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Child of Prophecy #2
Child of the Forest
Even as bait, Neoma thought she would have a little more time to have fun with her best friends on Tour before things got serious. But Tobias’ words still ring in her ears.
A chilling prophecy about tangled destinies. One that Tobias refused to expand on. Only a hint that a relationship with Luca will mean she never comes home.
Almost as soon as the journey begins Neoma is given yet another dire prophecy from the Mountain hold close the stars in your soul or the Mad God will win this fight and chaos will reign.
Neoma has a decision to make but the clock is ticking. Aurinkun warships have been spotted off the coast of Manena.
War is no longer a distant possibility. Only an inevitability.
A chilling prophecy about tangled destinies. One that Tobias refused to expand on. Only a hint that a relationship with Luca will mean she never comes home.
Almost as soon as the journey begins Neoma is given yet another dire prophecy from the Mountain hold close the stars in your soul or the Mad God will win this fight and chaos will reign.
Neoma has a decision to make but the clock is ticking. Aurinkun warships have been spotted off the coast of Manena.
War is no longer a distant possibility. Only an inevitability.
361 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2023
1 person is currently reading
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 27, 2023
I enjoyed Child of the Forest. Neoma's adventures continue right where book one left off. With her close-knit group of friends, she travels to different places, trying to draw out the criminals who kidnap kids.
I think this book was more intense than the first one. There is still a lot of angst and tension between Neoma and Luka, but now it's tainted by the prophesy that she won't come home if they get together. The responsibility weighs even heavier on her shoulders as war looms on the horizon, and she is supposed to be the one to stop it. On top of that, she's being hunted by a dangerous group, gets sexually harassed as the only female Brother, and then physically assaulted to the point of serious injury.
Despite all the dark themes, the book was still pretty easy to read. It was quite gripping, just like the first one, and I was curious what would happen next. We get to know Vivia, Hemi and Luka better through their adventures and get some sweet and wholesome moments both between Neoma and Luka, and among the whole group of friends. Also, we get to see more of the world and learn some more of its lore, which was captivating.
and are into YA fantasy adventures with angst, wholesome friendships, a bit of violence and some dark themes that doesn't get too gloomy.
This review was first published on my website about sci-fi and fantasy by women, trans and enby authors.
I think this book was more intense than the first one. There is still a lot of angst and tension between Neoma and Luka, but now it's tainted by the prophesy that she won't come home if they get together. The responsibility weighs even heavier on her shoulders as war looms on the horizon, and she is supposed to be the one to stop it. On top of that, she's being hunted by a dangerous group, gets sexually harassed as the only female Brother, and then physically assaulted to the point of serious injury.
Despite all the dark themes, the book was still pretty easy to read. It was quite gripping, just like the first one, and I was curious what would happen next. We get to know Vivia, Hemi and Luka better through their adventures and get some sweet and wholesome moments both between Neoma and Luka, and among the whole group of friends. Also, we get to see more of the world and learn some more of its lore, which was captivating.
and are into YA fantasy adventures with angst, wholesome friendships, a bit of violence and some dark themes that doesn't get too gloomy.
This review was first published on my website about sci-fi and fantasy by women, trans and enby authors.
March 27, 2024
First off, the cover is gorgeous and looks so lovely next to Book One! I’m thrilled to think of what Book 3 will look like!
The drama is definitely increased in this one which I love to see with sequels or in continuing series. It builds on what book one had and then takes a leap forward on everything—character, tension, world building, all of it!
I feel for Neoma through this whole book. I want to jump in and defend her! I want to shake the morons that make her life so difficult until they can’t see straight. Why can’t she just live her life and be happy?!
Well, I guess we wouldn’t have such a riveting story but still…
I love all the relationships in here and I adore that there’s more than one. There’s romantic, paternal, platonic! That makes me so happy to see! The latter two especially tend to get overlooked and I’m so happy the author chose to delve into them! It makes the characters feel so much more well rounded and developed.
Seeing their depravity this world will sink to makes me both scared and excited for Child of the Sun. This “mad sun-God” is all kinds of terrifying but I think the people after Neoma might be even worse.
