Review by CheanneL -- Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner

[CheanneL]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Apollo's Raven" by Linnea Tanner.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Apollo's Raven (Rating of 3 out of 4 stars)
By Linnea Tanner

This story is set in ancient Britannia. A story of young forbidden love, prophecies, and magic, fraught with threats of war in a time of relative peace. Rome comes to Britannia to see if they can gain more power and control over the various tribes there. Catrin, the young heroine from Britannia and Marcellus, the Senator of Rome's son fall in love and try to thwart a prophecy that will bring war to Britannia. It's filled with intrigue and the tension builds throughout the book, finally ending on a cliff hanger.

I have given it a rating of 3 out of 4. I enjoyed reading the story and was interested to see what comes next. It's one of those stories that pulls you in and you just have to choose sides. I wasn't quite hooked and hanging on the edge of my seat, but this was a read that made me come back every day to see how the story would unfold. I enjoyed the historical aspect of the story. I always find that historical fiction helps me to connect to the past even if not all the characters actually existed. I found this book quite insightful considering that I don't know all that much about the history of Britannia. The author explains the story and which characters were real and which weren't at the end, and some of the history and why she chose to write the story. I found this very interesting and really appreciated that she took the time to do this.

It wasn't all out action, so you have some time to relax while reading this book. I loved the strong female leads, it definitely has a place in today's society where equality for women and the dealings between the Romans and people from Britannia also highlights the fight for equality for all races that rages on even in today's world. It's a story of love between family and gave me a glimpse into the way politics often worked in the past among royal families. It's also a story of love between couples, always a lovely component to make a well-rounded story I feel. Through reading this book I got to experience a culture so different from my own, it really expanded my view of the world.

I don't have anything bad to say about the book, I would just warn readers who are sensitive to violence and sexual situations in stories to steer clear of this one. This book makes mention of practices that are rather barbaric and there are sexual connotations and events in the book. There is some black magic described and arranged marriages as was common practice in politics in the ancient world. I felt that this was well balanced, a lot of the story is beautiful and has beautiful and fantastic imagery and overall there is a fight for what is good. This makes the story worthwhile and pleasant enough to read. I enjoy stories that are full of drama, intrigue, action, and romance and felt that this story was well-written with regards to this.

Overall, if you like a story that keeps unfolding as you go, and the end isn't obvious, this is a story for you. If you like history being brought to life before you, this book is great. It flows well and the story unfolds at a good pace, not so fast that you wonder how you got here, and not so slow that you are bored out of your mind. Just nicely in between. The concepts of ancient religion and politics explored in this book make for interesting reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction of this kind.

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Apollo's Raven
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