Customer Reviews

Daughter Of Prophecy: A Novel

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In the first moments after her birth, a monk was lead by the Eternal to prophesy that Rhiannon would be a Protectoress of the Covenant. As the monk foretells the child's future, another monk losses control of his body and attempts to murder the baby girl. While Rhiannon was saved, her mother is killed.

The daughter of Lord Tallen Rogath of Clan Dinari, Rhiannon, now 16, has grown to be a beautiful young woman with flaming red hair. With her prophesy showing no sign of coming to pass, she is searching for her purpose in life. Trained in fighting along with her brothers, she is more comfortable with a sword at her side than learning to act like a lady. Then a sudden attack of an ancient evil with winged horrors reveals that the enemy considers Rhiannon to be a serious threat to his plans. With a spiritual battle forming, Rhiannon may be the determining factor in the outcome.

Daughter of Prophesy was a good Christian fantasy novel. The whole story premise was very attention-grabbing and the book stayed interesting the whole way through. With the combination of a spiritual aspect along with the fantasy, it was very much like a Karen Hancock novel. Miles Owens' debut novel has a few flaws, but is overall very well-written. I've given it 4.5 stars.

As we begin this read the author immediately draws you into the saga of the Rogoth family, the poorest of the Dinari clans; this family is above the rest in integrity. We witness the birth of a red-haired baby girl, whose arrival seems to shake the universe as upon her arrival a prophecy is spoken forth that she will be a Protectress of the Covenant, a promise given by the Eternal to protect the people from the evil Mighty Ones and their demonic forces that thurst to control the world. At that moment death enters the room and her mother and several monks, who were in attendance at her birth die; the prophecy is tucked away in the minds of those present for a time; however never forgotten and waiting to be awakened.
Nearly sixteen years later the baby girl Rhiannon is about to come of age and as she is on a journey with her father they are assaulted by Winged Horrors, evil demons sent by the Mighty Ones, who speak their purpose, "Kill the red- haired girl."
We are introduced to other clans and their leaders; we learn their purpose and their hearts intent on matter of commerce and see where their allegiance lies concerning the worship of the Eternal. For some Rhiannon and the prophecy spoken long ago must be eliminated from the equation so their evil purposes may be fulfilled. The battle begins, good against evil as Rhiannon awakens to the emotions of becoming a woman and the fulfillment of her destiny.
It would be impossible to explain the entire storyline of this novel to you as it has countless twists and turns and complex character development. However, I will tell you that author Miles Owens is a master at weaving together a story, that although has great depth it flows almost seamless and guides you down the river to a very satisfying conclusion.
You have good against evil, characters that drip with personalities that you can love and hate. Those who chose The Eternal, you admire and cheer for their victory, as they struggle to not only overcome demonic forces without, but overcome their own demons within. And the ones whose allegiance is to The Mighty One you find yourself wrapped in emotions as real as if you were living the moment. The author teases you with mystery, lures you with romance, shocks you with supernatural and gently weaves within his words, in a very subtle way, Christian concepts that would not take away from the storyline for those who are not Christian, yet certainly add to it for those who are.
This is an outstanding work, a novel that you will certainly enjoy reading from start to finish. Well done and recommended.

I was immediately swept up in Rhiannon's story and was not settled back into the realm of reality until the tale was finished (at least until the book ran out of pages). Owens is my new favorite, and I encourage even the hesitant fantasy reader to sample this sweet, easy to "digest" yet gourmet tale.
The mystifying prophecy of the "Protectoress of the Covenant" spoken over Rhiannon at birth comes to fruition as she reaches womanhood and deals with the conflict of adult responsibility and the dreams of childhood. The demands of her resented feminine role and the confusion of budding womanhood combine with fears about fulfilling her birth prophecy now that the winged beasts of legends begin hunting her. The Eternal remains faithful and brings guardians in both the physical and spiritual realm to stand alongside her as she begins realizing her potential and the Eternal's will for her future.
Owens enters the world of Christian fantasy with a breathtaking plunge. His intricately crafted world, introduced so easily and naturally through introduction of characters the reader cares about, grasps the imagination and lulls the mind into believing the truth of the tale. Heart-pounding suspense and surprising twists keep the reader involved, hoping, and guessing until the very satisfying conclusion. In addition to a wonderful ending, Owens weaves the threads of story's second tapestry even as the threads of the first are knotted and severed.
This one goes on my keeper shelf to be repeatedly revisited when my heart, finally beating at its normal pace again, longs to return to the pounding excitement, romance, and adventure I experienced in Rhiannon's world.

Daughter of Prophecy is one of the debut books of Realms, the first CBA imprint to be dedicated solely to speculative fiction. It centers around Rhiannon, a girl who, because of a prophecy spoken over her at birth, aspires to be a great warrior, riding through the land, doing spiritual battle and slaying the great winged horrors. But as she reaches adulthood, her father and guardians all conspire to make a lady out of her. When winged horrors actually do appear, she finds them much more terrifying than she reckoned for, and complicating her life is a spark of interest for a tall, young swordsman from another clan, who suddenly has eyes only for another girl. Why must life be so difficult?

Not till Rhiannon surrenders her idea of how her birth prophecy should play out to the Eternal, and bends her knee to him in complete submission, is she released to walk in that prophecy the way the Eternal intends--and she finds her life entwined with the swordsman's in a way she never dreamed.

I was frankly expecting another run-of-the-mill medieval fantasy tale about a warrior maiden and dragons--but Miles Owens writes with so much intimacy and warmth, I was swept away almost immediately. His account of farm life is so vivid you can smell the hay, his characters are sympathetic and well-rounded, and as a research buff myself, I was delighted to find his warfare details and swordfights accurate and real without being overly self-conscious. I also appreciated the fact that Owens doesn't try to make any kind of feminist statement with Rhiannon and her sword training, and neither is he condescending about the value of a woman's role in the family.

The story is wide open for a sequel, or more--in fact, too many loose ends were left dangling for there not to be at least a second book. I look forward to reading more by this first-time author!

In 1201 Lady Eyslk gives birth to a healthy girl Rhiannon de Murdeen en Rogoth of Clan Dinari. The father Lord Tellan is elated though dazed at becoming a first time father. However as the Loreteller Girard begins to scribe the birthing information on parchment, monks from the Keepers of the Covenant surprise everyone when they arrive to predict the newborn babe would become the Protectoress of the Covenant and bring affluence to the land. However, the elderly monk tries to kill the baby; after quite a struggle he dies, but not before he murders Eyslk.

Just under sixteen years later, her home is in fiery ruins as dragons take to the sky to stop the prophecy from happening so that they can rule the Broken Stone Lands from the sky, They must kill Rhiannon as the only potential threat. Her tutor Lakenna has taught her more than just book knowledge. Only a teen, she is the one person who can enter the spirit plane to weaken unbeatable dragons and their even more invincible evil masters(demons) so that they can be harmed by master sword fighters and archers on the mortal plane. She is the red haired DAUGHTER OF PROPHECY, but has a long weary quest to meet what has been foretold about her since birth.

This is an extremely exciting fantasy that opens at a fevered pitch and never slows down until the concluding battle occurs with the above paragraphs only describe the beginning of Rhiannon's geas. The cast is strong enabling the audience to believe in dragons, demons and wars on a spiritual plane. Readers who enjoy good vs. evil confrontations will appreciate Rhiannon's tale, sort of like Saint Joan and the Dragon.

Harriet Klausner

This book was an excellent first novel. I cannot believe the publisher has not picked up the trilogy! I keep checking back in the bookstores, but no second book has appeared. With the great need for engaging Christian fiction, this book stands a league above some of the other trite books that call themselves good reading! I implore Strang Communications to reconsider and publish this series.

In Miles Owens's book Daughter of Prophecy, a battle between good and evil is looming. At the center is Rhiannon, a girl who at her birth was prophesied to be the Protectoress of an Ancient covenant. At first she believes her prophecy to be literal and she trains with her brothers in sword fighting. But as the story progresses, she realizes the Eternal might have something entirely different in mind. Helping her in this process is a repentant religious leader and her foreign teacher. Meanwhile, the Mighty Ones are sending winged horrors determined to destroy her before she can fulfill the prophecy.

There are subtle christian messages throughout this book. The Eternal can use us only if we let go of all our wants and desires, and He is always standing by to help. Evil is truly evil and powerful, yet prayer can help destroy it. Owens does a good job of developing the characters and allowing them to grow in the story line. There are many characters, yet Owens makes it easy to keep track of them. Even the secondary character's actions will have an impact on the outcome of the battle.

Daughter of Prophecy is a great christian fantasy book. I look forward to reading the sequel.

CSFFC Ratings:
Teen Friendly: A
Christian Message: A
Crude or Profane language: A(none)
Drug or Alcohol: A-
Sexual Content: A(none)
Writing: A-(Solid writing. A few editing mistakes)

JoEtta Dingman
Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Central Reviewer

The hottest genre in fiction today has to be speculative Christian fiction, and things just got even more exciting with the publication of Miles Owens' Daughter of Prophecy. It's a remarkable debut novel that any fan of fantasy will simply revel in. The Christian message inside the story is subtle yet palpable, adding great depth to an already fantastic story. You've got demons, terrifying Winged Horrors, duplicity, furious combat, heroics that only love and the Eternal can inspire, and a wealth of wonderful characters. At the center of it all stands Rhiannon, a feisty, fiery-headed young Lady born under a prophecy to the proud Rogoth family, the poorest of the Dinari clans. Prophecy declared that she would be a Protectress of the Covenant, a guard against new inroads by the Mighty Ones and a herald to strengthen worship of the Eternal throughout the land. Many years in the past, the Eternal had established his covenant with the people, insuring them protection from the demonic monsters that had laid waste to the land.

