Review + Giveaway: Blood of the Prophet (The 4th Element Series #2)

Title: Blood of the Prophet
Author:Kat Ross
(The Fourth Element #2)
Publication date: September 12th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Visionary. Alchemist. Savior. Saint.
The Prophet Zarathustra has been called many things. Now he spends his time drawing pictures of weird-looking goats. That’s what happens when you’ve been stuck in a prison cell for two hundred years. But the man who might be mad, and is definitely supposed to be dead, has suddenly become very valuable again…
It’s only been a few weeks since Nazafareen escaped the King’s dungeons with her daēva, Darius. She hoped never to set foot in the empire again, but the search for the Prophet has led them to the ancient city of Karnopolis. They have to find him before Alexander of Macydon burns Persepolae, and Darius’s mother with it. But they’re not the only ones looking.
The necromancer Balthazar has his own plans for the Prophet, and so does the sinister spymaster of the Numerators. As Nazafareen is drawn in to a dangerous game of cat and mouse, her newfound powers take a decidedly dark turn. Only the Prophet understands the secret of her gift, but the price of that knowledge may turn out to be more than Nazafareen is willing to pay…

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Sequel to:

Author Bio:
Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She lives in Westchester with her kid and a few sleepy cats. Kat is also the author of the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day (Skyscape, 2014), about a world where the sea levels have risen sixty meters. She loves magic, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Preferably with mutants.

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With Blood of the Prophet Kat Ross delivered another fantastic instalment in her enthralling fourth element series.

The book starts right where The Midnight Sea had left us, with Alexander reading his troops, Victor and Lysandros trying to get the holy fire from creepy Neblis and Myyrri, Tijah, Nazafareen & Darius in a quest to find the prophet before he ends up in (very) questionable hands.

"I knew all too well that it did no good to bolt the door against one's grief. It would simply lurk on the threshold and if you didn't come out it would kick the door down and things would go much harder for you"

The second episode of the saga continues to be mercifully free of love triangles, and *drum roll, please* the romance is free of excessive melodrama. Let me explain, Darius & Nazafareen romance is slow and steady, they don't go out and about telling the world how much they love each other, how perfect soul mates they are and all that jazz. Still, how deeply they care for each other is clear and skilfully written between the lines. In fact, Kat Ross magnificently show us their love in the best way possible: through their words and actions.

I simply loved how Darius & Nazafareen were supporting of each other, sticking together no matter what. What Kat Ross describes is probably one of the most relatable and real relationship out there; in real life people aren't together because they're perfect (and Naza & Darius aren't) but because they're better together, they compensate each other’s faults, willingly choosing to stay together no matter what.*too many feels, I can't even...*
With their banter and dark humor Nazareen & Darius managed - in no time- to become one of my favorite OTP ever!

"I will always be yours, cuffs or not"

Let’s put the romance aside for now.

In The Midnight Sea, religious belief and loyalties were questioned a fact that gave the book a certain depth, Blood of the Prophet simply continues along this line, a fact that I greatly appreciated.  Another factor I extremely liked of the world created by Kat Ross was how magic had a price, different for each kind of elemental magic, and by no means “small”. Even the rare fire magic was no exception to the rule.

Nazafaren was really cool (good girl! *pats her on the shoulder*) and I loved how her power is shown as a living thing to the point that  - sometimes - it is not even sure who is in control, her or the magic. Besides, I loved to see how she didn't throw herself headlong against Neblis promising immediate destruction but actually questioned Neblis's reasons first. For once, it’s really nice to get a main character with some common sense and a good head over her shoulders. At first, she is even frightened of her power and she doesn’t want to use it---as I said, this girl is really sensible! *claps* Her loyalty to Darius, to Myrri and - generally speaking - to her friends is and was really commendable. All of them make for such a spectacular team----as a reader, I am awed. *Please, top hats off to Kat Ross*

Balthazar (the necromancer) point of view was a revelation; it was highly intriguing and you could see he was not so evil but neither was he good. I'm pretty curious about him. *smirks*

What about Neblis? Well I find her a real creeper but she makes for a wonderful crazy-creepy-evil-queen-antagonist. I went as far as nicknaming her "Queen of Creepers"

Last but not least, Blood of the Prophet introduces us to interesting backstory of the origins of daevas. We will have to wait for Queen of Chaos to know more about it but - at least - the book will come out in December and, luckily for my poor heart, it is not that far away.

"Why was it always the good ones to get themselves killed?"

So---What’s my final verdict? This book is fantastic and it's a must read and a must have! (*^*)

Rating:

4.5 blossoms

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