The Art of Prophecy: 1 (The War Arts Saga)

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Actually, there were several characters that I just loved to be irritated with. They rubbed me the wrong way entirely, but for some reason, I still enjoyed them!! The whole cast is just entertaining as hell and I can’t help but be into them all. Even the two who annoyed me. I’ll let you contemplate as to which characters they may be. I highly recommend this to everyone. Trust me, just give it a chance. It’s too hilarious and brilliant to pass up. Watch out for all the murder and blood though. Lots of that if that sort of thing bothers you.

So many stories begin the same way- With a prophecy. A chosen one. And the inevitable quest to slay a villain, save the kingdom, and fulfill a grand destiny. I enjoyed this book a lot. It felt like I was reading a wuxia movie like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon or House of Flying Daggers. The intriguing plot had several twists and an ensemble cast of compelling (if not always likeable) characters. I like that one protagonist is an older lady; you don't see too many adults on epic adventures in fantasy. Even the one-and-done characters made an impression. Una profecía. Un elegido con la misión de salvar al reino, enfrentarse al Kan Eterno y cumplir con su destino... Pero la profecía estaba equivocada pues el enemigo al que debía derrotar ha muerto. Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon. Can you tell us a little something about your sequel, The Art of Destiny? Where will the story lead us next?Jian has been raised in splendor, trained by the best warriors, and celebrated before a single battle has been won. After all, he's the chosen one, selected by prophecy to defeat the immortal god-king and free the kingdom for good. But when the prophecy is proven to be incorrect, Jian still has to find a way to succeed—and maybe even become a hero in his own right. Hi Fantasy Hive, thanks for having me! I’m honestly not great at hand-selling, so I’m going to tell you what this book means to me. The narrative follows four POV characters - Jian and three fascinating female warriors, each the Master of a different War Art. Ling Taishi sides with Jian, and she may be my favorite female character ever. One-armed, aging, and hot-tempered, she’s still a brilliant warrior, and she owns this book with her personality, skill, and heart. Taishi is a formidable warrior and a skilled Windwhisper able to fly on air currents or use them to strike opponents or carry her voice. Each of her fight scenes is a thing of beauty. I have used the audible description to start this review because I feel it gives more of an accurate description of what the story is actualy about.

Some of the other characters are doing their own thing. Qisami is pretty evil but she didn't kill that dog people... repeat.. she didn't kill that dog!!!!!!! Once Taishi left Jian at the school and they went their separate ways, that was also when I felt both characters were able come into their own. They became much more interesting as a result, after shaking off the expectations that came with their previous roles. It became a close contest at this point as to who was my favorite POV to follow, as Sali’s presence also grew more prominent as the story progressed. She was definitely one of the more memorable characters, caught between duty and her own personal mission to find her missing sister. Perhaps the only character I did not feel much sympathy for was Qisami. She seemed a little over-the-top, and had little depth beyond being the badass, merciless, psychotic assassin archetype. Hopefully the next book will give her more substance. Oh, and the map in the book's preface needed to be better drawn. It was too dark, too small, and place names were difficult to read.

Advance Praise

I was so excited going into this book because of the premise of it. Chosen one but something got messed up and he isn't the chosen one? It sounded so interesting to me! And I will give that the plot ideas are great, but the execution failed.