An Enchantment of Ravens (Audio) by Margaret Rogerson

February 6, 2018     erinthebooknut     Book review

An Enchantment of Ravens (Audio) by Margaret RogersonAn Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson, Julia Whelan
Published by Simon Schuster Audio on September 26th 2017
Source: Overdrive
Goodreads

A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts—even as she falls in love with a faerie prince—in this gorgeous debut novel.

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. 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—and that love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws. Now both of their lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight 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.

5 Nuts

AN ENCHANTMENT OF RAVENS is totally better the second time around. Yes I have already reviewed this book, BUT I read it so fast that time that I didn’t give myself the chance to truly enjoy it. After reading CRUEL PRINCE I had a craving for more fair folk stories, and then this audiobook arrived in my Overdrive. I couldn’t pass it up.

I’m a big fan of scary faeries. No cutesies for me, I want vicious and powerful, manipulative and  sexy. That’s AN ENCHANTMENT OF RAVENS. This book takes everything I love about the ACOTAR fae and makes it darker, more twisted. Of course I’m totally down for that. It’s more reminiscent of Holly Black’s world, minus the modernity.

I love all the scheming in this book, as I usually do. Clever plans and political intrigue get me going a lot faster than action does. Though I like both. Faerie stories are the perfect opportunity to get both of these in just the right amounts.

When I started listening to this book I admit I wasn’t really sure about the narrator. Her voice was kind of strange, kind of ethereal and otherworldly. I realized later that that was probably the point because it works. After all the fae are pretty otherworldly and inhuman themselves.

I was so glad I read this book again. Well, “read”. I caught much more the second time around and immediately fell right back into this world like I had never left it. I would love another one of these but the book left it fairly well wrapped up too so it will stand alone.

I highly recommend this book for fans of dark faeries stories.

What’s your favorite dark faerie book? Share your pick in the comments.

From my shelf to yours,

Erin

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