this was an okay book, i just don't think i will be reading anything from this author again. we'll see

I really enjoyed the mythology created for this world. However, I had trouble connecting with the characters and found the multiple points of view distracting at times. With an overarching theme of self-discovery and acceptance, The Seer's Curse is a good book and a solid debut for the author.

This book was hard for me to get into but it may be a good fit for younger readers. It is a fantasy book.

Fantastic and magical. The best two words I can give this novel. And they’re strange to hear from me. That’s how good this book was.

I found the main story to be quite basic and a wee bit dull, but the mythology stories were lovely. I would read a whole book of those.

For middle grade children they would love this.
For anyone even slightly older, not so much.
The story was well executed and very interesting - it reminded me slightly of the chaos walking trilogy.

I DNFd this book at 51% and because of that, I chose not to rate it. However, you have to add a rating to submit a review on NetGalley. So I went with 2.

Cover Art:
The cover art is really interesting and was the main thing that caught my eye when I saw this book on NetGalley. The cover looked awesome and the synopsis sounded promising, so I requested it. I like all the small drawings on the cover and now after reading some of the books I actually get what most of them are/mean.

Why I DNFd:
So honestly, this book was just boring. I DNFd at 51%, so I gave it a fair chance but so far it was just dull and not much has happened.

The book felt very familiar. The whole idea of a child is born and things start going wrong and the village thinks the child is at fault or cursed and blames them for everything *cough* The Trials of Morrigan Crow *cough*. There was also a story in, I think, Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo that started similarly. So I wasn't overly impressed with the set up for the story. 
There was also the idea of the Seer, which I thought was kinda pointless. He basically just watches over everything. Which also reminded me of the movie Happily Never After, with the pig and whatever the hell that pink thing is watching over the fairytales playing out. However, in this one, the Seer doesn't have a magical set of scales that if bumped everything goes to hell. The seer does, however, have a map thing that he moves pieces around on that represents the different characters in the story. I saw someone say that he uses the map to control the characters, but in the couple times, the map was mentioned in what I read that wasn't the case. It was more like he moves them around after something happens so he can keep track of where they are. So no he isn't controlling them with the pieces. Also for that reason, I think it was kinda pointless, why does it matter if he keeps track of them on a map? Really what did that add to the story? But also, did the author get that idea from that map in Spy Kids were the weird scientist dude keeps track of the hybrid creatures on the island from inside his volcano?????

The writing wasn't anything to rave about either and I didn't enjoy the multi-POV. It wasn't specified at the start of the chapter whose POV we were reading from, which can be fine if it is written well. However, all the POVs just felt the same, there was nothing distinct that made it feel like a different person's POV. It also just randomly swapped to a person that we hadn't heard from before, so that got confusing as well. 
I also didn't like the huge jump in time. The first jump was fine. We see Orleigh's birth, which played a part and then we jumped to when she was a kid. That jump in time was fine, it was done well. The next one is after Orleigh is taken to Teymos and it jumps 10 years ahead. That would be fine, however, nothing adjusted to account for the fact that the main person we are following at the time is no longer a kid, he is like 17 or something now! Yet, he still acts like a whining child and it feels like he hasn't grown up at all. There was just a bit of disconnect with Piprin after that point. 

What I liked:
I did like the addition of the 'myths' throughout the book. They were just short little tales that Piprin's mother told and they were quite interesting. They always had a moral to tell that helped the kids through something that was going on in the story. 
Those were the only things that really stood out as well done for me, so this section is very short. 

Overall:
Overall, it could have been a lot better with a few small tweaks. I in no way hated the book, but it just wasn't captivating my attention and it felt like just a few aspects that I have seen before in movies and books thrown together. Which wasn't enough to motivate me to continue reading.

This was an intricate storyline, with characters being moved about like chess pieces to get them in place for big reveals and shocks for the reader. The integration of the myths from the world the writer has created was a nice touch and lent it a sense of gravitas and history whilst also allowing the writer to both guide the characters and also give the reader hints and clues for what was to come.

