Child of Prophecy by T. E. Bradford is a young adult fantasy novel introducing readers to the Divide Series. And y’all…this book has everything needed for a fantastic, fast-favorite book! This book has…
- Inter-world travel via portals
- Friends-to-more romance threads
- Eccentric bushy-eyebrowed grandpas
- Relatable characters with both disability-rep and neurodivergent-rep present
- Light prevailing over darkness
- And more…It seriously has it all!
What Child of Prophecy is About
Nova Hawthorne doesn’t fit in. At fifteen, she isn’t like normal teenagers. She can see sounds because she has synesthesia, she’s been picked on for as long as she can remember and made to feel like an outcast by everyone except when it comes to her best friend, she’s never known her father, her mother is keeping secrets and still treating her like a child, and she just found out people are looking for her so they can kill her.
Oh, and the people hunting her? They’re from The Order, and they aren’t even from Earth. They’re from another world, Threa, where prophecy speaks of a Trine, an individual with three forms of magical power, who will destroy all worlds.
Yesterday, Nova didn’t even know magic was real and now she has to make a life-altering choice. Faced with staying on Earth and risking the lives of those she loves, Nova chooses to jump through a tear in the Divide, the border between Earth and Threa. But her choice sets off the very prophecy The Order wants to prevent from being fulfilled and puts Nova on a path of self-discovery.
Child of Prophecy by T. E. Bradford: It’s Relatable
Nova, as well as the entire cast of characters, are relatable in some fashion. Bradford does an wonderful job crafting the teenagers Nova, Quentin, and Laura as they each are believable. Reading their actions and thoughts, though presented in 3rd person POV, is like seeing young people in the real world navigate tough situations.
First, Nova is an outcast who is able to defend others but crumbles at the thought of fighting for herself. Second, Quentin struggles coping with the world’s changed view of him since he became wheel-chair bound. Lastly, Laura is known as a big bully but there’s layers of trauma that shaped her demeanor and treatment of others that she hides.
Each of these three characters go through individual journeys while on this shared adventure in a new world. Though we as readers see more directly into Nova and Quentin’s stories, we can see, too, Laura’s character arc. All three young people are faced with decisions in which they have to choose who they are and who they want to be. And that is undeniably relatable to readers who are growing up themselves.
Good Guys & Bad Guys
Just as the primary young adult characters are well crafted, Bradford does an equally impressive job with secondary characters. The positive adults in the novel, like Mira and Zeke, Nova’s mother and grandfather respectively, are ones that mirror positive forces in young readers’ lives. Whereas Ishtar, among other portrayed antagonists, reflect identifiable self-serving enemies that are seen in our world, too. The bad guys show what happens when darkness takes hold and is allowed to consume one’s heart…a very poignant lesson to bring back to reality.
Biblical Parallels
Child of Prophecy by T. E. Bradford moved me to tears at several points, including parts that were simply awe-inspiring. One of the most awe-inspiring parts is when [redacted for spoilers]. The parallel between a seamless thread within Child of Prophecy by T.E. Bradford and the all-consuming, redeeming love freely given by Jesus Christ was absolutely beautiful. Bradford is able to share the love and power of our God through the fantasy figure of the High King. Her fictional narrative reminds us all, regardless of our age, that we are made in His image and He has a plan greater than our understanding. And to share that so eloquently in an elaborate fantasy world geared toward young readers? It should be on every teen’s library shelf.
Final Thoughts on Child of Prophecy by T. E. Bradford
It is absolutely beautifully written, and it should, without question, be added to the reading list of every fan of fantasy, clean fantasy romance, young adult fantasy, portal fantasy, and faith-infused/Christian fantasy! It is an excellent read with the narrative alone but the way Bradford weaves truths throughout and includes parallels to Christ’s redeeming love throughout the novel is spectacular.
Connect with T. E. Bradford
You can learn more about the author T.E. Bradford and about her other books by checking out her website.
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Another great review Kayla👍