Review by Acwoolet -- Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner
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Acwoolet
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Review by Acwoolet -- 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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If curses, druids, magic, and forbidden love peak your curiosity; then Apollo’s Raven by Linnea Tanner is the book for you. Be prepared to be launched into the Celtic world of 24 AD Brittiania for a tale that will keep you on your toes during every twist and turn.
When King Amren’s former queen casts a curse that will destroy his family and his kingdom through his daughter; Catrin, he must train her as a warrior so that she may find a way to eradicate the curse. During her training, Catrin discovers that she is able to communicate with ravens; which is seen as a curse in itself due to the fact that they were Apollo’s messengers in the mortal world. While attempting to learn what these powers mean for her, she meets Marcellus, the son of her father’s enemy. Catrin must attempt to break the curse, stop the war, and save her kingdom all while embracing her forbidden love with Marcellus.
This book hooked me from the very beginning, I was entranced by Catrin’s spunky personality and her ability to communicate with ravens. She was a wonderful character to fall in love with and root for every step of the way. I loved how incredibly loyal she was to her family and what she believed in. The main characters had a wonderful backstory which gave the novel a good depth, while the secondary characters were also three dimensional and helped round out the storyline. I enjoyed the fast paced storyline which kept me gasping at every twist and turn; keeping me on a wild ride until the very end when it ended on a cliffhanger, much to my dismay.
While the book was absolutely fantastic and I definitely recommend it for anyone who loves fantasy or early Celtic lore, there were a couple things that I wasn’t completely thrilled about. The pace of the last chapter or two slowed down greatly compared to the rest of the novel, and while it definitely opened up the storyline for the sequel, I wish it had kept pace with the rest of the story. There were also little intro character thoughts that were at the beginning of each chapter that were a tad distracting for me. It wasn’t a huge deal, but I found them easier to skip over and get back into the story. However, these things are fairly minor and didn’t take away too much from my enjoyment of the story.
It should be noted for younger readers or those that prefer clean novels, there is some innuendo throughout the novel and there’s a couple of scenes where it got quite steamy about a third of the way through. Some of the battle scenes are also pretty bloody and may not be good for those who prefer less violence.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great romantic fantasy novel. I wholeheartedly give Apollo’s Raven a 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Apollo's Raven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
4 out of 4 stars
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If curses, druids, magic, and forbidden love peak your curiosity; then Apollo’s Raven by Linnea Tanner is the book for you. Be prepared to be launched into the Celtic world of 24 AD Brittiania for a tale that will keep you on your toes during every twist and turn.
When King Amren’s former queen casts a curse that will destroy his family and his kingdom through his daughter; Catrin, he must train her as a warrior so that she may find a way to eradicate the curse. During her training, Catrin discovers that she is able to communicate with ravens; which is seen as a curse in itself due to the fact that they were Apollo’s messengers in the mortal world. While attempting to learn what these powers mean for her, she meets Marcellus, the son of her father’s enemy. Catrin must attempt to break the curse, stop the war, and save her kingdom all while embracing her forbidden love with Marcellus.
This book hooked me from the very beginning, I was entranced by Catrin’s spunky personality and her ability to communicate with ravens. She was a wonderful character to fall in love with and root for every step of the way. I loved how incredibly loyal she was to her family and what she believed in. The main characters had a wonderful backstory which gave the novel a good depth, while the secondary characters were also three dimensional and helped round out the storyline. I enjoyed the fast paced storyline which kept me gasping at every twist and turn; keeping me on a wild ride until the very end when it ended on a cliffhanger, much to my dismay.
While the book was absolutely fantastic and I definitely recommend it for anyone who loves fantasy or early Celtic lore, there were a couple things that I wasn’t completely thrilled about. The pace of the last chapter or two slowed down greatly compared to the rest of the novel, and while it definitely opened up the storyline for the sequel, I wish it had kept pace with the rest of the story. There were also little intro character thoughts that were at the beginning of each chapter that were a tad distracting for me. It wasn’t a huge deal, but I found them easier to skip over and get back into the story. However, these things are fairly minor and didn’t take away too much from my enjoyment of the story.
It should be noted for younger readers or those that prefer clean novels, there is some innuendo throughout the novel and there’s a couple of scenes where it got quite steamy about a third of the way through. Some of the battle scenes are also pretty bloody and may not be good for those who prefer less violence.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great romantic fantasy novel. I wholeheartedly give Apollo’s Raven a 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Apollo's Raven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Touching Time by B. W. Haggart
