Review of Apollo's Raven
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Triciat50
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Review of Apollo's Raven
[Following is a volunteer review of "Apollo's Raven" by Linnea Tanner.]
In 24 A.D., a strong, beautiful young Celtic princess is tasked with guarding a gorgeous Roman enemy captive. Add in an ancient curse, heavily muscled warriors, a wicked druidess, an evil half-brother, magical ravens and wolves, fantasy shapeshifting, and plenty of steamy sex. All this and a smattering of actual history are found in Linnea Tanner’s book Apollo’s Raven, the first in a four-book series “Curse of Clansmen and Kings”. Since the author has already published the next three books in the saga, you can seamlessly transition into the rest of the series (I haven’t read those books yet). If historical fantasy romance is your favorite genre, then the rest of your summer is set.
Raised to be a leader and a warrior, Catrin is the only true daughter of King Amren of Canciaci. After Amren’s first wife, Rahn, betrayed him and he ordered her beheaded, she laid a curse on the kingdom involving the not-yet-born Catrin. Several years later, their son, Marrock, also betrayed his family and was banished by his father from the kingdom. The saga opens as Marrock arrives on the shore of his old home, now backed by Romans who want to control Canciaci through Marrock. While Marrock has already discovered his powers of shapeshifting, Catlin is just discovering hers.
The plot moves quickly throughout the entire book, with heart-pounding scenes of sword fighting, chariot racing, evil spells, and family betrayal. On top of all this is the budding romance between Catrin and Marcellus, the son of a Roman senator who is left behind as a hostage when King Amren leaves to negotiate with the Romans. Catrin and Marcellus share an instant attraction but have to move carefully since they are usually in full view of soldiers and her family.
While readers need to suspend some sense of reality when opening a fantasy romance book, Tanner does a great job of keeping the actual parts true to life. The characters are well-drawn, and the relationships between them are believable. There are a lot of characters, but Tanner does an excellent job of keeping them from overwhelming the reader. There are several scenes of graphic violence and the aforementioned steamy sex, but they all fit perfectly into the story. Coming in with this mindset, there was nothing in the book that I didn’t like. The book is well-edited, and I did not find any typographical or grammatical errors. I give Apollo’s Raven five out of five stars. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a luscious, lusty, fast-paced historical saga. I am looking forward to diving into the next three books.
******
Apollo's Raven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
In 24 A.D., a strong, beautiful young Celtic princess is tasked with guarding a gorgeous Roman enemy captive. Add in an ancient curse, heavily muscled warriors, a wicked druidess, an evil half-brother, magical ravens and wolves, fantasy shapeshifting, and plenty of steamy sex. All this and a smattering of actual history are found in Linnea Tanner’s book Apollo’s Raven, the first in a four-book series “Curse of Clansmen and Kings”. Since the author has already published the next three books in the saga, you can seamlessly transition into the rest of the series (I haven’t read those books yet). If historical fantasy romance is your favorite genre, then the rest of your summer is set.
Raised to be a leader and a warrior, Catrin is the only true daughter of King Amren of Canciaci. After Amren’s first wife, Rahn, betrayed him and he ordered her beheaded, she laid a curse on the kingdom involving the not-yet-born Catrin. Several years later, their son, Marrock, also betrayed his family and was banished by his father from the kingdom. The saga opens as Marrock arrives on the shore of his old home, now backed by Romans who want to control Canciaci through Marrock. While Marrock has already discovered his powers of shapeshifting, Catlin is just discovering hers.
The plot moves quickly throughout the entire book, with heart-pounding scenes of sword fighting, chariot racing, evil spells, and family betrayal. On top of all this is the budding romance between Catrin and Marcellus, the son of a Roman senator who is left behind as a hostage when King Amren leaves to negotiate with the Romans. Catrin and Marcellus share an instant attraction but have to move carefully since they are usually in full view of soldiers and her family.
While readers need to suspend some sense of reality when opening a fantasy romance book, Tanner does a great job of keeping the actual parts true to life. The characters are well-drawn, and the relationships between them are believable. There are a lot of characters, but Tanner does an excellent job of keeping them from overwhelming the reader. There are several scenes of graphic violence and the aforementioned steamy sex, but they all fit perfectly into the story. Coming in with this mindset, there was nothing in the book that I didn’t like. The book is well-edited, and I did not find any typographical or grammatical errors. I give Apollo’s Raven five out of five stars. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a luscious, lusty, fast-paced historical saga. I am looking forward to diving into the next three books.
******
Apollo's Raven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: The Miracle of Ramadan by Wassim Hijazi
