Skip to main content

Day 9: "Prophecy of the Sisters" by Michelle Zink

Day 9 #BookSpine365.

There are some books that fall flat for me, and this is one of them. While I initially began reading this and thought, "hey...this seems like a good premise and plot," the story became weaker and weaker. Unbeknownst to me, this was a trilogy series, (but the author's first novel) and continues in this fashion for a while. Simply summarized, you have two twin sisters that have just become orphans. They have never really gotten along, but after their parents uncanny death, they become enemies. They soon discover the reasoning for this: they both play a part in an ancient prophecy of good versus evil and the end of the world. The whole problem I had with the book was the characters were a bit too gullible and sometimes mundane. Insert romance for spitefulness, because all books need a token love story or heartache, correct? You have several scenes where there are characters in the same room with imperative things to do or say but the author doesn't use them. It's historical fiction, but there are some continuity issues. The jargon and roles of the prophecy itself-keys, riddled poems, otherworlds, planes...it's quite exhaustive and yet strangely obvious to the reader itself. Yes, we get it-this "key" goes with that person, I get why the note is there, I understand the next inserted secret; just get on with it already. It goes nowhere. Just another book. 



As for the book itself, it's quite beautiful. It's hard bound with dust jacket, all black. Notice the ominous illustration on the cover if you remove the jacket:
A picture of a snake eating its own tail. Ouroboros. It's an ancient symbol of something recreating itself-making itself renewed. It represents cycliality. Rebirth. So to someone that isn't familiar, the creepy looking snake will perhaps send a shiver down your spine instead of reminding you of mythology, alchemy, or ancient symbolism. There's also a beautiful illustrated running footer, so every page has a sense of quality book design.

Worth reading? Well, as I always say-read it yourself, and you'll know the answer. 


Book Details: Prophecy of the Sisters
Author: Michelle Zink
Format: Black Illustrated Hardcover with photography flap jacket. Inside flap:book summary. Back flap: author photograph and bio. 5.3 x 8.5 inches, 1.1 lbs. Author photo by Peter Quinn,  jacket photo by Charly Franklin, jacket design by Alison Impey. Titled spine. 
Contents: front matter, back matter, illustrated running footer, acknowledgements, title page, dedication, leaves, fancy end paper. 
©2009 Hachette Book Group Inc.

-brrivera

Comments

Type in Search Query Here

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Poetry: Rhyme Scheme

Exploring Poetry Styles: The Bop

A Runaway Slave Writes A Handwritten Letter To His Wife of Freedom. I Hope She Got It.

Understanding Poetry: Naani