Warrior by Ellen Oh

Release Date: 31st December, 2013

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 336pgs

The Story

First an outcast, now a hero.

But her fight rages on.

Kira, the yellow-eyed demon slayer who fiercely protected her kingdom—and the crown prince—has been proclaimed the Dragon Musado of the prophecy. With the defeated the evil shaman.

But it wasn’t enough. 

Hansong is in chaos. The Demon Lord’s minions have infiltrated the city, treason is brewing among the military ranks, and Kira is buried by the overwhelming loss of her parents. She’s also plagued by the annoying feelings that blossom whenever she’s around Jaewon. But she is determined that nothing will stop her from finding the second treasure needed to fulfill the Dragon King’s prophecy. Not even the army of half-breed demons hot on their trail. If only she could learn to trust others . . .

Her father always said one person can change the world. Will it be Kira?

The Review

A big thanks to the HarperTeen for sending me a review copy of this book!

This sequel may not have been as epic amazing as the first book was, that being Ellen Oh's debut novel Prophecy, but it was almost just as good. While I won't give out any spoilers or summaries of the book in case you haven't read the first book in the series just quite yet, but let me tell you this Asian-inspired fantasy book is definitely one that has impressed me thus far in the YA genre and considering it concerns itself with Korean culture . . . it's pretty much a bonus for me because I love that culture within itself.

Firstly, let me just say that WARRIOR would not be so amazing if it didn't have the main character, Kira, in it. Kira, in my opinion at least, is seriously one of the best kick-ass girl characters that I have come across lately and she doesn't even have to prove much of anything really because she just IS kick-ass without even trying to be. Her strength, her dedication to her duty, her mere attitude towards others and her fearlessness of her enemies just shows what a well-rounded character she is and what a lethal weapon she can be, and boy I just want to be her because she is so awesome! You go girl!

In terms of the storyline, everything is just as it should be. Interesting. Entertaining. And flawless. Ellen Oh's writing alone flows so easily as I read each and every chapter, and not once does she make her fantasy world so complicated for me to follow, at least not like how some fantasy books end up being like. So of course and yet again, I would enjoy the author's tale once more of Kira's journey and I can't wait to read more from her because well . . . I love this series.

Overall, WARRIOR was such a great sequel and a great follow-up to Ellen Oh's Dragon King Chronicles series. If you love Asian-inspired books or if you loved the author's first book, Prophecy, then be sure to not miss out on this one awesome book this December or better yet preorder this book for Christmas time!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

Prophecy by Ellen Oh

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 312pgs

The Story

The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms... is a girl with yellow eyes.

Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope...

Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king.

Intrigue and mystery, ancient lore and action-packed fantasy come together in this heart-stopping first book in a trilogy.

The Review

Maybe people just didn't like this book and were blinded by how awesome this book really is . . . I really don't know. I guess some people will love a book and others won't. It's completely fine by me. Look at the book Stormdancer, a book I thought I would totally love but didn't. But you know what? Despite the average reviews I've read online recently, I actually liked - no loved, this book. Prophecy was such a smart and a very compelling YA fantasy read for me, and it's about time an Asian-inspired book blew me away and had not disappointed me!

In PROPHECY, the first installment of a trilogy, there were so many elements that I enjoyed and it kept me there til the very end of the book. I liked how the story flowed both fast-paced and thrilling in the details. I liked the action and the suspense it upholds. I liked how the characters had all sorts of different purposes to the world they lived in. I liked how delicate the Korean culture was and the sufficient amount of research that was done for it. But most importantly and what I loved out of everything I read was the main character, Kira, and how bad-ass she was throughout the entire book. I mean, finally . . . a non-white girl who can seriously kick some demon and non-demon butt, and be awesome while she's at it!

Honestly, the girl with the yellow eyes, this wonderful girl named Kira, was such a legit bad-ass through my eyes and she sure showed those little boys (those pathetic little men) whose boss around her kingdom and had really made sure they showed her some respect for a change. She maybe a girl but she's not weak and reading about her life was just awe-empowering not to mention a great example to use for girl power in books! I just loved her to bits! While the other supporting characters like Kira's brothers, her little kid prince cousin and future king, Taejo, and even a newly introduced character, Jaewon, were super duper characters too but nothing could ever compare to Kira. I really want to give that girl a friendship bracelet or something . . . because I want a friend like exactly like her! Someone cool, sarcastic, fierce, protective and just plain old bad-ass! You would certainly want her on your good side let me tell you!

Overall, I could gush all day about this book and I'm so sad it all came to an end so quickly too because I need more of it (blame it on my one sitting read of this book). But in any case, while some readers may compare it to titles such as Graceling, Eon and Stormdancer, and say it's same old same old, let me tell you something . . . PROPHECY clearly earns its own merits and stands on its own as a very strong debut. Not only am I eager to get my hands on the sequel but I'm also SO excited to see where else the author will take us to next which I'm sure is going to be epic as it's side-by-side with an awesome and a very bad-ass heroine named Kira. Just loved her and this book!

The Rating

5/5 stars