Feather of Prophecy: A supernatural post apocalyptic urban fantasy with a touch of romance

by Claudia Blood

The human world and the world of myth have merged. Ordinary individuals must become extraordinary if they hope to save it.

A curse, a prophecy, and a witch. What will he sacrifice to free his twin sister?

For almost fifteen years, Wren has worked to break the curse that haunts his The twins in their family meet a fiery death at the age of thirty.

Wren must embark on a dangerous journey to find the ONE thing that can save his sister, and hopefully discover the reason for the family curse.

The only way to break the malediction is to find a bonded witch. But witches are rare and ones willing to work with a mage even rarer.

He soon finds that the curse is bigger than his sister, his family, or his people. The very world depends upon his quest. But his enemies are closing in and they have unexpected allies.

With only days remaining, will he break the curse or will a betrayal leave the world in flames?

This is the third book in the Merged series. It can be read as a standalone, but is best read in order.

224 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2024

About the author

In spite of a busy life wrapped around a military husband, two young children, a dog, bunnies, and a day job, Claudia Blood manages to pen cozy, urban, and science fantasies.

My upcoming books:
A Christmas Tail, Horizon Echo, and Scale of the Dragon

Reviews

[Cath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book here of the Merged series and concentrates on the characters Wren, an Aero and mage, and Valeria, a witch. Wren had to send his twin sister away to stay with his best friend Walter, because of a prophecy within his family. If he did not and they got close to each other, his sister would sacrifice herself and burst into flames like his ancestors. He has been trying to find clues to the prophecy he blames himself for putting on them some fifteen years ago, when he allowed his sister to go into a fortune tellers shop. He is no further forward in trying to solve the riddle which must be done before their thirtieth birthday, which is fast approaching. He lives in the rookery and has a visiting witch staying there called Valeria. She is seeking help in solving her own sister’s predicament and the curse of their family’s female line. Each female in their family shares their very being with a demon, after a distant relative, Isabella, made a deal with a powerful demon, to fully open the rift between their world and the Abyss, allowing all kinds of demonic creatures to come forth. All the rest of her family are dark witches, possessed by demons, but Valeria managed to break her bond with her demon, in a process that cost her cousin her life. She has to flee their family home and is now trying to ensure her sister, who is pregnant, does not have a demon latch onto her baby as soon as it is born.

Wren needs a bonded witch, says the prophecy, to break the line of sacrifices which would see him destroy his own sister in fire. But their curse and prophecy are much bigger than either Wren or Valeria realise and they soon find their lives connected and the outcome if they fail, could mean the end of their world as they know it. Enemies have been plotting and scheming for hundreds of years to put in place events that would lead to the Abyss being opened fully for them. Willing humans, be they mage or witch, have agreed to this dark plan and will do everything they can to stop them from breaking their numerous plots and the outcome they have waited so long for. Just before the middle of this book, there is a huge crossover of the previous books tale of Rose and Max, with the twisted wizard pair and witch of Hope, having one plan to open the Abyss, and this being told from another POV. Demonic forces are moving in and will do anything to ensure the outcome they have wished for. Alex, from the Archive, will be a huge help as they seek knowledge of what to do and Valeria is the one to realise the meeps are not as destructive as all the wizards and mages had first thought, instead having something they are themselves seeking and just needed a safe place to congregate, leaving behind a dragon egg!

Looking after this egg, will lead Wren to some new discoveries as Valeria shows him signs of Phoenixes all over the Rookery, which he had been unable to see until she helped him with her witch sight. Long ago, their enemies tried to kill off the last phoenix, leaving it unable to die and rise again, but Wren and his sister’s prophecy are a huge part of seeing if that will come true or not, and he needs Valeria to help him as a witch. They approach magic completely differently and Wren must learn how to acknowledge his feelings and use them as part of the process. There is a touch of attraction between them, but neither is willing to let it interfere with their main objective of working out the prophecy and ensuring his sister’s safety, as well as helping Valeria break the curse on her own sister. Thankfully, Valeria is a very powerful witch and manages to break Max free of the controlling element tying him to his quest against his own wishes, but his memories will have to return naturally, or maybe not at all. There is another young character who has a key part in what happens in the Rookery and Archive, as well as her dog Blackie, who saved her life before Wren allowed her to begin studying magic at the Rookery. There will be an element of betrayal in the tale and demonic possession, but they will also play a role in helping Wren and stopping him from sending his world up in flames, along with his sister. A few bits of misdirection nearly scupper their tasks, but have faith and see if good will triumph over evil. Isabella is still free and needs to succeed or pay a horrible price to her demon master, so more to come and I look forward to seeing what happens next.

I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

4 ½ stars

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This contemporary supernatural post apocalyptic urban fantasy with a touch of romance is page-turning with exceptional world-building that is dark and dangerous and intriguing, captivating, and realistic, strong characters.
The human world and the world of myth have merged. Ordinary individuals must become extraordinary if they hope to save it.

A curse, a prophecy, and a witch. What will he sacrifice to free his twin sister?

For almost fifteen years, Wren has worked to break the curse that haunts his family: The twins in their family meet a fiery death at the age of thirty.
Their journey is enthralling with the feather of prophecy, Wren embarking on this dangerous journey to find the ONE thing that can save his sister, and hopefully discover the reason for the family curse, only way to break the malediction is to find a bonded with which is a problem because they are rare, heartfelt emotions, action, adventure, curse, betrayal, enemies, danger, and more. I recommend reading this book by an extraordinary author who knows how to captivate her readers' hearts and attention with the feather of prophecy and a touch of romance that is sure to transport readers into a fantasy world that is magical and unforgettable.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Carinkla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book of the merged series and, like the others, could be read as a stand alone. But for the best experience I would recommend reading the previous books also since they really compliment each other. This book overlaps the story of part two but from a totally different point of view. It's from the point of view of Wren, a character that was already present in the first two books, and a new character Valeria. These two characters are very sympathetic, and human ( even though both of them are supernatural) The side characters are also very relatable. I really feel kind of ‘at ‘home’ in the merged world.

This book, just like each of the others, has a different kind of story. This one focuses on relations between people and magical connections ( even through generations.) Magic plays a large role and there even is a epic magical battle. But I really like that you find out that during the events of book two, where a lot of things were going on, it turns out that Wren and Valeria were also experiencing their own story and that that was also impacted at that moment. Thus the writer has created a multi-layered story that was never predictable and paced in such a way that its easy to follow and never gets boring.

[Delphia Von Heeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feather of Prophesy is book 3 in The Merged Series by Claudia Blood. I found this book to be non stop action and excitement. Prince Wren is trying to break the family curse and save his twin sister, Alesia. Valeria, a white witch, helps Wren. I believe that the characters in this book and series are very well written. The author does a fabulous job of writing the action and keeping the reader interested. A new twist in the story is the dragon's egg. I can't wait to see what the baby dragon will be! I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Rose Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fourth installment in the “Merged Series” starts out running this well-written, original series is worth the read. This tale is exciting, with danger around every corner. The drama, action, and intense situations ensure a lot of twists and turns are masterfully woven together to create an unforgettable experience. I love this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Hanna Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been an awesome series and I enjoyed the third book. It has captured me from the beginning and I look forward to the next book!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Witch-at-Heart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read It was slow starting for me but once it picked up I found the magic system interesting and I was fascinated by the family curse. It was definitely worth finishing and was a good quick read.

[AMBER CLARK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feather of Prophesy is book 3 in The Merged Series by Claudia Blood. It's dark and dangerous and intriguing with a curse, a prophecy, and a witch. It's magical and unforgettable. This book could be read as a stand alone.