I just finished Prophecy by M L Fergus and here are my thoughts.

Persephone has never known much of anything except being a slave and when a cheeky thief frees her she cannot help wondering why… Azriel has his reasons and he has reason to believe she is the key to the prophecy his people have been waiting for.

I have a mixed bag of complex feelings about this book. I loved the parts with Persephone but there were parts that felt a little fragmented with the way it was written… I had to go back and reread a couple of times to make sure I was understanding where I was. The writing was great> I really enjoyed the tone and the pace but just the transition between the POV was messy for me.

I went to libby and they don’t have the audio which is a real bummer because I get the feeling this would make a wonderful audiobook but for me, reading it didn’t pack the punch I knew it should. I felt like it didn’t hold me sometimes and other times I was in its clutches so hard I couldn’t breathe. I know, I am a drama queen but that's how it was while reading. It did find its feet better in the last third of the book and even though I am not sure how much I liked the book, I am intrigued enough to grab 2.

I need to know more so the author did a really solid job of hooking me enough that it gets a 3.75 stars but I dunno, there was just something that waned for me especially in the beginning chapters of the book.

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouseca for my gifted copy

Book review: 3.75/5 ⭐️
Genre: YA romantasy
📖 Read if you like: Serpent & Dove, Shadow & Bone

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this novel.

A life in chains, Persephone has had little comfort besides the animals she so loves and a dream of freedom. When a chance encounter places her in the path of a boldly handsome thief playing his own dangerous games the two will set upon a path of destiny. For the thief Azriel is part of the long since hunted Methusian people, driven into hiding by the villainous Regent who seeks out a sacred place to their people. The Methusians have been holding out hope on a prophecy of a long awaited Methusian king that will finally bring peace to the land with Persephone an unexpected key.

With feigned identities and deadly court politics this very Arthurian tale was given a new twist. The vicious and mutilated Regent was a suitable villain to the hopeful and young king. While his POV was a little polarizing and one-note, it did fit well with the narrative. His sick and perverse reasonings for his actions and obsessions actually made me sick to my stomach, but they served as an interesting compliment to Persephone. At times her voice was very youthful and blind to what is right before her. That being said, her interactions with Azriel were laced with funny banter and I liked that she is a survivor searching for a single path, the one that will lead to freedom.

If I had some critique it would be that I found the first half of this book and the second really different. Part one was a little Robin Hood and part two was A Court of Thorns and Roses. I understood the turning point, but I didn’t expect there to be so much courtly life and frivolity in this storyline given the initial direction of the book. I would have much preferred to learn more about this land and its people, because it was sorely lacking in backstory. The extent of hardship and perhaps how the royal family came into power and maintains it. It would also have been great for Azriel to have some kind of voice or perspective, besides roguish saviour. I am not sure if this was exactly where I would have split this series, but as I have not yet read the other books it is hard to make a definitive judgement at this point.

Overall, I think the story is going to need some work to create more world building and continuity, but it certainly holds promise as the first in a series. It was entertaining and well paced to keep me engaged for the most part. I found myself smirking at the budding relationship, enjoying the adventure and waiting for the twist to reveal itself. The ending could have been a little better disguised, but it created a good cliffhanger for the continuation of this series. This is certainly YA with the style of writing and perspectives, but adult reader will enjoy a good balance of humour, romance and quest/fantasy too. A fun read for dreary winter months!

While I was hooked at the beginning, I feel mixed about this one. In general, the story was interesting, with some twists and turns along the way. I think it was the writing style that turned me off. There were just some moments that felt awkward and clunky. However, the characters were pretty well developed, and the villain is one of the darker villains I've read in a long time. I'd still recommend it, but with a few caveats.

This book was a very enjoyable read right from the very beginning. The opening sequence and banter throughout was top tier.
Persephone is fierce and does not waver from her true nature. She plays all sides, but also stays true to herself. Azriel is a swoony and just plain fun potential book boyfriend. The only thing missing was his point of view - I would have loved to see even more of him and some snippet of what was going on in his head. The interactions between him and Persephone were a pure delight.
This story includes a conniving villain that I had absolutely no sympathy for, but was I supposed to? I feel like there has to be even more to his story, no one is that evil, right? The political scheming is also a strong point to the storyline - it is well executed.
This book also explored the concept of freedom. Persephone has lived her entire life as a slave and remains entrapped throughout the book, even when freedom is offered. She becomes the possible accessory to the fulfillment of a prophecy and bears the responsibility of helping to see it through. Will Persephone get the freedom that she desires or did she just walk into an even larger cage? That ending!!!
I highly recommend this story to lovers of fantasy, those who long for freedom, and also those that just love some great banter.
Many thanks to Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books, and NetGalley for a digital copy of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

I had a feeling this book would be amazing, and I wasn’t wrong. Epic romantic adventure indeed. I 100% agree with the princess bride comparison. The only reason this book only received 4/5 stars from me is because I didn’t enjoy the chapters from Mordesius’s point of view as much as Persephonys, although I do understand the importance of those chapters. I feel it in my bones that book 2 and/or 3 will be 5 stars. I can’t wait to read more.

The chemestry, the banter, and the slow burn between Azrel and Persephony was so much fun to read. This story is so well written, engaging from the very beginning, and has twists that I truly did not see coming.

Thank you to @PenguinTeenCa and @NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted the book to have a better Kindle Format and it did not, the fantasy element of the book was wonderful and the writing had lots of potential as well as the story line.

*Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*

Prophecy was such a unique and enjoyable read. To be honest, I heavily debated giving this 3 stars, because even though I liked it, I also had some serious issues with it. In the end, I decided that the first book of a series deserves some leeway and I really did enjoy reading it.

Prophecy follows Persephone (don’t get me started with the names), a slave, who is sold to a charming-yet-kinda-flat thief and ends up embroiled in a prophecy that she wants nothing to do with. The aforementioned thief, Azriel (what did I say about the names) is part of a hunted group of people that are one day supposed to take control of the kingdom. There is also a ridiculously evil villain, Mordesius, who along with Persephone narrates the story. With that very brief and probably a little confusing summary done, I want to start with what I liked before moving on to my issues with the book.

This book was fast-paced, entertaining and I had a lot of fun reading it. Persephone was an interesting character and I liked her POV. Her banter with Azriel was everything, I loved the two of them. The writing style took a little getting used to, but after a few chapters, I found that I enjoyed the uniqueness. One of the best parts of this book was the villain’s POV. As I mentioned, Mordesius is a sick little pervert, and his chapters capture his nausea-inducing thoughts in such a perfect way. Like I was so impressed with how sick his chapters made me feel. The author captured him so perfectly, like he really can rationalize all of his actions and is totally delusional. The other side characters, particularly Finnius (though there was one thing at the very end that I did not like with him) were great, though not fully developed. This brings me to what I did not like about the book.

One of my biggest problems with this book was that the first half and the second half felt like different books. The pacing was different, the characters kinda changed, the setting moved, like I understand plot has to move forward but I also should be able to remember what the start of the book was like. The other problem I had was Azriel. In theory, his character was good, but he wasn’t fleshed out enough for me to actually care about him, and while I enjoyed his banter with Persephone, that was all we really got of him. I’m hoping this improves in the next book because I really want to like him. The world could also use a little more work, there were a ton of things that were mentioned briefly but didn’t come up again, like how exactly the king’s family came to power, and what about the other tribes of people?

Overall, not a bad book and I did enjoy it, I just feel like it could have been better.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest twice. DNF. I will not be finishing this. It’s not holding my attention, and I didn’t know this was YA, which was my fault. I’m honestly just not in the mood, so this one is on me. I’m only reviewing so it doesn’t hurt my feedback ratio and rating because it makes me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5)

**Prophecy** by M.L. Fergus is a gripping fantasy adventure that follows a young hero burdened with a destiny they didn’t choose. Set in a richly imagined world filled with ancient magic, political intrigue, and epic battles, the story explores themes of identity, responsibility, and the weight of prophecy. As the protagonist struggles to balance personal desires with their foretold fate, alliances are forged, secrets are uncovered, and danger lurks at every turn.

The world-building in *Prophecy* is solid, with plenty of detail to draw you in, and the magic system feels unique and well thought out. The characters are engaging, especially the protagonist, who feels like a real person grappling with real emotions. There are also some fun side characters that add humor and heart to the story. The pacing is mostly great, though it drags a bit in the middle before picking back up for an exciting finale.

While *Prophecy* is enjoyable, it leans a little too heavily on familiar fantasy tropes, and some twists felt predictable. That said, Fergus’s writing is vivid and engaging enough to keep you turning the pages. The book leaves room for more, and I’m definitely curious to see where the story goes next.

If you’re a fan of classic fantasy with a modern twist, *Prophecy* is worth a read. It’s not without its flaws, but it’s a solid start to what could be an exciting series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an eArc of this book in exchange for a honest, unbiased review!

I appreciated the story and its potential, but I struggled to stay focused and engaged while reading this. I enjoyed the banter between Persephone and Azriel and the hints of sexual tension, but the pacing felt uneven, and some parts were hard to get through. The middle especially felt slow, which made it difficult to stay immersed in the story and it took me longer to finish than I would have anticipated.

