Review by SarahAlligator20 -- Apollo's Raven
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Review by SarahAlligator20 -- Apollo's Raven
[Following is a volunteer review of "Apollo's Raven" by Linnea Tanner.]
Apollo’s Raven, a tale of love, betrayal, war, and political scheming, is the first book in The Curse of the Clansmen and Kings series. Written by Linnea Tanner, it takes readers on a page-turning ride of Ancient Rome and Britannia.
A death curse hangs over the king of Cantaci, King Amren. It was a last farewell from his first wife, spoken mere moments before he lopped off her head. With the threat of their exiled son, Marrock, steadily rising, he fears the prophecy may truly come to pass. His daughters by his current queen and wife, Rhiannon, are another source of worry for King Amren. He must secure the trust of the Roman emperor and forge alliances with the other Celtics tribes to contest his murderous son’s claim to his throne, using his daughters as marriage prospects. But Catrin, his youngest daughter, has plans of her own. Gifted with mystical powers and having a deep connection with ravens, Catrin is in danger of fulfilling the prophecy and bringing about his doom. Her warrior princess status brings her in close contact, and later, love, with Marcellus, the son of a Roman senator left as a guest-of-the-state. After a sequence of backstabbing and political scheming calls their bond into question, the two must decide if their love for one another or their loyalty to their families will win out.
I liked how Tanner tied in some of the characters with real historical figures, most especially Marcus and Lucius Antonius. Added to this were the other elements that brought Apollo’s Raven from vaguely entertaining to fabulously written. These were in the form of prophecies, betrayal, deceptions, love affairs, as well as some sordid backstories that are as yet unexplored.
Right from the start, we’re teased with the angsty promise of forbidden first love. The cliffhanger ending and how the central couple left their relationship had me anticipating the next book. I really enjoyed the way how Marcellus’ and Catrin’s romance built up and the nature of it. It probably helped that love that is just not meant to be – or is it? – is my secret weakness.
There was one feature of Apollo’s Raven I sort of disliked. The side characters were mostly uninteresting. We did get some chapters with their perspectives, but they all fell prey to secondary-character syndrome. Their issues were unappealing, and the plot could have run independent of them. The few that came close to being as interesting as the main characters, Marcellus and Catrin, were the king and queen of Cantiaci, Catrin’s parents, and their muddled past.
The writing standard of Apollo’s Raven was well up to par. While reading, I located only five errors, leading me to assume the book was professionally edited. The only content warning I would issue is to look out for rare instances of profanity and a little gore and violence. Erotic content is also present. I should point out that these factors don’t detract from the quality of the book, rather, they seamlessly blended into the story and were in keeping with the historical fantasy genre.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I could find no element of this book that was unsatisfactory, thus justifying this perfect rating. In fact, I’m greatly looking forward to the next instalment in this series, Dagger’s Destiny, as I’d like to see where Marcellus’, Catrin’s, and their families’ journeys take us. This novel is a perfect read for lovers of historical and fantasy fiction, those who enjoy reading about Greek mythology, or simply anyone on the hunt for an intrigue-filled read. I do not believe that readers who prefer slow-paced novels outside of the mentioned genres would like this book.
******
Apollo's Raven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Apollo’s Raven, a tale of love, betrayal, war, and political scheming, is the first book in The Curse of the Clansmen and Kings series. Written by Linnea Tanner, it takes readers on a page-turning ride of Ancient Rome and Britannia.
A death curse hangs over the king of Cantaci, King Amren. It was a last farewell from his first wife, spoken mere moments before he lopped off her head. With the threat of their exiled son, Marrock, steadily rising, he fears the prophecy may truly come to pass. His daughters by his current queen and wife, Rhiannon, are another source of worry for King Amren. He must secure the trust of the Roman emperor and forge alliances with the other Celtics tribes to contest his murderous son’s claim to his throne, using his daughters as marriage prospects. But Catrin, his youngest daughter, has plans of her own. Gifted with mystical powers and having a deep connection with ravens, Catrin is in danger of fulfilling the prophecy and bringing about his doom. Her warrior princess status brings her in close contact, and later, love, with Marcellus, the son of a Roman senator left as a guest-of-the-state. After a sequence of backstabbing and political scheming calls their bond into question, the two must decide if their love for one another or their loyalty to their families will win out.
I liked how Tanner tied in some of the characters with real historical figures, most especially Marcus and Lucius Antonius. Added to this were the other elements that brought Apollo’s Raven from vaguely entertaining to fabulously written. These were in the form of prophecies, betrayal, deceptions, love affairs, as well as some sordid backstories that are as yet unexplored.
Right from the start, we’re teased with the angsty promise of forbidden first love. The cliffhanger ending and how the central couple left their relationship had me anticipating the next book. I really enjoyed the way how Marcellus’ and Catrin’s romance built up and the nature of it. It probably helped that love that is just not meant to be – or is it? – is my secret weakness.
There was one feature of Apollo’s Raven I sort of disliked. The side characters were mostly uninteresting. We did get some chapters with their perspectives, but they all fell prey to secondary-character syndrome. Their issues were unappealing, and the plot could have run independent of them. The few that came close to being as interesting as the main characters, Marcellus and Catrin, were the king and queen of Cantiaci, Catrin’s parents, and their muddled past.
The writing standard of Apollo’s Raven was well up to par. While reading, I located only five errors, leading me to assume the book was professionally edited. The only content warning I would issue is to look out for rare instances of profanity and a little gore and violence. Erotic content is also present. I should point out that these factors don’t detract from the quality of the book, rather, they seamlessly blended into the story and were in keeping with the historical fantasy genre.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I could find no element of this book that was unsatisfactory, thus justifying this perfect rating. In fact, I’m greatly looking forward to the next instalment in this series, Dagger’s Destiny, as I’d like to see where Marcellus’, Catrin’s, and their families’ journeys take us. This novel is a perfect read for lovers of historical and fantasy fiction, those who enjoy reading about Greek mythology, or simply anyone on the hunt for an intrigue-filled read. I do not believe that readers who prefer slow-paced novels outside of the mentioned genres would like this book.
******
Apollo's Raven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Artwords by Beatriz M. Robles
