This was an interesting young adult contemporary fantasy with fascinating world-building and magic systems. I'm so excited about the continuation of the series - this was such a great start! I feel like it reminded me of the books I read in the early 2010s, which was really fun! If you were a middle schooler or older at that time and loved fantasy books, I think you might really like this.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

The Prophet’s Gambit - Ellie Evaris (audio book)



I was given an advanced copy of this audio book through Net Galley in order to provide an honest review.

Ellie Evaris is a Canadian author, who grew up in the middle of nowhere and used pen and paper as her escape. This is her debut novel.

Aris has almost finished high school, but she feels like she hasn’t found her place or her people. Has never felt quite like she truly belonged or fitted in anywhere. Her parents died in a car crash when she was much younger – her and her sister were taken in by their parent’s best friends – David and Ashton.

One night her life is changed irrevocably when she is dragged along to another party by her friend Hayley. There she meets a golden eyed boy – Alek, and his friends. She is immediately captivated by Alek and how he always seems to get out of any situation without so much as a scratch. But Alek’s friends Lochlen is very much captivated by Aris – the girl who has featured in his dreams for as long as he can remember.

But there is much more to Alek, Lochlen and their friends than Aris can imagine – and as it turns out more to Aris and her past than even, she knows. Alek and Lochlen have magical abilities – due mainly to the crystals that were passed down to them from their parents – much like the crystal ring that Aris was given. The crystal that had been her mother's.

Alek and Lochlen called themselves Anathemians – searching for their way home to a place called Krysidia. They didn’t know where the door to Krysidia was, but they knew it was somewhere nearby and they needed all the help they could get. So, Aris had to try and figure out who she really was and how to wield her powers.

Yet the only person that was able to help her with her powers was the dark and moody boy Lochlen. She swore he hated her but if she was to find out what really happened to her parents and her new friends find this place Krysidia – she had to try. The closer Aris got to the truth the more danger she and her new friends were in – but it also closer to finding Krysidia – which was looking more and more like their best chance of surviving.



“The Prophet's Gambit” is a young adult fantasy story that despite a slow start is spell binding and captivating. I did enjoy the book but that wasn’t until I was about a third of the way through it. It was such a slow build up to the action and a decent story telling pace. I do appreciate the author really set up and built the world and gave the reader a lot of background information – I just wished things moved at a faster pace. I could see where the story and what direction the plot was going to take at times, but it took a while for it to actually get there which was a little frustrating. The characters were very relatable - I enjoyed reading any scenes with Lochlen in them and I do hope as the series progresses, we see some good character growth for him. Overall, this book would really appeal to a YA audience and lovers of fantasy, and it did have a cliff hanger of an ending!!

First of all I adore the narrator of this book!!! I preferred it to the written version which I almost never do. The narrator really made it, I loved her accents and the emphasis she put into each character. As for the book, I think this is going to be the next big thing. I was OBSESSED with this book. It made me so excited to read and the tension between Alis and Lochlan is killing me. The book leaves off on a hell of a cliffhanger and I am dying for the next one already

this book had a great premise but unfortunately this was all there was to this story. the plot was confusing, the characters as well, there were so many unnecessary subplots and scenes and the dialogues sounded extremely weird to me. the reasons why things were happening were unclear to me until maybe the 60% mark but not in a mysterious way where the characters are trying to figure out why, rather in a “we need the plot to move on so here’s some action”. our characters were extremely surface level, we never explored their emotions, motives and pasts at all, they really felt like 2d cartoons to me. finally, there was no world building or explanation as too how the magic system worked which , again, made this whole story confusing. 1.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Hidden Grove Books for this arc. All opinions are my own.

The blurb and idea of this was interesting and really made me want to read it. Also, that cover art is beautiful and has such a dreamy quality!

I’m very sorry to say that I ended up DNFing this at 15%. I don’t know if it was just me, but the first chapter was very vague and a little jumpy, and I felt like I was missing some key information. I know it’s supposed to be a hook, but I was more confused reading it than enraptured and dragged in. From then on, the pacing of the story was very quick and not very fleshed out, and I got lost. I found myself registering to sections and still being confused. It could have been the audiobook, but I normally am able to follow audiobooks really easily, so I don’t know.

the narrator was clear and used different tones for different povs which was great. I really enjoyed the audiobook.

