The Unwanted Prophet

The Creed of Gethin #1

by Carolina Cruz

Quincy Sauer is in jail. As far as she’s concerned, that's where she belongs - until a god of death decides otherwise. He has a plan to undermine his own priests and Quincy is his pawn of choice. Going from criminal to prophet would be a difficult transition under even the best circumstances, but Quincy’s luck is about to turn from bad to worse as corrupt priests, cults, and threats unknown stand between her and the answer to her greatest Has the god of life and death made a terrible mistake? And if he has, who is going to pay the price for it?

The Unwanted Prophet is the debut novel of Carolina Cruz. If you enjoy low-magic fantasy, character-driven stories, and diverse fictional worlds, the Unwanted Prophet has something for you to enjoy!

Content Some characters suffer from depression and experience some suicidal ideation. Discussion of darker elements including self harm and intrusive thoughts.

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, Adult

534 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2021

About the author

Carolina "Nina" Cruz is an author and artist who loves to draw their characters as much as they love writing them.
Besides writing what they draw and drawing what they write, Cruz enjoys listening to almost every genre of music, making battle vests, and cooking with their spouse.

You can find Cruz on twitter and instagram @Ninawolverina to get frequent updates on their process and new releases!

Reviews

[Menoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen, this book was a hell of a trip. And I can’t believe how much I enjoyed every pages 🥰.
Quincy is SO good, I love her reluctant ass so much. I mean she literally try to drown in a puddle out of boredom. I LOVE HER.
Gethin was such a great idea too, I loved his relationship with Quincy, he sounded both young and old and damn, every interaction they had made me laugh.
Despite being ruthless and violent this is still a funny book, and the characters have so much potential.
I loved the world, loved the plot and loved Quincy.
I feel like I didn’t enforce that thought well enough: I love Quincy 🥰.
Marlowe was SO interesting, this is HOW you redeem a character ladies, gentlemen and non-binary babes

Anyway stop sleeping on The unwanted prophet. I need everyone to read this. Now.

[A.E. Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, though I did struggle to get into it at first. I'm so glad I kept going, though, because Cruz took me on a wild ride. We meet main character Quincy Sauer as she struggles to avoid a growing puddle in her prison cell. She uses her wits to extricate herself from that unpleasant situation, only to be thrust into another. And then another. And still another. Quincy frustrated me at times, but I never stopped rooting for her - and her adventure is one of a lifetime. Cruz's excellent ability to describe scenery and her clever plot kept me interested until the very end. (Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

[S. Jeyran Main · Rating 4 out of 5]

The unwanted prophet is a dark fantasy horror story. It all begins with Quincy Sauer, a complex woman with ADHD that is both sensitive and smart. She has dealt with much drama in the past, and her path and decisions are all so important for the world she is living in.
The story is told in such a way that you are informed throughout the storyline. There are introductions to traditions, cultural concepts and many significant descriptive notions that make the story unique to its own.

The main theme and premise were enjoyable to read and, I believe, possessed so much more room for expansion or further sequels.

Some characters in the Unwanted Prophet experienced symptoms of depression, including intrusive thoughts about self-harm and suicide. These are not discussed or portrayed in graphic detail but are still present.

I recommend this book to those who like to read dark natured stories.

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immediately loved this since the first chapter. I snagged this and The Forgotten Lyric at a comicon a bit ago, was hooked when the author told me it featured queer characters so you know I had to buy them both. This book was a rollercoaster and I loved the humor in it. I cannot tell you the amount of times I was reading this at work and somebody asked me what it’s about and I gladly explained it. When the ambush happened I was so shocked that so many people died in literally a page. So much was going on constantly that it was entertaining every chapter. Just the remarks in this were amazing. Also the cover is just stunning. If you like darker fantasy books I highly recommend!

[Sarah SG]

Unfortunately putting this down knowing damn well I’ll never pick it up again 3

[Talli Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a treasure. Quincy Sauer is at once a fantastic protagonist I simply had to root for, and with a plot that kept me guessing and a cast of supporting characters each as dimensional and morally grey as Quincy herself, you have a recipe for a truly unique and wonderfully unpredictable book. THE UNWANTED PROPHET is everything I want in epic fantasy. I cannot wait for book two.

