The Paladin Prophecy is a supernatural adventure novel, the first in a series, by Mark Frost.
Fifteen-year-old Will West is used to moving. He’s used to purposefully not making himself too noticeable.
It’s not something he’s ever really thought about. He’s just been following the direction of his loving parents whom he’s very close with. It’s served him well so far.
While out running one morning, though, he realizes he’s being followed. Black vans, unusual people. Already alarmed, once Will gets a text from his Dad telling him to run, he feels like it’s not just encouragement for his track practice – but that somehow his Dad knows something he doesn’t know.
And he runs.
Almost more alarming is how fast he goes. For the first time he isn’t proactively trying to stay under the radar – and the speed is not normal. It’s insane.
Then everything changes.
Arriving at school, Will’s told that his latest testing on a nationwide exam is off the charts. Like literally far and above anyone else. An extremely hush-hush, exclusive private school wants to offer him a full scholarship.
Getting home, his Mom is thrilled with the news.
That’s not right.
She and her Dad have specifically wanted to avoid something like this – attention. It doesn’t take long for Will to conclude that this is not his Mom.
So where is his Mom? And what the hell is going on?
All the lessons he’s been taught as he’s grown up have prepared him for this… he hopes.
Fleeing to the school, Will knows he needs to get himself safe so he can find out what’s happening, what he is, and what to do next…
The Paladin Prophecy jumped right into mysterious action in less than ten pages. At first I felt it was screaming from the rooftops that it was a book for GUYS! This was based off descriptions of motorcycles, cars, and an overall testosterone vibe.
That’s not a bad thing, though, as long as it can offer up a good story.
Despite being thrown into a chaotic chase scene so quickly, I did find myself intrigued by Will’s abnormally smart noggin and physical abilities. Plus, after being a little disgruntled about not really knowing anything about Will’s personality, it starts to shine through with some deliciously snarky, sharp humor.
So, I let go of the desire for lovely writing and deep character development and let myself just enjoy the pure entertainment factor, which The Paladin Prophecy definitely has. Some of the descriptions of creatures and weapons confused me – I’d get a little lost in the swiftness of it all occasionally – but the plot kept getting better.
At the school we meet more funny/interesting characters, started delving into more mystery, and we got to see the tough-guy Will in action. Laugh-worthy sarcasm and dialogue (that actually worked!) won me over. Nick (one of Will’s classmates) is pretty darn hilarious.
The Paladin Prophecy was an exciting, adventurous, and overall pretty original and fun novel that made me eagerly anticipate the next book!
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