The Oracle Betrayed

Reader reviewed by Bettina

Mirany lives in a Fantasy world called the Two Lands where gods rule through the Oracle. The Nine are priestesses who serve the Oracle, which the God speaks through. Mousy Mirany has just joined the Nine in the time of a devastating drought. When the Archon, the God-on-Earth, is sacrificed to help bring the rain, timid Mirany uncovers a plot of the High Priestess, Hermia, and the military leader, General Argelin to pick a new Archon they can control to have total power over the Two Lands. Her new job in the Nine is proof of this conspiracy; she is too well-behaved to cause any trouble while the new regime is instated. Mirany must overcome her shy and timid nature to team up with an arrogant and wily scribe, Seth, to peel back the layers of mysteries around their whole world to find the new Archon. As they proceed, both figure out that nothing is as it seems. Using deceptively simple language the author, Catherine Fisher, spins a world of a fascinating mix of Greek and Egyptian culture. At the same time, hidden meanings flourish and delight the reader with an ongoing chase for clues and answers. One such example is that of the gods thoughts in front of every house or section. The words are simple, but hard to understand the true meaning of; an explanation is called for and the reader must hunt for it. At every page, there is a new twist for readers to uncover and enjoy. The very motives of the characters are as varied as helping a sick family member to being reunited with the Archon reincarnated. The parallel storylines of Mirany and Seth provide for a very suspenseful reading experience. Just as everything else associated with this novel, the intended audience is not just straightforward, but a mix of fantasy and mystery/intrigue lovers. As the reader wades through the mysteries of The Oracle Betrayed, he/she must remember, like Seth and Mirany must, nothing is as it seems.

Reader reviewed by Ria

Mirany is chosen to be one of the nine priestesses, which surprises everyone. No one expected Mirany, a shy, mousy girl to serve the High Priestess, Hermia. When the Archon is sacrificed to the Gods, Mirany finds out that something is wrong. Hermia, along with Argelin, the general, have a plan to control the entire city. They are planning to chose the new Archon, a young boy of 10 years, so that he can be controlled by the two.

Its up to Mirany, with the help of Seth, a young scribe, to find the true Archon before its too late. With the advice of the late Archon, they save Oblek, his musician. Oblek and Seth go on a mission to find the true archon. But somehow, Miranys plan is leaked out and Hermia does all she can to get rid of Mirany. Seth and Oblek have to find a way to save Mirany and get Alexos to be chosen as the new archon before the nine days are up.

I thought that this book was ok. It was really hard to get into the story in the beginning. After a while, the twists and turns kept me reading, but the story wasnt that well written. I think that the Oracle Betrayed will suit younger readers more, which may be why I wasnt that interested. I liked how she fused the cultures of ancient Egypt and Greece together to make her own world. It will be interesting to see where Fisher takes the story next, since this is the first of a trilogy. Id recommend this to readers who love fantasy and adventure only.