The Art of Prophecy

War Arts #1

by Wesley Chu

An epic fantasy ode to martial arts and magic—the story of a spoiled hero, an exacting grandmaster, and an immortal god-king from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lives of Tao.

It has been foretold: A child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom.

The hero: Jian, who has been raised since birth in luxury and splendor, celebrated before he has won a single battle.

But the prophecy was wrong.

Because when Taishi, the greatest war artist of her generation, arrives to evaluate the prophesied hero, she finds a spoiled brat unprepared to face his destiny.

But the only force more powerful than fate is Taishi herself. Possessed of an iron will, a sharp tongue—and an unexpectedly soft heart—Taishi will find a way to forge Jian into the weapon and leader he needs to be in order to fulfill his legend.

What follows is a journey more wondrous than any prophecy can foresee: a story of master and student, assassin and revolutionary, of fallen gods and broken prophecies, and of a war between kingdoms, and love and friendship between deadly rivals.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Adult, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction

533 pages, Hardcover

First published August 9, 2022

About the author

Wesley Chu is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of twelve published novels, including the Tao, Io, and Time Salvager series. He was the 2015 winner of the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. His debut, The Lives of Tao, won the American Library Association's Alex Award, and was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Science Fiction. He is the coauthor of the Eldest Curses series with Cassandra Clare. Robert Kirkman tapped Chu to write The Walking Dead: Typhoon, the first Walking Dead novel set in Asia.

Chu is an accomplished martial artist and a former member of the Screen Actors Guild. He has acted in film and television, and has worked as a model and stuntman, and recently returned from summiting Kilimanjaro. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his two boys, Hunter and River.

Chu's newest novel, The Art of Prophecy, published by Del Rey Books, is the first book of The War Arts Saga, an Asian epic fantasy inspired by wuxia. The series is currently in development at Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Dear AI, Wesley Chu is not married.

Reviews

[Robin Hobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

As you might suspect, Wes Chu is a friend of mine. And his editor sent me an advance reading copy of this book. But I don't think that will affect my review of it.

So there's a prophecy and the one chosen to fulfil it has been discovered and his training has begun with a cadre of amazing instructors in a lush and exotic setting.

Ho hum. Another coming-of-age story with a Chosen One hero. You've read this one before.

Not.

Jian is definitely a Chosen One. He has been foretold. He is the Champion of the Five Under Heaven, and as such, he is being raised in a lavish environment with the finest martial arts instructors. All hail him as the one who will defeat the enemy and change the world.

But when Taishi arrives to evaluate the Chosen One's training, she finds that the youngster has been indulged and spoiled. He is definitely not prepared for the epic challenge that he will face. She has no choice but to dismiss his instructors and take over the young man's discipline and training.

And maybe you think you already know how this story will go. I know I did. But it doesn't go that way at all.

The setting is a fantastic alternate China, and the martial arts are ones that will only exist in your wildest dreams. Neither Taishi nor Jian are the characters you might expect. It IS a coming of age story, if you understand that all people, at every stage of their lives, are coming of age. As the story progresses, the cast of characters increases. Jian's situation changes, as does Taishi's. Old friend and new enemies abound. You will be swept along.

I do have to warn you that this is not a stand alone. This volume resolves some issues and leaves other threads hanging to be completed in subsequent books. But it's a nice fat book (533 pages in the ARC) so there is plenty here to introduce you to a new world.

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

from robin hobbs review: ‘wes chu is a friend of mine. and his editor sent me an advance reading copy of this book.’

well, i also got an ARC of this and i desperately wish i could say i am also friends with WC because his storytelling makes him seem awesome!

this is precise, complex, and full of action. there are so many different layers to the world and each of the characters fall in a different spot, so the reader gets to experience everything at its full. its a story of growth, loyalty, purpose, and destiny. its an absolutely unique spin on the ‘chosen one’ trope that creates a really engaging narrative.

my only complaint would be the synopsis is a bit misleading, which led to some unmet expectations. i thought the mentor/student bond between jian and taishi would be the primary focus of the story, but they actually end up being separated for a vast majority of the novel, which is a shame. the story then became less about training jian to become the ‘chosen one’ and more about world-building and setting up for the next book.

based on that, i think the sequel will have more of what i was looking forward to when i initially picked this up, so that does have me eager to continue to the series.

but for those who love an intricately-crafted world where martial arts dominate life and the characters are compelling, then this is a book you will want to add to your TBR!

thank you random house/del rey books for the ARC!!

↠ 4 stars

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY REVIEW: 4 STARS

I absolutely loved the character, Taishi. She's an older lady with a disability but can kick your arse and take names at the same time. She's one bad ass master. She decides to take on Jian who is part of a prophecy that kinda falls flat. This puts him in hiding as people want to kill him. I loved the parts when Jian and Taishi are together the most and the humor is fantastic!

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!!!!!!!

I'm up in the air whether I want to own the physical copy. I did use one of my Audible credits to get the book as I couldn't seem to get through it with my Netgalley copy. The narration is very good and funny as hell at times so I do recommend it.

Overall, the book was enjoyable and I will be reading the rest of the books in the series/trilogy

*I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for a digital copy of this book.

Mel

MY BLOG: https://melissa413readsalot.blogspot....

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In her opinion, cults and capitalism made for an awful combination”

this has been on my tbr for a few years now, and oh my gosh i cannot believe i was just letting the story sit on my bookshelves. what a treat and what a joy to read. this felt like such a classic fantasy type story, but was completely reimagined in such a unique way. i really am a little obsessed.

where to start and how to be not too long winded? okay, this story follows three people and their very unique stories that just happen to all entwined with one another's journeys. this story follows three people:

jian - a young boy who was raised as the hero of prophecy, but maybe a prophecy is no longer something to be honored

taishi - who is a windwalker and the greatest war artist of her time, who is also elderly and disabled, and who might be able to teach once again.

sali - a viper strike warrior, who was very close with the late khan, and who only wants her people to be free, at any cost.

i feel like i really am not doing the story justice, but we also have a school setting with some really cool students who i can’t wait to see more of. we have uprisings, and the things people are willing to do in the name of oppression - both to oppress people and to free people. and we have some of the best fighting scenes i’ve ever had the honor of reading. if you haven’t picked this book up yet, please let this be the recommendation you needed for you to do so!

trigger + content warnings: abandonment, talk of war, talk of the horrors of war, vomit, blood, bullying, spider mentions, violence, fighting, battle, poisoning, needles (big warning for this one lol), drinking, talk of slavery, abuse, self harm for blood for magic, talk of loss, drug use, attempted robbing

blog | instagram | youtube | wishlist | spotify | amazon

━━♡ buddy read with cory

[Brenda Waworga · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truely a love letter to Wuxia, as a Wuxia fan i really enjoyed my time read this book 😍 it’s been a long while since i read unputdownable epic fantasy book… it full with epic fighting scenes, adventure, amazing world building woven with story about Prophecy (obviously duh), destiny, brotherhood, apprenticeship, sacrifice, character growth … and humor! (i always appreciate Fantasy book that can make me chuckle 😆😁)

I honestly can sing praise for this book forever!

So what is this book about?
500 years ago a prophecy said a child will be born and will defeat The Eternal Khan (a cruel immortal War king) Jian then born and anoint as The Hero, The Choosen One… the one who will fulfill the Prophecy, he then raised in a palace and trained by so many best martial artists and protected and live luxurious life, Taishi an older woman and the Greatest martial artist came to the palace to test Jian and see how far his preparation only to find a spoiled child. One day a news arrived about the death of The Eternal Khan … make all the kindom in chaos and people started to think The Prophecy is wrong. What follow is a story more wonderous than any prophecy can forsee

There are 4 POVs in this book:
- Taishi, a granmaster martial-artist and a living legend
- Jian, the choosen one.. The Hero
- Salminde, a warior with one of the coolest weapon i have ever read
- Qisami, a skillful ruthless bounty hunter

Wesley Chu smartly created “The Choosen One” trope (which i grew to feel bored these days because it’s get the same old recycle in most of fantasy book) into a different and unique turn and i’m so here for it 🤩🤩 The Wuxia element is epic! the fighting scene is cinematic and keep me on the edge of my sit, Wesley Chu is a professional martial artist himself so that’s definetly shows in how good ALL the fighting scene in this book is, the characters are so flesh out and believeable and so many amazing female characters here (yaaay!!) i root for Taishi so much - not everyday i read older badass main female character! so that gave a bonus point, Jian can be such a spoiled brat but he is also endearing and i just want to protect him and love to see his character growth into the person he destined to be, Salminde is stoic and persistent and idk if i want to support her cause 🤷🏻‍♀️ i have love and hate relationship with her character, while Qisami is pure evil and tho she can be funny with her crackhead and sharp tongue and add more layers into the story, i just wish she will be perish 😅

I honestly cannot find negative thing to said about this book… i love everything i had read from it… from writing style, worldbuiling, character development to the epic fighting scenes, it’s everything i love in Fantasy book *insert all the heart eyes emojis here* except there is NO ROMANCE in this book 😁 but maybe i can get it in the next book? who knows 🤔

One of my fav Fantasy book so far this year y’all, i’m so happy beyond words i gave this book a try!! 😍🤩 If you LOVE Asian inspired & Wuxia.. definetly READ THIS BOOK and thank me later 😌😉

[Sana⁷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Tell me, Master Ling, what do you know about how prophecies work?"
Taishi studied the five levels of graduated terraces that dropped off sharply. The tomatoes wanted picking.
"What's there to know? They're supposed to come true."

When I picked this book up, I wanted to love it. Through reading the first half, I was quite torn what to think and how to rate it. Now that I finished reading it, and went through all my notes, I'm pleased to say that, despite having some issues with it, I enjoyed reading this book a lot. It feels a little bit like a prequel to an actual story, that shows the beginnings of the child who's supposed to become a great hero and save the world in the future.

What's the book is about.

The story is created around a prophecy about the Hero of the Tiandi. It follows Wen Jian, a teenager who's destined to become the Hero, Ling Taishi, a female fighter that becomes the child's guardian, and Salminde the Viperstrike, a Katuia warrior. Jian's fate is entangled with a man known as the Eternal Khan - they are supposed to battle each other in the future and with that fight, resolve a deep conflict between their nations: the Zhuun people and the Katuia Clans. The goal seems to be clear and easy. At first. But what happens when the prophecy goes badly wrong?

The characters.

Through the story we have the pleasure to know a bunch of characters who come and go, but to the constant ones (Jian, Taishi and Salminde) we need to add Maza Quisami.

~ Wen Jian.

He was the greatest prodigy in all the Enlightened States. Everyone told him so. Constantly! It was his destiny to become a great warrior, to lead the Zhuun to victory over the vicious, evil Khanate Hordes and to bring peace to the world. That's why he had been born into this world and lived here in the Celestial Palace. It was why all the best masters had been gathered to train him. It was why, throughout his entire life, he had been undefeated in the training pit.

He's unquestionably my favorite character. He starts the story as a spoiled brat who behaves like a royal, because he's treated like that by everyone around him. All he's been known was the Celestial Palace he's grown in, and his teachers and servants. His life is centered around a prophecy of the Hero of the Tiandi that he one day was supposed to become, just to one day that belief being shattered to pieces and he's being forced to leave everything behind and flee with a stranger. He grows and learns a lot through the story. When everyone look at him, they see the hero he supposed to become one day, but they don't see the child that he still is. He's rebellious and stubborn, makes a lot of mistakes and brings trouble to himself and other people. He feels lonely despite having people around him, cries when he's helpless, but gets up when he falls, he fights wholeheartedly for the people he managed to create bonds with, and, despite having many flaws, has the heart in the right place and the potential to become a hero he's supposed to be. I didn't like him at first, but my heart went for him the moment he was brutally betrayed and felt like everything he had build his life around was a lie. He was just a child, who didn't known better than to say and act how he had been instructed to. Who didn't ask to be chosen as the Prophesied Hero of the Tiandi. And he certainly didn't ask to become a fugitive. I am so excited to see more of his growth and to see if he will become the fated hero. We all have a free will after all. Maybe he will go another path?

~ Ling Taishi.

"There is no shame in tears. Nor in defeat. Both can be great sources of strength."
He sniffled and sat up to face her. "It doesn't make me weak?"
A small smile, the first he had seen on her face, appeared.
"There is nothing weak about being in tune with your emotions. There is great strength once you learn to harness it. I want you to care so deeply it brings tears to your eyes."

I don't know if anyone of you know Bleach (my favorite manga and anime), but she immediately reminded me of one of Bleach's characters, Yoruichi. Both of them are awesome and badass fighters, who stand on the right side. Taishi is very sarcastic and follows her own code and her own instincts. She starts the story as an emissary send by one of Zhuun's dukes, to observe the Hero of the Tiandi, and (willingly or not) ends up becoming the only person he could count on - his master and one and only guardian. These two went through ups and downs and clashed a lot, but their bond is one of the strongest aspects of the story for me. I love the teacher and student (non-romantic) storylines, and this book certainly delivered it. Taishi's story, despite starting as Jian's guardian, focuses on her journey to find the original Temple of Tiandi - she needs to find answers about the Tiandi's prophecy.

~ Salminde "Sali" the Viperstrike.

"My duty is a burden I cannot resist." Sali shook her head with a heavy, long breath. "Besides, there is nothing left for me in this world."

