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The Lightless Prophecy #1
Darkhaven
What would you sacrifice for magic?
Gabby is in her final year of high school and facing the Question: what does she want to do with her life? A shame ‘wizarding’ isn’t on the list of university courses.
Just as Gabby despairs that she’ll never find the answer, lightning strikes. She uncovers a conspiracy, meets a mysterious boy, and finds out that maybe, magic might just be real. But it comes at a cost, and now Gabby's faced with a decision that makes choosing a university as easy as choosing a favourite kind of cake… How is anyone meant to do that?
A coming-of-age, contemporary fantasy, Darkhaven is the first book in the Lightless Prophecy, a galaxy-spanning adventure of magic and gods, love and betrayal, and a quest to find out what holds the stars together in the dark.
Gabby is in her final year of high school and facing the Question: what does she want to do with her life? A shame ‘wizarding’ isn’t on the list of university courses.
Just as Gabby despairs that she’ll never find the answer, lightning strikes. She uncovers a conspiracy, meets a mysterious boy, and finds out that maybe, magic might just be real. But it comes at a cost, and now Gabby's faced with a decision that makes choosing a university as easy as choosing a favourite kind of cake… How is anyone meant to do that?
A coming-of-age, contemporary fantasy, Darkhaven is the first book in the Lightless Prophecy, a galaxy-spanning adventure of magic and gods, love and betrayal, and a quest to find out what holds the stars together in the dark.
371 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 4, 2021
About the author
Kel E. Fox
17 books17 followersKel E Fox is a fantasy author based in Perth, Australia, who loves reading, writing, ballroom dancing and gaming. Kel and their partner live with a cheeky Alaskan Malamute and a pair of diabolical orange cats.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 11, 2021
Darkhaven is the definition of quality indie fiction. A fast-paced, urban fantasy with the promise of more action to come in future instalments, Darkhaven is a well-polished novel with a gripping story.
December 1, 2021
A brilliant, fast-paced debut novel from Kel E Fox. Darkhaven is a YA, Australian Urban fantasy with a very relatable protagonist facing very relatable issues-except the super powers of course! I found Gabby indecision, sense of humour and even her snacking habits to resonate with me as an older reader, which was a lovely surprise.
My only criticism would be that as a person not schooled in Australia I found the University admission stuff a little confusing-but that is what google is for! However this did not affect my enjoyment or sway opinion at all and in the process I got to learn something new.
I would love to see where the Lightless Prophecy leads us to next, and look forward to the next instalment. Besides how am I going to learn more about the yellow eyed supernatural love interest or about Gabby’s powers?
My only criticism would be that as a person not schooled in Australia I found the University admission stuff a little confusing-but that is what google is for! However this did not affect my enjoyment or sway opinion at all and in the process I got to learn something new.
I would love to see where the Lightless Prophecy leads us to next, and look forward to the next instalment. Besides how am I going to learn more about the yellow eyed supernatural love interest or about Gabby’s powers?
October 12, 2021
A great read!
The book kept me guessing the whole way through and I can't wait to see what happens to main character, Gabby, next.
Gabby was a very relateable character and there was plenty of action the whole way through. The ending kept you wanting more. The author has weaved an interesting plot with lots of twists and turns. I'm so glad theres a new book coming soon!
The book kept me guessing the whole way through and I can't wait to see what happens to main character, Gabby, next.
Gabby was a very relateable character and there was plenty of action the whole way through. The ending kept you wanting more. The author has weaved an interesting plot with lots of twists and turns. I'm so glad theres a new book coming soon!
October 16, 2021
Darkhaven is a YA fantasy that is at once down to earth whilst off exploring the stars.
Gabby is an engaging protagonist whose head it is a delight to be in. A typical, indecisive teenager who gets struck by lightning and gets superpowers? You bet she's got a sense of humour about life!
How about adding a roguish, supernatural love interest? Say no more!
Darkhaven is engaging from start to finish, and will leave you wanting to visit with these characters again and again.
A brilliant debut novel from Kel E Fox.
Gabby is an engaging protagonist whose head it is a delight to be in. A typical, indecisive teenager who gets struck by lightning and gets superpowers? You bet she's got a sense of humour about life!
How about adding a roguish, supernatural love interest? Say no more!
Darkhaven is engaging from start to finish, and will leave you wanting to visit with these characters again and again.
A brilliant debut novel from Kel E Fox.
April 1, 2023
Darkhaven is superb, jam-packed with action and relatable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed following Gabby's journey and really related to her because she kind of reminded me of myself back in high school, struggling with decisions and devouring chocolate. Looking forward to reading the rest of the Lightless Prophecy!
February 26, 2023
Love the story, a felt for the characters and plot was brilliant
May 6, 2026
Picked this one up in the April 2026 Narratess sale.
It's been a long time since I related so hard to a main character.
The Aussieness comes off strong in this book and I loved it from the jump - it was SUCH a wild feeling to relive my Year 12 woes via our main character, Gabby. Worrying about ATAR, tossing up between TAFE and uni, Darkhaven is unapologetically for the Aussie readers and I low-key love that. I genuinely felt like I was reading an account of my 2009. It was pretty unique to have such an accurate reflection of Aussie schooling after reading a bunch of US uni experiences - not a bad thing, it's just nice to do the Leonardo pointing-at-TV meme from time to time.
My stand out enjoyment of Darkhaven was Gabby's tumultuous relationship with her two best friends who are very different from one another. All three of them were deeply flawed people, which honestly... valid. They're teenagers. They're working out where they fit in with the world and with each other. Their changing relationships and individual struggles were pretty interesting to read, and I had to give props to Gabby for growing a spine and telling her friends to 'fuck off' from time to time. One of my reading icks is doormat characters and, while Gabby started off a bit that way, she grew into herself over the course of the book and had no issues metaphorically flipping other characters the bird. Respect.
I really enjoyed the romance as well, which is unusual for me. I was reading on a plane so maybe the extra altitude helped? But Gabby and her love interest had a healthy dose of bants which really amped up my shipping of them.
My one gripe is that a few of the characters' behaviour throughout the book was a touch untethered from realism. Zenna just nod-nodded through Gabby's 'I'm a superhuman' speech and was mainly upset she couldn't be involved. Fr if one of my high school friends confessed they had superpowers and were dead serious, I'd be phoning their parents for fear of a mental break (especially around exam time, I didn't even care that much about exams during my Yr 12 and I still felt the insane pressure). Gabby also accepts
Overall, it speaks volumes that I read 70% of this book on a plane, and when I got home, I sat on my couch with my Kindle and finished it instead of unpacking. I'll be checking out the sequel for sure!
It's been a long time since I related so hard to a main character.
The Aussieness comes off strong in this book and I loved it from the jump - it was SUCH a wild feeling to relive my Year 12 woes via our main character, Gabby. Worrying about ATAR, tossing up between TAFE and uni, Darkhaven is unapologetically for the Aussie readers and I low-key love that. I genuinely felt like I was reading an account of my 2009. It was pretty unique to have such an accurate reflection of Aussie schooling after reading a bunch of US uni experiences - not a bad thing, it's just nice to do the Leonardo pointing-at-TV meme from time to time.
My stand out enjoyment of Darkhaven was Gabby's tumultuous relationship with her two best friends who are very different from one another. All three of them were deeply flawed people, which honestly... valid. They're teenagers. They're working out where they fit in with the world and with each other. Their changing relationships and individual struggles were pretty interesting to read, and I had to give props to Gabby for growing a spine and telling her friends to 'fuck off' from time to time. One of my reading icks is doormat characters and, while Gabby started off a bit that way, she grew into herself over the course of the book and had no issues metaphorically flipping other characters the bird. Respect.
I really enjoyed the romance as well, which is unusual for me. I was reading on a plane so maybe the extra altitude helped? But Gabby and her love interest had a healthy dose of bants which really amped up my shipping of them.
My one gripe is that a few of the characters' behaviour throughout the book was a touch untethered from realism. Zenna just nod-nodded through Gabby's 'I'm a superhuman' speech and was mainly upset she couldn't be involved. Fr if one of my high school friends confessed they had superpowers and were dead serious, I'd be phoning their parents for fear of a mental break (especially around exam time, I didn't even care that much about exams during my Yr 12 and I still felt the insane pressure). Gabby also accepts
Overall, it speaks volumes that I read 70% of this book on a plane, and when I got home, I sat on my couch with my Kindle and finished it instead of unpacking. I'll be checking out the sequel for sure!
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March 15, 2024Thank you author and TheStoryGraph for a chance to win this novel in a giveaway.