[Matti · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this, but by the end of part 1 I was soaring through 👍 The worldbuilding is the standout for me in this book, you get a really good sense of the different cultures, beliefs and people, and the vague, soft magic system (if you can call it that?) works very well for this story. I liked the characters a lot too, there's a good variety of personalities clashing up against each other so there's someone for everybody (I got strangely attached to Arvin). As the main character and POV for the majority of the book, I was maybe expecting to feel closer to Quincy by the end, it was difficult for me to feel like I knew her at all until I was almost finished. She's a little passive for large parts of the book and I knew more about who she wasn't and what she didn't want rather than anything about her specifically.
The writing itself was very, very good in places, sweeping me along, and in other places my mind would snag on paragraphs that felt very overworked and awkward, or overly explanatory/detailed. The prose would shift from overly descriptive to almost conversational in places and it didn't really work for me.
Overall, I'm happy I finally got going with this and managed to finish in time for the sequel, which I'll definitely be starting later today. I'm very curious and excited to see where the story goes next!

[Bailey Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5)

“A guest by formality, a prisoner by necessity, and a prophet by bad luck.”

Lovingly, great for Moonknight fans. I didn’t know that was what I was signing myself up for, but it was a good ride. The author does a great job of portraying the mix of anxiety with nihilistic depression with some OCD impulsive skin picking habits thrown into the mix. However, it isn’t overwhelming the story.

Thank Genthin for the author bringing back fun chapter titles. Humor was just as present as heartfelt soul searching. The narration is casual, but not distractingly so.

Every time I wondered why the plot has meandered where it did, I suddenly didn’t care because it was still a good time. Soon after, it all the dots would start connecting as well in between the moments of levity. Each character had depth and each step of the story had more to it than met the eye. I originally downloaded the first book just because the second in the series sounded interesting and I didn’t want to miss out on any of the world building, but I am glad that I didn’t skip any of the phenomenal writing this author pours into her work. Excited to see where the next book in the series takes me!

[Jakob · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Unwanted Prophet was a joy to read. A romp in Grim-Bright low fantasy that had me riveted and saw me completing the book in just a few days. The world that Carolina Cruz has created here, and the characters that inhabit it were both a delight to get to know and to follow on this adventure. Witty, well built dialogue bolstered this novel to a place well deserved on my favorites shelf. If you're looking for a new world to experience and lose yourself in for a time, this book is a great choice.

Aspects that I always like to know before reading a book:

Character Driven, Narrow viewpoint, Only one main perspective character.

For fans of:

Aching God by Mike Shel
Elder Empire by Wil Wight
The Locked Tomb Quadrilogy by Tamsyn Muir
Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar


If you loved those, you'll love this.

Thanks for writing such a righteous book.

[Rebekah Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book broke my heart and then healed it, pissed me off and then made me laugh, and also made me almost set my house on fire because I couldn't put it down and was reading while cooking and forgot to turn a burner off.

I've never read a book with such spot-on representation of a depressed person before. Honestly, it took me by surprise. And I don't think I've ever gone from liking, to hating, to being okay with, to being severely pissed off at, to loving a character so much in a single book before.

The whole storyworld is developed really well, and the character arcs are beautiful but frustrating (as they are in real life), and you're seriously missing out if you don't read this book!!!

[Qualia Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I didn't read anything about it before hand other than what the book blurb said. I was continually kept guessing where things would go, and the story was both exciting and original which felt fresh in today's market. The characters are interesting, flawed, and many are morally gray. I highly recommend this if you're into fantasy with a touch of supernatural. It kept me interested and curious from cover to cover and I immediately purchased the sequel. Looking forward to the next installment.

[Cindy Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. I purchased this book based on a review I read in our local paper about the author. I’m not a huge fan of dark fantasy and had a bit of a time getting into this one particularly after Quincy’s early encounters with Wes, but I stuck with it and then quickly couldn’t put it down. Characters were all unique, prose was addictive. Gethin, the god, was very entertaining. Ending only slightly full circle, leaving the author open for sequels, which I would definitely read.

[Jillian Pogoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got both books at Comic-Con, and I’m glad I did! Quincy is a fun, complex protagonist and her journey has a lot of ups and downs, rather than a lot of the streamlined path to self understanding and courage that you sometimes see in books. I loved Marlowe especially, and Arvin is my second favorite priest. Gethin is a very fun deity, I loved reading their conversations. This book has given me some inspiration for my own D&D characters.

