It’s been a while since I read The Art of Prophecy. But reading this sequel reminds me of the action, the world, and these characters! I would definitely recommend jumping straight into this series now that all are out! Keep reading this book review of The Art of Destiny for my full thoughts.
Summary
Once there was a prophecy that a chosen one would rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, an immortal god-king.
But the prophecy was wrong.
Now Jian, the former chosen hero, is just an ordinary young man trying to find his own way. But he may yet have an extraordinary destiny, because he joins forces with Taishi, his grumpy grandmaster, who instructs him in the ways of her family’s powerful war art. Jian still has a long way to go before he can become her heir, so she recruits a band of elderly grandmasters who come out of retirement to whip him into shape and help with this one last job.
And there are others who are also seeking their own destiny, like Qisami, an assassin on a secret mission to protect a powerful noblewoman from her enemies. But as Qisami goes undercover to complete her mission, she takes on a new identity that gives her something she never had before: friendship, found family, and new purpose.
Sali also thought her fate was laid before her. She was supposed to be looking for the next Eternal Khan and now finds her clan exiled from everything she’s ever known. As she leads the survivors in search of a new home, Sali discovers that she’s something she never thought she could be: a leader and a revolutionary.
Because sometimes destiny is grander than any prophecy can foresee. And the greatest destiny of all is the one you choose for yourself.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Art of Destiny is focused on characters. It’s more character driven than the first, but I enjoyed this change of pace. The first one felt almost like this frantic avalanche, while The Art of Destiny allows us to sink into each of these characters more. If you love training montages and the chosen one trope, this is for you! Each of these characters drips with humor and personality which is given the space to shine. In some ways, this book feels a bit like a lead up to the last book. I’m glad I can immediately jump into that one so that the wait or the momentum isn’t lost.
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Everyone has these nice moments punctuated with betrayal. For readers who are searching for that high action from The Art of Prophecy, this sequel feels more introspective. For me that was a positive, but it also made it difficult sometimes to pick back up. I am intrigued for the next book, especially with the added background and character depth. I just wish that some of book one and two would have been merged to be a little more balanced. The latter portion definitely ramps us up for the third book, it just felt like a middle child book in a few places. Find The Art of Destiny on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.