When do I get to find out?
The drama is definitely increased in this one which I love to see with sequels or in continuing series. It builds on what book one had and then takes a leap forward on everything—character, tension, world building, all of it!
I feel for Neoma through this whole book. I want to jump in and defend her! I want to shake the morons that make her life so difficult until they can’t see straight. Why can’t she just live her life and be happy?!
Well, I guess we wouldn’t have such a riveting story but still…
I love all the relationships in here and I adore that there’s more than one. There’s romantic, paternal, platonic! That makes me so happy to see! The latter two especially tend to get overlooked and I’m so happy the author chose to delve into them! It makes the characters feel so much more well rounded and developed.
Seeing their depravity this world will sink to makes me both scared and excited for Child of the Sun. This “mad sun-God” is all kinds of terrifying but I think the people after Neoma might be even worse.
When do I get to find out?
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October 20, 2023I enjoyed seeing more of Sigar and Neoma's relationship with the forest, as well as her friends, in this one.
Full review here: https://enthralledbylove.com/2023/10/...
Full review here: https://enthralledbylove.com/2023/10/...
December 3, 2024
Reviewing the series so far instead of this one alone
Okay, where to start with this. The first book was a re read, and the second a new read. I must say that I absolutely loved this series. The language, the world building, the characters, the adventure, it's all depicted so well.
The story revolves around Neoma, who has been dubbed the Child of Prophecy at birth by the Order of the Moon. Due to her status as the chosen one, she is forced to attend magic school despite not having a lick of magic. She has to face bullying at school, and a drunk father who doesn't care for her at home who goes missing one day. Her travails are made eady by her neighbour Tobias who takes care of her, and his son, Luca as well as her best friend Vivia.
On the day of the anointment ceremony, Neoma is revealed to be a Brother, the warrior order which usually consists of men, instead of a Sister, the magic users who are generally women. Though initially reluctant to accept her since she had never been trained as a Brother, Captain Adeon accepts her reluctantly.
But Neoma's sufferings are far from over. Her role as the Child of Prophecy means that she's supposed to lead armies and defeat the forces of the mad Sun God, Aurinko whose armies are sweeping across the world. To add to her woes, there is a shadowy organisation that's after her, believing that a woman Brother is unnatural. The group has been abducting boys who show signs of magic and has their representatives hidden among the Order and among the Brothers.
To save Neoma and to draw out the organisation, Neoma is sent on tour with Luca, Vivia and Hemi. As both bait and victim, Neoma feels her time running out. Add to it the mysterious prophecies that follow her, her feelings for Luca, and the many people who seem determined to treat her with extreme prejudice, her life is only beginning to get complicated.
Did I say I loved this series? I did, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book to come out. Neoma is a memorable character and her relationship with the various others who make up the cast are depicted very well. Her romance with Luca, her friendship with Vivia and Hemi, and the way she considers Tobias as a father figure are all extremely sweet. But the shadow of the prophecy, the mad Sun God and the mysterious organisation that's after her all cast a pall on everything she does.
The language reminded me of the old masters, and the world building is simply awesome.
Okay, where to start with this. The first book was a re read, and the second a new read. I must say that I absolutely loved this series. The language, the world building, the characters, the adventure, it's all depicted so well.
The story revolves around Neoma, who has been dubbed the Child of Prophecy at birth by the Order of the Moon. Due to her status as the chosen one, she is forced to attend magic school despite not having a lick of magic. She has to face bullying at school, and a drunk father who doesn't care for her at home who goes missing one day. Her travails are made eady by her neighbour Tobias who takes care of her, and his son, Luca as well as her best friend Vivia.
On the day of the anointment ceremony, Neoma is revealed to be a Brother, the warrior order which usually consists of men, instead of a Sister, the magic users who are generally women. Though initially reluctant to accept her since she had never been trained as a Brother, Captain Adeon accepts her reluctantly.
