Some people are really going to like Prophecy Girl. People who like a very distinctive protagonist voice littered with pop culture references. Fans of Vampire Academy, who are looking for something similar, will also probably at least be interested – if not enjoy it. I don’t think it’s unfair to state that Prophecy Girl is highly derivative of Vampire Academy. Non Academic, rough and tumble protagonist with an intelligent best friend, falls in love with hot young tutor, crazy shenanigans, magical world – it was all very highly reminiscent. Derivative doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad, but in this case the comparison doesn’t favor Prophecy Girl. In a Who Wrote It Better? competition, Mead comes out a clear victor.
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Image by Model Aria Stock.
I would give that outfit a 9/10. Gorgeous, gorgeous job!
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Image by Fallen Angel Stock.
I would say… less.
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The story is heavily focused on the romance between Amelie and Jack, which I felt was a misstep as it rarely managed to run anything but hot (fan yourself, dim the lights, spark some candles hot) and cold (wet, dead, stinky-fish cold). The chemistry was there in a physical sense and I give White props for that – but any real camaraderie, relationship or love were painfully absent or ineffectually handled for me. Mostly because there simply wasn’t time to develop it.
But the plot itself was the biggest let down. I feel like by the time the author gets through all her surprise twists, the original motivations and actions of the characters don’t make much sense. I read the ending actions with critical detachment as characters did things that seemed inexplicable to me. The ending was pretty broadly forecasted in a way that sucked enjoyment from the narrative. Early on two characters step onto the page and my initial reaction was, “Well, they’re clearly evil. I don’t know how or why but… EVIL!” And I was kind of sad to see that I was right. That things were so clearly telegraphed.
Even a major plot event happened that was so obvious, my brain kind of hurt reading it. I thought, surly, it can’t be this easy. Then it happened, to everyone’s shock but mine. For me? I was just like:
Writing was okay, no real issues there, which is a positive. And if you are looking for something just a bit steamy, then you’re surely going to at least enjoy it.
Ultimately, I think this is a good book if you’re looking for something quick, easy and that will give you a couple of laughs. But one of the greats, it is not.
DreamingReviews
…You have me rethinking putting this on my to-buy list. I liked Vampire Academy but only read the first book (no idea why…) and find that derivative stories are hit-and-miss, as a LOT of YA series anymore seem to derive more from VA than even Twilight. I know I enjoyed Jennifer Armintrout’s Daimon, which is part of a series compared to VA, but at least there the concept felt more unique on its own. I’m sorry to hear that this wasn’t really your cup of tea, but thanks for the informative review, anyway. 🙂
KatKennedy
DreamingReviews I quite liked Damon from Obsidian. I get what you mean. That one felt a little more distinctive. This one relied heavily on tropes for heavy readers of paranormal romance. Even Prophecy Girl, a famous Buffy episode title seems to be aimed at this particular audience – but I didn’t feel it had anything new to offer. Just the same, regular stuff reheated. Not bad if that’s what you’re looking for. But I wanted something a little more original.
KatKennedy
DreamingReviews I quite liked Damon from Obsidian. I get what you mean. That one felt a little more distinctive. This one relied heavily on tropes for heavy readers of paranormal romance. Even Prophecy Girl, a famous Buffy episode title seems to be aimed at this particular audience – but I didn’t feel it had anything new to offer. Just the same, regular stuff reheated. Not bad if that’s what you’re looking for. But I wanted something a little more original.
Pam
Thank you Kat!
KatKennedy
@Pam No problem, Pam. I’m so sorry I didn’t like it more. I really wanted to, but I just guess it wasn’t my thing. Not that I didn’t see the entertainment factor in it. Some of those pop culture references were mad awesome.
KatKennedy
@Pam No problem, Pam. I’m so sorry I didn’t like it more. I really wanted to, but I just guess it wasn’t my thing. Not that I didn’t see the entertainment factor in it. Some of those pop culture references were mad awesome.
VeganYANerds
I have a hard time with books that seem like copies of another, particularly if I loved the original, in this case, VA. I hadn’t heard of this until now but the flaws sound like they’d bug me, too, so this won’t be going on my to-read list. Thanks for the heads up!
KatKennedy
VeganYANerds Sometimes I don’t mind. I think this is a good book for those who like Fanfiction. But I think people like bloggers who read constantly soon tire of the tropes. People like you and me!
Danny_Bookworm
Yep, immediately after starting I felt like this is a crossover between Vampire Academy, The Convenant Series and a little Harry Potter for the magic. Normally, I do not care so much about these similarities but here it felt like a little bit too much to be honest. Also, Amelie was such a troublemaker… but I never got why? I mean, why would she be so stupid and jeopardize everything? To make her character more rough and egdy.. Even though Jake took all the egde away by calling her… Omelet.. I mean..OMELET.. seriously?
Overal I liked it once I got past the similarities.:)
KatKennedy
Danny_Bookworm Oh god. The Omelet thing drove me insane! What kind of a nickname was that?! I admit, it wasn’t too bad. Just wasn’t for me.
Danny_Bookworm
KatKennedy I’m still laughing.. I mean how sexy is it when the boy of your dreams looks deep into your eyes and then says ” Omelet -I love you”!
Ugh!!!!!!
KatKennedy
Danny_Bookworm Oh god. The Omelet thing drove me insane! What kind of a nickname was that?! I admit, it wasn’t too bad. Just wasn’t for me.
pragya
Hmm, I have been thinking whether to read it or not and thanks for your review, I’m now giving it a pass.
KatKennedy
@pragya LOL. Doesn’t sound like your thing?
cynicalsapphire
This is pretty much what I figured, which is also why I never marked this to read. Nothing about it looked new and fun.
Physical chemistry is fun, but I would ALWAYS choose mental chemistry over that if an author, for some reason, could only manage one or the other.
Ugh, I hate when characters are surprised by obvious plot twists. I can forgive the plot being obvious, but when the author tries to make it SEEM mysterious and all the characters are like OMG WE NEVER COULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING and I’ve been highlighting every moment that made what was coming obvious, I roll my eyes so hard.
Pass.
KatKennedy
cynicalsapphire I really read it because I like Pam and I wanted to at least give it a try. It had a lot of entertaining moments but there simply wasn’t enough time in the chronological time of the story to build a relationship.
KatKennedy
cynicalsapphire I really read it because I like Pam and I wanted to at least give it a try. It had a lot of entertaining moments but there simply wasn’t enough time in the chronological time of the story to build a relationship.
parajunkee
Youch. *cringes*
Nice touch with the dresses.
knotbox
Great review! Can you believe it, I want to recommend this book to a friend based on your review. I don’t think I’ll get around to reading it myself though…