I enjoyed the world-building. It is unique and intriguing. I liked the writing style.I did have some trouble getting into the story. It was all very confusing at the beginning and I kept wondering what was going but I don't regret going on with it. The storyline is quite enchanting. I loved all of the characters They all have their imperfections which makes it all the more engaging and they are easy to connect with It's adventurous and magical. Certain things still don't make any sense but I'm hoping the next book would clear that up. I'd definitely be reading the next books to see where it goes

the audiobook couldn't hold my attention - dnf 20% - maybe I'll get a physical copy and try it again, because I really loved the description and do want to read it! :(

Thank you NetGalley, hidden grove books, and of course, the author Ellie Evaris for the ARC.

The writing was gorgeous and definitely very promising as I was starting to read but quickly I realised that this book was very vague and at times confusing, I felt like there was information missing, and often I would find myself rewinding back to see if I perhaps got a bit distracted and misses some crucial information.
I think that many parts of this book were essential but I could not understand why, I guess this could be resolved in future books, yet sometimes too much-unresolved mystery can do more bad than good.

I really enjoyed the characters, despite lacking a little development they were very loveable and easy to root for them, which to me is essential for the story. Especially Aris, I could see my younger self reflected in her and she made me carry on reading to book until the very end rooting for her.
Also, I noticed that the book was getting better and better in terms of writing and grasping the reader, it is clearly a very talented writer and the following books have so much potential. ESPECIALLY WITH THAT CLIFFHANGER, absolutely amazing ending that I did not see coming anywhere.

In the following days i will be posting to my Instagram blog at @readwfairy , will add the link on the day
Already posted and waiting approval on Barnes and Noble

This book was amazing, I would definitely recommend it for anyone who loves varying Fae magic, tarot and prophecy magic, as well as a found family and coming of age story. There is an intriguing love triangle that is both maddening and emotional. I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished it and hope there will be a sequel! The narrator did an incredible job separating the voices with different accents that were believable and emotional but not distracting to the story.

I was given an Advance Listener Copy from Hidden Grove Books

Ellie Evaris has done an amazing job with this book.

I am reeling having just finished this YA read

Originally I was a little confused with all the characters and who was who, but after maybe 4 chapters I could understand everything that was happening.
The idea of this book is like nothing I’ve ever read.

I love the character- Lochlen/Aris/Alek triangle?
Star crossed lovers
Fate
Lost memories
Moon/crystal magic


If you loved the Shadow Hunter series - I think you’d love this

The Prophet's Gambit by Ellie Ivaris
4/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•••Spoiler free review below•••

This is a book that I needed to get part way into to fully understand the plot and direction. That being said, I absolutely loved the world that was created and the magic system. It was unique, enjoyable, and made for a quick read. I'm excited to see what is to come from this author and in this series. (Also! This cover! Gorgeous!!!!!!!!)

Read this book if you like:
- dream magic
- fantasy worlds with modern details
- memorable side characters
- mysterious MMCs
- found family trope
- hidden powers

The Prophet's Gambit will be released October 17th and if it's not already on your tbr, it should be!
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Special thanks to Hidden Grove Books for sharing a free copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

I don't think I have ever been so neutral about a male love interest...ever. I have read lots of books where its an enemy to lovers situation, but none are like Aris and Lochlen. Oh, and did I mention there's also a love triangle!!!!!!! I think I'm finally ready for one of those again. Team Alek??? Team Lochlen??? I reserve my right to defer my choice until after I read book 2.

Thank you Ellie Evaris, Hidden Grove Books, and NetGalley for the audioARC!!!!

This book is like High School musical, but hold the musical and add the magic. Drama follows Aris like bad breath after eating an onion sandwich. If I didn't know any better I'd say her magical power was being gifted at having bad luck. She doesn't know she's magical until meeting a hot guy who, under questionable circumstances, rescues her from an escalating situation with a boy she's not interested in. He spills a lot of beans and lo and behold he's part of some group where kids have magical rings and ancestral powers from a place that Aris believed was only a fairy tale. Now, her parents accidental deaths are suspect and she has powers she must learn to master from another, more grumpy, hot guy. A guy who seems to know her and things about her. A guy she senses in small ways that she knows too. A guy she unknowingly has been visiting in her dreams nearly her whole life. Problem is, there are others out there that want their powerful rings and crystals and show no mercy to those they find. Now, Aris must learn to use her power, sleuth out the mystery of her parents' deaths, live each day wondering if bad people were going to find her, unravel the puzzle pieces of her feelings for both boys, and find way to a fairytale world with no map and a place no one has ever seen or found. Also, a place where all their ancestors were banished from so many years ago that no one remembers why they were banished.

I think this was a good book, not a great book, and I'll most likely be on the look out for book 2 mostly because the cliffhanger and the love triangle. It would do the story a lot of good if Aris was less whiney in the next book and more decisive. It was a pet peeve of mine at how spacy and unfocused her character was in nearly all situations she found herself in. Please and thank you!

NO REGRETS!!!!

This book gave too much information were not necessary and not enough details were actually needed. For example, some parts were a tad confusing, like what exact powers did the MC possess. Was she an empath AND a prophet? That left me with questions about her abilities and they worked. Overall the writing was very beautiful and you can tell the author is very skilled. But the plot had room for improvement. One thing I really liked about it was the metaphysical/spiritual aspect and I wish the author delved more deeply into.

I was unfortunately quite confused as to what was going on in the beginning but as the book got into the flow of things I was able to better understand and grasp what was going on. Has some interesting twists and turns, and quite the cliffhanger ending. I look forward to seeing how it pans out in the next book and if some of tge questions I have will be answered.

Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to both read and listen to this audiobook at the same time.

I started out with the audiobook in my experience and the narrator was great. She was able to create slightly different tones that reflected and identified the characters via voice alone. It allowed me to know whose POV was being followed and created more depth to the characters.

Since I had listened to the audiobook first, I did get confused about what was happening within the first 5-10 chapters. However, physically reading the words from the ebook allowed me to answer my questions and clear up confusion. Other than that, my only critique was the chosen villain for the plot. To me, it seemed a bit random and out of pocket, but I can tell that he was only used as a plot device and to what's (and who) to come.

The premise is interesting but I wasn’t connecting with the writing style. It felt like a bunch of monologues strung together that raised more questions than they answered (literally asking questions) while not actually catching my interest or giving me something to care about. I stopped after 5 minutes. Not great, I know, but I was tired of my book asking me questions.

The narrator’s voice is lovely.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hidden Grove for the ARC.

The narrator does a fantastic job of differentiating between the different characters and the alternative scenes.
You have to really pay attention to the whole structure throught the first 23-30%.
A great story but a hell of a cliff hanger at the end! Looking forward to the next instalment.

While this book was a slow start for me, once it hit, IT HIT. I think this will appeal to fans of SJM and certainly to anyone who loves a good slow burn romance. So happy I got to listen to this on audio because I think Heather did such an excellent job of helping with my comprehension. (Honestly might have given up if this was on paper just because the dream sequences can be confusing without an audio "guide" to help you through tone and voice variations.) Will happily throw this at younger YA readers, especially!

Umm, this book was really hard for me to get into and I actually ended up DNFing.
That being said, I really think that some other people would enjoy this book. I think the beginning of the book was trying to do what "Strange the dreamer" did, only it didnt do it well. I was left really confused and we never really discovered who the dead girl was....
I love the mystery of the book and i get that it was trying to have hidden messages, hidden meanings, and mystery to it but it ended up just being hard for me to follow.
I see a lot of similarities to strange the dreamer.

Maybe the next book would clear up a lot of the confusion of the first one.

When Aris meets a boy at a party, she didn't expect her life to change. At least not in this way. Alek protects her from unwanted advances, but soon she finds out he didn't do so naturally. He did it with magic. Alek and his friends are part of a group trying to find Krysidia, a place long lost, where they and their families can finally live in peace. Turns out, Aris has powers too. And not everyone trying to find Krysidia is playing nice.
I'm a bit on the fence about this book. I enjoyed the general story (love me some ley lines and tarot), didn't enjoy a ton of the characters. Some felt a bit on-the-nose-villain, like Aris' best friend, about whom I continuously asked myself why they're even friends, or Alek's grandfather. I did really like Lochlen (and his particular relationship to Aris) and Jada though. I listened to the audiobook, which might not have been best for this story - I think I would have been able to follow the story easier had I had it in writing in front of me. The audio production and the narrator did a good job though!