Prophecy of the Sisters

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters.

One good. One evil.
Only one will prevail...


Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become fierce enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in an age-old battle that could have consequences of biblical proportions.









I've decided to pick this book to pay homage to another set of famous twins (in the fictional world). For years I've collected Sweet Valley books because I can't seem to get enough of Elizabeth and Jessica's adventure. I've also been fascinated by the strong bond by twins, as commonly depicted in stories.

But judging from the synopsis, I won't be expecting a perky set of twins though.

As if to further emphasize the dark theme, the narrative starts with the funeral of the father of the twins. It was raining, and since it was close to winter time, there were no flowers. That set the mood for the entire book.

This was told from the perspective of Lia, the introspective twin. It is through her eyes and thoughts that we see how she and her loved ones come to terms with their grief.  Soon, she discovers that she and her twin sister will play major roles in a prophecy. A prophecy that could bring about the end of the world as foretold in the Bible. In that prophecy, one twin shall be the Gate- the one that holds the power to destroy Samael or to grant him entrance to our world, signalling the start of the Apocalypse. The other, the Guardian, is tasked to protect the Gate. One evil, one good.

Fallen angels. Lost souls. Battle between good and evil. In the process, sisters will become bitter enemies and some lives will be lost. Pretty heavy stuff for young adults to read. It was not scary, but at times you'd feel that chill whenever you catch a glimpse of Alice's change to something evil. And I managed to feel sympathy towards Lia as she struggles to understand the events that are unfolding in front of her. I was close to tears when their young brother died trying to protect the document that could help her track down the keys.

The plot was good. And Zink's writing was somehow focused on the characters. A bit too much that I fairly forgot that the story was set in 1890s. I usually read too fast, but in my experience, I still manage to imagine the time period that the characters are supposed to be in. But at the end of this book, I had to ask myself again. I must  have been too engrossed on the main characters because they were all I could think of when I put down the book.

Like in any series, there are a lot of questions left unanswered. Who was the girl who gave Lia the comb and the medallion? How will they find the fourth key? Will James play a bigger role in the other books?

And will we hear the tale from Alice's point of view?

I'll definitely watch out for the next book.



*Image from http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/features/prophecyofthesisters/home.html