Thank you to PenguinTeen for giving me access to the Netgalley e-arc of These Deadly Prophecies. This review is entirely my own thoughts and opinions on the early unfinished digital copy gifted to me!

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These Deadly Prophecies is a fantastic YA murder mystery about the death of a sorcerer and his apprentice's search for the truth about his murder.

RATINGS:

OVERALL: 5/5🌟
PLOT: 5/5🌟
WRITING: 5/5🌟
CHARACTERS: 5/5🌟
ENJOYMENT: 10/10🌟

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STORY, PLOT, & PACING:

This was a fantastic story. One of those that I picked up and 5 hours later, I've turned the last page and closed the e-book with a smile. Andrea Tang has weaved a fantastic mystery that kept me guessing up to the end. Her foreshadowing is excellent and its spaced out well enough that it all clicks together right before the big reveal.

WRITING:

I love this modern but with magic world that Andrea has created. It was easy to fall into the story with a world familiar to our own, yet magical enough to make me dream. I appreciated the nods to historical moments in the history of the occult, particularly The Salem Witch Trials. It just made this book's world all the more real. Andrea's writing is perfect for the young adult audience, easy to read, and beautifully descriptive.

CHARACTERS:

I loved these characters. All of them were hits to me! Tabitha is a fantastic main character, who highlights a lot of the anxiety and hang ups teens have in regards to their parents. The desire to follow your dreams, but feeling like your dreams will only serve to disappoint your parents. Tabitha is written to be relatable, to show other teens they are not alone. I feel Andrea did a wonderful job with Tabitha.

The Solomons were all their own pile of chaos and I appreciated them all. Callum was a fantastic partner for Tabitha. As she got to know him more, she began to learn of his own hang ups and family problems, opening up the door to understanding that everyone has their own closet demons. Out of all the characters, he was my favorite.

ENJOYMENT:

I really enjoyed this book! Like I said earlier, this book was one I just couldn't put down. I had to know who killed Sorcerer Solomon, same as the rest of the characters. Thank you again, PenguinTeen! This book was a treat.

"A teenage sorcerer's apprentice must solve her boss's murder in order to prove her innocence in this twisty, magic-infused murder mystery perfect for fans of Knives Out and The Inheritance Games.

Being an apprentice to one of the world's most famous sorcerers has its challenges; Tabatha Zeng just didn't think they would include solving crime. But when her boss, the infamous fortuneteller Sorcerer Solomon, predicts his own brutal death - and worse, it comes true - Tabatha finds herself caught in the crosshairs.

The police have their sights set on her and Callum Solomon, her murdered boss's youngest son. With suspicion swirling around them, the two decide to team up to find the real killer and clear their own names once and for all.

But solving a murder isn't as easy as it seems, especially when the suspect list is mostly the rich, connected, and magical members of Sorcerer Solomon's family. And Tabatha can't quite escape the nagging voice in her head asking: just how much can she really trust Callum Solomon?

Nothing is as it seems in this quick-witted and fantastical murder mystery."

The cover design is a little too on the nose for a book compared to The Inheritance Games.

I really liked the urban fantasy elements of this book: the fact that sorcery is a hobby/career path just as valid as any other is very imaginative and different.

I did struggle with the pacing of this story. It felt like nothing was happening for a long time and then the ending moved so quickly. I also wish the urban fantasy elements had been developed more.

All in all a fine story. I wish that it had more to it. I think that 100 more pages of world building would maybe have helped the pacing.

These Deadly Prophesies was a fun murder mystery story with magic.
This book is fairly short and clean enough to recommend to a younger audience.
I felt that it lacked in world building and character depth, but the trade off is a quick read that was still full of twists and turns to keep me guessing. The POV was interesting in that is was Tabatha relating the story to an audience, so there were a few 4th wall breaks. I always think that is kind of fun and brings the reader into the story.

3.5 stars overall

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for an early copy for review.

This was such a fun read, i truly didn’t know what direction the story was going in. I was rooting for Callum and Tabatha to NOT be the killer, the plot twists, the side characters and the utterly unlikeable ex-wife made this story so fun. I never wanted it to end, i was hoping that it could just go on for ages, I’m hoping (begging?) that there will be more books in this universe it was so fun to dive into. I love a magical murder mystery to kick off winter break I’ll never forget this one

Thank you penguin teen for the e-arc! All opinions are completely my own

When I first read the excerpt for These Deadly Prophecies I was intrigued immediately and couldn’t wait to read it. All you have to say is Knives Out and I’m all in. The book started a little slow for me and I found myself feeling like we didn’t get to know the protagonist well enough. I feel like the character and overall storyline fell a little flat and I found myself wishing that there would have been more detail put into the book. Especially when it came to the characters and there scorchers powers. I also fell it lacked description in the magic department as well. Al so at times I felt my self really annoyed with our protagonist Tabitha and found the romance between her and Callum to be predictable. What I’d did really enjoy about this book was the ending because I have to say it did keep me guessing and changing my mind and that’s hard to find in books anymore. I would give this book a 3 star because honestly I just found myself wanting to know more. All in all is was an interesting read if you enjoy Ya mystery with a touch of magic thrown in.

I love a good murder mystery but what's the cherry on top? When it has a magical element to it! This was such a fun read and I'm interested to see where the story goes from here!

If you liked “the inheritance games” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and you love reading about magic, this book is for you!

We are following a sorcerers apprentice who learns her master is going to die in seven months by the hand of his beloved. He makes her promise to stick by his son’s side above all else. And she does but she has no idea the horrors and darkness that’s to come.

Fast-paced, dark and intriguing this story kept me turning the pages.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc of this book!

These Deadly Prophecies is for anyone that enjoyed the romantic crumbs in Knives Out and thought it would be great for it to have more and with a dash of magic. Tabatha becomes entangled with the lives of her boss's family when he is murdered and she must solve his murder to prove her innocence.

The mystery gripped me from the beginning. It's a fun fast paced story that delivers mystery and romance. Tabatha was a great character to follow as were the rest of the cast.

Thanks netgalley and Penguin Group penguin young readers for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

While I would recommend this to students to read and put this title in my classroom, this book did not jump out to me as an amazing selection. While reading, it felt like it took The Inheritance Games and gave it a magical spin while changing just a few aspects to make it seem more original. The concept was good, but the story as a whole felt like it was missing something.

3.75 stars

This is a quick and fun read, with a snappy tone, quick-witted characters, and a unique but digestible magic system. It's a modern fantasy meets murder mystery, a bit like "The Inheritance Games" but with magic. Tabatha has a slightly different high school job than most of her classmates; she's the apprentice to a well-known and powerful fortuneteller, Sorceror Solomon. Despite her parents' hopes for her to pursue a more traditional career path, Tabatha loves her apprenticeship. Until one day, just as he foretold, Sorceror Solomon is murdered in his workshop. His loved ones are all determined to solve the mystery of his death, but since the infamous prophecy states that the killer would be his 'best beloved', suspicions run high among them. That, paired with the anticipation of who he named his official heir, makes the mourning period a bit ... tense. 

Tabatha teams up with Callum, Sorceror Solomon's youngest son, to play the Nancy Drew to his Joe Hardy, if Nancy and Joe both also kind of suspected each other of the murder. Callum was my favorite character, and probably will be yours too, because he's got some trauma but buries it beneath sarcasm and quippy comments. Their relationship developed naturally and didn't feel cliche, despite following some of the expected beats.

The dynamics between the family members (Sorceror Solomon's ex-wife, son and daughter with her, and his current wife/Callum's mom, and Callum) are every-shifting, and I was genuinely surprised by the twist of the ending and murderer reveal. It felt like a satisfying resolution, with the pieces all clicking together, but I found myself wishing the book was longer. I think if it had been, then I'd have felt a deeper connection to the characters and given a higher rating. I enjoyed everything I read, just wanted a little bit more. I'd especially have loved more on the magic aspect and Tabatha's learning it, because everything that was included was so fascinating. It makes me wonder if there might be more books in this world. If so, I'll definitely read them! Thank you to Penguin Teen and the author for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to have access to this book early. I do not know personally how to feel about this book. I know my copy the format was a bit weird but that did not stop me from reading the book and kind of makes me want to see the proper format. The subject of the book was fun and the murder mystery aspect to it all was great. I just felt I do not know, it is hard to explain. It is not my favorite but it is not the worse by far. Like I had to finish it just to see who did all the murders and the back and forth trying to figure it out did leave you trying to guess. Over all this is not a me book but I will not hold that against it, and if you love teen like murder mysteries you are in for a treat. I did love how unique the world was. So once again thank you for allowing me to read it.

These Deadly Prophecies follows a teenager who is the apprentice of a very powerful and rich sorcerer. When this sorcerer is killed, she teams up with his son to solve the murder.

I really liked this book! I like the mystery and the characters. There were a lot of twists throughout that surprised me and kept me interested. There were also a lot of good relationships and heart felt moments. The relationships felt realistic throughout. There was also a bit of romance that was cute. I also loved the narrator and how the narrator was talking to the reader. I love that in books. There was a bit of humor sprinkled throughout.

It was not quite a 5 star for me because I feel like I’m a little too old for this book. Obviously it is YA so i think teens will really like it.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Penguin for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The cover was the first thing that attracted me to the book, These Deadly Prophecies by Andrea Tang. After reading it, I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Tang does a wonderful job of character building by adding an interesting group of individuals with extremely different personalities. I appreciated her portrayal of the main character, Tabitha Zeng, is a young female whose main interest is learning from the famous fortuneteller Sorcerer Solomon. When Solomon ends up dead, she becomes one of the suspects in his murder and for the most part, Solomon's family members feel they have good reason to dislike her except for his son Callum.

The story is told using Tabitha's voice which is every bit that of a young, fun, somewhat too trusting, rather clueless female who has been so devoted to her craft, she doesn't have many friends or experience with males, so that comes through when she ends up working with Callum to find the murderer.

The setting is also intriguing with information about the magical world she lives in which isn't the reality for everyone who lives in this area. The story also includes a detective whose job it is to ferret out people with magical abilities that misuse them.

The book had an intriguing plot and the ending was nicely wrapped up. I'd give this 4 stars.

Thank you @penguinteen for the #gifted copy of this book!

Young adult mystery thriller with magic?! Yes please! I was definitely sold when I saw this book was likened to Inheritance Games. Sign. Me. Up. Can we just also talk about the cover?! It’s gorgeous! I’m obsessed with the skull and candles 💀🕯️

What it’s about:

This book is about a young sorcerers apprentice, Tabitha, who has been thrown into the middle of the case surrounding her boss, Sorcerer Solomon, death. Tabitha is launched squarely in the center of trying to solve the mystery surrounding his gruesome death. What’s even more odd is the sorcerer predicted his death before it happened. 👀

Unfortunately for Tabitha, she is on the short list for being a suspect as the police zero in on her and also Callum as prime suspects. Callum, the Sorcerers youngest son, tries to get closer to Tabitha as he believes she’s involved in his father’s death. As he tries to dig up clues, Tabitha also feels she can’t trust him either however a budding romance between the two starts and it’s hard for her to hide her feelings. They look into each family member and who could have been responsible and have motive to kill Sourcerer Solomon. Everyone is a suspect and it’s nearly impossible for them to clear their names!

Thoughts: This was the perfect bingeable magical mystery for fans of young adult books! I loved the plot and idea around sorcerers! When is the last time you’ve read a book about them?! Me, never! So this was definitely a fun change of pace! The characters and storyline were perfectly written and I loved how the author made me think at any given point any of them were the killers! It kept me guessing until the end! This was a super fast paced, fun mystical whodunnit! Thanks again #penguinteen for giving me the opportunity to read this!

A big thanks to Penguin Young Readers Group and Netgalley for providing me the ARC.

Tabatha Zeng, a young sorcerer-in-training, has been studying with the famous Sorcerer Solomon for three years when his mysteriously prophecized death turns her world upside down. Everyone is a suspect, including herself and it’s up to her to piece together the puzzle of the mentor she thought she knew. Working alongside her mentor’s son, Callum, she uncovers the dirty truths hidden behind the curtains of Solomon Manor.

