Firstly, let’s talk about this cover! Love it, it is absolutely gorgeous! Secondly, the plot - I loved every second of this story! It is so unique and immersive. I loved all of the characters! I had to keep myself from listening to it during work! I am so excited to read the rest of this series because that cliffhanger… woah! I have a lot of questions on how some things played out but I feel like those will be answered in the book or books to come! All around amazing job! This was so good.

I enjoyed this unique fantasy filled with modern day mystery, secret worlds and magic. The narrator was easy to listen to. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!

I struggled with the beginning of The Prophet's Gambit. I was very confused about the dream sequences and what they had to do with the rest of the plot. Keep that in mind when you first start this audiobook out. Know that it does all come together and trust me, if you're confused, power through it will all be worth it in the end. This was a clever magical tale. The magic system was similar to the rings they use in All of Us Are Villains, but the magical process is very unique. The way the magic is passed through generation to generation was an interesting detail that I don't think I've come across in other novels. The kids being on the run from people trying to get their rings, while on a quest to find the portal to the magical world they are descended from was the perfect amount of action. You are constantly trying to figure out who the bad guy is, is it Lachlan, is it Alex, you really don't know. The use of ambiguity was great for a young adult novel. I find that YA can be surface level a lot of the time and there aren't as many layers. But this book was for sure an onion, there were several layers and it was really just a fun and exciting experience. When it came to an end on a huge cliffhanger I WAS SO MAD. I don't want to wait for the next book to come out, which of course is always the best measure of how much I liked the book!

The Prophet's Gambit was a bit of a slow start for me. Once I did get into the story, it was a fairly easy read. The FMC, Aris was fairly likeable and her devotion to her sister was quaint but not really shown. There is a point in the book where her love is put to the test but it does not have a lot of weight behind it and the stakes are not heavy. This is a YA genre book and the main plot points you are expect are there; found family, a love triangle, growing into one's power... however I cannot say that any of them were done well. I believe there is going to be more books in this world and the love triangle was set up in this book to be more prominent in the subsequent books but as of right now, only 1 person seems to know there even is a triangle. The magic system seems to be fairly loosely based on a King Arthur derivative but it is not well explained and we never fully understand how the powers are given or the purpose of each magic. At one point the book says that powers are based off a family line but then one two different occasions the siblings have different magic types. A 13th moon magic is mentioned but never shown. The FMC is supposed to have a rare power but there is another person that also has the same power in the same group and it is never explained why or how the power is rare. There was a lot that was not explained in this book and a lot of characters mentioned but never fleshed out in a real or meaningful way. There seemed to be a lot of potential that fell flat. The book was 12 hours long but should not have been with how little was explained.

The audiobook narrator was good. She had an engaging presence and I found her nice to listen to.

I received an advance readers copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you NetGalley for this free copy.

I found this book to be very confusing because of the dreams and because of the plot being all over the place. Also there needed to be more character development and details about the magic system.

I really wanted to love this book and am disappointed but it just wasn't for me.

This book was on my most anticipated list so being able to get it early was the highlight of my month! I was super pumped to get into it and while I did really enjoy it for what it was, I will say this book was really vague. Every time I wanted more from the plot, setting, story, characters, I felt like I kept getting shorted in information. I think this book has a great potential and the story is fairly unique which made it super fun to listen to, but the vagueness of it made it difficult at some points to enjoy.

It was a fantastic contemporary fantasy that had everything I hoped it would, especially when it came to the characters! This is a great YA fantasy for all those who are looking for something new and more contemporary than the typical YA books!

Definitely worth a read!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun story! So let's start at the top. I love the cover. You know I'm a cover lover and that's what drew me in. I am not a pink person but I just absolutely adore it. I love the pink flowy dress very nice.

Now on to the rest, we have a debut author here in the young adult fantasy genre. That can be so hard to break into as it is such a popular genre and there is just so much out there. What you really need is something different that will catch the readers attention. I think this story did a great job at doing that. Was the story confusing in parts? Yes. I think there were bits that were a little much in the descriptions but not in the plot drivers.

