Review by holsam_87 -- Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner

[holsam_87]

[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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Are you searching for a book that encompasses multiple genres? One that establishes multiple characters? What about moments of conflict? If this sounds like something for you as a reader, then make sure you pick up Apollo’s Raven by Linnea Tanner.

Apollo’s Raven is mostly historical fiction, but it contains elements of romance, fantasy, action, and drama. These elements make the plot much more interesting than if it was just one genre, and it is more compelling to a wider reading audience. However, some people may not care for the changing perspectives. There’s also the salacious undertones that may make other people uncomfortable with how circumstantiated the language is in describing how to exploit someone less experienced.

I enjoyed the characterization of the main characters and how the plot was very detailed. However, I wish that the secondary characters had been more fleshed out. Two characters weren’t well defined and pretty much disappeared for most of the book. It's somewhat understandable since they only served one purpose and they weren’t mentioned again except for little reminders that they were with the enemy. They weren't as important as Marcellus and Catrin are.

People might not want to read this because there is a lot of violence and implied torture. Worship of multiple gods and sacrifices are done a lot and the sacrifices get fairly bloody. However, if you can overlook the violence, visceral scenes and the fact that they follow an ancient religion with multiple gods then this is for you. This might be viewed as more educational than bad because of the discussions for peace and prosperity.

Marcellus and Catrin’s relationship is complicated. Essentially, they start out as enemies but then they eventually become friends with an attraction for each other. Even when they develop a romantic relationship, they still have a lot of distrust for each other. Catrin also acts as Marcellus’ interpreter and when others can speak Latin, Catrin is the only one that is semi-civil to him.

The contrast between the two civilizations is very noticeable. Romans are depicted as being more civilized, warriors, and they don't treat the women as equals. Cantiaci or Celtic warriors are depicted as being wilder than the Romans and everyone is treated equally, including the women. I thought that seeing both sides react to each other was a great way to show how culture shock works.

As far as editing goes, there were only four mistakes that I found. This indicates to me that this book was professionally edited. It is also notable that everything has been well researched in order to accurately depict the historical side of the book. With these considerations and the fact that you keep up to date on the Curse of the Clansmen and Kings series through the author’s website,
www.linneatanner.com, I give this book 4 out of 4 stars.

Since I enjoyed Apollo’s Raven so much, I have already preordered its sequel, Dagger’s Destiny. I can’t wait to continue reading about Marcellus and Catrin. It would also be nice if secondary characters with little background were more prevalent in this next one. Give Apollo’s Raven a chance, it really does a great job at incorporating two very different cultures.

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Apollo's Raven
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Like holsam_87's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Ayat paarsa]

well introduced the "Apollo's Raven" Mr Holsam, i am nearly to pick this up now. How fantastic it would be, having the Catrin and Marcellus in the ancient civilizations. Taking salacious undertones, i agree with you, but it's fine as well, they may increase reader's gain from the book.

[jjmainor]

I hear you on the multiple genres. It initially struck me as a romance, but I found it to be an interesting read as someone who doesn't read romance.

[Espie]

It's amazing how sophisticated language could tame down the stark and disagreeable realities of life but still highlight the need to expose such truths and compel action towards resolutions. With all that's already said about a piece and language variations would have already been exhausted too many times in numerous reviews, yours is another ingenious attempt at creativity. Thank you for that.