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Daughter Of Prophecy: A Novel
“Kill red-hair girl!
Scaled creatures of legend circle above the flaming castle, shrieking their hunger for Rhiannon, the red-haired daughter of prophecy. Dark beings tried to kill her at birth, the moment the prophecy was uttered, and now nearly sixteen years later they try again.
The winged horrors are massing once more. Their evil masters, the Great Ones, are poised to strike the land and seize the throne. Only this one young woman stands in their way. And so the dragon packs go hunting. In this land, strength of arm and skill with sword are required for survival. But no human blade can penetrate demon skin. Only those who can do battle on the spirit plane can render these creatures vulnerable to sword and arrow. Rhiannon is daughter of lords. Daughter of the sword. Daughter of prophecy.
Scaled creatures of legend circle above the flaming castle, shrieking their hunger for Rhiannon, the red-haired daughter of prophecy. Dark beings tried to kill her at birth, the moment the prophecy was uttered, and now nearly sixteen years later they try again.
The winged horrors are massing once more. Their evil masters, the Great Ones, are poised to strike the land and seize the throne. Only this one young woman stands in their way. And so the dragon packs go hunting. In this land, strength of arm and skill with sword are required for survival. But no human blade can penetrate demon skin. Only those who can do battle on the spirit plane can render these creatures vulnerable to sword and arrow. Rhiannon is daughter of lords. Daughter of the sword. Daughter of prophecy.
368 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 2, 2017
This book had potential, but it was dragged down with incredibly predictable plots and characters, repetitive writing, and an extreme lack of any sense of subtlety.
The world-building in the book is fine. It seems like there was (for the most part) a lot of thought put into it, though I do feel like some things were sort of unclear and not explained enough for me to fully understand the way it works in this world. I felt like there were too many clans and lords and keepers, and it was a little confusing at times to keep straight all of them and what their titles actually meant and how they ranked compared to each other. The map provided in the front of the book was helpful with understanding how the world was laid out geographically though, so I appreciate that.
One thing I wish had been included somewhere was a pronunciation guide. Considering there are new words and names like "rhyfelwr", "Eyslk", and "Adwr" that have these random consonants all together - how in the world am I supposed to pronounce them? Even some sort of hint within the story would have been fine. But without it, I was thrown out of the story any time those came up as I tried to figure out how to say it in my head.
My main problem with this story is probably the characters and the plot. It all felt so bland and by-the-book when it comes to fantasy stories. Generic chosen-one prophecy? Check. Generic tomboy girl who thinks feminine pursuits are a waste of time? Check. Generic young swordsman who is somehow the leader despite his age? Check. Generic obvious bad guy who is so super obviously evil but only all the main characters can see it? Check. Generic young child character who is wise and brave beyond his years? Check. And on and on and on.
There's nothing wrong with using common tropes - they exist for a reason after all - but not even trying to do something new with them or subvert them or do anything interesting at all with them? That disappointed me.
Another thing that I wasn't a huge fan of was probably the way the religion was handled in the book. I am a Christian, and I'm not instantly against religion in books - it all depends on how it's handled in the writing whether I like it as part of the story or not. And this one... It was just so obviously meant to be Christianity, just with names changed and seemingly no Christ-like-figure, that it was really boring. There wasn't any sort of interesting twist or insight. It was literally just Christianity with a different coat of paint.
In addition, I really didn't like that this religion and "the Eternal" was used as an excuse for all the insta-love relationships. Characters just look at each other for the first time and BAM, they're in love and destined to marry and be together forever. They know literally nothing about each other, but they just get this "feeling" that "the Eternal" has destined them to be together, so that's it, no questions asked.
That's not romantic or relatable. It's just lazy writing.
And speaking of lazy, there were so many times that a name was spelled one way, and then it would suddenly be spelled another way, or it would constantly change spelling. I understand that typos happen - no writer or editor is perfect - but I highly doubt anyone could miss a name changing from something like "Felden" to "Feldan" to "Feltan" all within the span of a few pages.
So yeah, I wasn't a fan of this. I was at first going to give it 2.5 stars, a pretty average, neither good nor bad rating, but I've decided to drop it down to 2 stars instead. It's not a terrible book. It's just incredibly boring and lackluster.
The world-building in the book is fine. It seems like there was (for the most part) a lot of thought put into it, though I do feel like some things were sort of unclear and not explained enough for me to fully understand the way it works in this world. I felt like there were too many clans and lords and keepers, and it was a little confusing at times to keep straight all of them and what their titles actually meant and how they ranked compared to each other. The map provided in the front of the book was helpful with understanding how the world was laid out geographically though, so I appreciate that.
One thing I wish had been included somewhere was a pronunciation guide. Considering there are new words and names like "rhyfelwr", "Eyslk", and "Adwr" that have these random consonants all together - how in the world am I supposed to pronounce them? Even some sort of hint within the story would have been fine. But without it, I was thrown out of the story any time those came up as I tried to figure out how to say it in my head.