We have a lot of characters to get to know in a short amount of time I feel like the author did a good job in making us understand fairly well the 6 main characters. Our story mostly revolves around Aris who has discovered she is part of this world of people with powers. These people are hunted by people who want to steal....their rings of power....they only have this power while wearing the rings or jewelry with the crystals from their world. These crystals are passed down through generations. BUT Aris' parents both died and didn't tell her or her sister squat so now she's got to figure it out.

In cases like this I wonder what the dads think? Aris starts changing from her normal routines, comes home at all hours and is hanging with a whole different group of friends. Do they think she is on drugs or something? Food for thought. Now, here is where things get interesting, we the reader, find out about the whole world of Anathemians as Aris is finding out. Which is choppy at best. The whole first act of the book is very confusing. There is a lot of information but not a lot of information and a lot of characters.

By the time we hit the last act everything falls into place, the world seems to make sense and all the puzzle pieces click together. This is not going to be the book that feeds you the story bite by bite, you're going to have to use some imagination and context clues to understand the world building.

We have a love triangle, that I only think Aris is fully aware of . We of course have Aris in the middle of these two polar opposite boys, Alek whom she meets first and Lochlen who is his seemingly darker opposite. Alek can't be hurt, though his power reminds me of a genies wish, there is darkness in the good things. So instead of him getting hurt, say if you punched him, you would some how be the one that got injured. His anger or emotions also tend to be a force, which I don't fully get, but when he has strong anger emotions they effect the world around him. Angry Alek in a bar = barfights. Lochlen on the other hand is the dark and broody one. He has heterochromia (2 different color eyes) and his power is similar to Aris. He also keeps everything close to the vest. He's my favorite one because love the dark and broody kid that swears all the time.

At the end of the day I absolutely love the unique aspects of the world and the concepts involved. There is so much that I don't know or don't understand but would love to know more about. I did feel like the ending was weird, the whole last act, but I think part of what happened was completely hidden from the reader so we'd be surprised. There is so much potential left in the story and the last act of the book drew me in that I almost forgot about the confusion of the beginning. I can't wait to read the next one.

This audiobook was a decent reading experience. I did need to increase the narration speed, because the narrator was a bit frustrating to listen to at slower speeds. The book itself took me a while to get into, but once Aris met Alek then I found the story to pick up and hold my attention. Some things people should be aware of is that even though the beginning and description make it seem like there is going to be romance…there really wasn’t any. Maybe this will pick up in subsequent books, but in this one there was practically no romance, although there is a bit of a love triangle in the works. My biggest issue with this book was how vague it was on the details of the magic, character’s stories, and the world building in general. I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt since the story was primarily in Aris’ point of view, so readers were being introduced to it all right alongside her. I’m hoping we get more character backstories and world building details in the subsequent books. I also want more on how dreams play into this story, because that part left me with a lot of questions. I did find the author’s writing to be beautifully descriptive at times, but just not descriptive in terms of plot point and logistical details. I really enjoyed the concept of a found family, this group of orphans and misfits banding together with their common abilities and mission. Overall, this was a pretty great book that introduced us to a new fantasy series and world to explore.

My 5 Star Rating in the Fantasy Genre: **** (4/5)

Recommendation
I’d say that this is a good read for those who enjoy fantasy series, in particular YA fantasy with magical powers and realms. There isn’t much romance at least in this first book, so if you’re more interested in a story of a girl discovering she has powers and finding a new family to teach her about the magic then you’ll enjoy this book. I think if you’ve liked the Simon Snow series by Rowell, Deadly Education by Novik, and Harry Potter by JKR, you might like this one as well. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this ARC

