Prophecy Of The Sisters: Number 1 in series [Hardcover]

Synopsis (from the back of the book): An ancient prophecy divides two sisters... One good... One evil... Who will prevail?
Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, they find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.
Lia and Alice don't know who they can trust. They just know they can't trust each other.

Plot: I thought the plot was amazing. Despite it being about demons and evil spirits, it didn't actually seem that far-fetched! Sounds dumb, I know, but it's true. Lia and Alice are twins who are thrust into a fantasy world where demons and ghosts exist after their father dies. Lia discovers an ancient prophecy that means she must work against Alice to stop Samael, an evil Beast, entering Earth from the eerie Otherworlds - if he arrives it will bring around the end of the world as they know it. With help from spiritualist friend Sonia, and Wycliffe classmate Luisa (who share the strange mark of the Prophecy with Lia), Lia must track down the Keys and make sure Alice - who turns evil after Lia finds out about the Prophecy - doesn't find all the answers before she does.

Characters: The characters were extremely believable; almost to the point of seeming real. Michelle Zink made Alice seem cold and obviously the evil one right from the start, where she gets over her father's death a bit too quickly and is the popular, bitchy type at school. Lia is the nice one who can't believe she was actually meant to be Alice; evil. Even after Alice does really horrible and shameful things, Lia still accepts that she is her sister and never completely abandons her. I thought that was admirable, although what Alice did at the end was unforgivable - and Lia realised that Alice was a different person, thank God. I think I would've been annoyed if Lia completely accepted Alice's apology. You might think that I'm not a very good person :L but seriously; that is one bad thing Alice does. Even the more minor characters like James (Lia's 'boyfriend') and Harry - though he's not that minor - seem realistic; even though they're hardly in the book Michelle describes their personalities to us.

Setting: I think if it was set more recently than 1890 it wouldn't have worked. I don't know why I think that, it just seems to me that you could get away with spiritualists and mysterious French women who live in a fancy house in the grimiest part of the town - which is near New York - back then. Also, the lack of proper lighting and the polite won't-reveal-all (yes, I made that 'phrase' up) manners of the characters added to the enigmatic-ness. I love books set in the past and this was no exception; the manor and coaches just added to the gothic setting and brilliance.

Start/Ending: As I said while discussing characters, Michelle builds up the characters, etc., right from the start, to deliver a completely unexpected and sad ending, while leaving a lot unanswered for the probably amazing sequel.

Overall: Some minor parts were predictable at times; sometimes you 'got' things before the characters, but it didn't annoy me too much (as you'll see from the 5* rating :L). There was loads of intricate twists that were mostly unexpected and likely to get a 'whoaa!' out of you by the end. It was even slightly scary at times! I don't normally like gothic, verging-on-fantasy books but I loved this. I also loved how it was set in 1890 - I love books in Victorian times! I recommend this for any YA/fantasy/gothic-lover as it has something that will appeal to everyone. It might not seem like 'your thing' but I bet you'll love it!

Anything else: According to The Guardian, this is the first book in a new series! Eeek! I was going to write in this review that I didn't feel like all the questions were answered and it was just screaming for a sequel. I know why!!! Yay *happydancing*

Written in 1st person narrative from the point of view of the oldest twin Lia (Amelia). The story starts slowly but it is worth plowing through the first couple of chapters to get an understanding of the characters personalities and interactions.
After the first couple of chapters the plot picks up pace as the tensions and suspense builds. The apprehension was thrilling, it had me compulsively turning the pages to see what would happen next. It brought to mind Milton's Paradise Lost with the epic battle of Good and Evil.
Set in a bygone era where the means of transport was a horse and carriage and illumination was via candle light, really added to the feel of the book and the imagery. There is a wonderfully sensory description of 'The Book of Chaos' which really brought the story to technicolor life within my imagination. The book itself is visually ornate with calligraphy at the chapter headings and at the bottom of each page, where the calligraphy turns into a snake, one the left one is hissing and on the right it is calm (we all know how much I dislike snakes so I had to put my bookmark over the images so as not to be distracted from the story).
The story also brought to mind the movie Constantine with Keanu Reeves where the Devils Son is trying to make his way back to earth again via the conduit of twins. In addition, the use of twins brings to mind scales where there has to be a balance, yin and yang, good and evil.
A great first book (a debut at that) in the series for anyone that loves an epic battle of good versus evil.

I don't really know what I expected with this novel, but this book is so much more than anything I could have expected! It sounded awesome, which is why I wanted to read it, but the blurb just scratches the surface. The excitement that surged through me as I read this novel was so, I can't even begin to explain.

Some of you may be aware that I am a huge David Eddings. I love his novels for a great many reasons, one being that Pawn of Prophecy was THE book that made me an avid reader, and whenever I read it, I get that same feeling of awe that books can be so enchanting as when I first read it . It may sound odd to be mentioning my love for Eddings in this review, but I do have a reason; Eddings' Belgariad series was about a quest to fulfil a prophecy, it was intricate, it was magical - just like Prophecy of the Sisters. And just like Pawn of Prophecy, I was filled with the same awe, and the same feeling of how lucky we are that books, stories and authors exist for our enjoyment when I read Prophecy of the Sisters!

This is the kind of fantasy that I absolutely adore! You are left guessing with every page you turn, with every clue there are so many possibilities that could be the answer, and the excitement and wonder at Zink's incredible story telling abilities just grow and grow.

This story is so complicated. When I read the prophecy, I sat there blinking at it, unable to make any sense of it at all, but as the story unfolds, and the clues arrive, and the jigsaw pieces are slowly fitted together, I challenge anyone to read this book and not be amazed at just how intricate this is! J. K. Rowling should watch her back, she has competition in the complicated and clever stakes!

It's known by a fair few that I am not really a fan of historical fiction, so once I opened the first pages and saw it was historical, I inwardly groaned. I was sure I wouldn't like it, and didn't think it would work; a historical urban fantasy? But it does! The historical aspect makes Prophecy of the Sisters feel more like a high fantasy, which I love!

I love the characters! Lia makes a great main character, and despite the time period, she is very relatable. Strong, yet human and deals with her problems as such. Sonia and Luisa are just brilliant secondary characters, with their easy friendship, but their concern and worry that is very normal; I think sometimes, in some novels, people seem to accept the fantastic far too easily, and cope far too well with the issues, but it's not the case with Sonia and Luisa, and it makes them more likable and believable.

Alice is probably the most impressive character; she is absolutely despicable, and far too disturbing for words, but utterly brilliant in that she evokes such dislike and abhorrence. As weird as it may sound, I am excited to see just how cruel and evil she can become, to what lengths she'll go to next to try to get what she wants. To see if she can make me loath her even more.
I can't tell you just how amazing this book is! I absolutely loved it, and I am itching to read the next in the series, Guardian of the Gate. If you haven't read this book yet, get yourself to a bookshop now, you NEED this book!