Review of Apollo's Raven

[Malia Risak]

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

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5 out of 5 stars

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Apollo’s Raven is a very apt name for this book, considering the deity allegiances of the main characters that we meet within the pages. There is an abundance of mysticism and political intrigue, which is exactly what one expects and hopes for in any novel set in the murky past of Britain, otherwise known in this book as Briton.

It is quite delightful, with so much emphasis constantly on male heroes like the fabled King Arthur, to read instead about Catrin, her sister Mor, her mother Rhiannon, and the Druidess Agrona. These are powerful women with high standing within their society; women who are able to be trained as warriors, or pursue magic, or raise families, or all of the above. Each of these characters is charismatic, confident, and flawed. They make choices that have dire consequences to their own lives and that of others. They are burdened by guilt but also emboldened by the desires of their hearts.

The same is true of the handful of male characters we follow in this book. Marcellus and Amren, in particular, are especially complex and complicated. There is much uncertainty in their lives throughout this book and it shapes their reactions in believable ways.

This book is a great first step into an ongoing arc of adventure, fantasy, and romance, with even a touch of historical accuracy thrown in for good measure. I know that I am enthralled with the way things have unfolded thus far, though there were certainly elements within the story that were very difficult to read. Despite the revulsion I felt when reading about some of the darker aspects of the book, namely varying degrees of sacrifice that are, more or less, apparently standard practice in this era, I have chosen to rate this novel as a 5 star read. It has characters I like and characters I would like to see fall. It details the beauty of the land in which the story is set in a way that makes me want to visit Britain of that long-ago day. It is also extremely well written in that it has little to no spelling or grammatical errors to take a reader out of the immersive experience of reading it. All in all, top notch.

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Apollo's Raven
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