Review of Apollo's Raven
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Kelsey Reichard Hade
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- Latest Review: Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner
Review of Apollo's Raven
[Following is a volunteer review of "Apollo's Raven" by Linnea Tanner.]
Apollo’s Raven (Curse of the Clansmen and Kings Book 1), by Linnea Tanner, is a fantasy fiction romance novel with elements of historical fiction and references to non-fictional historical figures. A typical plotline emerges when a young man and even younger lady of royal bloodlines from feuding countries fall in love behind enemy lines. In a not-so-typical plot twist, we find out that this young lady and many of the other characters have various mystical and magical abilities that are connected to Celtic and Roman religion and folklore. Apollo’s Raven takes us through a world of action, violence, love, cultural misunderstandings, treason, betrayal, history, and magic.
As I read, I found myself able to sympathize with the characters and their emotions and intentions. Although the book features warring countries, it is easy to understand all the opposing arguments. There are certainly some characters with evil intentions and some with pure intentions, but there are no clear-cut “good guys” and “bad guys” and far as the feuding countries. The characters are real and flawed, and we can see the good and the bad in almost everyone.
At times, the dialogue is awkward and doesn’t flow easily. It is over-dramatic and reads like a Spanish telenovela. The plot is not particularly original. It is reminiscent of typical star-crossed lovers like Romeo and Juliet and contains the fantastical elements of the Twilight series, just set in Ancient Rome and Britannia. The magic and fantasy would be more appealing to someone who is familiar with Celtic folklore, Roman mythology, and knowledge of the ancient people known as the Druids. The characters underdeveloped, as they are “told” to us rather than “shown”.
Despite the flaws, I could not put the book down. Every time I had to stop reading, I could not wait to get back to it. The plot is entertaining, and Tanner ends each chapter with a cliffhanger that made me hesitant to stop. I was disappointed when I arrived at the end of the book so quickly, and immediately sought to purchase the next book in the series.
I would give Apollo’s Raven a rating 3 out of 5 stars, mostly for its entertainment value. If I were scoring the book on quality of writing alone, I would give a 2 out of 5. The fact that I enjoyed the book as much as I did despite the negative aspects of the book is the reason for rating of 3 stars.
Although the fantasy fiction genre is mostly written for the Young Adult demographic, and this story absolutely fits the typical YA protocol, I would not recommend this book for anyone under 18. The sex scenes are described in detail, not implied, and there are various references to rape. It is a reflection of the time period and the values that men held at that time, but there are many instances of characters referring to woman as whores and other derogatory terms. They talk about using women as sex objects, and there is a mention of gang-raping a young woman in front of her father as a means of torturing or punishing him. I also recommend this book for those who have an extensive vocabulary or who don’t mind researching unknown words. I feel that I possess a broad vocabulary and I can read at a very high reading level, but I had to look up a few words and use context clues to understand. Tanner uses high-level vocabulary words and writes at or above a collegiate reading level. Overall, I do recommend this book to anyone who can tolerate the darker aspects of the time period, who enjoys historical fantasy fiction and romance, and who wants to read an entertaining story without being too critical of its weaknesses.
******
Apollo's Raven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Apollo’s Raven (Curse of the Clansmen and Kings Book 1), by Linnea Tanner, is a fantasy fiction romance novel with elements of historical fiction and references to non-fictional historical figures. A typical plotline emerges when a young man and even younger lady of royal bloodlines from feuding countries fall in love behind enemy lines. In a not-so-typical plot twist, we find out that this young lady and many of the other characters have various mystical and magical abilities that are connected to Celtic and Roman religion and folklore. Apollo’s Raven takes us through a world of action, violence, love, cultural misunderstandings, treason, betrayal, history, and magic.
As I read, I found myself able to sympathize with the characters and their emotions and intentions. Although the book features warring countries, it is easy to understand all the opposing arguments. There are certainly some characters with evil intentions and some with pure intentions, but there are no clear-cut “good guys” and “bad guys” and far as the feuding countries. The characters are real and flawed, and we can see the good and the bad in almost everyone.
At times, the dialogue is awkward and doesn’t flow easily. It is over-dramatic and reads like a Spanish telenovela. The plot is not particularly original. It is reminiscent of typical star-crossed lovers like Romeo and Juliet and contains the fantastical elements of the Twilight series, just set in Ancient Rome and Britannia. The magic and fantasy would be more appealing to someone who is familiar with Celtic folklore, Roman mythology, and knowledge of the ancient people known as the Druids. The characters underdeveloped, as they are “told” to us rather than “shown”.
Despite the flaws, I could not put the book down. Every time I had to stop reading, I could not wait to get back to it. The plot is entertaining, and Tanner ends each chapter with a cliffhanger that made me hesitant to stop. I was disappointed when I arrived at the end of the book so quickly, and immediately sought to purchase the next book in the series.
I would give Apollo’s Raven a rating 3 out of 5 stars, mostly for its entertainment value. If I were scoring the book on quality of writing alone, I would give a 2 out of 5. The fact that I enjoyed the book as much as I did despite the negative aspects of the book is the reason for rating of 3 stars.
Although the fantasy fiction genre is mostly written for the Young Adult demographic, and this story absolutely fits the typical YA protocol, I would not recommend this book for anyone under 18. The sex scenes are described in detail, not implied, and there are various references to rape. It is a reflection of the time period and the values that men held at that time, but there are many instances of characters referring to woman as whores and other derogatory terms. They talk about using women as sex objects, and there is a mention of gang-raping a young woman in front of her father as a means of torturing or punishing him. I also recommend this book for those who have an extensive vocabulary or who don’t mind researching unknown words. I feel that I possess a broad vocabulary and I can read at a very high reading level, but I had to look up a few words and use context clues to understand. Tanner uses high-level vocabulary words and writes at or above a collegiate reading level. Overall, I do recommend this book to anyone who can tolerate the darker aspects of the time period, who enjoys historical fantasy fiction and romance, and who wants to read an entertaining story without being too critical of its weaknesses.
******
Apollo's Raven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner
