Ashfall Prophecy (The Ashfall Legacy, #2)

This sequel picks up where Ashfall Legacy left off. Syd Chambers and his friends are in a race to prevent a galactic war with the deadly history they learned about the true past of humans. Their actions will determine the fate of the entire human species which makes for a suspenseful read. Syd is continuing to grow into his unwanted position of authority. He is also armed with a terrible vision of the future that he will become a world killer and blow up a planet of humans in the future.
Each of his crew members becomes a more dynamic character as they come to terms with the revelation of the human's ancestral past. Syd has never had a chance to make friends before so seeing him form bonds is compelling.
The story has interludes told from the second-person perspective which felt like an awkward viewpoint. I wish it had been worded differently and am a bit unsure why that writing style was used. I did like the information Darcy’s character brought since she chose Reno’s side when the past was revealed. Her interludes allowed us to keep tabs on Reno’s devolving sanity. She is also set up at the end to be the counterpoint to Syd’s possible future actions.
Reno becoming an archvillain was surprising. However, racing to head her off from starting a war made for lots of action and suspense. The Etherazi made for a confusing character. The visions he showed kept coming true despite Syd’s actions. Yet, the creature's motivations for setting up the events remain a mystery. Also, I am not sure why the Etherazi showed Darcy the vision of her future. The book let off on a mysterious note about that major vision and I never did see what the Etherazi must gain from acting the way it did.
For most of this book, I listened to the audiobook and it was well done. I enjoyed the duology overall and think this was another good read for fans of Pitticus Lore. There are a few plot points I wish were tighter but those did not prevent me from finding this an engaging read.

ASHFALL PROPHECY is an engaging sci-fi read that picks up after ASHFALL LEGACY. Jumping right back into the action, Syd is now finding his way on the universal stage. Syd lived on Earth with his mother, after his alien father had died keeping a secret about the past between Denza and humanity. As Syd got caught up in a prophecy that proclaimed him to be something dangerous, and he has learned that his decisions may have rippling effects.

What I loved: This is a really fun sci-fi series with aliens, different planets, ships, and more. The premise is really intriguing with the prophecy and secrets that may be tied up together and have important implications to how things will play out in the series. The pace is quick and pulls the reader into the story with the story primarily told from Syd's point-of-view, as well as interludes from another character in the second-person.

The characters are really strong in the series, particularly amongst Sid's companions. These are teens who are trying to do their best while dealing with some heavy potential consequences. There are some major themes around human nature, morality of decisions, and fate that really drive the story and make it quite thought-provoking in places.

Final verdict: Overall, ASHFALL PROPHECY is an entertaining YA sci-fi/fantasy read with great characters and an intriguing premise. Recommend reading this series in order!