J ian is supposed to be the child of prophecy who will save his kingdom from the Eternal Khan. However, when Taishi—a legendary martial artist—is sent to assess him, she finds that he is an inexperienced brat who is nowhere near ready to face the Khan. This makes her decide to takes up training him herself. The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu presents badass characters and a refreshing spin on the old chosen one trope. The author himself is an experienced martial artist, and, without a doubt, this is evident in the book’s fight scenes. Characters are leaping while fighting and the choreography is a whole lot of fun to read. However, the timing of the story’s jokes gave me tonal whiplash. Even a major character death was followed up by quip. If serious scenes are treated as a joke, it’s hard for me to feel the emotional stakes and feel invested in the story. All in all, this book is an entertaining (albeit shallow) ode to wuxia that just wasn’t for me. Thank you, NetGalley and...