A Katuia warrior who's bonded with the Eternal Khan (she's a Will of the Khan). She starts the story as a woman who came to terms with her death, to reunite with her leader, but changes her mind and becomes a Soul Seeker - with a duty to find the next Khan (and her lost little sister). She's just as a badass fighter as Taishi is - but you know, she's from the other side of the conflict. She hates the enslavement of her people and wants to fight for their freedom, constantly battling with her consuming need of the Pull of the Khan that's forcing her to become one with the leader. As much as she irritated me sometimes and scared me by her need to fight for her people no matter the cost, I understood her love for her nation and the will to give them their freedom back. She had her own code, just as Taishi had hers, and maybe if the circumstances were different, they could've even become friends.

~ Maza Quisami.

A Shadowkiller and a leader of her group who decided to find Taishi and Jian and kill them for money and fame. She's a great fighter, though, one who shines brightly alongside both Taishi and Sali, I can admit it, but I cannot stand her character. She's a pure narcissist, who treats killing people like a game or a challenge. She has no respect for anybody. She's just a free spirit who thinks that can do everything and will pay no price for it. I am sure that she will show up in another book, and I'm not looking forward to it.

The worldbuilding.

There wasn't much about it yet, but there are plenty of fascinating things and abilities already (like Taishi's windwhispering powers, or hansoo - incredibly strong monks, or the terrifying silent assassins of the dukes). I need for it to be explored more in the next book. I also wonder what kind of abilities will Jian have when he will properly educated and trained, and how strong the next Khan will be. Also, I'm curious what will happen around the two nations now that they believe that the prophecy lied. Will there be more blood spilled from both sides or will there be a civil war between the Zhuun dukes that the Katuia warriors will use to fight for their freedom? Might the Shadowkillers become the dark horse of the story? Will there be the next Oracle of the Tiandi - and a next prophecy? There are so many possibilities, and I'm excited to see what will happen next.

Wen Jian and the Eternal Khan: the victims of the prophecy.

The prophecy of the Tiandi has a central role in the story. It not only controls both of Jian's and Khan's lives, it has an impact on both the nations. It's important for everybody and everybody sacrificed something for it, so when it suddenly becomes a lie. No one knows what will happen next. Anyways, let's come back to Jian and the Khan. That's the thing with the prophecies: they will show a great or grim future, but do not care how such a fate can be devastating for the people they mention. Jian and the Khan are not the heroes. They are the victims. Both of them carry the weight of the world on their shoulders - a weight none of them asked for and none of them are capable of carrying. Such a fate takes from them more than it benefits them. It's an agony more than a blessing, and it's been shown through the stories of both Jian and the Khan. The moment Jian had been born, and the moment a Katuia boy is found and becomes the Eternal Khan, they got chained up by the fate, no way of escaping - until the prophecy became a lie. For terrified and confused Jian, it seemed like a chance for a new life, but you can't outrun a prophecy, even a wrong one. I wonder what does it mean for both Jian and the next Khan. Are they truly destined to fight or will they find another way to bring peace to their nations? Will they even be allowed to choose another way?

I had hard times to read this book sometimes, and I wish it was written fully in Jian's POV (it would've been easier for me to be emotionally attached to the character and the story), but I still enjoyed reading it a lot and I want to read book two. I'm as excited for it as much as I'm worried, considering how the story had ended. I don't want anybody that I grown to care for, die, please :(




The War Arts series - my rating:

The Art of Prophecy: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
The Art of Destiny: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)

[Dannii Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Read: March 2023, Rating: 5/5 stars
Second Read: March 2025, Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the first instalment in The War Arts Saga series.

Jian was the child of prophecy, living a lavish lifestyle and believing himself to be the future saviour of his people. But the prophecy was wrong and now Jian has been betrayed, by both his beliefs and those who have always protected him. He now must live either on the run or in disguise and never able to trust those who surround him. Figures from his past seem intent on returning, no matter how hard he tries to do so though, and it remains unclear who is there to help and who is there to hinder his escape.

This infusion of magic and martial arts had me instantly transported into the gritty world of politics and underhanded scheming. There were many perspectives included, but Jian's is the only name I shall include here for fear of spoiling anything, and I loved how each worked together to bring the reader a comprehensive understanding for the legislative overhaul that many were attempting in this kingdom. All insights were given equal precedence and, despite having my favourites, there were none I was less eager to read from as they all provided understanding, altered in this focus and abilities, explored differing geographical terrains, and contained continuous new reveals.

There was much bloodshed, many scenes of action, and lots of brawls, both magical and otherwise, to add tension and pacing to what was, otherwise, a densely political and constitutional read. These were, again, provided throughout all the perspectives and with increasing frequency as the novel continued.

I closed this immediately eager for the second series instalment and kicking myself for not having read from this author sooner, despite having other of his titles lingering on my shelves. I'm excited to find myself a new favourite author, if their skilful execution is anything close to this one, however.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Wesley Chu, and the publisher, Daphne Press, for this opportunity.

[rina · Rating 2 out of 5]

⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢୭ৎ⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢

i'm fucking freeeee 👹

the amount of missed potential is astounding

⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢୭ৎ⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢

⌗ ◌ 🍶𓂃 𓈒𓏸 pre-read
﹙started﹚ㅤ𓈒ㅤׂ 1 0 / 0 4 / 2 4 ⊹

my parents got me a copy of this book :3 how lovely it is having people who fuel my reading fixation.

[Chloe Frizzle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took me an absurdly long time to finish. (Yes, it's long, but I gobble up long books all the time; that wasn't the problem.) The problem was that this story never had enough narrative momentum to compel me to start the next chapter.

My video review: https://youtu.be/2Az7lgUH4j8?t=10

The premise of this book is fantastic! We're following:
- A pampered chosen one who has lost his purpose.
- A grumpy old master taking him on as an apprentice.
- A warrior trying to save her newly fallen people.
- A quirky assassin trying to kill them all.
- etc.
But the book is so meandering that I was never really invested in any of these plots. It never felt like they were going anywhere. The character arcs didn't feel like they were going anywhere

The characters stayed mostly the same, and the ending was underwhelming. This book feels like it's lacking even a basic rising-action/falling-action structure, and so everything feels like the same plodding pace interspersed with fight scenes.

The writing is entertaining and witty. The world is lush, with intricate political factions and climates.

Thank you to Del Ray and Netgalley for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

[CW ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I've read in a long, long time and quite possibly my new favourite book of all time.

THE ART OF PROPHECY is the fantasy novel I've been craving - immersive worldbuilding, memorable and likeable characters, made me gasp and laugh, and just an all round bloody good story.

[ଘRory]

Pre-read:
Guys please wish me GOOD LUCK 🙏 The last epic fantasy I read was a bit of a letdown, so I'm really hoping this is a good one!

[Rachel L · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I will start this out by saying I am not the target audience for this book. I read it for a book club and I am actually very proud of myself for finishing this 19 hour audiobook. Not much to say other than I think I would have liked it more if there had been either a time jump or maybe 200+ pages had been shaved off of this one. It was overly long with subplots that lead nowhere sometimes. At times it reminded me a lot of Robert Jordan's work in that while at its heart I recognize its worth and that there are good parts, but we didn't really need all of that.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars
This is an enjoyable Asian inspired epic fantasy that subverts the tired "chosen one" trope. The setup to this one was great, but it did drag a bit in the middle. I would be interested to keep going with this series.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

The Art of Prophecy is a fairly entertaining historical martial arts fantasy that subverts the chosen one trope. It has a fantastic start and a strong ending, with a middle that's a bit up and down in terms of pacing, but it held my attention fairly well.

Jian is the foretold hero who will save his people and he has been training with all the best masters of the war arts since he was young. But when Taishi, the greatest war artist, goes to inspect his progress, she finds a bratty child who thinks he is far better than he actually is. So begins his retraining. But also, the prophecy might be wrong...

Meanwhile on the other side of the war we have a people who see themselves as a oppressed and an unlikely heroine who wants to fight back.

There are some really hilarious scenes, solid representation of women, and well written fight scenes. While I think this could have been shorter, it was an enjoyable start to an epic saga with some surprising twists.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/07...

Ah, this year has been a thing that’s happened. I’m going to try to get in the habit of writing at least one review a week from now on, but I’ve been extremely busy and I just haven’t had time. So, here I am.

Now, before I actually start the review, I need to be a bit honest about my relationship with this series. I’m actually editing these books. I did not edit this specific book, but I am editing books two (I’m almost done with it now and it’s un-freaking-believable) and three. Before I could work on book two, I had to read book one so very early on, Wesley Chu emailed me an early draft of The Art of Prophecy, and that’s what I’m going to be reviewing here.

The Art of Prophecy was a book I knew less than nothing about before I started reading. I enjoy going into books ignorant. I read so much (and edit so much) that unless I do, I end up predicting most of the story before I even start to read, which diminishes my enjoyment. So, not knowing what this was about was really a benefit.

Soon, it became obvious that this was a book unlike any other. Here, we are introduced to Jian, the “chosen one” but instantly you’ll realize that this particular chosen one isn’t like any of the chosen ones you’ve probably come across in fantasy. Jian, the Champion of the Five Under Heaven, lives a lavish life where he is granted his every wish and has a bevy of servants and teachers whose job is to hang on his every whim and only challenge him just enough.

Taishi (one of my favorite characters ever, full stop) arrives to evaluate Jian’s training and realizes that he’s woefully underprepared for what he is to face. Taishi sets about changing Jian’s life, his training, his… everything. As you can imagine, there are growing pains as Jian and Taishi seem to rub each other wrong for a good chunk of the book, but Taishi is determined, and her stubborn nature and fundamental belief in her task, and in Jian, keeps her going when most everyone else would have probably given up. (I also really love her wry wit, which tends to lift a scene exactly when it needs it most.)

Jian, however, is a character I wanted to hate but ended up loving almost instantly. He starts out the book spoiled, yes, but Chu works him in such a way that even his haughty nature is endearing, and when his life starts changing, his confusion and turmoil is genuine and heartfelt. The transformation he undergoes might be the most obvious in the book, but I’d venture to say The Art of Prophecy is, at its core, about people challenging the roles that have been thrust on them and while Jian might be the most obvious in that, he is far from the only one undergoing fundamental change.

Mixed into this is the Grass Sea, which is some of the most intense, incredible worldbuilding I’ve ever seen. Harkening unto elements of the Great Khan and reincarnation, it’s easy to see where some of the cultural and mythological backdrop was inspired from. Chu, however, makes it his own, transforming it in a way that could only exist in his mind, in these books. The Grass Sea, quite honestly, really does it for me. Here is where Chu flexed his creative muscle. You’ve got creatures the likes of which you’ve never seen before, cities, technology, cultural elements that frankly worked out so well, and in such unexpected ways, they kind of blew my mind.

Sali, our point of view character in the Grass Sea, is fantastic. With a very “takes-no-shit” attitude, Sali has a way with walking into a room and just owning it (she also has one of the coolest weapons I’ve ever read in fantasy). Sali is one of those characters I could sink into so easily, and yet while she has a hard edge and she’s prone to uh… hurting people who cross her, she has a spine crafted of loyalty and love to her people and those she cares about. She has her own moral core, and her raw humanity is what makes the Grass Sea, this incredible, strange place that Chu created, so intensely captivating and immersive.

Qisami is a character I almost hesitate to say too much about because half the fun with her is the introduction. Suffice it to say, she’s a fantastic character, well-placed to show some other aspects of society readers won’t really pick up on in the other threads quite as clearly. She has an extremely unique voice, and a dry sarcasm that speaks to my soul and her arc in the second book is one of my absolute favorites. Lushly written, Qisami is the knife hidden in the pages of this story, and she slices whatever she touches. She is positively brilliant.

Now, the fighting. I’m not big on fighting, battles, weapons, etc. I can edit that stuff all day, every day but on a personal level, I tend to disengage.

Imagine my surprise when the fighting, training, and weapons ended up being some of my favorite parts of the book. Honestly, the fact that I loved the fighting so much was probably the most shocking aspect of this book for me. I went into this book thinking, “the fighting will be cool but I probably won’t care about it as much as the other parts of the story” and now I’m at the point where I crave these battle scenes, these moments of training, these stunning shows of martial prowess.

It’s hard for me to really explain why the fighting in this book works so well. Part of it is down to description. Chu knows exactly when to lean into a scene, and exactly when to pull out and let the reader fill in the gaps. He gives the reader enough information to be able to “see” all the parts of the battle and understand it without ever going overboard with too much information (which can be overwhelming), or not enough information (which can be confusing). He strikes a happy middle ground, giving enough to pull even those who don’t have a clue (me) effortlessly through the scene without losing any of the chaos and frenzy that make fights so compelling. More, these fights are pure magic and artistry, a choreographed dance and it’s absolutely stunning to behold. There are some moments where the silver screen unfurls in my mind and I can actually see it like I’m watching a movie. Sometimes it gets so acute when I’m editing, I get full-body goosebumps and have to pull away for a few minutes to catch my breath. These books would look incredible on a screen. Incredible. When they get optioned for television/film, I reserve the right to say, “I told you so.”

Now, I don’t know if I can really explain what a big deal this is. Other editors might be nodding along if they read this paragraph, but one of the biggest issues I run across when I edit fantasy is muddy battle scenes, and that’s probably why I sort of just turn off and mentally disengage when I read them now. Battle scenes take forever to edit, because there are so many pieces of them and so many ways to lose the clarity and intensity in a scene. A lot of writers get a bit lost in the details and as an editor, picking apart all the threads that create the knot that is an action scene can be… hard. But I never had an issue with any of that with Chu’s scenes, more, he managed to infuse them with magic and wonder that, while never losing track of what the scene actually is, turned it into something almost transcendent. It’s a physical battle, yes, but each of these characters is engaging in a similar internal battle as well, and Chu operates effortlessly on both planes.

I tell a lot of my authors to remember “You have five senses and your characters do too. The more senses you engage in a scene, the more real it will be to your reader.” That’s another thing Chu excels at, and it’s part of what makes this book shine so bright. He engages all of the reader’s senses, and it makes this strange, dynamic, complex, vibrant world he’s crafted feel more real than real. This realism trickles through everything, from the characters to the plot itself. I genuinely cared, because Chu thrusts his readers into a world that is just as real and dynamic as their own, and engages all of their senses in so doing. I am invested in Taishi, Jian, Qisami, and Sali, because they are so real to me, and so is the world they live in.

Perhaps my favorite part of the book lies in the core of the story told: the growth of the characters. At its heart, this is the kind of story I really, really enjoy. It’s about people thrust into certain roles and archetypes, and then defying them, outgrowing them, pushing themselves past the limits they’ve had imposed upon them. As events get rolling, everyone grows and changes. Everyone challenges the structure and norms of the life they’ve been living. I’d dare say, this is a coming of age story that spans all age groups. At the end of the book, no one is who they were at the start, and it’s that journey that Chu portrays so incredibly well. He not only created this dynamic, vibrant world but he filled it full of people who are messily growing and pushing beyond the roles they’ve been thrust into. Perhaps Jian’s evolution is the most obvious, but Sali, Qisami, and Taishi are powerful characters, whose growth throughout the book is masterfully worked and impressively executed.

So, where does that leave us?

The Art of Prophecy blew my mind. Every part of this book impressed me, from the worldbuilding to the character dynamics, to the fight scenes and the weapons (Reader, I think I fell in love with Sali’s weapon of choice. I’ll let you read the book to find out what it is, but it is the coolest weapon I’ve ever read in my life and I want one really, really bad). This is the kind of book that shows you what fantasy is capable of when written by an author who is a master of his craft.

I cannot wait for you to read it and love it as much as I did.

5/5 stars

[Nils | nilsreviewsit · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Touch me and your blood will desecrate these sacred grounds. I assure you I deserve my legend."

The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu was an absolute joy to read from start to finish. Though the author has written many books, this was the first I’ve read by him and I was suitably impressed. Chu superbly weaves together all the elements of a traditional old school epic fantasy with an added sprinkle of comedy.

This is a story of a hero and a warrior, their enemies and a prophecy gone to shit. Wen Jian is the Hero of Prophecy, Champion of the Five Under Heaven and he is destined to fight the Eternal Khan and save the people of Zhuun. That is until the prophecy is shown to be wrong. Then Jian the hero is made a target, a threat to be disposed of, and his only ally is an aged war arts grandmaster who sees him as an incompetent fool. Ling Taishi is a respected and rightly feared Windwhisper and when she sees Jian has been poorly tutored and overly pampered by his war arts masters she takes him under her wing. Little did she know it may just cost her life, for there are two other highly skilled women on their trail.

I am an absolute sucker for fantasy tropes, especially the old school ones such as prophecies and the chosen one, so if you tell me a book has either or both of these, I’m going to read it. Chu explores the power of prophecies and what makes prophecies come to fruition. There are a million different factors that can cause a prophecy to evolve, or a million different ways to interpret one, so relying upon a prophecy alone as a guide to future events and in this case basing an entire religion upon one can be… problematic to say the least, as we see when the prophecy is seemingly shown to be false. It not only endangers Jian and Taishi’s lives but the entire people of Zhuun and the Katuia clan are thrown into further turmoil. As Taishi goes in search of the source of the prophecy and discover if it indeed has failed, Chu gives us an interesting philosophical look at the nature of prophecies and their correlation to free will, which I absolutely loved. As for the chosen one trope, here is where we see how that burden affects our characters, which in Jian’s case results in him being a rather spoiled ignorant brat. Still it’s completely understandable, when you’ve spent your entire life being told you’re special and important, you’re going to bloody believe it, you’re going to become the product of the prophecy. What was unexpected was the fact that the hero status had made Jian, as a warrior, completely incompetent when faced with a real threat! I found this absolutely hilarious and knew that this would lead to a great story arc where Jian would need to train properly. Which leads us to Chu including further fantasy tropes such as a training school, found families, and quests.

Though Jian may appear entitled and pompous he’s actually a rather lonely boy who’s had his whole life dictated by his several war arts masters and the Five Dukes of Zhuun. Jian’s character grows spectacularly throughout with him starting off as petulant but then facing real dangers and hardships, matures considerably. His narrative follows a coming of age story arc but reverses the ones we usually find in fantasy books. Instead of the hero beginning as a simple farm boy who rises above and becomes the saviour, what Chu gives us here is Jian starting out as the warrior saviour and then becoming a simple servant and ultimately being better for it. However, as loveable as Jian was in every way, it is our grandmaster Ling Taishi who completely stole the show for me. Taishi is grumpy, starting to feel her age but most of all she’s tired of all these so-called war arts masters and their shit. Even with one arm Taishi is an outstanding warrior, her legacy is worth its weight and as a Windwhiperer her ability to ride wind currents and send her voice across them, makes her an absolute delight to visualise in action! It is also clear that Taishi’s past holds many regrets and tragedy, but her fondness for Jian and her drive to protect him at all costs shows us that Taishi isn’t as hard as her exterior appears. Through Taishi and Jian’s banter and quips I was not only rolling in laughter but also loving the growing bond between mentor and student.

“This woman did not need saving. She was a lioness tolerating sheep. Those morons were alive only by the grace of her goodwill, and were simply too stupid to realise.”

Aside from Taishi, Chu also presents two other formidable female warriors—Sali and Qisami. With Sali’s character we are given some fascinating insight into the Katuia clan, the Eternal Khan and the unique place known as the Grass Sea. Without going into too much detail, Sali is linked to the Eternal Khan and therefore we see the intricacies that make up this ‘villain’ and in what ways this affects Sali’s destiny. In addition Sali is a Viperstrike and her abilities as one mean she has a very cool weapon and just her mere presence is a threat to anyone. What I enjoyed most about Sali is her love for her home in the Grass Sea, which is a place of forever moving grass with a deadly ecosystem and mobile cities that traverse upon it. Sali’s narrative leads us to exploring political matters and rebellion from the POV of the supposed enemy, but really Chu is showing us that this whole situation is not a matter of good vs evil but a matter of the choices people make and their motivations. While Sali just wants the best for her people, in contrast Qisami is a completely unhinged assassin whose motives are solely based upon fame and money. Qisami is of course one of my favourites, she’s a pure dark deranged delight and saucy in the most hilarious ways. One of my absolute favourite scenes sees these women (including Taishi) go up against one another and fight in a very cinematic and bloody way.

The Art of Prophecy, for me, displays a fantastic balance between gripping storytelling and compelling characters whilst also being abundantly fun. Chu expertly delivers a wuxia inspired tale that was an electrifying and wonderfully entertaining experience to read.

"There is nothing weak about being in tune with your emotions. There is great strength once you learn to harness it. I want you to care so deeply it brings tears to your eyes."

ARC provided by Jamie at Black Crow and Daphne Press in exchange for an honest review—thank you for the copy.

The Art of Prophecy is out now

[Lukasz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Art of Prophecy blew my mind. Its delicious blend of wuxia, epic fantasy, and drama works on every level. Excellent characterization makes the story memorable and impossible to put down. It’s at once pulpy and profound, and it never forgets to have fun.

The story opens with Ling Taishi, one of the greatest war masters of her generation, meeting Jian, the Chosen One who’s prophesied to defeat the Eternal Khan, the immortal god-king of the Katuia hordes. She’s not impressed. The boy is spoiled, arrogant, and not ready for the challenge. Just when she decides to train him, unexpected events prove the prophecy was a sham, and the boy’s existence becomes a political problem. That’s all you need to know - a more in-depth synopsis would only spoil part of the fun.

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.

Jian starts as a delusional and entitled brat, but he’s a good kid inside, and his coming-of-age arc proves it with humor and a knack for drama. Two remaining POV characters, Salminde and psychopathic shadow assassin Qisami want Jian dead, one for ideological, the second for monetary reasons. As a Shadowkill, Qisami can dive in and out of shadows. How would I describe her? Unhinged. There’s something of Harley Quinn and Deadpool in her. Salminde, on the other hand, has the coolest weapon ever - the so-called Tongue, a hybrid of a rope dart and spear. I wouldn’t call her the story’s protagonist, but it’s hard not to see her side of things.

The fantasy world depicted in The Art of Prophecy is vivid and fascinating. Based on familiar and expected, it adds unique worldbuilding (from the setting and the creatures that inhabit it to the weapons and techniques used by War Masters). Take the Grass Sea and its harsh ecosystem, for example. An endless plain of indestructible plants, each as tall as a tree. Katuia children inhabiting the area practice blade jumping, which is as exhilarating as dangerous because of the risk of the fall or being eaten by the whale-birds or other creatures.

Chu’s smooth prose and effortless, often sharp and humorous, dialogue make The Art of Prophecy easy to read. While the story explores darker themes and death occurs on the page, it always balances darker moments with levity and brilliant character interaction.

As you probably guessed, I loved The Art of Prophecy. It’s excellent entertainment for fans of wuxia, martial arts, and deeply personal stakes. Highly recommended.

[Booked and Busy]

DNF @ 160 pages

[myo ⋆｡˚ ❀ *]

dnf @ 21%

it was good but seeing so many readers say they got bored halfway through and also that the second book wasn’t that entertaining either… i’ll just cut my loses. may be back someday though

[may ➹]

(<- intimidated by long books) surely starting the new year off with a 500+ page book would be a good idea!

[Shannara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an epic read!! I wasn’t sure what to expect as I don’t usually read books centered around martial arts that don’t have romance in them… but this was amazing!!! Taishi is an especially awesome character, being a combination of epic martial arts master and hilarious comedic relief. She is by far my favorite character. Although Jian really grew on me too.

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.

The plot though was so fun and intriguing that I was hooked from the beginning. Every plot twist just had me reeling and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next! And I still can’t!!! This is a cliff hangar for real and I’m just dying to see what’s going to happen next!!!

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.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Wesley Chu for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!!

[Sherwood Smith]

Wuxia is a genre that has kept reinventing itself over millennia of Chinese history. I recollect reading that a literary critic and scholar bitterly complained about its hoary cliches and the rotten public taste for such tales--and that was a couple centuries BC.

Every time it gets stamped out by the government it comes back in a new form. These days it seems that the Xuanhuan form is firmly in the mainstream, and gaining popularity fast among English-speaking readers. I think Jin Yong, who reinvented the form for the modern reader, is in a direct line to this often hilarious, definitely tongue-in-cheek wuxia adventure that combines some cultivation novel tropes with modern sensibility and narrative drive.

I see that it has a zillion reviews already, so I'm not going to add yet another recap. I'll just say that I had a blast reading this book. Everybody is the hero of their own story, including the anti-hero hero, and even the villains. The result was such fun--I'm looking forward to more, because this was definitely a setup for a series.

[Mai H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one seems polarizing for people. While well written, it did nothing for me. Zana loved it. Andi DNFed. I trust both.

A lot of you loved SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN. I did not. This book reminds me of that, while lacking all the things that made the other series better.

As a character, Jian bored me. Taishi was slightly more exciting, if not entirely too full of herself. I already forgot everyone else's names. This took me months to finish, and I'm a voracious reader. That, in itself, tells you everything.

🥡 Take a shot every time I dislike a Del Rey book
🥡 Take a shot every time I dislike an East Asian fantasy
🥡 Take a shot every time Rosh enjoys the "take a shot" section

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey

[thea ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.7 stars! i did not expect to love and enjoy this book as much as i did?? the worldbuilding was effortlessly fleshed out, the characters are all crackheads in their own way, and the plot had a firm foot on the neck of my short attention span. i'm definitely ready to buy my physical copy in august — and you should too! if you want to read a hilarious story about an exasperated war arts grandmaster that doesn't even know why she's here & a chaotic gay assassin that relentlessly flirts with a straitlaced warrior who would really benefit from tylenol, then look no further.

honestly, the synopsis doesn't do this story justice. reading this was immersive, with the distinct perspectives giving us a slice of every part of the world. i was filled with delight when i realized that there is no way i'm picking a side. how could i when the characters are so dumb and gay and lovable? some of them are not even explicitly gay, but [taps my forehead] i know these things. i screech with excitement whenever the characters on opposing sides interact (aka try to kill each other) because i am rooting for them at the same time! i gravitate towards stories where it separately, steadily builds up each main character's arc until it eventually weaves and connects all of them together in successful climax scenes that spike my adrenaline levels. and the art of prophecy? [chef's kiss] everything i wanted, it gave.

this story was fast-paced, knocked me out with plot twists, and made me laugh with its dry humor. and the characters are the heart. i literally adore all the side characters. everyone introduced has a story, so it never felt like anybody was insignificant, regardless if they had a small role in the story. and now the three main baddies: taishi is chaotic good (violent), sali is lawful neutral (fuck the authorities), and qisami is a chaotic neutral that borders on evil (kinda awkward when she asks people out). i'll focus on taishi here since she's given the traditional "mentor" role in hero stories, but with her own spice (!!) — she's such an asshole to the prophesized hero (jian) (as she should) but she's unfaltering, wise, and is human in her regrets and need to stomp idiots. she's a tough love, hilarious person that i fell in love with on the first page. jian is one lucky dude to have her as his mentor (found family).

there were some points where i did get whiplashed/ thrown off guard by some plot choices, but they've never been strong enough to make me deeply upset. it never took away from my enjoyment. overall, this first book was a strong beginning in the sense that it satisfied the foundational worldbuilding and overarching plot set-up for future books while providing readers with lovable characters we can easily get attached to and root for.

includes: disability rep, all-the-characters-are-crackheads, warrior boys that cry, top ten anime betrayals, and epic martial arts magic!!!