[W. Payne Sillavan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely fantastic. This book was so hard to put down and I curse my school and work for getting in the way of finishing it sooner.
The characters are compelling and Quincy is lovable and funny. The setting is familiar with touches of something new. Gethin is a unique and interesting deity.
It all sucked me in. I can't recommend this book enough.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very first page to the last I had a hard time ever putting this book down! There are zero slow or boring parts - it is exciting the whole way through! The characters have so much depth and I really love the main character. I love the lessons in this story - about acceptance and forgiveness.

[Charlotte Vries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book. I didn’t read the back blurb, just dove right in and think that’s a great way to do it. I can’t wait until I get a friend to read it so I can discuss with them.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story. Reading this pealed me like an onion, tears and all. An incredible journey with choices made, beliefs challenged, and none of them by action hero types.

[kienn · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great premise, a bit slow but full of poignant character moments, a big theme is perception and belief, reminds me of discworld sometimes

[Sebastiaan Constantino · Rating 5 out of 5]

To preface this, I will attempt to remain as spoiler-free as possible.

I'm by no means a huge reader, but there's one thing I've known for certain: I was going to love this book.
When it came out on the 20th of November 2021 I was one of the first people in line to get a copy. I was so early, in fact, that I got my hands on it before the Author (at the time of writing this is still true).
My copy arrived on the 26th, and I finished reading it today, on the 2nd of December.
I don't recall the last time I read through a book that quickly. The prose reads "casual", that is to say: easy to follow and immerse yourself in. There's no huge words suffocating you, or descriptions so detailed you get bored and skip half a page, instead the text is dense enough to be impactful, but light enough to grab you and keep you hooked.
***
Characterisation is perfect. Though I personally was already familiar with them through personal interactions with the Author, no actual prior knowledge of who they are is required to enjoy the book or understand them. Dialogue and their described actions show exactly who each person is.
There's no rushed development of the characters either. Everyone has their starting point, and depending on what point in the story they get their own moments to go "wait... hang on" and doubt any pre-conceived notions and grow from there.
Here, let me name two of the important ones:
-Quincy Sauer, the titular prophet, a woman with ADHD and past trauma, is depicted in both a sensitive manner, and also like a more quippy person. To me as reader her sense of humour came across as an intentional self-defence mechanism, a way to deflect anything negative. Laughing through the hurt, and such. This made her character stronger in my opinion. Juxtaposing one with the other is, at least in my experience, common in real people.
-Marlowe Ashcroft, another main character (and one of my favourites, alongside the protagonist) starts out as antagonist and goes through a whole array of stages before he finally arrives at his ending position. You experience his personality and characterisation through Quincy's eyes for the most part. You see how he doubts, grows, and changes throughout the book. Marlowe is also disabled, much like Quincy, in that he's an amputee, missing most of one of his legs. He's also subject to some amount of Autism-coding (which I like!).
***
Antagonists! Usually a story has some form of antagonist, and The Unwanted Prophet is no different.
The first part of three has as its antagonists the church of Gethin (the god of life and death), more specifically its northern priesthood.
The second part sees this antagonist joined by a southern cult of Gethin worshippers with their own motives based in theology.
And in part three the church, or rather, its head is the focus again, though mainly toward the end. A lot of this part is centred around character development, and it's well-worth it.
***
Onto Worldbuilding. There was never a moment while reading where I felt confused at a concept or a part of the worldbuilding unless that was the intent of the scene. If there was a cultural concept one character didn't understand, another would be there to explain it to them. Like the custom surrounding the Yulyeong Gwail, white apples eaten in time of mourning. Harriet, one of the priests, doesn't understand their significance, and Quincy is right there to tell her why they're culturally important.
There's lots of tiny traditions, phrases, but also mentions of big things which entice and interest the reader to want to learn more, overall very well done.
***
The main theme of The Unwanted Prophet, to put it in the terms of a meme I shared with the Author, "The Neurodivergent urge to defy god and demand answers to his face". The book is lined with Quincy, and eventually Marlowe, questioning Gethin, their god, for his odd ways, though they usually don't get an answer. The importance of questioning and changing corrupt power systems is ultimately what I believe was one of the core messages of the novel, as it takes you through the church's abuse of power, and how Quincy eventually comes to change that, perhaps just one-by-one.
***

To put a long ramble to rest, I really love this book. I could talk about it for hours upon hours. It was well worth the wait. Go buy a copy. Now. I'm serious. I'll even wait here for you to come back and leave a review of your own.

My prayers go with you, on the breath of life, and the wings of death.