Overall, this was quite a thrilling journey. The story is told in contemporary, fourth-wall breaking commentary reminiscent of Fourth Wing. Tabatha is a witty and funny honor roll student and fairly likable. The mystery of the book dragged me in and kept me reading on. That aspect reminds me a bit of Inheritance Games, so if you’re a fan of that series you will most likely be a fan of this.

Some of my criticisms (noting that I read an unrevised version):
1. There was some repetition in some of the language that became a bit bothersome.
2. I did like the casual tone between the character and the reader, but sometimes it was a bit over the top and became cringy.
3. The romance wasn’t built up enough and wasn’t entirely believable to me. It was a bit awkward and didn’t leave me rooting for them.
4. The beginning and end were strong but the story dragged in the middle for me a little bit.
5. The book is short, which can be a nice thing, but I feel that it leaves space to develop the characters, romance and magic system more. It would take this book from good to great.

With that being said, I really did enjoy the book! It’s a bit outside my normal fantasy, a bit more on the contemporary mystery thriller spectrum, but still a good one. I’d definitely recommend it to YA readers, especially those new to fantasy.

This was a bit hard for me to rate in solid stars, it’s between a 3 and a 4 for me but I did enjoy it so I rounded up.

This book combines two of my favorite things: urban fantasy and old-money family melodrama.
Let's talk about the highlights: Tabatha Zeng is hands down one of the most fun-to-read protagonists I've come across. The unique stylistic choice of using second person, with Tabatha recounting her past from the future, adds a layer of humor, engagement, and elements of suspense. The dynamics between characters, particularly Tabatha and Callum, took a pleasantly unconventional turn, playing with familiar stereotypes while subverting them. I applaud the presence of healthy communication between parents and children, a refreshing break from the typical YA thriller/mystery where teens often dive into danger without the adults in their lives having a clue.
The vibe of this novel leans toward middle grade, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. There were moments when some characters felt a bit like caricatures, and more than a few times they were making funny quips in life-threatening situations that seemed a tad unrealistic. Oddly enough, this narrative tone made the realistic decisions of the characters stand out even more. My only real gripe was that the climax didn't particularly wow me.
All in all, this book was an engaging read, especially thanks to Tabatha's hilarious internal dialogue. For Tabatha's character alone, I’ll definitely be checking out any future works of Andrea Tang.

I really enjoyed this! The narration was the best part of it, I think I thought this was going to be more fantasy than it actually is which was disappointing. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Many thanks to Penguin Young Readers Group, author Andrea Tang, and Netgalley for providing me the ARC.
Release date: January 30, 2024

Tabatha Zeng has been apprenticing to the famous Sorcerer Solomon, who has prophesied his own death. When his death occurs, Tabatha starts investigating with the help of Solomon’s son Callum. We get dysfunctional family revelations, magical shenanigans, and a cute early-days romance.

This book does not match my typical tastes in fantasy or YA fantasy reading. The tone is something specific. It’s a blend of the dark sorcery aesthetic, straightforward storytelling of a mystery, and some dry referential wit. The fun, distinct authorial voice is definitely a highlight of the reading experience!

I am always pleasantly surprised when a YA female protagonist is likable, relatable, and not written as overly combative and snarky. Yay for Tabatha Zeng! She spends much of the book interacting with Callum. Tabatha starts to have feelings for him but doesn’t know whether she can even trust him, since he is on her list of murder suspects. I liked this conflicted dynamic and how Andrea tells the story in such a way where Callum is a big question.

By 50%, not much had “happened” with the plot. Read TDP for the vibes and the characters. The latter half of the book is where the story picks up speed in terms of both the murder investigation and magic. The way the mystery wraps up and the conversations unraveling it were satisying. Although the book is engaging as is, I do think the book could have sped up the timeline and contained more substantive, magical events. Overall, it’s an enjoyable, engaging one-time read.

These Deadly Prophecies by Andrea Tang was such a fun and entertaining story.
With a fast paced plot and the murder mystery plus magic you have this fantastic book! This debut is well crafted and wonderfully written.
Tang’s incredible storytelling along with her almost overwhelmingly vivid worldbuilding and characterization was simply the best.
The characters were well developed and kept me so intrigued I didn’t put this down.
It’s safe to say I’m a fan!

Thank You NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!