The Prophet’s Gambit is a stunning debut from Ellie Evaris. She has a compelling command of the English language and insight into human emotions. Every time I put my headphones on, I was completely lost to the world she created. Prophet’s Gambit is a passionate, indulgent addiction of a novel studded with all the tropes I unabashedly LOVE.
Found family full of wonderfully distinct and developed characters; each battling a unique set of personal demons. A big (but not overwhelming) cast, with interconnecting story lines.
A rich, magical element based in the real world.
Slow burn romance with a light love triangle. Aris feels safe with Alec. He is quiet, gentle and thoughtful; but he contains a dormant darkness that could just destroy the world as we know it. Alec’s best friend Lockland is explosive and challenging; but if he has to be the villain to save the world…he will.
Themes of blurring the line between good and evil/right and wrong, identity, and inner strength.
Yes. Please.
As much as I enjoyed it, I can’t deny it needed a couple more drafts to smooth out the finer points of the plot and pacing. I love the world Evaris has built, but she could have done a cleaner job of laying that foundation for the reader up front. The plot isn’t weak or full of holes; it merely has places where it loses its driving force.
Both the plot and the romance would have been stronger if she’d pulled back a little on the love triangle and gave more attention to the private lives of the characters. Things like their relationships with their families, their powers/rings, their motives for wanting to get back to Kryisidia. We spend a lot of time in the characters internal dialog and Evaris’ writing really shines here. A story with a good amount of drama/angst is one of my guilty pleasures. However, I feel these emotionally charged monologues would have been more powerful if they were balanced with dialog and action based sequences.
Those things aside, I don’t want there to be any confusion. I unapologetically loved this book; the world, the writing style, the characters. It completely swept me away. I will be purchasing a physical copy when they become available, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book when it comes out. Evaris is only just getting started and I know she’s going to be a name to note in the YA/Fantasy genre. I am so excited to watch her journey.
Fans of Maggie Stievfator’s writing or Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz; TV shows like Charmed and the Vampire Diaries, will LOVE this series for exactly what it is; a thrilling love story full of magic, undying friendships, and adventure.
Thank you NetGalley, Hidden Grove Books and Ellie Evaris for this free Audio Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm terribly sorry to say this but to me, the narrator was unbearable. I couldn't even for the life of me get into the book at all. the prologue was fine when we move on to chapter 1 and ALL of the dialogue outside the main POV narration was delivered in such a whiny manner that I couldn't even comprehend what was being said over the manner of delivery. I don't think I have ever DNF'd an audiobook so fast as this, at 6%, simply because I was put off by the audiobook narrator.

quite honestly, I listened to the preview and found that I liked what I heard on there... so im not sure why there was such a discord from the preview, the prologue, and the chapter narration. maybe some day I'll pick this book up again as the summary and what I could tell from the book was quite nice.

unfortunately this just wasn't it for me.

Aris feels as though she is missing something although she's never sure what that something is. That is until she meets Alek and then things finally start to fall into place. As it turns out, Alek and his group of friends needed Aris too. Shortly after meeting they discover that she is in fact the key to finding Krysidia. Only problem is she's not sure how to do that. Lochlen is the best hope of teaching her what she needs to know, but while he seems achingly familiar to Aris, he'd rather keep his distance. With death not far behind, this new group of friends must work against the clock to do what their ancestors could not, and return home to Krysidia.

This book has such great potential. I loved the characters, the storyline, and the magic system. However, it is not without it's flaws.

Parts of this book were just incredible confusing. I will admit that using the audio version could've absolutely contributed to that, but as someone who listens to audiobooks regularly, it's not a normal problem I have. I believe the areas that left me the most confused was the first chapter and the last three chapters. In both cases a lot was going on and it wasn't always clear on how things happened.

The next issue is the pacing. It was fast which made it seem like there were things that were missed and not very well flushed out. It almost felt like we were constantly jumping around and for a group of friends who knew how dangerous the world was, they sure trusted Aris pretty quick.

Dreams also come into play in this book, which I love, but it could've been handled better. The dreams were certainly a contributing factor to why things seemed so confusing. I'm still not sure if they were just dreams or if they were prophetic in some way.

This story and author have great potential, I will certainly continue with this series, but I hope to see improvement. This is a series I could see myself loving, even if the first book is a little rough, if there are improvements made in book two.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this ARC. I can't wait to see what the future holds for these characters.

THIS BOOK!!!


Seventeen-year-old Aris has always been obsessed with dreams, even if she can't remember most of them. She's spent her life waiting for something to happen, chasing a memory always just eluding her grasp. That is, until she meets Alek—a boy with golden eyes and a knack for avoiding injury.
A tarot reading leads him and his friends to believe she's the key to finding Krysidia—the hidden realm from which their ancestors were banished—but only if Aris can learn to trust her newfound abilities does she stand a chance at fulfilling the deck's prophecy. To make matters worse, Lochlen, the only one capable of guiding her training, seems to have it out for her, and despite his efforts to keep his distance, Aris can't shake the sense of familiarity she gets when he's around.
Torn between a desire to prove herself and letting Alek continue to protect her, Aris must face the fact that her life will never be the same. Wherever magic goes, death seems to follow, and when Aris learns the car wreck that killed her parents was no accident, she realizes Krysidia is more than just a legend—it's their best hope of survival. That is, if it even exists . . .