Orleigh is a fierce protagonist and I can see her becoming a role model for girls if, as the ending seems to suggest, there is going to be a sequel which develops and continues her story, however I really felt that this was Piprin's story and I'm not sure that's the effect the writer was going for. The sections with The Seer lost a bit of their impact as they seemed at times to be there just to remind us that he existed and not to further the plot.

Overall this was an enjoyable fantasy and, if it does turn out to have a sequel, then I'd be interested in checking it out, but the story didn't grab me enough to leave me waiting with baited breath for the next one.

This is a really beautiful book and I recommend this to all ages. It follows the journey of two main characters who are trying to change their fate. I loved how there was a bit of everything included- action, mythology- however, the pacing was slightly lacking, which made the reader want to finish it for the sake of knowing what happens next. Also, a few questions were left open-ended, and if there was a second book in a series, I would love to read it! Overall I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to children of all ages!

"Many paths, one fate."

A fantasy MG/YA tale that takes the two main characters, Orleigh and Piprin, on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance. The Seer's Curse is a story about getting fate back on track, and everyone having a role to play in that. The overarching theme that I took away was that every person has a role to play in this predestined journey, and that things are more complicated than meets the eye.

"Focus on what you are, not on what you are not, and be grateful for your blessings."

The book opens with Orleigh's birth and the death of her mother Alea. This one night changes everything for the village, and everyone believes Orleigh to be cursed. She is sent away to live in the Land of the Gods and everyone in the village believes her to be dead. But ten years later her best friend Piprin learns that she may still be alive and embarks on a dangerous journey to rescue her. Piprin is on the precipice of adulthood at 17, and his father keeps telling him that he needs to leave childish things behind and become an adult (and help on the farm). He embarks on this heroic journey and becomes comfortable with who he is.

Exposition and worldbuilding is done slowly through the inclusion of myths, and I LOVE that the creation myth has a female god! The myths serve as a means for the author to foreshadow philosophical problems ahead of the main plot (such as the famous utilitarian Trolley Problem), and the myths also provide a sort of religious precedent for the actions of the villagers.

"Sometimes we face difficult choice and, although it is hard, we must act for the greater good."

I really enjoyed the overall storyline, as well as the weaving of myths throughout the book, but I never really connected with the story and personally found the narrative a bit disjointed and repetitious. The majority of the Seer segments were the same thing over and over again, and while I am sure the intention was that it would add to the mystery of his agenda, it didn't bring anything new to the narrative. The entire story is told in third person, but there are multiple perspectives that the reader encounters: Piprin, Orleigh, Scorlan, the Seer, Beighlen - and I found that the multiple narratives detracted from the story. I wish that it would have been focused on Orleigh and Piprin's POVs, and perhaps just the beginning "curses the sands of time! fate!" Seer POV in a prologue. I am also wondering why the promise of the future favor was referred to at the end of the book but was not addressed, but it is likely to leave an opening for a sequel.

This is a book about acceptance and self discovery, both good themes for MG/YA; the writing is a little more suited to YA in my opinion. While the writing style was not really for me, I found the story to be enjoyable and it is a heartwarming story of friendship.

The Seer has his own agenda, which is kind of ironic really when you think of how so-called mediums can convince their clients to lean towards certain decisions. Self-fulfilling prophecies used on an entire village, it’s quite a clever ruse. Unfortunately his plan includes having an innocent child isolated from her friends, family and village.

With a mass or herd mentality the rumour of a supposed curse gains a lot of speed and the Chinese whisper communication method helps to flame the fires of paranoia. Soon every death, every illness and the diminishing food supply is blamed upon the child born under a dark cloud of sorrow and death.

The story of Orleigh is interspersed with short tales of mythology, not of the Greek variety, but rather an entire world of mythology built by Faulks for this story. I liked the idea of the myths being told to teach morals or show an example of good behaviour. The stories within a story. However there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. The author uses the feature too often, which detracts from the characters and the rest of the story.

Aside from that this is a very strong debut. The author and the plot both have a lot of potential. The characters are memorable and I am looking forward to seeing where the author takes Orleigh and Piprin. Faulks is a natural storyteller, who isn’t afraid to be innovative and follow through with bold ideas.

This book was interesting and Its the first time I've read a scifi in a long time though reading it again was interesting.