First of all I would like to thank netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. Going back to the book, It was an entertained read and I Had a good time reading. I didn’t really the pace As I said, I had a good time and dad makes me wanna recommend this book to other people.
I’ve really liked the writing and the blood was developed, The characters were likable, but I didn’t really connect with them. Maybe that was a personal problem but overall, I liked most of them.
There were a few things that I didn’t like that I would not mention here because they will be spoilers and I wanted this to be spoiler free.
To end with, It is a good book and it will recommend it. Once again, thank you netgalley 🫶🏻

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I highly enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. Kept me listening.

In her captivating debut novel, Ellie Evaris weaves a mesmerizing tale of ancient myth, enigmatic prophecies, and the tumultuous journey of young love. The Prophet's Gambit introduces readers to the intriguing world of Aris, a seventeen-year-old whose life takes a thrilling turn when she crosses paths with Alek, a mysterious boy with golden eyes and a penchant for evading danger.

From the very first page, Evaris skillfully immerses readers in a realm where dreams hold secrets and prophecies hold the keys to unlocking long-lost truths. Aris's relentless pursuit of her elusive memories, coupled with Alek's enigmatic presence, sets the stage for a gripping adventure filled with twists and turns.

At its core, The Prophet's Gambit is a story of self-discovery, resilience, and the enduring power of hope in the face of adversity. As Aris delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding Krysidia and her own past, readers are taken on an exhilarating journey of revelation and revelation.

With its richly imagined world and compelling characters, The Prophet's Gambit marks Ellie Evaris as a talent to watch in the realm of young adult fantasy. Fans of intricate world-building, unpredictable plot twists, and unforgettable romance will find themselves utterly captivated by this spellbinding debut.

I was attracted to this book because of the cover and the blurb! The concept seemed really interesting. I wanted to love the book but maybe it was because I listened to the audiobook version, I was just not able to connect with the book or the characters. I was confused for a long time as to who is who and which characters I should focus on. I did get there finally, but couldn't enjoy the process. This was probably just me, and maybe this is a good book for you, so I wouldn't want this review to deter you from giving it a try.

Thank you to Net Galley for sending me an ARC!

Dnf at 23%

I’m so sorry, I really wanted to like this! I was intrigued by the concept and the cover, but as soon as I started I was SO confused

The first chapter felt like the author didn’t even know where to start, and the pacing from then on just felt all over the place. I couldn’t even tell who the the MMC was at first either because it felt like a different character was being mentioned more than Alek, who from the synopsis seems like the MMC.

I also felt like the narrator threw me off and that’s why I couldn’t enjoy or focus on the story more. The characters felt very bipolar, the descriptions and some of the writing felt confusing as well. A few times I thought “why is this relevant?” or “well that’s an odd way to put it.”

I was hoping as I went on that the story would start to make more sense and the characters would mellow and not be so confusing to understand, but I just can’t listen to another 10 hours of it and for that I had to DNF

Great book! Very much would recommend! So glad I was able to listen to it! I’m so grateful for NetGalley letting me read it!

This was an interesting concept but it took me a while to really get into it. I look forward to reading more of the. Story and see if it continues to intrigue me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishing team for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I tried multiple times to read this book, and I really wanted to love it but I think I would’ve when I was a little younger. I ended up dnfing after multiple tries.

I'm not sure if I missed something or what but I found myself confused a lot of this book. It may be that this book would be better off read physically than just listened to?
I did like the magic system overall and the multiple POV's.
Also, found family is one of my favorite tropes.
Overall I am intrigued enough that I would continue with future books but probably opt for a physical/e copy.

Please read this book! I followed along with the ebook while listening to the audiobook since I was approved for both ARCs.

I usually have a hard time focusing on audiobooks, but that wasn’t the case with this one. Really good!

I really enjoyed the book! I recently got into fantasy genre, and this was a great book for that.

I can’t wait to continue to read about this series!

The first chapter of this is intriguing and drew me in. I wanted to know all about the dream world and these characters, but in chapter two we do a 180 and suddenly we're in the regular world and the characters don't seem to know each other. I found this confusing and thought there was a lack of worldbuilding and explanation throughout the story.

This flows well and the audiobook went by so quickly that I was worried about keeping up with the plot, but so much of the story is focused on the love triangle developing. I would have liked more information about pretty much everything, so hopefully book two will have those answers.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Hidden Grove Books and NetGalley for the copy.

I think I would have enjoyed this more in my younger years. Its the kind of story 20 something me would have lapped up. It was a very interesting story although a tad confusing to start. Interesting characters, typical teen love triangle and a good dose of magic and surprises. A solid debut with a good audio narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishing team for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure what to make of this book, I was so excited to read it, and somehow ended up dnfing it.

I stated this from the beginning four times, four. And every time I felt more lost than before, the writing is so incredibly vague. I kept reading the synopsis to see if I could make sense of it, but I just couldn’t. I’m so sad I didn’t like this, but not every book is for everyone, and I need to understand that.