The Prophet's Gambit is the first volume of a new fantasy series by Ellie Evaris, an emerging author with incredible talent.

I didn't know what to expect from this book. The plot intrigued me right away, as well as the cover is the title, but I didn't know if it would fully match my tastes or not. Well, I loved it. From the first to the last page. It was really, really hard to put it away even for 5 min.

The author's writing is very smooth, involving so romantic.

It often happens that, when you are a beginner, you go to create dialogues that are not very dynamic and clumsy but this is not the case. The dialogues created by the author are extremely dynamic and well studied. And the characters😫😫😫

MAMMA MIAA

Although the characters are numerous, they are all well characterized and interesting. Unique!
It was impossible for me not to empathize with some of them.
Worldbuilding is not overly difficult to understand. I probably would have preferred to explain it in more depth, but it doesn't matter. However, I really appreciated it.

I got to ternare the reading of the ARC copy in e-book with listening to the audiobook and .... What can I say... An experience not to be missed! Read very well and very clearly. The narrator managed to captivate me and keep my attention high during playback. Good job!

The only negative note is the time frame. Sometimes it seemed to me that some events were very hasty or that too much time had passed between one event and another. 😰

It was, all in all, a compelling and super appreciated read. I can't wait for you to read it too!

I sincerely thank Netgalley, Hidden Grove Books, and Ellie Evaris for sending me the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. All the considerations are mine.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover – its absolutely beautiful. Then I read the synopsis and was hooked. It promises love triangles, prophecies and dreams. I assume it’s a debut novel in a series to come, so I jumped at the chance to read it.

The first chapter was gripping, and I found Aris to be a strong heroine. It was a very engaging story with an interesting magic system that I felt could have done with a bit more fleshing out. I had a few moments where I was quite confused about the overall worldbuilding. I wish that the author had explored the theme of Aris’ dreams a lot more than they did – I imagine this is something that could be picked up in a sequel to help add a little more depth. It felt like this book had a very strong start plot-wise, but it was quite rushed/under-developed toward the end. It’s hard to believe all of this happened in a two-week time span.

I felt like the characters could do with a bit more depth – I want to really be able to understand their motives and their purposes in the story, and sometimes found this difficult to do with specific characters. I liked the inclusion of non-binary characters but found it quite difficult to follow the reading of they/them pronouns, often wondering who the writer was referring to. Fortunately, I was also given a Audiobook version of this ARC, and found it a lot easier to follow along with someone actually acting out the voices separately from the general narration.

Overall, I think this is a really promising debut novel. It has the base of a good magic system, compelling characters and story. I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Very promising and intriguing storyline, a compelling magic system and a diversity of characters.

Right from the very first page, I was drawn in by the story. It is somewhat mysterious at the beginning, but that only makes you thirst for more. Everything also sounds very promising, from the storyline to the magic system and all the new characters being introduced. I absolutely adore how the real world is being combined with a magical one. Although in the beginning, it can all be a little confusing due to a lot of new names and characters being introduced in a very short time. Nevertheless you’ll soon get used to them and fall in love with the whole lot before you even realise it. The chapter headings are also beautifully designed. The writing style is also highly enjoyable and reads very smoothly. I combined reading the e-book and listening to the audiobook. The narrator also succeeds greatly in bringing the story to life.

However, the story could have used some more depth and details in both the magic system and the character relations. The thirst you develop at the beginning is not completely satiated throughout the story. I think this is also because the pacing is a bit unnatural/rushed. This results in some things staying really vague and other things happening completely out of the blue (all in about 2 weeks’ time), not making that much sense. Hence the 3,5/5 instead of 4/5 ⭐. I’d really hoped to learn more about the dreams and the magic in this book. On the other hand, this book is the author’s debut, so I’m absolutely confident that the next books will become even better and we’ll get to know everything we want to know in the next books of this series.

