Book Review for Stolen Prophet: The Prophet’s Mother by Julian M. Coleman
Stolen Prophet: The Prophet’s Mother, by Julian M. Coleman, is a supernatural thriller about doing whatever it takes to protect your loved ones.
Evelyn was chosen to become the next orisha, a sort of priestess that can only claim her title after she kills her own mother. Unable to stomach this, she runs away from her home and makes a new life elsewhere. Years later, she becomes the proud mother to little Victor Adamson, a boy who already possesses the abilities to become the next orisha. When he suddenly disappears one day, Evelyn takes it upon herself to return to her duties and find her son, especially when she finds out that he alone can save her from her cruel fate. Harry is a detective who is haunted by the deaths of both his mother and a young boy that he was unable to save. He decides to take on a case of a disappearance of a boy named Victor Adamson, and resolves to do everything in his power to find him. In this book, both Evelyn and Harry’s fates are intertwined, as they race to find Victor, all the while running from the ghosts of their pasts.
I liked Evelyn’s character. She was clearly adamant against killing her own mother, despite the fact that Grace will kill Evelyn if she doesn’t go through with it. This devotion was later extended to her son. Evelyn was willing to return to the world she long forsook, just for the comfort of knowing her son was alright. In this way, her character paralleled with Harry, who had to go through the same, traumatic experience of losing his own mother. Unlike her though, Harry failed to save a child, a boy who was abused and killed without any mercy. These two characters were affected by their tragedies, but even so, they still continue to live on with their lives., and I admire them for it.
This leads me to a recurring theme in the book, that whatever mistakes the parent made, the child will pay for. Over and over again I saw that divine punishment manifest in orishas, that the mother must kill the daughter, despite the love they may have for each other. This curse has tainted Evelyn’s bloodline for so long, and perhaps the only thing that can save them from this is Victor. In the same, non familial way is Harry and his young victim. He came too late, and because of that the poor child died at the hands of a monster. Their situations reminded me of a saying I read from somewhere, that “the sins of the mothers are the taproots of the future.” While it might not directly apply to Harry, it nonetheless conveys the same, horrific theme that Coleman so skillfully executed.
While there were a few mistakes here and there, I was entertained. The character parallels, as well as the sins of the parents, was well done. The fact that their fates depended on a small boy added to the suspense, and will further propel the series. As such, I would give this book a rainy of a 3.5 out of 5 stars, and would recommend it to those who enjoy The Killing Cure by C.S. Kendall and Clemenceau’s Daughters by Rocky Porch Moore.
