Green Giants – Irish Author Spotlight #10: The Reluctant Prophet by Gillian O’Rourke

Green Giants is my feature where I share some of my favourite books by Irish Authors.   I’m passionate about Irish Authors, there is a great and exciting mix of books to choose from, hopefully you will find something new to try.  Today I’m sharing a YA Dark Fantasy, I haven’t found too many Irish authors writing in this genre so I’m delighted to have enjoyed this one so much.

There's none so blind as she who can see . . . Esther is blessed, and cursed, with a rare gift: the ability to see the fates of those around her. But when she escapes her peasant upbringing to become a priestess of the Order, she begins to realise how valuable her ability is among the power-hungry nobility, and what they are willing to do to possess it.

Haunted by the dark man of her father's warnings, and unable to see her own destiny, Esther is betrayed by those sworn to protect her. With eyes newly open to the harsh realities of her world, she embarks on a path that diverges from the plan the Gods have laid out.

Now she must choose between sacrificing her own heart's blood, and risking a future that will turn the lands against each other in bloody war. The Reluctant Prophet is the story of one woman who holds the fate of the world in her hands, when all she wishes for is a glimpse of her own happiness.

Let’s be honest, I feel very unqualified to review this book as I don’t read a lot of fantasy.  I have no idea if it’s original or how well it matches up to other fantasy books.  What I do know is how I felt reading it so I’m just going to go with that.  And in three words; I loved it!

First Line of The Reluctant Prophet:

“I had never been able to see my own future, not the way I could see it for others.”

My Thoughts on The Reluctant Prophet:

I was sceptical picking up this book as fantasy is a little outside of my reading comfort zone.  However I was a bit intrigued by the synopsis and decided to give it a go.  And for the first 10 to 15 pages, I still wasn’t sure.  There were so many people and place names mentioned that I got confused and I was fully prepared to give myself permission to DNF if necessary.

But then I suddenly got hooked.  I became a part of Esther’s world and found myself intrigued by what I found there.  Esther is such a sincere, honest, humble but powerful person in this world that I was excited to know what was going to happen next.  So excited that I read this book over 24 hours as I couldn’t put it down.

The prophesying was one of my favourite bits, I was gripped by them.  However the extent to which the people around Esther used her skills for their own gains made me so mad on her behalf.  At first I thought this world seemed great as the women priestesses seemed to demand respect but then I was let down with a bang as just like in all worlds, there is corruption in every corner.  And I felt as angry on Esther’s part as if she were a friend of mine, she felt that real to me.

There is a forbidden romance which is slow to start and all the more believable for that.  It steadily grows into a love that is deep and meaningful and adds a sense of purpose to Esther’s journey.  And her journey is a tough one, my heart was ripped apart by some of what she went through.  However she is a character that made me want to cheer her on as she is so brave and resourceful while remaining true to herself at all times.

I did come across a few typos, not too many, less than a handful but as always I find it a bit distracting when I do find them.  I do get that it is harder for an Indie book to be proof perfect though.

Overall this book captured my imagination and made my mind wander in an exciting and fulfilling way.  With strong world-building and rock solid characters The Reluctant Prophet made a great impression on me and it makes me want to read more fantasy.

Rating Report
Characters
Setting
Pace
Did I feel it?
Overall:

Who should read The Reluctant Prophet?

I’d recommend this book to those who enjoy fantasy books with a strong female character lead and to those who enjoy creative world building.  And if you are a newbie fantasy reader like me, you might find this a good one to start with to see if this genre is for you or not.

Thanks to the author for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

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