I think this is a really promising debut, with lots of positive aspects. I am very excited to find out what will happen next. I’d definitely recommend this book if you like an original magic system with roots in ancient stories, amazing characters, found family, a search for a lost land, villains lurking around the corner, self-discovery, budding romance, and so much more.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. Nevertheless this is an honest, non-influenced review, my opinion is and remains 100% my own.

Okay, this book was tough to decide how to rate. If it were a draft, 1000%, let’s refine it and go with it! (Why can’t we give ½ stars again?) I am going to give it a 3.5 that we will generously round up.

The beginning had promise, I was interested, but then… wait, switch, now we are at a party in a field with a group of teens. So confusing to figure out the whats and the whys. Way too much intro and SO MANY characters at the party! It was hard figuring out who would be a character to know and who was supportive cast or just a random name! No insight into why we are given the details that are provided.

We were following Aris, Lochlan, or Alek’s point of view for most of the book then... Wait, suddenly, we are following a random teacher? WTF? It felt out of left field to be following the teacher. It didn’t feel necessary, just creepy.

The relationship between the female lead, Aris, and Alek felt off to me. I think it was supposed to be Insta-love. But... She’s a pretty tough chick that has dealt with a lot, I don’t really feel that this thing with Alek was where it was at. Now, the relationship with Lochlan, well… I could be convinced that is a good idea. I could also be convinced that Mariah should be a love interest. I do love Mariah’s character and that we have a kickass female warrior. I want more of her.

*Side note* Jada is a non-binary character that uses they/ them pronouns. Perhaps I was tired, but there were several times when I was confused about whether the author was referring the Jada or the group of friends as a whole. I am sure this would be easier to track written out than via audio. That being said, I have listened to books with similar situations and have not had any confusion about who was meant or present for a scene.

The idea of searching for a lost world that they have been cast out from is great! The magic system is interesting, but I really don’t feel like the author was able to flesh out the concepts on the page entirely. So much is left for readers to accept or interpret how they want. Aris knows absolutely NOTHING, so this was a perfect opportunity to fill her in while helping the reader along. Instead, you get brief glimpse-explanations from various friends without the associated structures really explained. I have enough figured out now that I do want to know what happens to our band of friends. So, yes, I would like the next book in the series. That ending felt like a bomb exploding just off the page. I really hope that the next book gets the additional revision needed to clarify and move the story forward while deepening the characters.

Heather Master’s performed the audiobook and did a wonderful job. I did increase the speed slightly, but that was just my personal preference. She articulated the various characters well, with enough differences for the listener to follow conversations and who was saying what.

Many thanks to author Ellie Evaris, Hidden Grove Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

I received an advanced listener copy of this and the narration by Heather Masters was absolutely fantastic. She really nailed the various voices, making it easy to differentiate who was who. I couldn't stop listening. The story itself was engaging and I was invested in the characters stories. I loved the concept of a lost world and the hunt to find it, but I wish the we had a little more in the way of world building and better insight into how the magic system works. I didn't feel this was explored enough, especially in regards to Aris' dreams or more specifically the connection to Lochlen. However, this is a first in a series and I hope that the world and magic system are explored further in those books, but overall this was a really strong debut and set up for future books! It definitely left me wanting more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hidden Grove Books for providing me with an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a whirlwind of a read! I wish there were more details on why the female main character can't remember her dreams the way that L does. I also wish there were more details on the basis of the magic and each person's power, but that gives me more reason to be excited for the next book! There is still so much left to this story and with that cliffhanger I am in desperate need for it to continue to see how it plays out. I have been in search of a good love triangle and this story is providing what feels like an extremely good set up of one.

5/5

Thank you NetGalley and Hidden Grove Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I adored this book! It gave off early 2000's vibes in the best way. This book made me nostalgic of all the books I read in my youth. This book had such a unique plot and I enjoyed the characters so much. I am going to be very impatient in waiting for the next book.

I was listening to the audiobook version and decided that I needed to read this the old fashioned way! I was completely hooked but realized I had missed some key parts since I'm usually multitasking when I listen to books. I made it to 40% and can't wait to start over and make notes this time!

Omg this audiobook was everything! I loved the story. I really needed a fantasy romance and this came through. I was intrigued within the first page. Thank you for allowing me to read! Review posted on goodreads.