ARA Review by CasPeace13 of Apollo's Raven

[CasPeace13]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Apollo's Raven.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Apollo’s Raven Curse of Clansmen and Kings by Linnea Tanner. 3 out of 5


Catrin is the daughter of King Amren of the Cantiaci tribe. She possesses the ability to see visions of the future through her Raven’s eyes. Marcellus is a young Roman, son of Lucius Antonius, a Roman sent to Britain by the Emperor ahead of a possible Roman invasion. When fate throws the two together, tension arises and a curse thought buried begins to mutate. Both Catrin and Marcellus become pawns in a web of political deviousness, familial betrayal, and personal loyalty. Catrin’s fledgling powers will be stretched to their limits as she tries to understand her place and purpose in the momentous events that have been set in motion.


I bought this book because the premise sounded interesting and because I am drawn to historical fiction and fantasy, and especially novels involving ancient Britons and Celts. As an author of fantasy novels myself, I also like to help and support other authors when I can.


I will try to make this review as constructive as possible, but I have to admit from the outset to being rather disappointed in the structure and execution of the story, the depth and development of the characters, and also certain aspects of the writing. On the positive side, the author clearly knows her history regarding the Celts and Romans in a time of upheaval and danger, and the world within which she places her characters comes across well. However, for me, she did not keep control of the various plot layers, resulting in a story structure that felt disjointed, at times rushed, and often bogged down in non-essential scenes. I found the early pace of the novel to be too slow, and only towards the end did it pick up to anything like a good pace.


I also found the various characters to be one-dimensional in that their natures lacked nuance. I have no issue with multiple points of view and each POV character change was well defined. However, some of the changes felt contrived rather than necessary, and I thought the novel would have been stronger for restricting the narrative’s viewpoint. The novel’s “magical” aspect could also have been better handled, with clearer explanations. This is one area where the author could have inserted some much-needed extra tension.


As a freelance editor, I also have to say this novel would have benefitted from a good proof read. The sentence structure, phrasing and syntax were often awkward and stilted, leading me to wonder whether English was actually the author’s mother tongue. There were also some poor word and grammar choices, and I found the majority of the dialogue to be repetitive, wooden, awkward and uninspiring. One word choice that I found irritating was the use of the word “cathos”. It appears several times and I made some effort to find out its meaning – trying both Merriam-Webster and the OED, and also other internet sites. All to no avail, and I was forced to conclude that it was a typo. When I finished the novel, however, I found that the author had included an explanation of this right word at the end of the Author’s Note – right at the end of the book! It ought to have been explained at the front.


I do not enjoy writing such negative reviews, but I have at least tried to be honest. I gave the book a rating of 3 stars because it certainly contains potential and there’s nothing lacking in the author’s imagination. The need for a knowledgeable and sympathetic editor, however, meant I could not give it more than 3 stars. I shall not be reading the sequel to this novel.

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