The world-building was interesting but could have used more depth to really understand the world around our main characters. The ending picked up nicely, and I liked the story enough that I would be interested in checking out the next book to see if the issues I had with this one improve.

Prophecy is a well written YA fantasy with a blend of romance and adventure. As a popular genre for my students, this is exactly what I am looking for when it comes to books to suggest for them. I am looking forward to reading more books in the Fractured Kingdom series.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of Prophecy by M.L. Fergus

I'm sad to say that I could just not get into this series. I think the concept and set up is solid but my brain wasn't absorbing much after that. What I did read was good though!

Thank you so much to the amazing author, the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me the privilege of reading an ARC of this book!

I adored this book! Apart from a few things this book has great characters (especially the animals!) and a great story. It took me until I was half way through for it to really grab me though and make me be able to not put it down. I did struggle a bit at the beginning because it seemed like everything was happening so fast but not fast at all there's not a lot of backstory for anything other the prophecy part and that makes it a little hard it takes over 150 to really truly know much about the characters and than it seamlessly takes off! The constant need to take off (I get it enslaved but truthfully for her abilities and her attitude she didn't really seem that enslaved) and always to put others in danger doing so got a little old almost a little childish. This story if you're truly paying attention does have a twist but if you're paying attention you are proven right in your assumptions about what happens and honestly I'm okay with that because they are fantastic!

The banter, the characters all are incredible the details are never too much and too overwhelming halfway through it feels like you are Persephone herself and I love when a book can make me feel that way!

Thank you so much for allowing me the amazing privilege of being able to read this book and I really can't wait to read the next one!!

This book felt like the next step up from fairytales (in a good way). It brought me back to the joy of being cozy in bed with a big heavy book of fairytales crushing my legs. The romance is honestly adorable and the storyline is compelling. The twists at the end are the reason I immediately ran to netgalley to request the next book. Definitely a recommendation for all of the fairytale ya fantasy lovers!

Thank you Penguin Canada and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

While I’m always more hesitant than excited when a book is comped to one of Stephanie Garber’s titles (this one mentions “Once Upon a Broken Heart” in its marketing materials), I was also intrigued by the vague comparisons to “The Princess Bride” that I found floating around. It’s a hard target to hit, but when authors manage to balance humor, romance, and fantasy altogether, those end up being some of my all time favorite reads. And this one definitely sounded like it had potential!

Let’s start with some pros! One thing that this book definitely goes hard on is the quippy dialogue. Now, I’m quite picky about quippy dialogue, so the fact that this didn’t immediately put me off the book is a definite mark in its favor! Moreover, as much of the romance between these characters rotates around their quirky banter with one another, readers who enjoy this style of interaction are going to gobble this one up. While I did find myself getting a bit tired of it as it went on, there are definitely readers out there who will appreciate this style.

Further, I liked the addition of chapters from the villain’s perspective. This wasn’t something I was expecting, and I think it added a much needed note of seriousness to the affair. This character is truly vile, and I appreciated the fact that the author fully committed to writing this sort of character and devoting this amount of page time to him.

That said, the book as a whole failed to really land. Part of this is due to the pacing. The book starts off fast, but not in a good way. We meet Persephone and then literally three pages into the book, bam! Azriel shows up and their quippiness takes off at a gallop. I barely had time to meet the heroine or hear anything about this world before I was thrown into the scene of these two’s first meeting. Usually when you get a first meeting like this, you at least know and care about one of the characters. Through knowing them, the reader is given a window into how to interpret the this newly introduced character and the interactions between them.

But Persphone was just as much an unknown to Azriel when they met, so this didn’t give me any insight into either of their characters. Is she usually trusting or untrusting? Is she more chaotic or lawful in her approach to situations like this? As the story continued, of course, I got to know both of these characters better. But the sudden introduction of them both so early in the book put me on the backfoot right from the start. I’ll also add that I think some of the fun was taken out of the quippy dialogue due to these choices, as well. Due to this, the book always felt a bit lacking in its world-building and characterization. As the story continued and the pacing slowed down some, I appreciated the author’s attempts to more fully flesh these bits out. But in many ways it was too little, too late.

The pacing picked up again towards the end, with a lot of plot points hitting quickly all within the last few chapters. There were a couple of twists and turns here that I don’t think quite tracked with some of the information we had previously, but it’s also clear that everything was being set up for the sequel. We’ll see if I get around to checking that out, but there’s a decent chance that my estimation of this one could rise based on the execution of the next book. Overall, I’d say this was just an ok novel. In some ways it read as unexpectedly middle grade (both in the sheer number of animal companions and with the tone of the dialogue at various points). But I also think that it will appeal to a specific sort of fantasy reader who likes fast dialogue and quirky characters.

Rating 7: Had potential, especially for readers who enjoy lots of dialogue, but the pacing was off and some of the tone of the writing read veered closer to middle grade than young adult.

Link will go live on The Library Ladies blog on Jan. 24

Well written YA fantasy that had my attention so much I finished in a day. Sometimes these stories can feel a bit too familiar - or similar to other books in the same genre.. however, Prophecy was phenomenal.

I don’t know that there is an emotion I didn’t feel reading it and found myself excited for more of the story and sad for the ending of it all.

This book is one of my first few reads of 2025 and will probably be a re-read for me as well. With some questions I need answered — I am excited for additional books to follow!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this phenomenal arc in exchange for my honest review!

What an amazing book. I absolutely devoured it in two sittings. I loved all of the character development. I can’t even post too much because I don’t want to give anything away, but the vibes were vibing and the snarkiness of the the leads was amazing.

Definitely a great book for fantasy romance lovers.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Prophecy by M.L. Fergus is a third person dual-POV YA fantasy. Persephone was sold into slavery as an infant and is trying to survive her latest owner. Azriel is a member of a people persecuted by the king of their kingdom and is searching for a young woman to help save the young king of his people. Azriel believes that Persephone is that young woman and Persephone sees this as a chance to escape, but she’s going to get caught up in a plan that leads her to her destiny.

There is something very 80’s/90’s about this and I love that. The opening chapters have a The Princess Bride kind of vibe and Mordesius is kind of a Prince Humperdink-ish character. He’s just so vile for the sake of being vile and I would like more villains who are villains just because. He did have a traumatic incident in his early life but it doesn’t not explain his personality or his political scheming and I’m fine with that. I don’t need every villain to have a redemption arc or some grand traumatic reason why they want things to go their way; they can just be jerks who want political power because, in real life, there are jerks who just want political power.

Azriel and Persephone’s romance has plenty of banter early on and some pining as a lot goes unsaid between them but they both also know there is a spark there. Azriel is a pirate robber who meets Persephone by trying to steal one of her chickens and proceeds to be playful when she fights back. It’s not the dramatic high stakes YA fantasy that I’ve become used to and I’ve found that I really miss this set-up of an adventure-style fantasy with banter between the main characters that leads into a romance.

In this book, there isn’t really a magic system beyond seers and the world might be our world but set in a fictional kingdom as there is a mention of Latin, much like The Princess Bride could have been set in our world. Again, it goes back to that 80’s/90’s-style of ‘is it our world? Is it not? Is there magic? Is it science?’ and that could make this a great gateway for readers looking to try out epic or political fantasy but don’t want a ton of worldbuilding or a lot of rules to learn.

Content warning for mentions and depictions of attempted sexual assault

I would recommend this to fans of The Princess Bride and other 80’s and 80’s fantasy films, readers looking to dip their toes into fantasy, and those looking for a YA fantasy with banter and pining but also some adventure and political intrigue

I really enjoyed the start of a new, exciting fantasy series! I enjoyed the banter and romance between the MCs. I definitely see the comparison to the Princess bride. I look forward to reading the next book as well!

Prophecy follows a young slave named Persephone as she encounters a thief skulking around her current owner’s home. The thief, Azriel, concocts a plan and offers Persephone an escape which she accepts with the intention to run from Azriel the first chance she gets. When their journey takes a vicious turn and they encounter unrest in the land, Persephone helps save Azriel’s life only to fall deep into his people’s plot. The king’s regent has been hunting his people for years. Persephone must figure out who to trust and how important her freedom is as her resolve wavers, and she finds herself wanting to help Azriel and his people.

This was a really solid first book in a series. There’s a lot of setup and world building. I found the world itself to be very interesting and the dynamics between the groups described very well. It’s a good pace with some slower moments while still having a lot of action and intrigue. I struggled a little with the writing style, but did get used to it and enjoyed it by the end. The twist at the end didn’t really surprise me, but I liked what it has setup for the next book. The villain having a perspective was a big highlight for me. He was very much a terrifying man and being in his head was so alarming and so well done.

Persephone was a good main character. I liked all her interactions with her animals and found that very cute. She’s quite the spitfire and I always find that makes fun mcs. She had great banter with Azriel and their budding romance was cute. Her scenes with the regent were so anxiety-inducing. He’s truly a vile man and I was worried about what might happen. Azriel was a great love interest. It was sweet how much he cared for Persephone and their scenes together were always amusing.
Overall, this is a good first book in a new fantasy series and if you really like banter and adventure, then I’d definitely recommend checking this book out.

Thank you to Penguin Teen CA and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!