ARA Review by hesscr of Apollo's Raven

[hesscr]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Apollo's Raven.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Apollo’s Raven is the first book of the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series by Linnea Tanner. In it the reader is introduced to the vast world of ancient Rome and Britannia in the year 24 AD, where a complex network of characters are weaved into an equally complex plot of political intrigue, forbidden love, and dark magic. Catlin, the story’s central character, is the daughter of a Celtic king who, when she finds that a curse has been cast upon her family, must navigate divided loyalties, Roman duplicity, and her growing love for Marcellus, the son of a sworn enemy.

I found the book fast-paced and engaging with well-developed characters whose storylines the author weaves skillfully into her intricate narrative. I especially liked Catlin who is believable and sympathetic. A skilled warrior and devoted daughter, she is nevertheless haunted by a childhood trauma involving her half-brother, Blood Wolf, as well as by her ability to become one with the Raven, her spirit guide. I also thought her love interest, Marcellus, as well drawn as she and with a complexity that earned my interest. Though handsome and spoiled, he too carries wounds from a difficult relationship with his ruthless Roman father. Despite their outward differences, they are kindred spirits.

The plot unfolds at a fast clip with many shifting perspectives of many characters, so many that they could easily cause confusion. Yet Tanner manages to incorporate them artfully enough that I understood the motivations of each character without any damage to the story’s dramatic tension. For example, Agrona, the Druid priestess, seems a shadowy character, until the narrative shifts to her perspective, making it all too clear what her evil agenda truly is.

Even so, as much as I appreciated Apollo’s Raven for its character and plot development, I found its development of setting rather limited. I rarely had a sense of time and place in its descriptions. Though promoted as historical fiction, it did not evoke, for me at least, a Britannia of the first millennium. Instead, the magic of the book is in the actions of its characters and the handling of its plot – not in the mists of Avalon, or in its Celtic legends, or even in the lyricism of its language. In fact, much of the descriptive language could be stronger. Similes such as “she felt her stomach drop like a hung corpse” fell flat, making the book less enjoyable for me to read.

However, I doubt that I am the audience for Apollo’s Raven. I do believe the audience for it is the young adult fantasy reader who I suspect would love its epic Game of Thrones energy. Filled with spirited dialogue, villains with evil intent, considerable sex and violence, the book is designed for entertainment, not elegant language, education, or inspiration. Still, I wish it could have been more. I remember reading fantasies as a young woman, such as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia that transported me to worlds unknown and inspired me to be better than I am. I wish more such books were written today.

4 out of 5 stars. Great plot and character development. Setting development and prose style not to my liking.

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