I absolutely loved Knives Out and These Deadly Prophecies definitely has the same vibes, with the wonderful added twist of magic. I personally always enjoy stories that have a magical element to them, so it's great that these two worlds are colliding. It's always interesting to find out what the hierarchy of magic is in a new story and the author did a good job of building the world in the first few chapters, with lots more explored later on. From the very beginning, my mind was spinning, trying to figure out people's motivations. People who you think are innocent can sometimes surprise you, especially when there are multiple layers of shared history and drama that needs to be unpacked.
Because I've read and watched so many murder mysteries, I had a random theory on who it was, but then it changed twenty times in between. Until the last two chapters, I was captivated by the story and that's what a good murder mystery does. You may guess who it is, but you can't be 100% sure because you don't understand the motivation yet. Beyond the murder, mystery, and magic, there was also a great exploration of family dynamics. It was heartbreaking to see how the sorcery prestige of their father had different impacts on all of the Solomon children, and even the past and current wife. The desire to please the father left them all feeling less than, but also put them all in competition with each other, whether they expressed that openly or not. It was very heartwarming to see that Tabatha's mom was supportive of her choices all along, such an opposite of what Julian Sololmon was.
This was very close to a five star for me, but I guess I had a hard time buying how everything wrapped up in the end. It was believable, it just didn't leave me with a feeling of completeness. I did really enjoy how it was written, like it was a memoir and that sometimes the narrator was speaking directly to you. Overall, a very enjoyable read that kept me on my toes and guessing until the very end.
Because I've read and watched so many murder mysteries, I had a random theory on who it was, but then it changed twenty times in between. Until the last two chapters, I was captivated by the story and that's what a good murder mystery does. You may guess who it is, but you can't be 100% sure because you don't understand the motivation yet. Beyond the murder, mystery, and magic, there was also a great exploration of family dynamics. It was heartbreaking to see how the sorcery prestige of their father had different impacts on all of the Solomon children, and even the past and current wife. The desire to please the father left them all feeling less than, but also put them all in competition with each other, whether they expressed that openly or not. It was very heartwarming to see that Tabatha's mom was supportive of her choices all along, such an opposite of what Julian Sololmon was.
This was very close to a five star for me, but I guess I had a hard time buying how everything wrapped up in the end. It was believable, it just didn't leave me with a feeling of completeness. I did really enjoy how it was written, like it was a memoir and that sometimes the narrator was speaking directly to you. Overall, a very enjoyable read that kept me on my toes and guessing until the very end.