Content Warning: death, violence

+ I was very intrigued by the synopsis especially because it revolves sorcerers and magic. Tabatha is an apprentice to one of the most world-renowned sorcerers and he dies. Now it’s a race to find out who actually killed him because she’s on the list of suspects, along with everyone else in the Solomon family. So this is very much a mystery.

+ There is a big cast of characters and everyone is a suspect – which is kind of fun! I love messy family drama. We follow Tabatha on her investigation into Sorcerer Solomon’s death. During her investigation we get to learn a bit about the Solomon family, his ex wives and his children from each union. I thought Tabatha was a fun character because she’s not a part of the family, so we get to see how they function through her eyes. 

+ There is a little romance going on with Callum Solomon (the youngest son) and Tabatha but it takes a backseat to the investigation. 

+ I did find the second half of the book more exciting than the first, maybe because that’s when Tabatha is getting close to figuring things out and a bunch of wild things happen that I did not expect! I liked the twist.

~ It’s a mystery and mysteries are not my favorite because they can be too slow for me. I do think the reader gets thrown into this world of sorcery. It’s told in second person POV so that caught me off guard because I rarely read any books in second person but I think it works well. It’s a contemporary world but with sorcerers in it and there isn’t much world building since the story focuses on the who-done-it part. It would have been nice to see the sorcery in action, outside of the murder mystery.

My Thoughts:

This was a quick read and if you like mystery, magic and some messy family drama, I think you will like this one. I do wish there was more world-building. I look forward to reading more from this author.

A massive thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!! I really enjoyed this book; definitely something I will tell my friends about!

3.5 stars
“The best prophecies always begin with love stories and end with tragedies.”

In the mystical world of These Deadly Prophecies, Tabitha takes a different path from her mother’s legacy to study under the most formidable sorcerer of her time. The plot thickens when the sorcerer eerily predicts his own death, with Tabitha unexpectedly finds herself in the middle of the investigation.

As the sorcerer’s prediction unfolds, Tabitha, along with the closest members of the sorcerer’s family, embark on an investigation. The collaboration with one of the sons adds layers to the plot, creating intrigue and romance.

The book is an easy read with a faster-paced plot. However, I found it challenging when it came to character attachment. The lack of connection with the characters and my waning attention in the long chapters definitely hindered my interest.

It weaves a tale of prophecy, magic, and family bonds. While the premise holds promise, the disconnect with the characters and the struggle to maintain engagement in lengthy chapters might impact the overall reading experience. If you’re drawn to mystical plots with a faster pace, this one is for you.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the copy!

This contemporary fantasy was a fun ride the entire novel and I couldn't wait to get back to reading when I had to close the book. The point of view character's voice is snarky, sarcastic, and filled with dry humor--all of which I enjoyed. I immediately connected to the first person storytelling which I found fresh and intelligently plotted. At about the halfway point of the novel, I returned to the beginning and reread the first chapter and that's when the imaginative plot device clicked.

The mystery was good, not my favorite, but the characters were fantastic. Red herrings were tossed about that made me question everybody, including the narrator. The ending was too neatly wrapped up for me and I felt a bit disappointed when the suspect was revealed.

The romance felt right to me and even became part of the mystery plot which I enjoyed because once again I was questioning everyone's motives. The family dramas were fun too.

Overall, I found the writing style to be excellent. This world in which magical abilities were not only accepted in daily life, but could also become a person's profession, became a believable one to me.

Nothing brings my more joy than a murder mystery with a sprinkle of magic and incredibly dysfunctional families, which is exactly what this book gave me.

Julius Solomon, one of the most powerful fortune telling sorcerers ever, foretold that he would die by the hand of his best beloved. What he probably didn’t see is that his murder investigation would basically be headed by his teenage apprentice Tabatha and his youngest son. Or that the incredibly dysfunctional dynamic of the whole Solomon family (including both his wife, ex wife, and some other people that had been important in his life) would make everybody a suspect.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Tabatha is the most hilarious narrator and I really loved the dynamic between her and her mother. There were so many twists, so many moments when I thought I had figured out who the murderer was but then some new evidence popped up and proved me wronger than wrong.

The blurb and other reviews have said that this is perfect for fans of Knives Out and the Inheritence Games. I can’t vouch for the whole Knives Out angle because I haven’t seen it (I know don’t come for me) but I definitely agree that it has IG vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Young Readers & Andrea Tang for an ARC of These Deadly Prophecies in exchange for an honest review.

I am very selective with my YA reads, but this one really grabbed my attention with its synopsis. I ended up really enjoying it.

This story follows Tabatha, a young apprentice in training to Sorcerer Solomon, a well known fortunetelling sorcerer who predicted his own horrific death.

After Sorcerer Solomon's murder, Tabatha sets on a mission to try to find out what really happened - who murdered Sorcerer Solomon.

Enter Sorcerer Solomon's three children Callum, Circe and Felix; as well has his current wife & Callum's mother, Rowena and his ex-wife and mother of Circe & Felix, Angelique. Sorcerer Solomon instructed Tabatha to stay close to Callum after his death, which Tabatha honors, but then things get a bit conflicted when (1) she begins to have romantic feelings toward him; and (2) she begins to question whether he can really be trusted.

There are a lot of potential whondunits as well as motives. Any reader well versed in thriller/suspense/mystery novels will likely figure out the real whodunit by the end, but this was a fast-pasted & intriguing story from start to finish that will keep readers hooked.

This was a solid 4-star read for me that I will happily recommend on my IG.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Teen Books for the advanced copy of this book.

The sorcerer's apprentice, Tabatha, is in for more than she bargained for when he is murdered and she becomes a suspect. Teaming up with his youngest son, Callum, the two embark on a mission to figure out who actually did the crime.

The description of this book made me so excited to read it, because I loved Inheritance Games series. However this was at a much slower pace than I was hoping for and found myself setting it aside to finish other books first. With that being said, I loved the urban fantasy world as the setting of this book. There was a large cast of characters, but each so unique it was easy to keep them separated. I liked the banter between Callum and Tabatha. It was quick and fun. I will say that though I was a little surprised by the ending, I had guessed it pretty early on in the story. Many things in this story seemed too easy or too predictable, which might have been why it was a slower read for me.

I think this is perfect for fans of Inheritance Games who love solving puzzles and solving mysteries. I still suggest this book because it had great elements, just not the right book for me.

I fought through the first chapter of this book, I honestly wanted to put it down but I am so glad I didn’t! It kept me interested at every turn and I was honestly truly terrified in that last third of the book. A classic whodunit!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was so fast paced and fun. I absolutely love the cover. It doesn’t give much away but draws you in so well.

Ever since Knives Out premiered, almost every murder mystery has been compared to it. I get tired of rolling my eyes over how not like it most books are. This book pleasantly surprised me, however. It even had the white sweater!!

The plot twists were making my head spin. It was 1 thing after another. You kept wondering what was happening and then I thought I knew and I was wrong. Excellent deflecting. I was suspicious of every character and then my opinion would change but I was actually kind of right from the beginning?

The only thing I didn’t like was how Tabitha spoke to the audience at random times in the book. It was more annoying to me instead of helpful. I liked Tabitha, and she definitely reminded me of a Knives Out protagonist. I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to like Solomon or not, but I didn’t really like him in the end. I felt bad for his family and for Tabitha having to pick up the slack because he’s a jerk.

This story was great and it was so fast paced that I felt like I was watching a really action packed movie. I will always love a good magical murder mystery!

These Deadly Prophecies is a magic fused murder/mystery with a hint of romance. Tabatha Zeng is enjoying studying under the world’s most famous sorcerer. But when Sorcerer Solomon is murdered, it’s up to Tabatha and the sorcerer’s youngest son to solve the murder. Otherwise they just might be at the top of the suspect list…

The Knives Out vibes are there. Think more the general vibes and not the actual plotline. Although, at one point a character literally wears a white knit sweater so do with that what you will. I very much enjoyed that.

I’ll say right away, I think this book is for a younger YA crowd. It read very YA which is fine and fits the category it’s marketed in. However, I tend to prefer the older YA/New Adult books, so it didn’t grab me as much. I had a parent/teen combo ask me for recommendations for a YA stand-alone mystery book with light romance, not scary category. Next time I see them I’ll let them know I’ve got the book for them.

Additionally, in this setting, magic is just another career choice. “Regular” jobs like lawyers and police officers intermingle with Sorcerers and *Magic* Police Officers (officers that police magic, not perform it). It’s stated numerous times that the Solomon family is not only wealthy, but very famous in the US. Personally, that setting didn’t speak to me. I tend to avoid the magical realism genre, and while this book doesn’t belong in that genre, I had a hard time immersing myself in it. I also felt that the magic was shown far less than I expected or wanted. More magic, please.