As the oldest child of Lord Tellan, Rhiannon cares nothing about girly things, preferring to train as a warrior. Her training stands her well when she and her family are attacked by Winged Horrors, horrible creatures that had descended into almost mythical status over the years since the establishment of the Eternal's Covenant of protection. Chanting "Kill red-haired girl," there is no mystery as to the target of their attack. With their leathery skin, the Horrors are almost impossible to kill - but Rhiannon unknowingly has new allies capable of taking on the evil on the spiritual plane. Only the strength of prayer weakens the creatures and makes them vulnerable. Rhiannon must learn a lot about herself and her relationship with the Eternal in order to fill the promise of her birth - she cannot do it alone.

When you begin a story filled with different clans with their own complex motivations, you worry that you may have trouble keeping all of the characters straight. That is not a problem here, though, as Miles Owens does a wonderful job developing secondary as well as primary characters, detailing the customs and traditions of each clan, and establishing the spiritual forces at work on a number of different levels. The economic ties established by Lord Tellan, Rhiannon's father, for instance, have a critical impact on events, and the schemes and manipulations of different clan leaders keep things very interesting. Perhaps nothing is as fascinating as the marriage rituals of the clans, and these prove crucial to the Eternal's plans.

I wish I could talk about all of the other wonderful characters, but Rhiannon and a young warrior named Harred stand head and shoulders above the rest. They, along with Rhiannon's foreign teacher and a newly repentant religious leader, must search their hearts, overcome their past stumblings and weaknesses, and place their lives completely in the hands of the Eternal if they are to survive and defeat the most powerful of human as well as demonic antagonists. But the story is even much deeper than that, as Rhiannon's prophecy has dimensions that will surprise even her as events continue to unfold.

As I said, the Christian message of the story is subtle but powerful. Even the strongest of characters is nothing on his/her own, especially when going up against the superhuman strength of those serving the evil Mighty Ones. The Eternal stands ready to help at all times, but that help can only come when individuals put away their own desires and fears and place themselves wholly under the Eternal's will. Daughter of Prophecy is an absolutely thrilling story told in the most compelling of ways. Miles Owens is the kind of writer that makes would-be authors shake their heads, wondering if they will ever be able to write in such an impressive, seemingly effortless narrative fashion.

I don't want any potential readers to be turned off by the Christian underpinnings of the story. This is not fantasy for Christians so much as it is Christian-inspired speculative fiction for all fans of the fantasy genre and lovers of well-told tales. Daughter of Prophecy is as good a work of fantasy as I've read in a long time.

All the previous reviews tell you what the basic premise of this book is, a tantalizing bit of plot, that it is well-written, AND that it is an excellent first novel for author Owens. I agree with those statements.

But what is not told here is that new Christian fantasy is far and few between (his publisher put out four. Will there be more?) The Christian publishers--for years--stayed away from it and only re-published C.S. Lewis' Narnia or sent you to read Lord of the Rings and general market fantasy. A smattering here and there, but not a stronghold as a genre.

This book is well done, and if you appreciate Christian fantasy, you should be buying this. Why? 1. Because you like the genre and we all have said it's good. You'll enjoy it if you like Christian fantasy and a good story. 2. To let publishing companies know that we want more. 3. I really like it that there is a strong woman character and she meets her match in every way--definitely can appeal to women.

I hope Miles Owens is writing more of this sort of book. He'll only get better, and is already a really strong writer. More, Miles, more!

Rhiannon Rogoth faced her first battle shortly after birth. After a pronouncement that she would become a Protectress of the Covenant, a demon controlled monk attacked. Rhiannon survived this first fight, but he mother wasn't as lucky. Sixteen years later little more has happened. In her highland home Rhiannon trains daily with sword and bow for the day she will step into the role of Protectress. One day winged horros appear out of legend, laying her home waste and destroying their livestock.
Returning from town with supplies and a new tutor, Rhiannon's party is also attacked by winged horrors. Circling overhead, the creatures hiss "Kill Red-Haired Girl! Kill Red-Haired Girl!"
Weapons have no affect on the monsters until aid arrives on the spirtual plane in the form of prayers by the new tutor, and an unknown follower of The Eternal.
Differences must be set aside if Rhiannon or even her clan are to survive. Set against a backdrop of political manueverings, Rhiannon must yield to The Eternal to overcome both phsyical and spiritual attacks. Tension mounts as clans and friends are drawn into the fray, and sides chosen. Past secrets haunt her closest allies, threatening destruction of everyone and everything by the evil Mighty Ones.
Only sixteen, can Rhiannon save herself. let alone her country from the evil that is loosed once more?