The Zodiac Proposition: PIG by Jelani King is an ambitious dark fantasy that introduces a world of pirates, witches and treasure. At its core, this is a story about three teenagers, Jaden, William, and Alicia, and their adventures on a mysterious island. On this (seemingly nameless) island, pirates are a daily fact of life and adults offer no real protection. It’s a book that has some issues with the writing and editing, but if you can look past these surface issues it is nonetheless a fun and gripping read throughout.
The Zodiac Proposition opens with our three heroes already in trouble, captured by pirates and facing danger as an everyday reality on the island. What begins as a familiar brush with danger quickly spirals into something far stranger, as death proves temporary, survival follows unfamiliar rules, and it becomes clear that the island is governed by forces beyond brute strength. Alongside this adventure is a mysterious witch who strikes a dangerous bargain with William and Sydney, a large pig revealed to be one of the original Zodiac animals, and the eponymous “Zodiac Proposition”.
I can’t deny that I had a pretty good time reading this book, and was never really bored, which to some extent is the most important thing. Be that as it may, the book’s most persistent issue is a confused sense of its target audience. The protagonists are seemingly teenagers, but sometimes the book feels like a children’s book, sometimes a YA book, and sometimes an adult book. The book includes the f-word and other profanity, which firmly places it outside children’s territory, and yet there are stretches, particularly in the lighter exchanges between the trio and the pig, that feel more childish. One moment Jaden is cracking playground jokes; the next, a teenager is being executed on a beach.
The prose is where The Zodiac Proposition slightly undermines itself. The writer has a confident, distinctive voice, but it frequently lacks polish. Dashes are used inconsistently where em dashes are clearly intended, and punctuation occasionally goes missing mid-sentence, “I’m so sorry that I didn’t mean to I mean I don’t mind but I didn’t mean to”. Really the most glaring issues is the typos and grammar issues, which I have to admit I found quite a few of.
Another recurring issue is the tendency for some paragraphs to run far too long without a break, which can flatten tension at moments where the scene should feel sharp. A clear example appears during the confrontation with the witch in the Black Wood, where intense action and extended physical description are all compressed into a single, sprawling paragraph. In this passage, moments of danger such as a character being struck, submerged, and attacked sit alongside descriptive digressions about the witch’s beauty, “diamond eyes, starry teeth, and skin glowing with an otherworldly texture.” While the imagery itself is effective, the lack of paragraph breaks or pauses causes the scene to feel dilute the urgency.
The dialogue is both one of the book’s strongest and most inconsistent elements. At its best, the characters feel like real people you’d want to be friends with, but there are moments where the dialogue tips into feeling rehearsed or a little too unrealistic, “So kids, you gonna tell us where the gold is?”. Some exchanges also lean slightly too playful or quippy for the danger of what is happening around them, which circles back to the audience confusion. It is hard to tell whether the author is writing for laughs or for tension when sometimes both are happening in the same breath.
The characters are what truly make this story worth reading, especially the bond between the trio. This is one of the things the book does best, as the main characters are all likeable characters you can root for and will want to see what happens to them. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of Sydney the pet pig, who is featured on the cover and is probably the heart of the story, as well as providing some cute moments, “Sydney sat down with a thud that scared the birds out of the trees, but Laila remained stationed in the warmth of her furry friend.” He’s the kind of animal companion you can easily imagine being in a Disney movie.
Overall, despite its prose issues and the tonal confusion about who is the target audience, The Zodiac Proposition: Book 1 – Pig is an entertaining read. The world stick with you, the characters are memorable, and the mystery at its centre is compelling enough to carry you to the end. It is a vividly imagined series debut with real ambition behind it. The rough edges are noticeable, but they do not obscure the enjoyable story underneath. Future instalments in the series have already been announced.
Final verdict: For fans of Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan, The Pirates of Caribbean film series, and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, The Zodiac Proposition is a must-read. A fun, mythic adventure that delivers heart and adventure in equal measure, all wrapped in a cinematic story that doesn’t let up until the very last page.
You can get your copy of The Zodiac Proposition here!
