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

[book_mochi]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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The book Apollo’s Raven by Linnea Tanner had me rather tense during the process of reading. I wanted to know what was going to happen next but was scared at the same time. This story follows Catrin, the youngest Cantiaci princess and daughter of King Amren and Queen Rhiannon. Catrin possesses great spiritual powers and shares a soul with her raven. She struggles with her forbidden love for the Roman hostage Marcellus and her duty to her kingdom. According to a curse placed on her father, she is destined to destroy him alongside her half-brother.

Apollo’s Raven is an intense story with a lot of events happening at once. There is a plethora of swearing and sexual encounters in this book. I do not advise anyone younger than sixteen to read it.

One thing I particularly liked in this book was the element of magic. Our heroine used her raven guide as a second pair of eyes. Catrin could see if danger was approaching and communicate with her raven about the issues. She could become one with the bird’s mind and see through its eyes. Instinctively, Princess Catrin could call upon a flock of ravens, including her guide, to protect her. I found it especially cute how the raven was always following Catrin around. This might have been my favorite part of the book.

While switching the point of view quite a bit, there was not a chapter solely based on King Amren’s perspective. In fact, I only heard about his condition just a few times through other characters. I did not like the way his character was shifted to the sidelines considering his role in the story. I believe it would have been nicer to see what was happening on his side of things. There are perspectives even from minor characters once or twice, but none for the king.

Apollo’s Raven is the first in the book series. Considering this fact, I believe it was well done. It kept my interest. It made me laugh, made my heart race, frightened me, and confused me. If you like Greek/Roman history mixed with dark magic and drama, then this might be a good pick. Personal drama. Political drama. Bloodshed. Ancient dark magic. These are the components of Linnea Tanner’s book. Some of the characters are based on real people, too.

With very few typos and an exciting plot, I grant this book 4 out of 4 stars.

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Apollo's Raven
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