I’m from the Water tribe, and she’s fire. I’m forced to push her away even as I’m falling for her.
I lost everything, yet Sophia makes me whole again. Our world is fixed on keeping us apart, but we’re in this tournament together. We have to keep each other alive at any cost — or I’ll give my life for hers.
It’s pretty clear. If I continue to play with fire, I’m going to get burned.

**
An astonishing start to a brand new series, The Fire Prophecy is the first book in the incredible and breathtaking Academy of Magical Creatures series. This New Adult college fantasy is packed full of laughter, romance, and extraordinary worlds. Fans of Harry Potter are going to LOVE this book! Recommended reading age 16+.

Some reviews are hard to write. This is one of those reviews. I really enjoyed The Fire Prophecy by Megan Linski, Alicia Rades. It’s the first time I’ve read either author, and I loved the style and tone they gave the characters. Told from alternating POV, The Fire Prophecy follows one girl’s journey to Orenda Academy and her introduction to the world of magical creatures. 

What I Liked

I really liked Liam and Sophia. Liam is from the Water tribe and son of the chief. Due to an unfortunate incident that left Liam with a medical disability (kinda, but not really….more on that in a bit), he is no longer in line to lead the tribe. His purpose in life has shifted, and he’s lost because of it. This makes him angry and at times depressed. His mood swings left me with whiplash! But they are understandable and relatable. 

Sophia’s story is a bit more complex. She is the lost daughter of the Fire Tribe, raised as a human by water elementals. She has no idea this world of magic exists until Liam comes knocking on her door, but she takes it all in stride, which is admirable. Sophia is angry at the lies her parents told her and the information they withheld. This leaves her vulnerable in her new world. She doesn’t know how to control her fire power or anything about the customs and rules. She adapts quickly though, and I loved exploring this new world with her. 

I love the world building! The Hawkei (the tribes of water, earth, air, and fire) are interesting to say the least. How they’ve adapted overtime, their magical creatures, and the Elemental cup are quite interesting and woven throughout the story as Sophia is introduced to it all.

What Left Me Wanting:

Here’s where I struggle. The plot of the story is a little all over the place. It’s clear the authors are following Sophia as she enters into this new world. Introducing the academy, elders, and tribes as Sophia encounters them. This is positive because it doesn’t feel so much like info-dump. 

However, it felt like an upper YA version of Harry Potter crossed with Fantastic Beasts and a touch of The Hunger Games. But y’all not in a good way. Sophia’s clueless behavior towards the customs and social circles at Orenda Academy reminded me a lot of Harry’s first encounter with Draco. Her encounter with her house elder was reminiscent of Professor Snape. The Elemental Cup is a free for all with four tasks to complete to get to the end with the magic of the maze in The Goblet of Fire and the violence of The Hunger Games. It was like I’d read it all before, could predict what was coming. While it was ok, it was disjointed and didn’t flow well with the story as a whole.

One other thing that bugged me (and usually I can overlook with Indie authors) is the editing. Words were missing, duplicated, and used improperly (a noun for a verb, etc) frequently. Now I’m not an English major AND I’m a Southern girl who destorys the English language on a regular basis, but it was really distracting and pulled away from my enjoyment of the book. A lot of the mistakes should’ve been caught and corrected if it went through an official edit on the first pass. 

My Final Thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed The Fire Prophecy enough to continue the series. I like Sophia and Liam, I even like their teammates Jonah and Imogen. I love the world-building and can’t wait to immerse myself more in that world. I want to know more about the prophecy surrounding Sophia and NEED to know what will happen next after that massive cliffhanger. If you enjoy urban paranormal fantasy with a touch of romance, I say give this one a try. You may like it 😉

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