If this did end up as a series, I’d probably check out the next one just to see.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

As soon as I saw fantasy and murder mystery I knew this would be my jam. I loved how fast paced this book was. I found myself just flying through it because I just had to know what was next. This did really give me Knives out vibes and I am here for it. Definitely one I will recommend.

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book enjoyable. Murder mystery and magic? Sign me up! I was absolutely invested in the mystery and wanted to know how the story ended. The narrator gets distracted at times, which was by design, as it says a couple of times in the book that prophets have trouble keeping sequences of events in order because of the nature of their abilities. It worked for the story and she still mostly stayed on track, but it is something to be aware of going into the story.

I can't decide if I loved how the narrative was written (in that the protagonist is engaged in telling a tale for the person reading the book), or if I didn't like it. I fluctuated between both sides of the spectrum throughout reading this book. It was an interesting concept and at times I enjoyed the snark. While I found it fairly easy to spot the person behind the murder of Sorcerer Solomon, the how of it was an interesting detail.

Overall this was a good read, and a fairly quick one, but I was hoping for more. I feel like this will end up appealing to adults that read YA more than teen readers.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

I unfortunately DNF’d this one at 69%. I truly gave it more of a chance than I ever do with a book that isn’t holding my interest, mostly because the premise was really interesting and I truly wanted to love it. Two of my favorite genres (fantasy & mystery) blended together in one book?! Heck yes! I was so excited. But I’ve been reading it for over a month and just found myself DRAGGING through it and with the new year coming and as soon who believes in not finishing a book that I’m not loving.. I decided to finally put the book down *sigh*.

I wish it was for me, but sadly, it wasn’t! However, it totally could be for you so I’d definitely look up the amazing synopsis!

Love a magical realism with a family mystery and massive inheritance being left to someone not in the family. (not sarcasm)
The mystery was cool, the pace was there, the adult characters were mostly bog standard rich people, and the kids were nuanced, but not overly. I'd definitely recommend this to a YA audience. The only thing I didn't really enjoy was the ending---it got a little preach-y for me with the culprit reveal and motive. But if that's all I've got to really complain about, I'd say we're doing alright.

Now this was fun. It's delightfully dark with a tinge of dark academia vibes, all against a sorcerous setting. While at times it felt like the story wasn't sure where it wanted to go, it was still an enjoyable read. Tabatha Zeng quickly goes from apprentice to murder suspect when her mentor is gruesomely killed. I really wanted more of this story - Give me the build-up to the big reveal, give me prophecy magic, give me ROMANCE!!

*Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Thank you to netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers. This magical mystery was so damn good. I couldnt and didnt want to put it down.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and PRH Audio for the gifted ARC and ALC of These Deadly Prophecies by Andrea Tang. All opinions are my own.

This was a quick and interesting story that had lovable characters and a unique premise.

I liked the fact that I couldn’t figure out who to trust, so the mystery reveal at the end was great.

The narrator did a nice job telling the story and distinguishing between the different characters.

If you enjoyed The Inheritance Games, I think you would like this book as well. It reminded me of that story but with a magical twist.

Overall, I would recommend this book to both teens and adults for a fun mystery.

I actually enjoyed this book more than I was expecting to! I did think it was just a wee bit boring in the beginning, there wasn't enough action for me, I like a good fast-paced book, the climax of the book wasn't until the last like 20 pages, so the entire exposition of the story felt dragged on to me. That being said, I did think the characters had good dynamics with each other and that's always a major green flag (major plus) for me! It was a quick read and was a great switch up from reading a heavy romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for letting me read an advanced digital copy!

A fun, quirky urban fantasy read!

THESE DEADLY PROPHECIES really does read like Knives Out x magic. Tabatha's voice was fabulous, and the direct address to the reader was a nice touch. I really enjoyed the magic system and seeing how it twined with our world, and the characters were very reminiscent of A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER.

The writing does skew pretty young YA, but there's some graphic-ness with dismembered limbs and some strong language, so it's tricky to know how to recommend it. But I had fun, and think fans of Knives Out stories would enjoy it as well.

3.5 stars rounded up.