Review by MSekai215 -- Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner
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- Latest Review: Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner
Review by MSekai215 -- Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner
[Following is a volunteer review of "Apollo's Raven" by Linnea Tanner.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Apollo’s Raven, written by Linnea Tanner, is the first book of the Curse of the Clansmen and Kings series. It is inspired by mythological aspects of the history of ancient Roman and Celtic civilizations. The story is intriguingly woven together through politics, magic and the forbidden love of two young people who were each subject to their individual society’s needs and decisions.
The story revolves around Catrin, daughter of King Amren and his second wife, Queen Rhiannon. The King and Queen have 3 daughters; the 2 eldest resembling their mother and Catrin favoring her father. Catrin also has an older brother, Marrock, from her father’s first wife Rhan. King Amren beheaded Rhan, as Marrock watched, after finding her guilty of treason. Some time later, Marrock, after being found guilty of committing his own horrendous crimes, was banished from the kingdom. In turn, Marrock then began his quest to avenge his mother’s death and acquire his father’s throne, in revenge.
The story opens, immediately introducing us to the connection between Catrin and the Raven. Roman ships are apparent on the shoreline of Britannia, King Amren’s kingdom, and Catrin is leary of why they have come. After initial discussions between the Roman Senator, Lucius Antonius, and King Amren, the Senator, agrees to leave his son, Marcellus with the Celts, in King Amren’s kingdom, to ensure King Amren’s safety as he goes to speak with the Romans, in their territory. King Amren’s daughter, Vala, also goes to the Romans encampment, to balance the safety of Marcellus. Catrin and Marcellus quickly begin to fall for one another and their romance becomes a hindrance to the both of them carrying through with directions from their fathers.
I liked that the story line captured the reader’s attention from the very first sentence and held it throughout the entire story. The mystical element really allowed the author to lead you, without obvious predictions of what was to come. Catrin’s powers were the vehicle used to disclose the plans of the enemy, as she saw their plans unfolding through the raven’s eyes. Throughout the book, the author was very thorough in her description and comparison of the Celt and Roman cultures. The reader really gets a sense of the contrast between the serious and clean shaven Romans and the tattooed and riotous behaving Celts. I also enjoyed that the cultural attitudes toward women was evident in the behavior between Catrin and Marcellus. In their developing relationship, Marcellus seems refreshed by Catrins warrior spirit. Being a Roman, he is not used to a self sufficient, strong woman, who is openly respected. Catrin is a leader among the Celtic people and is nothing like the more demure Roman women, who aren’t as respected by their male counterparts. Marcellus’ father was an example of one of these men, as he was offended at the mere thought of answering to the Queen, who was left to rule in her husband’s absence.
There was not much that I disliked about Apollo’s Raven, however, I would of liked to see more clear details surrounding Catrin’s sight through the raven’s eyes. I believe that the connection between the two were very important to the character development and the future volumes of the story. Perhaps Linnea Tanner delivered the story that way in order to slowly build and develop the layers of the character interaction to the reader. I would have also liked more detail about Agrona, the King’s trusted spiritual advisor, throughout the progression of her role in the story. The extent of her magical prowess seemed, somewhat, unsubstantial in comparison to the King’s proclamations.
There was only one grammatical error. On page 36 the word “to” seems to have been left out of a sentence. Other than that one mistake, the book was well edited.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It is a great read for anyone who enjoys mythology and period pieces. It will definitely leave the reader wanting to know more of the story and developments between the characters. I definitely look forward to reading the continuations in the novels to come.
******
Apollo's Raven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like MSekai215's review? Post a comment saying so!
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Apollo’s Raven, written by Linnea Tanner, is the first book of the Curse of the Clansmen and Kings series. It is inspired by mythological aspects of the history of ancient Roman and Celtic civilizations. The story is intriguingly woven together through politics, magic and the forbidden love of two young people who were each subject to their individual society’s needs and decisions.
The story revolves around Catrin, daughter of King Amren and his second wife, Queen Rhiannon. The King and Queen have 3 daughters; the 2 eldest resembling their mother and Catrin favoring her father. Catrin also has an older brother, Marrock, from her father’s first wife Rhan. King Amren beheaded Rhan, as Marrock watched, after finding her guilty of treason. Some time later, Marrock, after being found guilty of committing his own horrendous crimes, was banished from the kingdom. In turn, Marrock then began his quest to avenge his mother’s death and acquire his father’s throne, in revenge.
The story opens, immediately introducing us to the connection between Catrin and the Raven. Roman ships are apparent on the shoreline of Britannia, King Amren’s kingdom, and Catrin is leary of why they have come. After initial discussions between the Roman Senator, Lucius Antonius, and King Amren, the Senator, agrees to leave his son, Marcellus with the Celts, in King Amren’s kingdom, to ensure King Amren’s safety as he goes to speak with the Romans, in their territory. King Amren’s daughter, Vala, also goes to the Romans encampment, to balance the safety of Marcellus. Catrin and Marcellus quickly begin to fall for one another and their romance becomes a hindrance to the both of them carrying through with directions from their fathers.
I liked that the story line captured the reader’s attention from the very first sentence and held it throughout the entire story. The mystical element really allowed the author to lead you, without obvious predictions of what was to come. Catrin’s powers were the vehicle used to disclose the plans of the enemy, as she saw their plans unfolding through the raven’s eyes. Throughout the book, the author was very thorough in her description and comparison of the Celt and Roman cultures. The reader really gets a sense of the contrast between the serious and clean shaven Romans and the tattooed and riotous behaving Celts. I also enjoyed that the cultural attitudes toward women was evident in the behavior between Catrin and Marcellus. In their developing relationship, Marcellus seems refreshed by Catrins warrior spirit. Being a Roman, he is not used to a self sufficient, strong woman, who is openly respected. Catrin is a leader among the Celtic people and is nothing like the more demure Roman women, who aren’t as respected by their male counterparts. Marcellus’ father was an example of one of these men, as he was offended at the mere thought of answering to the Queen, who was left to rule in her husband’s absence.
There was not much that I disliked about Apollo’s Raven, however, I would of liked to see more clear details surrounding Catrin’s sight through the raven’s eyes. I believe that the connection between the two were very important to the character development and the future volumes of the story. Perhaps Linnea Tanner delivered the story that way in order to slowly build and develop the layers of the character interaction to the reader. I would have also liked more detail about Agrona, the King’s trusted spiritual advisor, throughout the progression of her role in the story. The extent of her magical prowess seemed, somewhat, unsubstantial in comparison to the King’s proclamations.
There was only one grammatical error. On page 36 the word “to” seems to have been left out of a sentence. Other than that one mistake, the book was well edited.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It is a great read for anyone who enjoys mythology and period pieces. It will definitely leave the reader wanting to know more of the story and developments between the characters. I definitely look forward to reading the continuations in the novels to come.
******
Apollo's Raven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like MSekai215's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner
