The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals Book 1) by Michelle Madow


Title: The Prophecy of Shadows
Author: Michelle Madow
Pages: 207 pages
Published: January 26th, 2016
Source: ARC from Michelle Madow herself :D
Genre: Mythology, Fantasy,
Rating:
Elementals is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love! 

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret cover of witches. Even more surprisingly... she's apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers- and, to her dismay, by Blake- the school's notorious bad-boy. 

Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle's wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance. 

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect- it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it's up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town... and possibly the world. 

Preorder now! 

** I received an early copy of this book from the author. This has not affected my review of this book** 

If you're looking for a book with the ease and narration style of Jennifer L.Armentrout's books, you should give Elementals a try. I always feel a little guilty when I compare two authors who clearly write about very different things. However, everyone knows Jennifer L.Armentrout as such an easy author to read, who is also fun, quirky, and amusing. Michelle Madow's writing strikes me as almost same thing, or very similar.

This has been my first Michelle Madow book, and just as some of you will be jumping into this one, I had no idea what to expect when I picked up the book at first. Now I knew before reading this book that Michelle did do some research in writing this book. I half expected this novel to be full of info dumps and weird, awkward transitioning because of that, but no that was not the case. You see, Michelle has a way of tying facts around fiction. And in doing so, she creates an enjoyable story that's easy for any reader to manage but can teach a thing or two about Greek mythology. If and when you do read this book, it'll be hard to believe that Michelle Madow is not a historian or mythology-expert. 

The plot is very well set up for a first installment. You know what I mean? Don't you just hate those first installments that leave you on the biggest cliffhanger? Or what about those that don't even say enough to get you excited for the next book? There is a teenage-fitting flare to this book that caught my eye at different points in the point, like first days of school, boy crushes, and teachers who are just too chill. 

The plot and characters were both very intriguing and made me sit down and really read this book. One part that I couldn't get over, however, was the romance. You know, I've got to give it to Michelle for writing about the type of romance that is featured. We have the guy that is eye candy and the new girl that walks in and starts drooling. But oh no, he already has a girlfriend. It's pretty tough to write about this type of romantic situation without sounding super cliche. And it just didn't work out for me, I guess. The whole thing felt too insta-love and that is one of my greatest pet peeves in any book. I'm pretty harsh when it comes to romance so no one should be taking this seriously but definitely romance dubs this book under the YA category. It wasn't mature enough to almost make it on the NA side. 

I've also noticed that Michelle Madow doesn't have any specific writing style. There is no distinguishable signature in her writing that is different from many other YA authors. By signature I mean like the ethereal effect that Maggie Stiefvater's writing leaves or the heart-pounding, goosebump-inducing effect that Sarah J. Maas' style has. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Because there wasn't such a complex writing style, it made the book all the more enjoyable and easy to read. Readers could spend less time focusing on examining what the author is saying and more time on the crazy action scenes that occur. 

Elementals ultimately surprised me in the end. Oh, how I love a good surprise. I'd call it: A book for readers and non-readers alike. This book is one you could fly through in a day and there's extremely difficult world-building or foreign terms you have to understand. It's quite a simple read that is both fun and entertaining for all ages. I'm actually looking forward to the second book after the first leaves you on a teeny-tiny cliffhanger. Well, at least I've curious to know what's gonna happen next. 
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8 comments

  1. JLA's books are easy and fun, so I'm sure that I could enjoy this one on a rainy day. Great review!

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    1. Thanks so much! Yes, I'm such a big fan of JLA and she actually seems like the characters of her books in real life. It's so cool!

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  2. Read this and enjoyed it! I wasn't a big fan of the romance either but at least it didn't dominate the entire story so that's a good thing. Great review, Alex :)

    Haraiah @ Random Things In Action

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    1. Thanks so much! I definitely am waiting for the second book to see how the romance plays out and if there are any improvements. I'm very curious *rubs chin*

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  3. Oooh I am a huge fan of JLA's (at least her Lux series). I was looking at this one on Netgalley but I wan't really sure about it so I never requested it. I'm happy it was enjoyable here and there though, I am sad to hear that the romance is insta-love *gags* not really a huge fan of that. I prefer a slow burn. I'll have to try this one out in the future. Lovely review!

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    1. Don't worry, I don't think anyone is a fan of insta-love. Slow burns are also painful as well lmfao! Thanks gurl <3

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  4. I've read one book by Armentrout which was one of her new adult novels called Wait For You, and girl I hated that book so much, that it turned me off from reading anything else by her. I did buy the bind up of Lux for my birthday back in August, so if I read that and don't like it, I'm washing my hands with Jen lol. I don't know what it is, but I've never had the urge to read anything by Michelle lol. I've seen her other series, I think The Diamond Sisters or something around the community, but I'm not really interested in reading it lol. * laughing face emoji *

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    1. I saw the Diamond Sisters series as well and wasn't interested in picking it up either. She was offering ARCS for this new series and therefore I thought it would be the perfect time to get me some Michelle and decide for myself whether or not she's the author for me. And don't worry, I totally understand with the Jennifer L Armentrout thinggg hahahahahahhaha

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