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!

This book started out a little slow and I had some trouble keeping track of who was who at the beginning, but it picked up and had me invested in the latter half! We follow Aris as she learns about and dives head first into a world of magic she grew up not knowing existed. She works with an interesting and complex cast of characters in their search for their long lost homeland, Krysidia, while also learning more about her family and the death of her parents. I also enjoyed the magic system - everyone’s magic is tied to an artifact of some sort, usually a piece of jewelry, and as such can be stolen. I’m excited to see how the magic and world building expands in the sequel, as this book was primarily build up and leaves off right where you know all the action will be.

All in all, I did enjoy this book, but whether or not I recommend it will likely be based on where the series goes from here!

Received ALC from NetGalley.
DNF @ 20%
I feel like the story has a lot of potential, but the execution just wasn't there for me. It was a little hard to keep up with what was going on. and it might be better as a physical/ ebook.

Thank you yo NetGalley, Hidden Grove Books, Ellie Evaris, and Heather Masters (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of The Prophet's Gambit in exchange for an honest review.

For some reason, it was herd for me to get into this book. It was interesting. It was intriguing. But I believe there was a lot going on and I had this perception of what the novel would be versus what it was. There was a lot of school/contemporary aspects I wasn't expecting, though once the fantasy elements kick in, it really takes over. On a side note, Heather Masters did a wonderful job as the audio narrator.

Aris, a dream-obsessed seventeen-year-old, embarks on a journey that unravels the mysteries of her past and the hidden realms of magic. Meeting Alek, a boy with golden eyes and a curious knack for avoiding harm, thrusts her into a world where tarot readings and prophecies guide their quest to find the elusive Krysidia, a hidden fantastical world where their ancestors were banished.

As Aris grapples with newfound abilities and the weight of her destiny, she must learn to trust herself and those around her. The tension builds as Lochlen, her magic-using guide, stirs mixed emotions within her. Between Alek and Lochlen, there is a fun-filled potential love triangle, for fans of that trope. Secrets about her parents' tragic car accident emerge, revealing the perilous nature of their journey. When facts from the past twist to form a different image of the present, the future looks bleak, but Aris knows what she must do.

While I wanted to like the characters, there were so many more than the main three that it was hard to keep track at times (especially listening to the audiobook). While I enjoyed the relationships, the speed of which acting upon emotions occurred was rather fast. For some that is fun, but for others, it may take away from potential epic tension for romance readers when this is only the first novel of a series.

Really, a great novel for lovers of young adult fantasy, it just didn't resonate with me enough to pursue further in this series.

First I will say I love this cover and it absolutely drew me in. Overall, I liked this book. I see promise for this series and that maybe the rest of the series will give us more.

I am very uncertain how to start this review or how to rate the book.

On the one hand I found the plot to be neither very special nor easy to follow. Whenever we focused on the interaction between characters, I was glad.

That part I actually enjoyed. Even though it was a het! love triangle. But well. A boy with a broken heart and two coloured eyes somehow just gets me. As basic as this makes me.

I liked the characters, I did not care for the world building. Therefore all in all enjoyable.

When i got the ARC for The Prophet's Gambit, I was genuinely intrigued by the interesting premise and the cover and potently for it to be a good reading experience. Unfortunately, my keenness was met with a rather disoriented reading escapade that left me more perplexed than satisfied. While the book has a fascinating concept and an ambitious storyline, the execution fell short to me, primarily due to its convoluted array of characters and a writing style which led me to me confused through out the novel.

This is an okay audiobook, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Played it while commuting and it was a nice book to listen to while you're disassociating.

This was a fun read. While I wasn’t crazy about the execution, I did enjoy the story. I just feel like the characters all maybe needed more depth. I also felt like it was a little hard to follow at times. That said, I will definitely continue the series!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book!

It took me a little while to get into the story but once I did I was trapped! I loved the characters and their friendly banter. The plot was well paced and the romance was just right. I’m looking forward to more reads from this author in the near future!

I was not able to complete the audiobook in the time, and it got archived... I have requested for the e-copy, hopefully if it is approved I'll be able to complete the story

I enjoyed it! It was an interesting magic system. I am intrigued on how the romance will unfurl and what will happen in the next books! The cliff hanger definitely made me want to read the next one. I anticipate awesome world building and more questions and answers!
The villain was entertaining to read and had a lot of depth without having a lot of "screen time" if you will. The dialogue was great. Its all very unique and the narration was great too! I literally have so many questions but is asking them a spoiler? Oh well, I'd love to see what is answered in the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hidden Grove Books for the ALC Audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley and Hidden Grove Books for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
The Prophet's Gambit was my first ever audiobook and it didn't disappoint at all! The Prophet's Gambit is a contemporary fantasy YA book. There is a lot going on in the book and it switches between multiple POVs as there are so many characters in the book The beginning is a bit confusing but it starts with some mystery and action which I loved. As the book progressed it got easier to understand. Aris is the FMC who meets a mysterious guy Alec who saves her. After some revelations she gets to know she descends from Krysidia a magical, hidden realm and gets to meet Alec's friends who all are also descendants . She is a good character for the most part and she really wanted to learn how to protect herself and learn to yield her powers. I loved all the different powers that everyone and the magic system. and especially the dream world concept which is very a different and unique concept I feel like there should have been a little more world building and explanation regarding some events but hopefully we'll get to know more in the next book. I also think that Aris's relationship with her family, especially her sister could have been fleshed out more.
I was hoping there wouldn't be á love triangle but fantasy books tend to have that. I love both Lochlen and Alec and I honestly don't know whom to root for! I loved that Aris found true and good friends and I love t hat we get a found family trope. Overall it was very good debut book nd the narrator was great too! I think with the sequel it could be a great series.
Read The Prophet's Gambit if you like:
~ Contemporary Fantasy
~ Dream world
~Hidden magical realm
~Found family
~Love triangles

I think this book had a very interesting set up with what could have been an amazing story but it just fell flat for me. I understand that the Author was trying to grab the readers attention with the first chapter but I thought there were chapters missing I was so confused. I am also sad to see that the characters fell a bit flat as well. This felt like a high school drama with a sprinkle of magic.

aris has always been a dreamer, and now, she has a chance of adventure. alek believes that aris is the key to finding krysidia, from which his and his friends’ ancestors were banished. but first, aris needs trained. the downside to this is that lochlen, the only one able to train her, seems to have it out for her. still, aris feels an unexplainable familiarity toward him. now, aris must choose between safety and a desire to prove herself.

i think the main thing about this book that prevented it from being a full five stars for me is that i wanted it to go more in depth. while certain aspects were detailed, others were not. i think exploring the aspects that were a bit lacking would have better immersed me in the story.

with that said, there was so much about this book that i did enjoy. the plot was interesting, but even more than that, i just loved the characters and the dynamics between them. there was quite a prominent romance aspect in this book. i can’t wait to see where it, and the plot, goes in the next book!

1.75 ⭐

Thank you NetGalley for the eALC in exchange for an honest review

Everything about the premise of this book drew me in. Ya is in a renaissance, especially fantasy YA.

As much as I tried,,, this story just did not work for me. I DNF'd at about 30 %. The book was starting to get more interesting but the beginning was so forgettable that I was getting lost. I will say that I was listening to the audiobook BUT that is the most common way I consume written media. Would I pick up this book again... Absolutely!