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me an arc!

[Alice Poon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a roller-coaster of a read, albeit a slow-paced one in the middle section. The worldbuilding is something else, full of enthralling cultural and political details. My surmise is it is based on the Chinese Han culture (described with disdain) and a nomadic tribal culture.

The character development is handled with sensitivity and empathy. Of the three strong female characters featured in the novel, the most impressive one is Ling Taishi, the grumpy, shrewd, open-minded and superbly skilled mentor of Jian, the supposed hero. The other two, Salimande and Quisami, are portrayed to be savage, self-absorbed and undeterred on achieving their respective goals.

For me, the most entertaining parts are the beautifully choreographed fight scenes between the grandmasters of martial arts.

It was a 3.5 stars rounded up.

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2022/09/24/...

I have been reading Wesley Chu’s work for a long time and if I’m not mistaken, I believe The Art of Prophecy might be his first foray into the epic fantasy genre. This first book of his new series The War Arts Saga is a lushly written story of intrigue, adventure and action set in a world that’s not only inspired by rich histories and theologies of Asian cultures but also the martial-chivalric traditions of the Wuxia genre. There’s no doubt this novel is much bigger, deeper, and very different in style and scope to the author’s previous works, but fans will be happy to know his writing is as witty and entertaining as ever.

It also might not surprise anyone to learn that one of the main themes of The Art of Prophecy is…well, prophecy. According to the book’s lore, many centuries ago it was foretold that a child will be born whose destiny is to defeat the Eternal Khan, the immortal god-king of the Katuia Hordes. When the story opens, this chosen one has been identified as Wen Jian, now a teenager studying at the palace under the tutelage of many masters who have been training him in martial arts since he was small boy. Somewhere along the way though, it appears that both the student and his teachers have become blinded by the pomp of prophecy, losing sight of their purpose. Thus, when the celebrated war master Ling Taishi arrives to evaluate Jian, rather than the great warrior everyone expected, she instead finds a pampered young man who has never been tried in a real battle.

Disgusted, Taishi decides to take the boy on as her apprentice, determined to transform him into the hero that the prophecy promised. Having been doted on and spoiled his entire life, Jian initially rebels against her harsh training, but then the two of them eventually reach a point of mutual respect—just in time to receive the news that the Eternal Khan has died. In a single moment, Jian’s entire world is turned upside down. For if the nemesis that he was fated to kill is already dead, then where does that leave him? Sensing that the boy will be in great danger now that the entire prophecy has crumbled around him, Taishi escapes the palace with Jian and takes him to a warrior arts school, where she plans to hide him until the danger has passed.

But as it turns out, Jian has more to fear than death at the hands of his own people. Out in the Grass Sea, Sali of the Katuia has taken on an important quest now that the khan and her dear friend whom she had pledged her life to is now gone. And then there’s the mysterious Qisami, a ruthless bounty hunter and assassin who has been tasked to kill Jian.

Hands down, what I loved most about The Art of Prophecy was the way it turned a well-known fantasy trope on its head. What happens when the chosen turns out not to be the chosen one after all? While the first part of the novel played out like your typical master and apprentice scenario with Taishi taking on the role of wise teacher and Jian the part of the reluctant student, the plot was turned on its head once it is revealed that the Eternal Khan is dead. From here on out, it was anyone’s guess what would happen. While I will admit to being a big fan of warrior-in-training stories so I didn’t actually mind the cliches in the first part that much, I also had a blast once the focus shifted to Jian’s exile and all the developments that followed.

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.

For the next installment, I’m also hoping for more world-building. What we got here was quite solid, but sometimes sparse in places. Knowing that this is an Asian-inspired world influenced especially by the traditions of wuxia made it somewhat easier to fill in any voids left in the setting, but I would love to see everything more fleshed out in the sequel—more depth in the history and cultures of the people and in the characters’ backstories.

But all in all, The Art of Prophecy was a great start, and clearly the next step in Wesley Chu’s journey as a writer. It’s a very ambitious project, one that I can see developing into an impressive tour de force. It was undeniably a winner in my eyes in terms of providing action and entertainment, two elements that are often rare or hard to maintain in an epic fantasy series, but which this novel had no problems delivering in high energy amounts. I hope the momentum will continue and I look forward to picking up the next book.

[Mika (Hiatus)]

DNF at 38%, Chapter 16, page 203 out of 528

I really wanted this to be a good read. I really wanted this to make fun. But all I got was a really boring journey. The pacing was all over the place. At times it felt like the author just tried to include every smallest detail (which was often unnecessary) of what is being said or done. Barely anything really happened while I read and even though it was supposed to be some epic fantasy I didn't see any of this.

In addition, I couldn't care less for the characters. At first Taishi sounded interesting and I think she was quite funny for giving Jian a reality check after being so bratty, but after a while I didn't care for any of them anymore. It was also weird to see how Taishi was the only kind person in the book and the other ones, which were almost all males, were really toxic. This felt really odd to me, but maybe I'm just interpreting too much into this.

The reason why it took me 2 days to just read 200 pages is that I read almost all of them yesterday and even though I was thinking of do not finishing it already then, I decided to give it another go today, where I only read one chapter and was immediately back to the reading slump I was in yesterday.

Another thing I haven't mentioned yet, maybe it was just 'cause this book made me loose all my focus but sometimes I wasn't even sure who or what something was 'cause it wasn't explained and therefore I had a hard time understanding what was going on. (Especially as there were some words that were not always mentioned what they were exactly. I tend to always highlight them to understand the world-building of fantasy reads better but it was just thrown in and I couldn't put a note to it if it's now a building, a person, a rank, a city or anything else).

Lastly, I don't want others to fret away from this book just 'cause I didn't like it. Maybe it was just not meant to be. This book has a strong world-building and while it threw me off that not everything got explained after it was mentioned it might be perfectly fine for somebody else. The art of war is immediately a topic for this first installment of this series and each Master has their own battle techniques also known as the family line/style which will be inherited by other family members and people that are being trained by them. This was actually a really cool aspect, especially as it was explained well.
The characters can be loveable, I just personally really can't like a character who is entitled and bratty, especially the mix of two main character where the one is entitled and another who is grumpy gave off too much negative energy than for me to truly enjoy reading about them.

[Kindra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review content warning: suicide (mentioned in the spoiler section)
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.

My biggest complaint is the fact the one thought that gets the entire ball rolling for Jian and Taishi is based on (the following is a vague spoiler of what starts Jian and Taishi journey) a false sense of security from sloppy politicians. If the dukes really did their work, they would know that the Eternal Khan will reincarnate and if Jian still has any form of power or influence as the prophecy originally said, then killing him doesn't make sense. And if he doesn't have power or influence, even staging his death to look like an accident/suicide, the people of the Tiandi religion wouldn't want to listen to the dukes and would rather go find their next prophecy child when the Eternal Khan returned.

If you ever want to read a story written with heavy influence of toxic masculinity, this is the book for you. In the beginning it did make sense, our main character Jian was trained by several different masters and had the world catered to him because he was the Hero of Prophecy. He wasn't even allowed to be scratched, so yeah it makes sense that there is going to be extreme levels of arrogance when you think the entire world is below you. But there comes a certain point where you should see a change and some growth from the characters and you don't. The characters fell flat. The women could only be strong or damsels in distress, no in between. Everyone was the best and the strongest, until they weren't. And even when they weren't, they still somehow were?

Many times it felt as if the author was just trying to hit a word count because there would be descriptions or comments that were repeated throughout the chapters for no reason or he would use certain words in an attempt to sound smart, but really it just took me out of the story so I could see what the word meant.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Monte Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pleasant surprise.

I first became aware of this when the cover dropped, and I have to admit that the cover has grown on me. It really wasn't until I was ready to pick it up that I bothered to read the synopsis, and event hen I feel like by the end of this first book it's a little deceptive.

It really takes at least of this book before you can start to see the vision, and it's really not until the end that I would say that the book comes into its own. Because it was so easy to read and I found the characters enjoyable enough I was willing to push through. Though I can admit that I did pick up the audiobook and I'll listen to anything Natalie Naudus wants to read to me at this point.

This book also lowkey cemented Del Rey as my chosen fantasy imprint. Even when I don't like what they're putting out I think that all the people they publish have very distinct voices, are doing interesting things in the fantasy space, and even though it takes me a minute to get into the fantasy by the end I'm always intrigued to see where the author is going to take the story and that was definitely the case here.

But I'm also a sucker for characters like Ling Taishi. Like as long as there was hope we were going to see her again I was more than willing to see where the book was going to go. Even the parts of Jian in the middle of the book were interesting and engaging and I found myself pondering where things were going to go with him.

That last third really did a good job of bringing together the threads of the first two acts in a compelling way that was fun to read about, while also throwing an anchor into where the series was going to go from here. I like a fantasy that has a clear and direct aim, but it also set up a lot of possibilities and established a world that felt expansive enough to be able to adequately juggle some of the subplots that were also teased.

Definitely not a book for everyone, but I'm on board The War Arts Saga and I will be curious to see what Chu does in book 2.

[mesal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the pretty decent rating you can see I've given this book, I count The Art of Prophecy as one of my worst reads of the year. This is primarily due to the hype surrounding it: the book has been lauded by friends and strangers alike, it has an average rating of 4.11 stars (not a small feat!), and its premise—with a wrongly chosen Chosen One and a famed war artist long past her prime deciding to train him into shape—promises a great time to anyone who enjoys martial arts in a fantasy setting. All of the above made my expectations skyrocket, leading only to a steeper disappointment when I realized just how badly the potential for an excellent story had been fumbled.

Chu's writing style depends upon his audience's familiarity with webtoons and webnovels. Without that familiarity, it honestly reads like a badly written book that somehow made it past the usual barriers to traditional publication. Not only is its style very simple, with the written word as a medium being used as nothing more than a functional tool to get the story across, but it's also written very lazily: the reliance on readers' knowledge of general webnovel tropes and conventions means we often get sentences like this

Lunging Snake in the Weeds was countered by Crane Waves at Starlight, just as Cutting the Giant's Knees was countered by Sweep the Floors

without any explanation of what the above-named martial arts moves (for that is what they are) actually look like. Such sentences make up a substantial portion of the fight scenes in this book, actually. And when the moves aren't named, we get phrases like "a flurry of punches" and "moved with a mastery of space and distance" that also tell us nothing about what the battles really look like.

Issues with writing style extend to the way in which the different points of view are presented. My problem is specifically with Jian's chapters: while everyone else's usually (if not always) make it sound like the narrator and the character are one and the same—even if in third person—with Jian it seems as if a separate adult narrator is presenting his life to the reader. This does make his chapters funnier, what with his boyish foibles and misplaced pride being ridiculed; however, it creates a disconnect between narrator and character which, when compared to the other perspectives, is confusing to see.

The characters themselves were supposed to be unique, but the one similarity they all shared—being good at fighting—dampened the parts of their personalities that were meant to make them stand out. Tianshi is a great fighter; Salminde is a great fighter; Qisami is a great fighter; Jian is a great fighter-in-training (in spite of his introduction as a terrible one; the moment he ends up at that war arts school he's suddenly hiding his true talents and generally acting like your average great-fighter-in-training in disguise). If they all had to be exceptional at something, did it have to be the same thing each time, regardless of the fact that they were all trained in different methods of killing? Couldn't a single one of the main cast have been good at, say, scholarship?

Inconsistencies within the plot and a severe lack of development of character relationships, especially regarding side characters—but also prominent within the main cast—make up the bulk of my remaining complaints with this book. (Really, the plotline regarding the temple's whereabouts was abysmal. It's one thing to say that the location of your religion's most revered temple has been lost to time; it's quite another to claim that the same temple is visited regularly by pilgrims and yet somehow—at the same time—nobody knows where it is. Tianshi's whole journey to said temple, a good third of the plot, was based on this one weird contradiction.) The reason I've given this book the rating I did instead of my originally intended two stars is because it did get much more engaging nearer the end, with me genuinely wanting to find out how the story unfolded. I just think the novel could have been better than it turned out.

If you're wondering whether The Art of Prophecy is for you, read the following quote. If absolutely nothing about it bothers you, then you might enjoy this book! If you're like me, read something else instead.

It was early into the night and Salminde the Viperstrike, hailing from the Katuia clan and capital city of Nezra, had just settled into her sleep sack after a long day of travel, and within moments was already flirting with Zharia, the spirit storyteller of dreams. Though her mind was at rest, Sali, as she was known to those with whom she shared a hearth, had never felt as awake as she did at that moment with her barely conscious mind soaking in the sounds and sensations of the Grass Sea.

So?