Oracle: A Fast-Paced YA Supernatural Thriller

by Stephen Brown

396 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 21, 2026

Reviews

[Vijay Kerji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-Paced Supernatural Thriller

Oracle by Author Stephen Brown is a fast-paced supernatural suspense thriller with a unique theme and some interesting characters.

The crux of the story revolves around a camera and the photographs it captures, which foreshadow what danger might occur in the next few minutes. This theme of the story is told by the Author fascinatingly.

The main characters, Alex and Sam, are the ones who discover that the pictures taken by the mysterious camera anticipates the possible danger, and they set out to rescue the people who might face the danger. In the beginning, they rescue one of Alex's close friend, Chloe, who happen to be part of an accident, and Alex successfully saves her.

Of course, his act draws the attention of her Detective father, Harris, and this subplot becomes an interesting part of the story.
The story has many twists and turns, and the climax scene of Starburst, where one of the main characters, Sam, is trapped in a pier and rescued by all the other characters, becomes edge-of-the-seat drama in the story.

I enjoyed the interesting story characters--Alex, Sam, Jamie, Chloe, Harris, etc.- who are well developed and relatable. The story moves at a fast pace, and the writing style is lucid and easy to understand. In my opinion, the plot moves at a steady pace with all the events properly contributing to the overall story arc.

I recommend this story for readers of the supernatural suspense thriller genre who like to enjoy and immerse themselves in a unique story world over a weekend.

[Eric Tanafon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very impressive--tight prose with nice imagery, snappy dialogue, excellent editing. The story grabs you and doesn't let you go--I finished this more quickly than I'd planned, kept going back for more when I was supposed to be doing something else. I had actually forgotten, while reading, that the story is described as 'supernatural'--as another reviewer mentioned, much of it has a science-fictiony 'how scared would you be if *your* government got hold of this technology?' feel to it. So the self-designation adds an intriguing dimension--are there ghosts in the machine?

The angst and uncertainty surrounding glimpses of the future, and decisions on how to react to them, are handled superbly here. It reminds me of King Croesus' famous misadventure with the Oracle of Delphi--and *he* had an actual verbal prediction. What if it were just a fragmentary photograph of a battlefield?

The only mild criticism I would offer is that the headlong narrative doesn't allow much time for characterization. Sometimes the characters and their dialogue seem a bit interchangeable--Sam and Daz particularly. Alex's mom and Arthur, the curio and junk shop owner, felt the most unique and recognizable for me.

But overall, again, a great read, very impressive debut and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.

[Aubrey Cleeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found that Oracle by Stephen Brown to be a rewarding and interesting read which follows Alex as he inherits a camera with special powers to predict accidents when he is clearing out his dad's lock up. This was a strong premise and the dynamics between Alex and Sam felt natural and leant well into developing the story.

Alex and Sam, on realising the power that was in their hands, acted with nobility and I liked this trait in them. The don't seek fame or fortune, but immediately think about how they can help others. I also enjoyed how they tried to seek out and understand the camera by speaking with Arthur and then confiding in Chloe, espeically after the incident with the bus and then later in the sports hall. The complexities in the story and also they relationships soon developed with the story taking a more sinister tone in the second half. As they delve deeper into the camera's origins and powers, they stumbled on things they hadn't expected and it led the story towards a very interesting position. There are some things which are open to interpretation towards the end. Whilst I have my theories on them, this book is better read without even a hint of its secrets.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Every time you look before it clears, you invent the rest.”

Oracle was a surprisingly fun YA supernatural thriller. The idea of a camera showing future disasters had me curious, and I liked watching Alex and Sam slowly figure out its rules. Their friendship was prob my fav part bc their back-n-forth felt natural and made me lol a few times. I also liked how things got more complicated once Detective Harris started noticing the pattern around Alex.

Despite being almost 400 pages, it honestly doesn’t read that long at all. There are a LOT of one-liners, short paragraphs, and short chapters, so with different formatting I suspect it’d be closer to 320-350 pages if not less. Either way, it’s a quick read. The mystery kept me interested, and I liked that knowing the future wasn’t treated like some awesome superpower. It comes with consequences, and the story gets darker as Alex realizes that. Overall, a solid, fast-paced YA read with a really cool concept.

[Kate Frantz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable, interesting read. While it felt science fiction, I had to remind myself this was a *supernatural* thriller, which completely altered my theories about what was going on with the cameras/devices!

SPOILERS

The set-up was great and left me needing answers. Who is on the other side of camera 7? Is it Alex's dad? Is it Alex from the future? Supernatural..so, are we dealing with ghosts? Souls? Are the cameras possessed?

Looking forward to the next one!

Star Rating System:
Plot-4
Setting-3
Writing Style-3
Conflict/Resolution-3
Characters-3
Character Development-2

[Patrick Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oracle is a book with a superb story. Taking a simple item and using it in a way I've not read about before was nothing short of very imaginative. The writing is detailed enough to give the reader a back seat to the narritive as if they were there watching from the shadows. Could this be come a movie?
I was hooked from the first page and the story kept me involved to the last word. Future, past and present is brought together and uncovered by the main Character Alex and his team of fellow friends and family.
The ending is left open but also stand-alone. I would recommend this book to anyone and look forward to reading more from this Author.

[Gill D. Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Brown’s Oracle is a thought-provoking and engaging novel that combines mystery, suspense, and insightful character development. Brown creates a compelling narrative that keeps readers interested from beginning to end, gradually revealing secrets that add depth to the story. The characters are believable and complex, making their struggles and decisions feel genuine. The writing is clear and accessible, while the plot moves at a steady pace with enough twists to maintain tension. Oracle explores themes of knowledge, power, and human nature, encouraging reflection long after the final page. Overall, it is an entertaining and rewarding read.

[Matthew Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this has most of what you expect for YA. Each of the MANY chapters proved quite short, or at least felt that way. So pacing was never an issue. And the plot was pretty good (let’s keep this spoiler free) as far as the genre goes. So I will focus on the characters. Alex does a fine job as our hero. Just the right mix of awesome and youthful… let’s call it foolishness. Characters don’t have to be perfect. They need to be interesting, and this novel has that in spades. I’ll give this one a solid 4 out of 5 for being fun.

[Dudu Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly fun quick read

​Honestly, I grabbed this on a whim expecting a predictable YA story, but I ended up blowing through it in two nights. The whole magic camera setup is super cool, and I loved that Alex isn't some flawless superhero right out of the gate. The detective getting suspicious because he keeps showing up at disasters was such a funny, realistic touch. The story moves fast and keeps you hooked. My only tiny nitpick is that a few of Alex’s friends felt a bit underdeveloped, so I didn't care about them as much as I wanted to. Still, a really solid, creepy thriller that's well worth picking up.