Review by alyssajanel13 -- Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner
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Review by alyssajanel13 -- Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner
[Following is a volunteer review of "Apollo's Raven" by Linnea Tanner.]
If you mingled the history and romance of Philippa Gregory with the magical fantasy of George R.R. Martin, the result just might be the fascinating Apollo’s Raven (Curse of Clansmen and Kings Book 1) by Linnea Tanner. Get ready for a journey filled with the desires of star-crossed lovers, the horror of a son polishing his own mother’s skull and the fantasy of humans becoming creatures as a tool to save their very humanity.
From the start, Tanner had me hooked. The descriptions of the world being created were deep, well-crafted, and compelling. Skull-faced moon, dark Ravens, and the battle of Brittania against Rome sink the reader directly into this marvelous realm. The story is somehow simple but so very multi-faceted. Two kingdoms are engaged in a struggle to maintain their own ways. The next-generation leaders of both nations begin a Shakespearean lovers twist. Princess Catrin of Britannia is the King’s daughter, secretly in love with Marcellus, the son of Rome. Their romance crosses the point of no return when he is kept in Britannia as ransom, while the regencies tug at supremacy. This forbidden dalliance blooms in secret and darkness. Tanner doesn’t skimp on the secondary personalities either. An adulterous mother, a secret birth father, jealous siblings and a rogue half-brother are only a few of the compelling challenges our Princess needs to overcome.
Both the prose and descriptions sparkle in this book. When Tanner tells us, “she felt her stomach drop like a hung corpse,” you can see and feel it. The reader can smell from the pages when the “chamber stank like gutted cattle.” The action is lightning fast and razor sharp. The editing is crisp and diligent. One of the pure strengths of the book is the ability of human current themes to stay relevant in these mythical realms. Some questions will always remain the same and unanswered. Am I a sorceress or a warrior? Can I be both? Can I trust this person with my heart? Are my parents truthful or gravely fallible? Tanner spans this gap and explores these questions page after page in intriguing ways.
A risk of fantasy is that it is such a heavily populated genre. So much has been shown and described. That was one of the only weak spots in the plot line for me. When a character sees as through the eyes of a raven, the reader can’t help but see the Game of Thrones similarities. I want, as all readers do, something new and not yet excavated. When you tell stories so close to leaders in the field, you’d better bring your best. Tanner does a more than capable job. I’d like to see what else lies in the writer’s imagination. Fans of fantasy will be enthralled with this book. Not only them, but romance and historical fiction fans will be equally smitten with Apollo’s Raven.
Tanner proves the mettle of a great author time and again in Apollo’s Raven. A very worthy 4 out of 4 star book. The title indicates this is the start of a series and I am eager to continue the adventure. That’s the marl of a skilled writer who will be at their craft for years to come. The ability to make the reader yearn for more. And this writer does that with ease.
******
Apollo's Raven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
If you mingled the history and romance of Philippa Gregory with the magical fantasy of George R.R. Martin, the result just might be the fascinating Apollo’s Raven (Curse of Clansmen and Kings Book 1) by Linnea Tanner. Get ready for a journey filled with the desires of star-crossed lovers, the horror of a son polishing his own mother’s skull and the fantasy of humans becoming creatures as a tool to save their very humanity.
From the start, Tanner had me hooked. The descriptions of the world being created were deep, well-crafted, and compelling. Skull-faced moon, dark Ravens, and the battle of Brittania against Rome sink the reader directly into this marvelous realm. The story is somehow simple but so very multi-faceted. Two kingdoms are engaged in a struggle to maintain their own ways. The next-generation leaders of both nations begin a Shakespearean lovers twist. Princess Catrin of Britannia is the King’s daughter, secretly in love with Marcellus, the son of Rome. Their romance crosses the point of no return when he is kept in Britannia as ransom, while the regencies tug at supremacy. This forbidden dalliance blooms in secret and darkness. Tanner doesn’t skimp on the secondary personalities either. An adulterous mother, a secret birth father, jealous siblings and a rogue half-brother are only a few of the compelling challenges our Princess needs to overcome.
Both the prose and descriptions sparkle in this book. When Tanner tells us, “she felt her stomach drop like a hung corpse,” you can see and feel it. The reader can smell from the pages when the “chamber stank like gutted cattle.” The action is lightning fast and razor sharp. The editing is crisp and diligent. One of the pure strengths of the book is the ability of human current themes to stay relevant in these mythical realms. Some questions will always remain the same and unanswered. Am I a sorceress or a warrior? Can I be both? Can I trust this person with my heart? Are my parents truthful or gravely fallible? Tanner spans this gap and explores these questions page after page in intriguing ways.
A risk of fantasy is that it is such a heavily populated genre. So much has been shown and described. That was one of the only weak spots in the plot line for me. When a character sees as through the eyes of a raven, the reader can’t help but see the Game of Thrones similarities. I want, as all readers do, something new and not yet excavated. When you tell stories so close to leaders in the field, you’d better bring your best. Tanner does a more than capable job. I’d like to see what else lies in the writer’s imagination. Fans of fantasy will be enthralled with this book. Not only them, but romance and historical fiction fans will be equally smitten with Apollo’s Raven.
Tanner proves the mettle of a great author time and again in Apollo’s Raven. A very worthy 4 out of 4 star book. The title indicates this is the start of a series and I am eager to continue the adventure. That’s the marl of a skilled writer who will be at their craft for years to come. The ability to make the reader yearn for more. And this writer does that with ease.
******
Apollo's Raven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