This book is about Aris, a girl that’s been obsessed with dreams all her life. She mets Alek, who believes her to be the key to finding their lost city, and that’s how it goes from there on.

Again, I was extremely exited to read this, but the way the story is told doesn’t make any sense to me. I wanted to know more about Alek, but at the end, it wasn’t enough to keep me hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off without much explanation which made it very difficult to get into the book itself. I spent a lot of time confused while I was reading. I wanted to learn more about the system of magic and hope there will be a second book where it could be fleshed out more. I think the basic premise was good and would like to learn more about this world.

I found myself immersed in Aris' world, a young dreamer entangled in a web of mysteries. The story, while intriguing, left me bewildered due to disjointed storytelling and underdeveloped characters. Despite promising themes of magic and dream symbolism, crucial details were left unexplored, hindering my connection to the plot. The romance, particularly between Lochlen and Aris, lacked depth, and unanswered questions left me frustrated rather than intrigued. The audiobook narration attempted to enhance the experience, but the confusing narrative made it challenging to engage fully. While the story had potential, it ultimately fell short, leaving me longing for clarity and coherence in this enigmatic tale.

The Prophet’s Gambit is the first novel in the series of the same name. It follows 17-year-old Aris, who is obsessed with dreams. One day she meets Alek who believes Aris is the key to finding the hidden realm of Krysidia. As the first novel in the series, there is some worldbuilding while leaving some mystery for future novels. There are multiple POVs and a lot of characters, so there is a lot thrown at the reader. As Aris learns more and more about her newfound abilities, she meets new characters and finds new dangers.

The story begins almost reading the second novel in a series as there is a lot of information. There are some portions that read like info-dumping while others show more potential. Since this is a debut novel, I believe a lot of these kinks will be worked out more in future novels. The dream concept is interesting, although I still have a lot of questions regarding their significance. While I expected a lot of remaining questions since this is the first novel in a series, there were a lot more than I was expecting in this novel. With multiple characters to track, it will be interesting to learn more about their backstories and goals in future novels. The writing is descriptive, but there were some moments where it felt like a bunch of words to describe nothing. I did enjoy the concept though, so I can see myself trying the next novel. The story ends on a cliffhanger, but it wasn’t as tension-filled as I expected for a usual series. Overall, this was an interesting story with a lot of potential.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Hidden Grove Books, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

I found this book to fall a little short. While the writing itself is lovely, the story could use some work. The plot seemed convoluted and, if I can be a little honest, uninteresting. The romance was lack luster and the cast of characters seemed to blend together. There was nothing there to get a reader to CARE about what was happening. I think the author has great potential and great ideas, but this book just did not live up to what I hoped for.

Since I had the opportunity to listen to an audio version of this book let's start there, Heather Masters is phenomenal, she gave our characters a new dimension that they needed and kept me listening, I did end up speeding it up to 2x speed but that's completely a personal preference.

Now as for the actual story, it just missed something, there were all of these things that were mentioned that had me hoping for so much more but they all just seemed like teases, to say parts of this book are vague would be an understatement.

I loved the premise, dreams are something that I put a lot of faith into, my thinking is that what your brain hints at with no other distractions is something you should pay attention to, the plot of this had so much potential it just fell a little short.

While the narrator of this one would be a five star, the book itself would be a three, so we'll average at a four.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hidden Grove Books for providing an advance copy of this audiobook, I have voluntarily listened to and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Hidden Grove Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook in return for a review.

The Prophet's Gambit by Ellie Evaris presents an intriguing premise, featuring hidden magic, a found family, and mythical quest, but the execution left much to be desired. For me, the story's lack of clarity and explanation felt like it was up to me to fill in the gaps. The lore, exposition, and plot elements were frustratingly vague, making it challenging to fully grasp the world and the narrative's direction. And I am still uncertain of the prologue's connection to the main story.

In addition, the nature of the relationship between Lochlen and Aris also suffers from this vagueness, leaving readers to wonder about the dynamics and connections between them. Even the relationship between Alek and Aris was shallow, and never felt like it was developed enough for me to become invested in it. In a story like this, a clear and well-defined relationship can significantly impact the emotional depth and engagement readers have with the story.

While The Prophet's Gambit has an enticing premise, and the potential to improve in future installments, it's crucial to acknowledge that the unclear execution may pose challenges in terms of understanding the lore, following the plot, and relating to the characters. For those who value a more transparent and immersive storytelling experience, this book might leave them searching for answers and missing some of the emotional connections they seek in a narrative.

I did like the narrator and thought they did a good job of distinguishing the characters since they narrated all POV's, and fit the age of the characters as well.

This book has an interesting plot but the execution is choppy and confusing. Many aspects of the world, magic, and situations in general are unexplored. Although the book was extremely long. I think it’s an intriguing idea and I like the author’s prose. However, it is difficult to get into with so much jumping around. The audiobook narration and production was excellent!

If it sounds good to you definitely try it. This is just one reader/listener opinion. Hopefully book two will explain more!

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!