An Enchantment of Ravens

Spoiler-free review! I was gladdened by the sight of those vicious thorns more than I could say, and wondered whether the stories would have gone any differently if the princesses had been the ones telling them. A book about star-crossed lovers, art, and a fae prince who shape shifts into a raven? YES, please! ✘ plot In Whimsy, humans practice Craft: cooking, artistry, writing stories, even designing clothing - all of which the fair folk are drawn to, despite their own lack of capabilities to create. Isobel is a brilliant portrait artist, so it's no surprise when the prince of the autumnlands, Rook, visits her for a painting. Isobel makes a fatal mistake, however, when she chooses to depict the haunting sorrow she sees in his eyes. As fae folk must never be shown with mortal emotions, Isobel is forced to visit the lands of the fair folk, to stand trial for her crimes against the prince. Everything shifts, though, when their relationship shifts into a beautiful love - for love between mortals and fair folk has been banned as long as time has stood, and the punishment is death. ✘ isobel Isobel is such an enjoyable narrator, right from the very first page. Her thoughts are full of quips and snide remarks, and there's a down-to-earth sense about her that I feel like gets lost easily in the high fantasy genre. She feels wise beyond her years, yet at the same time, it's believable to think of her as a seventeen-year-old girl who's just had to grow up a little too fast. I was especially fond of her no-nonsense attitude and outlook on life, particularly when the story progressed and her character developed into a young woman who had to learn that not every dilemma in life can be faced with pure logic; sometimes, you have to just go with your heart. He tried to turn away, but I touched his shoulder. Marvelously, he stilled. He was a head and a half taller than I, and the forest leapt to obey his power, but with that one touch I might as well have clapped him in irons. ✘ rook Rook. ROOK. What can I even say? He's so adorable and haughty and self-obsessed and childlike and fun. Despite being a prince (which he reminds Isobel of often in his own self-satisfaction), he is so bewildered by human lives, and some of his assumptions and questions are so freaking cute. As the book progresses, there's such a tender and kindhearted aspect of his personality. His kindness is seen as a weakness among the fair folk, and it makes him a target, but he's just trying to get by in life, doing what is right and living with the fearful knowledge that everyone wants to dismantle his throne. If you like those "precious cinnamon roll" types like I do, Rook's your guy. "Is that so terrible? You say it as though it's the most awful thing you can imagine. It isn't as though I've done it on purpose. Somehow I've even grown fond of your - your irritating questions, and your short legs, and your accidental attempts to kill me." ✘ side characters & fair folk - Gadfly, who is Isobel's oldest and most prominent patron. There is so much I want to say about him, but I can't, because it would be a huge spoiler. All I will say is that I loved Gadfly from the moment we met him, and he made me cry like the big baby I am by the time it was all said and done. What a delightfully written character. - March and May, Isobel's younger "sisters". They're actually goats in human form , and they're freaking ADORABLE. They butt heads, and eat everything, and destroy things, and bounce around on tops of cabinets, and basically act like... well, goats. I loved them so much. - I also want to touch on the lore in this story and how it affects the fair folk. They can't touch iron, they're held to a standard of politeness that reaches compulsive levels, and they cannot lie. They pay for favors through enchantments rather than money, but are mischievous, wicked things who tend to trick the other parties into enchantments that go sour. All of these things are so prominent in the story and it showed that Margaret Rogerson actually did her homework. As someone who was obsessed with fairy lore as a kid, I'm so here for this. ✘ final thoughts This book was a delight from start to finish, and I could barely stand to put it down for anything. I already am desperately hoping for more stories set in this world, because I could not get enough of the precious romance, or the world and magic system, or the fun characters. My only complaint was that it came dangerously close to insta-love, but even as someone who hates that trope, it didn't really bother me due to the way the relationship progresses. I loved this story so much, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good high fantasy/fae romance. This was easily one of my top reads of 2017 so far and I can't wait to see what Margaret comes up with next!

