Prophet follows two investigators, one of whom has the supernatural ability to tell if a statement is undeniably true or not. Adam and Rao are tasked with investigating a series of mysterious appearances of objects that aren't quite right. Before they know it, they are up against an oligarchy of billionaires seeking to control an unknown substance that preys on people's nostalgia until they are comatose. It's a slow-burn queer romance amid a science fiction thriller.

The anchor of this story is the relationship between Adam and Rao. They are loners, having each grown up in difficult circumstances, though we see far less of Rao's childhood than Adam's, making Adam the more fleshed-out character. And yet their bond is unflappable. Their slow burn doesn't feel like a will-they-won't-they question. It's one of Rao's undeniable truths. It just is. That is the book's greatest achievement.

The sci-fi elements are strongest in the beginning when mystery still shrouds their peculiar qualities. Once more is known, they veer into kitsch. This could've been avoided with more focus on the nature of nostalgia and how it can be tied less to an object than a time. However, the sci-fi element, the substance, creates objects, making that tie very black-and-white.

In general, Prophet is a very enjoyable read and though my hunger for it waned towards the end, I gobbled up the finale all the same. I had to know what happened to Adam and Rao, after all.

I. Love. It.
Oh. My. God.

Adam and Rao have charmed their way into my heart and I will never let them go! I mean, imagine what a great constellation of characters Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché have created. I think Adam and Rao carry the story so much that it might not work without these two characters.
Of course, the concept around Prophet (and all the intricacies) is exciting, but Adam and Rao form such a solid foundation/roof, (however you want to look at it) that I am left speechless.
Their whole relationship with each other and how it has changed over time is breathtaking. I could cry, it’s so beautiful.

Sometimes I found it hard to follow the story, to be honest. It was as if I missed certain skips. Some things just came too suddenly and other storylines (which I found exciting) were suddenly wiped out by events. Hach, sad!
I think I will definitely buy the audiobook and the paperback, as I need to dive into the story again more closely / intensively to understand all the details properly.

Jake Fairbrother, Ryan Forde Iosco and Charlotte Davey read very well.
What bothered me was that the audio track was not of consistent quality throughout. Maybe it was due to the recording setting of the narrators, I don’t know. Sometimes the audio wasn’t as deep (as if the room was empty and thus the track was tinny), then the voice was like „further away“ and then sometimes I couldn’t quite tell the male narrators apart.
I don’t advise listening to the audiobook with headphones if you are sensitive to noise, because especially there the audio track of the one narrator is really challenging.
Sometimes it was also difficult to correctly classify/understand the changes of perspective because although the narrators changed, I just couldn’t keep up with them so quickly in my head. Maybe a slightly longer pause between the perspectives would be helpful.

All narrators had a pleasant reading pace and if the audio track is revised/refined again, I would recommend the audiobook.

Especially for non-native speakers who are sometimes still unsure, I would definitely recommend having the written work at hand as well, otherwise, it can be very difficult to follow the plot.

I’m deducting two stars here, as it’s really just about the audiobook, because the audio quality just isn’t that great. (My goodreads review will have a different rating as - for me - it’s not just about the audiobook there).

The book begins with a man named Rao being brought into a strange situation. Rao is an ex-MI6 agent who fell into addiction and out of grace with his former employers. He has a unique ability to determine what is true whether it be a statement or a photo or an object. This talent is needed when a series of objects begin to appear out of the blue, all of which seem to be a bit off. They are mostly things like dolls and games, but the latest object is what appears to be an American diner showing up in the middle of a field in the UK.

This opening chapters raised so many questions in my mind and I needed answers! I found myself getting sucked in by the characters and the story. I think there was a good mix of plot and character development. Some of the directions the story took weren't what I expected, but I found it entertaining. There's a bit of a mix of genres with a little romance mixed in with the scifi and action elements!