The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow

The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow

Release Date - January 26, 2016
Publisher Website - Self Published
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 308 pages
My Rating - 3/5
**received for honest review **

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Witches are real. They're descendants of the Olympian gods. And now, five teen witches gifted with elemental powers must fight to stop a war against the Titans.

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly ... she's apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers--and, to her dismay, by Blake--the school's notorious bad-boy.

Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle's wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers over the elements. But the comet has another effect--it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it's up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town ... and possibly the world.

Michelle Madow is quickly becoming an author whose novels I grab when I want a fun read. I know that her novels will be an entertaining, fast paced read.. Elementals continued this tradition. This mix of Greek and witch mythology, while not feeling entirely new,  is reminiscent of a CW television show complete with romance, action and beautiful teenagers.

This novel will instantly feel recognizable to those who have read a variety of YA novels. It utilizes the popular tropes that many use while combining them in a truly fun way. This has a blend of action, adventure, romance and mythology that works to create an incredibly addictive read. The familiar feeling made it easier to connect with the story and it's characters. It felt comfortable and because of that getting lost in the story was effortless.

Nicole is the fish out of water character who discovers that she holds special powers. She embodies a lot of traits that come along with this character trope. Michelle infuses her with enough personality to make her stand out on her own though. She is a nice blend of confident and unsure. Her natural abilities are explained in a believable way that are part of the plot.

The romance, as hinted in the synopsis, is a bit of a triangle. It also has some cheating involved in it. Nicole is conflicted about what is happening and feels guilty for every moment her and Blake spend together. There is a sort of destined feeling to Nicole and Blake's interactions, but I hope the romance is expanded in the following sequels. I want a little more insight into what draws them together, and not just because of looks. The problem with action heavy novels is that sometimes the development of relationships like this is not as prevalent. I hope to see a deepening of the connections between the characters going forward, romantic or otherwise.

Danielle, so far, has been a pretty one dimensional character. The classic mean girl who hates girls who even dare to just look at her boyfriend. However, Michelle took this type of character in her Secret Diamond Sisters series and added layers to her. She made her more complex and something other than just the cliché mean girl. I anticipate that Danielle will be given the same treatment.

With much of the story set up being done in this first novel, I hope the characters are the focus of the second. We're comfortable with the world they inhabit and the magic that flows through them, but I want to know more about them. This novel felt like the start of a much bigger story, and I eager to see where it takes these characters next.

A story that weaves witch mythology and Greek mythology with some tropes we all know well. It's a promising start to what could be a fun, entertaining series. I look forward to seeing how the characters and plot progress in the upcoming sequels.