I enjoyed it most of the time, but the illogic-ness of certain plot points was nagging at me. I could suspend my disbelief most of the time, and excused the illogicness arguing that without it, the book wouldn't happen, but then the culmination played entirely on those plot points and so I couldn't really enjoy the book any more. Which is a pity, because until then it was a fun, immersive read with a unique premise, and I found MC really relatable.
Well, I'm just the kind of person who wants her sci fi and fantasy be realistic.
The resolution came out of the blue, but it was cute enough. BUT. If Gabby would have actually studied genetics, she wouldn't have called a calico cat "he". Calico and turtleshell cats are always female, because the orange and black colours are coded in the X chromosomes. To have both black and orange, the cat has to have two X chromosomes, which means, they are female. Therefore you can always refer to calico and turtleshell cats as "she", as the chances for the cat to have Klinefelter syndrome (XXY male) are pretty slim. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk. Assuming that a calico cat is male always sets me off. But hey, dear reader, now you know!
In order to not to end this review in such a grating tone, I want to emphasise that I enjoyed this book most of the time. Hey, it's YA, and I've finished it, and even liked it, so it's something!
I enjoyed it most of the time, but the illogic-ness of certain plot points was nagging at me. I could suspend my disbelief most of the time, and excused the illogicness arguing that without it, the book wouldn't happen, but then the culmination played entirely on those plot points and so I couldn't really enjoy the book any more. Which is a pity, because until then it was a fun, immersive read with a unique premise, and I found MC really relatable.
Well, I'm just the kind of person who wants her sci fi and fantasy be realistic.
The resolution came out of the blue, but it was cute enough. BUT. If Gabby would have actually studied genetics, she wouldn't have called a calico cat "he". Calico and turtleshell cats are always female, because the orange and black colours are coded in the X chromosomes. To have both black and orange, the cat has to have two X chromosomes, which means, they are female. Therefore you can always refer to calico and turtleshell cats as "she", as the chances for the cat to have Klinefelter syndrome (XXY male) are pretty slim. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk. Assuming that a calico cat is male always sets me off. But hey, dear reader, now you know!
In order to not to end this review in such a grating tone, I want to emphasise that I enjoyed this book most of the time. Hey, it's YA, and I've finished it, and even liked it, so it's something!
February 3, 2026
2.5 stars
i tried to enjoy this book but i felt like i was getting confused every few chapters about what was happening and when. and i feel like there was too much time spent on gabby’s stress about uni (which is valid, i get it, i felt stressed about uni when i was in year 13) as opposed to her stuff with darkhaven. oh, and gabby was a shit friend to her best friends.. like, a really shit friend. why did they not drop her?
i tried to enjoy this book but i felt like i was getting confused every few chapters about what was happening and when. and i feel like there was too much time spent on gabby’s stress about uni (which is valid, i get it, i felt stressed about uni when i was in year 13) as opposed to her stuff with darkhaven. oh, and gabby was a shit friend to her best friends.. like, a really shit friend. why did they not drop her?
February 11, 2025
Wow! This story grabbed my attention right from the first and kept my interest all the way through. The mc Gabby is conflicted and indecisive. She is a great character, engaging and easy to like. Her developmental growth in the story is fantastic. Kel E Fox's world building skills are tremendously creative and immersive. A great start to a new series! A must read!
June 27, 2024
We are proud to announce that DARKHAVEN (The Lightless Prophecy, #1) by Kel E. Fox has been honored with the B.R.A.G. Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.
April 11, 2026
nope, cant take another "special high school student discovers magic" and not adjusting her priorities accordingly: girl, datibg, makeup and anything else shallow become irrelevant when you have superpowers.
July 11, 2022
Read for SPFBO8 - this is my personal score. Full review to come.
January 6, 2024
This was an excellent fantasy book as a starter to the series! Great writing, characters, and story.
I received a free copy via StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy via StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 30, 2024
started out well but it fell downhill. it just wasn’t for me, i’m afraid.
January 23, 2025
I really enjoyed this book! A fun read.
There were a few details that I found a bit unclear and they confused me a little, but I’m encouraging my teens to read it!
There were a few details that I found a bit unclear and they confused me a little, but I’m encouraging my teens to read it!
September 26, 2025
3.5 stars - I enjoyed it, but I was hoping for more fantasy elements. This was more sci-fi to me.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews