Mundie Moms

Saturday, October 21, 2017

AN ENCHANTMENT OF RAVENS by Margaret Rogerson / Book Review #AnEnchantmentofRavens


By: Margaret Rogerson
Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Released on: September 26th, 2017
Purchase from: Simon & Schuster | Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads

Rating: 3.5 stars - It's A Good Read
Source: Purchased book

Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized among them. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes – a weakness that could cost him his life.

Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love, violating the fair folks’ ruthless Good Law. There's only one way to save both their lives, Isobel must drink from the Green Well, whose water will transform her into a fair one—at the cost of her Craft, for immortality is as stagnant as it is timeless.

Isobel has a choice: she can sacrifice her art for a future, or arm herself with paint and canvas against the ancient power of the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.


An enchanting debut. With beautiful pose and vivid world building, this is a fae book who's world I wanted to explore more of. I am a sucker for a good fae story, and this one was the perfect fall read. 

An Enchantment of Ravens has the kind of world building I absolutely love reading about. The imagery of this world is stunning. It's the alluring, and easily drew me into it. Rogerson's detailed descriptions make it incredibly easily to visualize. It has this old world setting I absolutely loved. The magical elements were great. I like that this world is both all it's own, yet also one had some slight touches of the traditional fae world. I would have liked to know more about the traditions of this world, vs being told about them. There's a lot that gets mentioned, but not enough follow through, and it would have been nice to see see things in action, vs just being told about them.  

Isobel is a character I liked from the get go. I liked seeing the world through her eyes as an artist. She looks at things and people with open eyes, and notices so many little details that most people wouldn't. She also has this reserved, inner strength that fit her her. She's what I'd call a silent heroine. She's not loud, or outspoken, yet she definitely won't back down when things get interesting.... I also like that she thinks before she acts. Which is crucial with journey into Rook's dangerous world. 

Rook is an interesting character. I liked him, though I never really felt like I got to know him. I guess that's fitting since he's a fae, and for much of the story he wears a glamor. I felt like that was symbolic of his own journey. I liked Isobel's reaction to seeing the real him. She sees past both the outward glamour and fae appearance, to the real him. These two have an interesting relationship. It definitely develops in a short about of time, but it also fit given all that is going on. Being hunted by 'The Hunt' also forces them to learn to trust each other rather quickly. The Hunt was an interesting element to the story.

I liked the twists in this story. Especially when it comes to a certain fae, and Isobel's unknowingly part in it all. One of the things I really liked about this fae world, is that not all fae have a magical power or talent (called a craft). That's where the humans, like Iosbel, play a big role in the story. The fae are drawn to humans for their craft. Isobel's craft is that of an artist. Though young, she's very talented in her craft of painting portraits. The fae, being vain, love what she can do. It also sets into a motion some very interesting turn of events I didn't even see coming. 

Though I loved the world building, and the old world/timeless feel to the setting, I have a love/dislike relationship with the writing. Rogerson's prose and language for the story are beautiful, and lush. It fits perfectly with the old world charm of the Fae world, and that of Isobel's world. At the same time, I felt like it also got a little overbearing. I feel bad saying that, because it is gorgeous writing. It just held something back from the story for me. Over all, yes, I did like the book, and I would recommend it. In the end, I just felt like some minor things needed to polished up a little bit better for me to really love the book like I wanted to. 

On a side note, I absolutely LOVE this cover! It's a perfect match for this book. 

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