My main problem with this story is probably the characters and the plot. It all felt so bland and by-the-book when it comes to fantasy stories. Generic chosen-one prophecy? Check. Generic tomboy girl who thinks feminine pursuits are a waste of time? Check. Generic young swordsman who is somehow the leader despite his age? Check. Generic obvious bad guy who is so super obviously evil but only all the main characters can see it? Check. Generic young child character who is wise and brave beyond his years? Check. And on and on and on.
There's nothing wrong with using common tropes - they exist for a reason after all - but not even trying to do something new with them or subvert them or do anything interesting at all with them? That disappointed me.
Another thing that I wasn't a huge fan of was probably the way the religion was handled in the book. I am a Christian, and I'm not instantly against religion in books - it all depends on how it's handled in the writing whether I like it as part of the story or not. And this one... It was just so obviously meant to be Christianity, just with names changed and seemingly no Christ-like-figure, that it was really boring. There wasn't any sort of interesting twist or insight. It was literally just Christianity with a different coat of paint.
In addition, I really didn't like that this religion and "the Eternal" was used as an excuse for all the insta-love relationships. Characters just look at each other for the first time and BAM, they're in love and destined to marry and be together forever. They know literally nothing about each other, but they just get this "feeling" that "the Eternal" has destined them to be together, so that's it, no questions asked.
That's not romantic or relatable. It's just lazy writing.
And speaking of lazy, there were so many times that a name was spelled one way, and then it would suddenly be spelled another way, or it would constantly change spelling. I understand that typos happen - no writer or editor is perfect - but I highly doubt anyone could miss a name changing from something like "Felden" to "Feldan" to "Feltan" all within the span of a few pages.
So yeah, I wasn't a fan of this. I was at first going to give it 2.5 stars, a pretty average, neither good nor bad rating, but I've decided to drop it down to 2 stars instead. It's not a terrible book. It's just incredibly boring and lackluster.
February 11, 2014
I love books like this so much. Prophecies, demons, dragons, swords, maidens and warriors…perfect. Everything about this book was so good, but I was most impressed by the writing. It was so beautiful and intoxicating. I wanted to live in Miles Owens’ words. If I were a highlighter with my books, you would only see pink (because that’s the color highlighter I would use) as you flipped through my copy of Daughter of Prophecy.
And the characters! Almost every chapter was told through a different characters’ point of view. Each of them were so diverse, with their own stories to be told. I won’t soon forget them. Rhiannon was obviously one of my favorites. She’s not the type to worry about brushing her hair or wearing pretty gowns, but give her a sword and you have her attention. I really liked that about her.
Lastly, the story itself kept me turning page after page. This book actually took me about two weeks to finish between class and work (which is super rare for me!), but I was actually glad that I took my time with it because I didn’t want it to end! I feel that the author put a lot of thought and time into his story, and for that I appreciate it greatly. It’s one of those books that shows up in my dreams at night and that I miss now that I’ve finished.
(click here for my full review!)
And the characters! Almost every chapter was told through a different characters’ point of view. Each of them were so diverse, with their own stories to be told. I won’t soon forget them. Rhiannon was obviously one of my favorites. She’s not the type to worry about brushing her hair or wearing pretty gowns, but give her a sword and you have her attention. I really liked that about her.
Lastly, the story itself kept me turning page after page. This book actually took me about two weeks to finish between class and work (which is super rare for me!), but I was actually glad that I took my time with it because I didn’t want it to end! I feel that the author put a lot of thought and time into his story, and for that I appreciate it greatly. It’s one of those books that shows up in my dreams at night and that I miss now that I’ve finished.
(click here for my full review!)
November 30, 2010
This book is definitely one of my favorites. Out of all the fantasy books on my bookshelves at home, this is the only one that I decided was worthwhile to bring to college.
June 6, 2023
Read this book if you love fantasy mixed with a healthy dose of Judeo-Christian flavor. Dragons, demons, knights, damsels, royalty - it's all there. Miles Owens has devised an incredible world with varying cultures, religions, lore, traditions, and clans. The characters all have compelling storylines, and feel uniquely distinct and satisfying with the potential for more development if there should ever be a sequel.
BUT...DON'T read this book if you consider yourself any kind of feminist. The book has an extremely traditional (i.e. backwards) treatment of women. [MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON]
The main protagonist, Rhiannon, is a female, whose birth is marked by a prophecy that she will be the protectoress of the land/covenant. She grows into a fiery young woman skilled with a blade. Only to discover that to fulfill the prophecy she must grow in her faith, marry the prince (to keep a demon in disguise from becoming queen), and produce male heirs. As one MALE character remarks, "What better way to fulfill the prophecy?" Really? Why make a stunning, fierce character, only to neuter her and reduce her value to that of babymaker. Rhiannon literally fought dragons and demons. Why have her abandon all that makes her unique and powerful at the tender age of 16 to take on the mantle of wife and mother, or as the story would have you believe are the "more acceptable" roles of a female?
Another female character bears the shame of aborting her baby after her intended has conveniently died from "lung fever", freeing the author from having to explore any male sense of guilt, responsibility, or consequences.
Possibly the worst treatment of women are the marriages. In this culture, young women at age 15 or 16 become available for suitors, and this stage lasts all of a few weeks or a few months depending on timing. Courtship may happen between close friends and neighbors, but there are also traditional "maiden pole ceremonies" (hello phallic symbolism) where young men and women dance around, make eye contact and marriage offers all in the same breath and are married within minutes. At age 16! Sure, the young woman can refuse, but she loses the protection of her family and has to refuse publicly in front of her entire clan. You know...no pressure. The tradition even continues with the prince. He chooses based on roughly 5 minutes of interaction and relative hotness who his future queen will be. WHAT? Rhiannon even thinks to herself how she was a child a few weeks ago and now she is a married woman about to bed her husband! Personally, I had a major YUCK moment when I realized the author - an older man - was writing about teenage girls giggling over having just had (or about to have) sex for the first time. It was cringe-worthy and not at all in honor of the wealth of emotions that actually accompany a young woman's first time.
This book is a HARD PASS for me, which is a shame because it has so many elements of what makes a great fantasy novel.
BUT...DON'T read this book if you consider yourself any kind of feminist. The book has an extremely traditional (i.e. backwards) treatment of women. [MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON]
The main protagonist, Rhiannon, is a female, whose birth is marked by a prophecy that she will be the protectoress of the land/covenant. She grows into a fiery young woman skilled with a blade. Only to discover that to fulfill the prophecy she must grow in her faith, marry the prince (to keep a demon in disguise from becoming queen), and produce male heirs. As one MALE character remarks, "What better way to fulfill the prophecy?" Really? Why make a stunning, fierce character, only to neuter her and reduce her value to that of babymaker. Rhiannon literally fought dragons and demons. Why have her abandon all that makes her unique and powerful at the tender age of 16 to take on the mantle of wife and mother, or as the story would have you believe are the "more acceptable" roles of a female?
Another female character bears the shame of aborting her baby after her intended has conveniently died from "lung fever", freeing the author from having to explore any male sense of guilt, responsibility, or consequences.
Possibly the worst treatment of women are the marriages. In this culture, young women at age 15 or 16 become available for suitors, and this stage lasts all of a few weeks or a few months depending on timing. Courtship may happen between close friends and neighbors, but there are also traditional "maiden pole ceremonies" (hello phallic symbolism) where young men and women dance around, make eye contact and marriage offers all in the same breath and are married within minutes. At age 16! Sure, the young woman can refuse, but she loses the protection of her family and has to refuse publicly in front of her entire clan. You know...no pressure. The tradition even continues with the prince. He chooses based on roughly 5 minutes of interaction and relative hotness who his future queen will be. WHAT? Rhiannon even thinks to herself how she was a child a few weeks ago and now she is a married woman about to bed her husband! Personally, I had a major YUCK moment when I realized the author - an older man - was writing about teenage girls giggling over having just had (or about to have) sex for the first time. It was cringe-worthy and not at all in honor of the wealth of emotions that actually accompany a young woman's first time.
This book is a HARD PASS for me, which is a shame because it has so many elements of what makes a great fantasy novel.
September 27, 2025
So I bought this book way back in high school because the cover had a red headed girl with a sword on it and the premise sounded interesting. I am also a red head so her personality really struck me as true. I will say the book was very dense with a LOT of lore. There was a lot of history and specialized knowledge of the world that was jammed into only 375 pages. So at times it was very dry as things were explained, albeit things we did need to know to make things make sense, but I had to force myself to read at times because if how MUCH I had to process just to move the plot forward. BUT. The ending of the book was very worth it. The last 8 chapters had me hooked, and made everything else worth it. It would have been really cool to have a sequal to this book as the ending kinda set up for one, but it seems this author never wrote another book. I'm not sure what happened to his writing career, as he very much can write, and writes well, but this book doesn't even seem to have much following. It was a really good one off and exceeded my expectations. If Miles Owens ever reads this, I hope you know I did enjoy this book and I'm glad I kept it all these years on my tbr. It was worth it and I'd totally read a sequal.
September 19, 2024
I did not finish this book. It started out great and interesting, and I felt like I would be able to finish it quickly. However, once it got into the politics of the story, I was lost. I've been trying to finish this book for over a year, and it's just not happening. I enjoyed the fantasy aspect of the book and the main plot was decent but it just lost my interest.
February 1, 2026
The book is well written-- the characters are well developed, with both strengths and weaknesses, lots of action, intrigue and suspense! I found myself rooting for the main characters, and other times saying, "NO! Don't do it!" Daughter of Prophecy by Miles Owens is a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat and can't-put-down book!
January 20, 2016
Over all a good medievil story. The fantasy world Miles created & the clan structures described reminded me of places familiar in my mind of the Scottish Highlands. Makes a great backdrop for this coming of age tale wrapped in prophecy, faith, terror and battle in both physical and spiritual realms.
August 17, 2008
LOVED IT!!! :D
August 14, 2012
its a good book^^ i cant wait for the next one i love rihanna shes my favorite am not a big fan of the cover tho...
November 17, 2013
I really loved this book! I can't wait until the next one is published, but I can't seem to find anything telling me when it will come out!
April 30, 2014
I absolutely loved this book. Fantastic storyline, great ending and I'm a little upset that there hasn't been a sequel yet.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews