First off, I’m not big into conspiracy stuff. My head would hurt at the mere mention of the word “theories”. The only thing I look forward to in X-Files is Mulder and Scully volleying back and forth ideas despite the latter being a reluctant sounding board (and also the underlying romance between them, probably). However, I do enjoy a good fiction as well as the next man. And I’m glad I picked up The Daykeeper’s Grimoire. It may not have changed much my opinion about conspiracy theories, but it did well in opening up my mind about certain possibilities.
Caitrina or Caity Mac Fireland is descended from a long line of Mac Firelands from the isle of Huracan in Scotland. When Caity’s great Uncle Hamish died, Caity’s father stood next in line to inherit the lairdship and the big old Breidablik Castle. Breidablik may not have been equipped with magic like the ones in a Disney production, it certainly held secrets which propelled Caity into a destiny she never thought possible. The first in a series of varying discoveries was a secret chamber that could only be opened using the three-hare pendant which Hamish (or so Caity thought) incidentally sent her in the past. And it didn’t stop from there. Caity also found rune-like carvings on the chamber wall. Wishing to be enlightened, she emailed Justine, her best friend whose grandfather happened to be a professor in Princeton, to help her look it up. What started as an innocent research sparked Caity’s run from an international conspiracy involving the Maya, the 2012 phenomenon, the Galactic Center, planetary alignment, even Collective Consciousness.
The first book in the Days of Prophecy series reads partly like how a bartender would mix one quart of Dan Brown and a squeeze of Katherine Neville (the quest-like parts reminded me of The Eight) – for teens. While the whole thing is meant to convey action (what protagonist wouldn’t get moving with an international organized crime group at their heels?), I sometimes couldn’t help feeling bogged down with the discussions on theories (please see first paragraph for explanation). I understand that those are necessary to provide a background story for the reader but slowing down the pace of a novel to explain things just didn’t work for me (you bet I googled a lot to understand particular subjects being talked about). Other than that, I have no other complaints. Caity is likeable and her voice feels real for someone at 16. Her nerdy parents (they’re like super cool), Mrs. Findlay, Mr. Papers and Justine (I would love to have a kick-ass BFF like her) provided entertainment as secondary characters. Oh, before I forget. The romance between Caity and hottie Alex, whom our heroine is having a major crush on ) just didn’t work for me. While I liked how wholesome the book is (I know most parents would, too) – with only one instance of brief kissing – I just didn’t get kilig over it (maybe I didn’t realize that the book was never meant to be romantic..hehe). And don’t get me started on the monkey who communicates through origami (seriously?). He is cute and amazing but I raised my eyebrow at some of his antics that just seemed unrealistic to me. Ha. I figured out Uncle Li, too. And what it’s about, I wouldn’t tell you. You have to read the book to find out. *wink*
It was my first time to read something from Christy Raedeke. Despite a few bumps, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Recommended for teens who are slowly easing into adult sci-fi / thriller genres or those who simply eat conspiracy theories for breakfast.
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You can stalk the author on:
Prophecy of Days website – http://prophecyofdays.com/
Twitter – @craedeke
Goodreads – Christy Raedeke on Goodreads