Review of Apollo's Raven

[Ukaegbu Confidence]

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

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5 out of 5 stars

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In her book Apollo's Raven, Linnea Tanner combines love, political intrigue, magic, mysticism, betrayal, pain, and hatred in a powerful way. Most of the story focuses on Catrin and Marcellus, the two primary protagonists. The author provides detailed backstories for both characters, which makes them more relatable to readers.

Catrin turns to her raven for comfort after her infamous half-brother Marrock left her to die as a child. She would like to be recognized as a Druidess. Still, she is afraid to disobey her father, King Amren of Britannia, openly. Because of what happened with his former queen, he said that no one in his family would ever use the magic of the druids. Soon after, Catrin and her father discover she now carries an old curse placed on the king by his former queen. According to a portion of the curse, she and Marrock will work together to take over her father's throne. The curse is set in motion when the Romans require that Marrock be named next in line to the throne, despite his banishment for more than seven years. In the middle of all this, she starts to like Marcellus, the son of the Roman senator Lucius. The sole reason Lucius had visited her nation was to talk about Rome's partnership with Marrock. Catrin is currently caught between pursuing her wants, viewing the Romans as her foes, and figuring out how to break the curse while still trying to discover who she is. Do you wish to know how these occurrences turned out? Did she end up with Marcellus? Did her father ever permit her to use her abilities publicly? What happened to Marrock? Get this book to satiate your curiosity.

I particularly liked how Catrin was first introduced as a warrior and then as a princess. The fact that Catrin is a respected warrior is repeatedly stressed in the narrative. She has defeated every one of the king's warriors and defends her own when necessary. Instead of writing this character as a helpless medieval princess, I admire that the author gave her a strong female lead. In addition, the queen is left to rule when the king is away from the kingdom on official business. I adored that the queen was revered by all the males and would succeed the king as king if he died. There was no demand for the next man in line to wear the crown. I liked the scene where her father scolded her after she commanded Belinus to let go of the young Roman he had threatened to kill. I loved how the author captured Catrin's feelings at that very moment when she was thinking, "This is unfair; I should be praised, not shamed." We can all relate to how she felt. We all hope that people will appreciate the positive things we do for them, irrespective of the circumstances. I enjoyed how her father rebuked her. Yes, she was correct to prevent a battle between their people and the Romans, but he is the king, and you should not act independently of him when he is present. It's an insult, and no man in a position of authority would value it. I liked her relationship with Marcellus. It wasn't just written to fill space.

I couldn't think of a single aspect of this book that I didn't enjoy. Still, I didn't particularly appreciate that Mor, Catrin's sister, didn't believe her when she tried to convince her that their brother had planned treason and was already traveling with the Roman soldiers to carry it out. If anyone should be able to represent us when no one else does, it should be our siblings. I rate Linnea Tanner's novel, Apollo's Raven, five out of five stars. It was a pleasant and soothing read. This book's plot was also thoughtfully crafted. I applaud the author for this lovely tale.

This novel is appropriate for young adults or teenagers. When there is combat and death, some situations in the story are gory. Also, some scenes depict explicit sexual activity in great detail. I recommend this book to people who like historical fiction because it discusses Celtic and Roman cultures. This narrative has a lot of magical components. Therefore, I suggest it to anyone who appreciates magic and witchcraft. Although this novel has romantic elements, the focus is primarily on mystical experiences and one's responsibility to one's community. I wouldn't suggest this tale to those only interested in romance.

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Apollo's Raven
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[Martin Kalu]

Great review ,I love reading books on history and adventures and this I read , gave me momentum to go list it in my bookshelves .Thanks for the review as I look forward to enjoy what you enjoyed too .

[Victory Ositaorah]

The idea of Catrin controlling minds of ravens is very interesting and I feel that a lot of time and effort was put into writing this review. I enjoyed reading it buyers know what to expect.

[Neto Chukwu]

I loved that the author choose to empower and show that a woman can be a good leader just as a man too. I will read this soon enough because of your beautiful review. You did a nice job!

[Seun Ukanwa]

Apollo's Raven is a book with a rich content. I love the blend of politics, magic, mysticism, betrayal, pain, love and hatred. Catrin's strong character in the book will fascinate the average woman.

[Emmanuel Cohen]

Quite an entertaining review, the mixture of romance, politics, mysticism, magic makes it more enjoyable.
I would add it to my WANT TO ADD bookshelf

[Samuel Songs]

Wow, this review is so detailed and informative! I appreciate the way the reviewer highlighted the author's ability to combine different elements so seamlessly. The detailed backstories of the characters are definitely a plus for me when reading a novel.

[Katherine Barnabas]

Not to sound feminist or anything but I prefer when a woman is shown in the light of power over when she is shown as a damsel in distress. In the end, women as the backbones of every house hold.

[Kaylee Samuel]

A book on history, myths and a strong female protagonist is certainly a book that interests me. I will love to know how Catrin faired and if she succeeded in defeating Marrock.

[Soma Ezenwanne]

It is obvious that Catrin's brother Marrock was evil and he worked with an evil druidess. These things keeps proving how deceitful and selfish humans can be.

[Ohanele Chinonyerem]

The love between Catrin and Marcellus was interesting and I feel that they should have been given a chance. Religion and tribe should not be a base for accepting an individual for marriage.

[Ojiaku Uche Charles]

The character Catrin seems to be interesting because it is difficult to understand how a lady posses so much leading characteristics and I l really loved the idea.

[Okocha Victor]

I love the mindset surrounding this book. Everyone one is independent and reliable in themselves. No weak link to hinder the progress of the whole village and things like that.

[Rose Lineani]

The idea of a strong female lead is always appealing to me, so I'm glad the author delivered on that front. It's great that the author was able to capture relatable emotions like feeling unfairly treated.

[Hartly Samsford]

I'm glad the author didn't just write the romance in to fill space. The review gave me enough information to know whether the book would be a good fit for me or not.