I was thrilled to finally get my hands on Margaret Rogerson’s debut novel, An Enchantment of Ravens. Often described as the “perfect fall read,” it truly is, with lush, magical scenery and an adventure reminiscent of a fairy tale. I probably could have read it in a day or two, but it was such a pleasure that I tried to make it last as long as possible, delaying the inevitable end. I found myself wishing for more books with these characters, but according to Rogerson, this book was written as a standalone. (If she changes her mind, though, I’ll take any glimpse of Whimsy and the fairylands that I can get!) I love the world Rogerson has created, from the peculiar town of Whimsy to the alluring and dangerous fairylands. Fans of Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series may find the fairy courts in this book — spring, summer, fall, and winter — reminiscent of those described in her trilogy. But I found the depiction of the fair ones to be more dangerous and haunting. While they are, in some ways, similar to fey found in other YA books, Rogerson shows that their legendary beauty is built on a lie, and their love of mischief and trickery runs deep. I found Isobel to be a likeable, realistic protagonist, with conflicted emotions and a soul-deep sense of duty to her family. And where do I begin with Rook? In some ways, he fits the archetype of the rude, stubborn love interest who eventually grows to love his equally-stubborn companion. But it was such a delight to see his interactions with Isobel change and deepen. He’s definitely book boyfriend material. There were parts of the book that felt a little predictable. It’s not difficult to imagine how it ends before it even happens. But again, much like a fairy tale, that predictability comes with the story: a handsome fairy prince whisks a lovely human girl away, and during their journey, they fall in love. I still thoroughly enjoyed this book and the way it went about telling that story. While the concept is something we’ve seen before, the writing is sharp and engaging. I also had a few lingering questions at the end of the book, but despite wanting answers, I can appreciate it when an author leaves some details to the reader’s imagination. Overall, I think this was a strong debut, and it really is a wonderful book to curl up with. Make some tea, grab a cozy blanket, and lose yourself in the forests with Isobel and Rook.

I was so excited for An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson to be released and I read it as soon as I could! An Enchantment of Ravens is about Isobel, a human sharing a world with faeries. Isobel is a painter and her skills are coveted among the faeries. When the opportunity arises for her to paint the elusive prince of the autumn lands, Rook, she can't pass up the opportunity. Rook is unlike all other faeries she's met and she's intrigued by him. However, while painting his portrait Isobel makes a detrimental mistake. Before she knows it, Isobel is whisked away by Rook to stand accountable for her mistake. The book was good and I had fun reading it, but it didn't meet all of my expectations. I really liked Isobel and her determination. She was constantly faced with problems and she kept pushing through them. I liked Isobel's dedication to her unique family and the way she and her aunt tried to keep their family safe and together. A huge aspect to Isobel's character is her craft-painting. Margaret Rogerson definitely did A LOT of research regarding proper terminology for painting and how colors blend together. The way Isobel's painting and technique was described was amazing. In fact, the whole book was artfully written. I understand that fae are described differently by each author, but it took me a while to get accustomed to the fae in this book. They're very formal and love to trick humans into bargains. Fae mimic humans in appearance and custom but don't understand them. Their world is very interesting. When reading, I kept having this feeling that everything was just a little bit off. I realize that that's intended but I didn't always enjoy it. Despite my feelings, I would definitely describe Rook as adorkable. I liked that Rook continually tried to help Isobel, but because of the nature of fae not understanding humans completely, I sometimes had a hard time believing the relationship between him and Isobel. But at the same time, his desire to understand adds to him being adorkable. An Enchantment of Ravens took me on an adventure and I did enjoy reading it, but I was left feeling like something was missing. The ending was good, but it seemed a little abrupt. An Enchantment of Ravens is a standalone book, however I would be interested if there were a second one because I am curious to see what becomes of Isobel and Rook.

This was AdOrAbLe! Our main female character is Isobel, she is an artist, a painter!- needless to say I was sold at that point already- Every detail and description of Isobel's work was accurate and beautifully written. She paints portraits for the fair folk, since they cannot. The fair folk cannot do anything considered craft- painting, cooking, dress making... She is amazing at what she does and has managed to protect and support herself and her family through it. There is even a rather powerful protection spell in her house put there as payment by one of her most frequent patrons- Gadfly. He is charming and I really liked him. I figured out what he was up to about two thirds in the book and I think you will too. But that didn't make the story any less interesting. One day our other main character pays Isobel a visit. Rook, the Autumn Prince. Faeries don't have emotions, or at least are not meant too. Love perhaps, but that is rare. But Isobel sees sorrow in his eyes and puts that into her painting. When the painting is revealed in the autumn court that causes Rook a lot of problems, it could even cost his life. Because you see, human emotions are considered a weakness for the fair folk and a prince cannot be weak. He drags Isobel from her home to face trial for her crime! And here our story begins... Rook is Adorable! He is proud and a little self obsessed, but in a child like manner. I just giggled every time he said something self serving. He may be a prince -and like reminding Isobel of that all the time- but he is clueless to human emotions and behavior. Some of his comments and questions are just too freaking cute and funny. If you have a thing for precious sweet characters, you will like him. I usually like the bad boys, but every now and then I find a sweet one impossible not to love, he is one of them! I loved how the relationship between Isobel and Rook progressed. At first I thought we would suffer from the 'insta-love' curse. Although it looked that way to start it righted itself as the story went on. I loved how impossible it was for him to hide his feelings and how blind she was to her own. It was cute. The side characters were also great fun. Starting with Gadfly, who I already mentioned. We also have a fun miss-behaved set of twins. A protective loving aunt. And a few fair folk from Gadfly's court that are just hilarious. The only reason I am keeping that fraction of a point back when scoring the book is that is was a tab predictable. A lot remained a surprise till the end, but there were a few things that were obvious. Beyond the review: Here is something I do not understand: Why is this being compared to A Court of Thorns and Roses? Have people gone mad? Acotar is, to start, a New Adult Novel. No YA can be that 'explicit'. An Enchantment of Ravens is most certainly Young Adult. I understand that most of Sarah Maas fans are young adult lovers but you can just choose what genre to call a book because of your personal preferences. Can you imagine acotar in a school library in the teen and/or section? How many parents you think would go mad at that? plenty! Second, Acotar is intense. It has a lot of depth and a rather complicated world. An Enchantment of Ravens is an easy read. It has an amazing world built into it but its not overly complicated. Not much more can be built from it either. And the kind of intensity found here is very different from acotar. It is fun and light hearted even at the most precarious scenes. Can you really call any of the intense scenes in acotar light hearted? Sorry for the rant guys... I love acotar and I really enjoyed this book too, but the comparison is just wrong.

FIRST THOUGHTS When I first saw the cover art on this novel, I fell in love. It reminded me of this old, Egyptian Cinderella story I read as a child and upon picking up the book, I was caught by the description. The art, itself, was brilliant in that it looks like a painting the likes of which our main character, Isobel, may have herself created. The idea of a truly dangerous, perhaps unlikeable male hero (Rook) also held a certain appeal, as well as the idea of "craft" and this writer's take on the fair folk being disturbing, woodsy, thoroughly inhuman creatures. Thankfully, I was not at all disappointed. REVIEW One of my favorite components of this novel is the fact that Rogerson stays thoroughly true to each of her characters in every situation, and that their personalities, virtues, and faults don't magically disappear because they fall in love or enter into a new environment. Isobel continues to be practical in her dealings with all the fair folk no matter how charming they may be, and she guards her humanity with a vengeance. She is sharp-tongued at times and even has a small capacity for cruelty, but this is tempered with a deep thread of compassion and understanding of human emotion and the inhuman mind. My very favorite element of her character is her devotion to her craft (art) and the fact that, even when faced with certain death and losing her newfound love, she digs her heels in and refuses to let it go. She is not a reactionary character; she keeps iron on her as a weapon against the fair ones' power, and she's learned to word her requests carefully lest they trick her. Rook, on the other hand, is the proverbial very-old, very-powerful non-human male that appears so often in various popular young adult stories...or at least he is on the surface. In her first dealings with him, she is charmed by his good looks and elegant demeanor, but this takes a sharp turnaround the moment he kidnaps her and I couldn't be happier about that fact. Though Rook is physically and magically more than capable, he is severely crippled by his complete and total lack of understanding of human needs and behaviors. The first time this properly comes into evidence is when Isobel needs to stop for a bathroom break, and he just stands there watching her, completely baffled. This occurs again when she gets hungry and he becomes convinced she'll die within seconds if he doesn't find her food. Rook is arrogant and terribly vain (we learn later that his good looks are a glamour, the likes of which all fair folk wear around humans to appear more like them), somewhat naive, far more reactionary than disciplined Isobel, and yet he also has a fair sense of humor she often lacks. His character is wild as fits a Prince of the forest, and I love the unpredictability of his character. The central conflict around fair folk and humans is the most compelling, and one that Rogerson maintains throughout the book in a subtle fashion from beginning to end. The relationship between humanity and the fair folk is one that on the outset looks much like that of the little fish who cling to a shark's skin and clean its teeth out, but the reality is vastly more level. The fair folk are powerful, unpredictable, dangerous, tricky. They love to take advantage of the humans and adore their "craft," but there is a certain jealousy inherit in that; they themselves are incapable of creating or of experiencing true emotions, something that comes naturally to humanity. They posture and preen and set themselves up as the supreme being, yet even cooking paralyzes and weakens them as it goes against their nature. Humanity, in this story, is a collection of resilient beings equally charmed and repulsed by the fair folk and their ways. They are creators—creators of clothing, food, artwork, writing, science, everything that involves taking more than one natural element and turning it into something new. Many of them desire to become fair folk (a possibility thanks to a mystical well which the fair folk occasionally allow one or two to drink from), but just as many wish they'd leave them well enough alone. It is a fascinating contradiction at work between the races, and it underlies everything between Isobel and Rook, between Isobel and the faerie courts and this world she reluctantly steps into, and it is this reluctancy that makes it truly stand apart from other fantasy novels of similar premises. The only places I think Rogerson could improve would be in that a few of her more action-oriented scenes are so fast and sensory, one must read over them a few times to comprehend and I think she would have been better to slow down somewhat and make it clear what was happening when rather than a jumble of action and description. That said, the action and description did serve the purpose of making a reader feel incredibly present and even in danger themselves. All things considered, this is a book I absolutely loved, and one I will definitely be revisiting and lending to my friends in hopes they'll read along and experience the same wonder and curiosity the novel has to offer.

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.

AN ENCHANTMENT OF RAVENS is a fabulous take on the mythology behind faeries and their courts. Set in a part of the world that sees no change in season called Whimsy, AEOR is one of the best faerie stories since ACOTAR. High praise indeed. When it comes to the Fair Folk, Margaret Rogerson knows her stuff. Like Feyre before her, our main character Isobel is a painter. She’s such a good painter that the Fair Folk come from all over to seek her Craft. In this world, Craft is something only humans can do, making things like art, food, and beautiful clothes. Faeries are obsessed with it even though they understand very little about the nature of it and humans. This brings about one of the best, and probably most amusing parts of the book. The confusion of faeries trying to understand human thinks like hunger and cooking had me in stitches. Just the idea of this gorgeous, all powerful creature having no clue what to do with a hungry human for some reason hit me right in the funny bone. But I digress. Isobel is very clever, and from the beginning makes a better impression on me than Feyre did. She doesn’t bumble around, even when out of her element. Instead she keeps her wits about her and her head on her shoulders, making her a more respectable main character in my eyes. Then there’s Rook, easily my favorite character in this book. As lovable as Rhysand but with the added bonus of being from Autumn my favorite season, Rook just makes me happy every time he’s on the page. Not gonna lie, the way faeries are described is kind of ridiculous at times, which the book totally addresses. Regardless, the moment he is described as smelling of leaves and cool nights I was ready to love him. If I were to smell the love potion Amortentia from Harry Potter, that is exactly what it would smell like. I was in love with the world building in AEOR from the word go. The way the author makes absurd things seem both humorous but entirely ordinary at the same time had me completely entertained the whole book. Sisters who were once goats? Yep, ok, I can buy it. That has everything to do with how she builds the world, that I can accept it and suspend my disbelief without taking everything so seriously. It makes the book a joy to read. I could easily read 30 more books in this world, just from how enjoyable the experience is. AN ENCHANTMENT OF RAVENS has a brilliant humor to it, even at its darkest parts. I love the lore and the wonderful care the author takes in her craft that shows in the writing

While there are a lot of similarities with Sarah J. Maas' plot for A Court of Thorns and Roses series, it's not EPIC fantasy i. e. there's no threat to the world. That said, it hooked me. And the writing compelled me to keep reading. I loved the world Rogerson created. Very imaginative and engaging. All that said, the resolution left me unfulfilled. For such a gripping build, it fizzled with an overly easy resolution. It seems this debut author fell into the trap of her first novel, and being too kind to her characters. SPOILER: First, to have this supposedly majorly powerful king, be found sleeping, when the pair decide to hunt him down, to take him down. I understand the idea was that decay had eaten away at him, just like the rest of the fairie, but come on. A major antagonist should never be found SLEEPING. It completely kills the tension. I was thinking that whole scene "so just kill the guy and be done with it". But nope. The pair let him wake up, then flee. Somehow there's a time lag of at least a half a day before this major antagonist "finds" them, to destroy them. That lag doesn't work. But the BIGGEST faux pas, the heroine paints a picture which supposedly so distracts this big, bad antagonist, that it gives her time to land a killing blow. Come on. Really? Pardon the pun but it seems Rogerson "painted herself into a plot corner" and it just fizzled. An ending should be inevitable, but UNEXPECTED. This ending was definitely inevitable, but completely expected. What would I have done? Brought the main antagonist more into the plot. Rogerson never SHOWED him as the villian he's made out to be. She told us. She could have had this king go after the pair of lovers, enforcing his Good Law, and made them go through all manner of problems. It would have upped the stakes considerably and had us cheering at his eventual death. Instead, it felt like a list of plot points being checked off. My other objection, it's in the last 2%-3% of the book that Rogerson informs the reader that, oh by the way, that Good Law that about killed our two main heros, that went away as soon as the big, bad antagonist dies. NOOOOOO! The Good Law needed power beyond the antagonist dying to drive the plot to a meaningful conclusion. IMO the lovers needed to still have fairie culture to deal with longer term. To say it went away with the bad guy's death, undermines the weight of the law that drove the conflict. Argh!

I bought this book for my sister, it is a great book for readers that are into fantasy (books like “the cruel prince”) The book is very pretty and glowy, I haven’t read the book yet, but the summary seems very interesting. I have included the summary for those of you who want to read it.

otima edicao

I loved nearly everything about this book, from the beautiful cover to the magic weaved with words through every page, I loved Rogerson's take on the fey and her main character was perfectly relatable, smart and brave. The chemistry between the two main characters had me with little heart flutters. A beautiful tale, told masterfully.

Love the book. Great characters, interesting storyline, the cover is beautiful too

As seasons and strangeness unfold in this book, wonder dawns on you : beauty and magic don't always come from where you expect... And love can blossom from understanding seemingly unsurmountable differences.