4 out of 4 stars
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Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner is a story of love, vengeance, loyalty and betrayal in Ancient Rome and Britannia. Catrin is a young Celtic princess who has started to discover the mystical abilities inside her. She is like a soul traveler who can travel inside the minds of other physical beings. A raven becomes her companion and helps her in her journey to discover herself.Catrin also carries a responsibility to reverse a curse that can kill her father and eventually bring doom to the entire kingdom. In order to fulfill her responsibility, she has to learn how to control her powers and utilize them to the full extent. But in the midst of a chaotic situation,she feels herself attracted to a young handsome Roman, Marcellus, who is supposed to be an enemy.
Even though I was never interested in historical fiction, this book has definitely caught my interest. Senator Lucius Antonius comes to Britannia with his son Marrock to meet King Amren. The meeting turns into a heated argument when Lucius tells him that both Catuvellauni and Rome support Marrock’s claims of being the next rightful heir to the Celtic throne. King Amren does not support the claim as his son Marrock had been banished from the Kingdom seven years ago for killing two children. To settle the disputes, they both exchange hostages- Marcellus and Vala( King Amren's eldest daughter)- to ensure peaceful negotiations with Cunobelin (the Catuvellauni King) and Marrock.
Amren sets his youngest daughter, Catrin, to spy on Marcellus while he is away. Lucius also gives instructions? to Marcellus to extract information from Catrin about the kingdom. Yet, they both fall in love with each other and this turns everything upside down. Due to this, Catrin is forced to choose between her love and kingdom.
The book is based on Celtic mythology and Roman culture. It is the first book in the series and ends on a cliff-hanger. The characters are very well described. The Celtic women show strength and unity in times of distress. Men demonstrate strong physical strength and often turn to women for support. The scenes are also well described and rich with ancient cultures of Rome and Britannia. However, some romantic scenes felt unnecessary and? inappropriate in the story. This might be unwelcoming to some readers as not everyone enjoys reading such scenes.
I gave this book 4 out of 4 stars as the book is well written and moves smoothly from one chapter to another. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in discovering ancient mythology and culture.The story is filled with love, drama, betrayal, magic and sorcery in Ancient Rome and Britannia.
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Apollo's Raven
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