But Neoma's sufferings are far from over. Her role as the Child of Prophecy means that she's supposed to lead armies and defeat the forces of the mad Sun God, Aurinko whose armies are sweeping across the world. To add to her woes, there is a shadowy organisation that's after her, believing that a woman Brother is unnatural. The group has been abducting boys who show signs of magic and has their representatives hidden among the Order and among the Brothers.
To save Neoma and to draw out the organisation, Neoma is sent on tour with Luca, Vivia and Hemi. As both bait and victim, Neoma feels her time running out. Add to it the mysterious prophecies that follow her, her feelings for Luca, and the many people who seem determined to treat her with extreme prejudice, her life is only beginning to get complicated.
Did I say I loved this series? I did, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book to come out. Neoma is a memorable character and her relationship with the various others who make up the cast are depicted very well. Her romance with Luca, her friendship with Vivia and Hemi, and the way she considers Tobias as a father figure are all extremely sweet. But the shadow of the prophecy, the mad Sun God and the mysterious organisation that's after her all cast a pall on everything she does.
The language reminded me of the old masters, and the world building is simply awesome.
April 23, 2025
I really liked this book! In some ways, more than the first one. On other ways, a little less.
I highly recommend reading the synopsis of the first one at the start, because we get thrown in right when the first book ends. It's almost like it was written at the same time and just cut in the middle. A little awkward, since it was some time since I read the first one. But no big issue, at least not for me.
Neoma - the supposed Child of Prophecy - gets sent as bait to lure out the shadowy organisation that attacked her in the previous book. She's going on Tour and Pilgrimage (something most Brothers and Sisters do) together with Luca, Hemi and Vivia. I love these people. The banter between them is amazing and made me crack a smile and laugh out loud more than once. I love good and funny banter between characters and this hit the spot for me.
I love the interactions between them. Neoma and Vivia has a friendship I wish I'd experienced in life. It's such a sweet friendship, they always have each others backs and are always there for each other in a way that's (sadly) rare to see in YA novels. At least in my experience.
Luca and Neoma are adorable together, tip-toeing around their feelings, pining for each other and being super obvious and super awkward. But oh so sweet.
Hemi is just all around best boy. I love Hemi. He and Vivia has a bet going on in the background, and it's cute. He's being everyone's best friend and you can hardly believe he's only known Neoma and Vivia for a few months.
The reason I didn't give 5 stars is because a lot is happening, but it doesn't really have to do with the plot of the missing children. We don't get to see other warrior girls or mage boys. There is, however, a lot of character growth, and I like that. All of them - but mostly Neoma - go through a lot of stuff and it affects them in many ways. Since we read from Neoma's perspective exclusively, hers is the growth we see most.
All in all, a wonderful read.
I highly recommend reading the synopsis of the first one at the start, because we get thrown in right when the first book ends. It's almost like it was written at the same time and just cut in the middle. A little awkward, since it was some time since I read the first one. But no big issue, at least not for me.
Neoma - the supposed Child of Prophecy - gets sent as bait to lure out the shadowy organisation that attacked her in the previous book. She's going on Tour and Pilgrimage (something most Brothers and Sisters do) together with Luca, Hemi and Vivia. I love these people. The banter between them is amazing and made me crack a smile and laugh out loud more than once. I love good and funny banter between characters and this hit the spot for me.
I love the interactions between them. Neoma and Vivia has a friendship I wish I'd experienced in life. It's such a sweet friendship, they always have each others backs and are always there for each other in a way that's (sadly) rare to see in YA novels. At least in my experience.
Luca and Neoma are adorable together, tip-toeing around their feelings, pining for each other and being super obvious and super awkward. But oh so sweet.
Hemi is just all around best boy. I love Hemi. He and Vivia has a bet going on in the background, and it's cute. He's being everyone's best friend and you can hardly believe he's only known Neoma and Vivia for a few months.
The reason I didn't give 5 stars is because a lot is happening, but it doesn't really have to do with the plot of the missing children. We don't get to see other warrior girls or mage boys. There is, however, a lot of character growth, and I like that. All of them - but mostly Neoma - go through a lot of stuff and it affects them in many ways. Since we read from Neoma's perspective exclusively, hers is the growth we see most.
All in all, a wonderful read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews