An Enchantment of Ravens

I really could not get enough of this and it was so short!! If you are a huge fan of the folk of the air trilogy, then this book is for you! It is about the blossoming and banned love of a fair folk and a mundane.Rook (prince of the spring court) falls in love with Isobel after and unexplainable coincidence in which Isobel an artist that draws fair folk. When she draws sadness in rooks eyes, rook gets mad and captured her to stand trial in the spring court. However they go through a majority of difficulties, and through those challenges Rook finds himself falling in love with Isobel. It would be to break the green law if both were in love with each other, what Rook did not know was that Isobel was in love with him.A wonderful book about seelies and fair folk, it kept me reading on and on. This book really displays forbidden romance.Personally I really enjoyed it, and the epilogue was rather surprising!I rate this a 4.5/5!!

Received in good condition

I made the fatal mistake known to all readers as “the cover buy”. I can admit the cover is so good that it’s very nearly worth having bought it just so that it can sit pretty next to Sorcery of Thorns on my YA fantasy shelf. But no amount of pretty makes up for that amount of boredom.I really enjoyed Margaret Rogerson’s Sorcery of Thorns and so it seemed like her debut novel would be a smart move for me. In truth, had a known a novel about dangerous fey, sinister tricks and a prodigal artist dancing with death on a regular basis existed beforehand that would have been enough to convince me regardless. But that isn’t what happens in this book at all, contrary to the misleading blurb. This book in actuality is a standard trope-ridden fey romance.Isobel paints portraits of the fair folk in exchange for enchantments in the form of protection for her family, hens who lay extra eggs and ravens who alert you of imminent death or danger. This method of getting by largely without trouble from the fair folk has worked for a time, until Isobel paints mortal sorrow in the eyes of her newest patron Rook, a fairy prince. Rook is so outraged by Isobel’s insolence that he drags her to the autumn lands to face a trial for her crimes.It’s just lame. What a rubbish excuse to force the two central love interests into a cross-country adventure where they inevitably develop feelings for each other. It’s uncomfortably deliberate, not to mention the tragically over-told case of girl falling in love with her foul tempered kidnapper. If that’s not enough to put you off, no amount of bad juju will.I’d like to say that there were redeeming characters which made up for a heroine who loses her wits the moment she gets starry-eyed over a boy, but there are not. I’d like to say that the plot is compelling to forgive that, but it is boring and suffers from particularly slow pacing. I can say that the world building begins well, that Isobel is initially an intriguing character until she meets Rook and that, after that, it all goes horribly wrong and swiftly takes a nose dive to a two star.

I have so much to say about this book. There was a lot I loved about this, so much so I could’ve seen it as a 5 star read with some tweaking. I liked that it was a short standalone, and though that length was refreshing in some ways, it was hindering in others, mostly emotional leaps to get the story where it needed to go in a shorter period of time. I adored the world, and Margaret Rogerson’s depiction of the fair folk. The writing was lush and characters well expressed. As a debut, I was so impressed, and could see unbound potential for future books.CharactersA few characters weren't as strong on the page as others. Emma and the twins never felt quite right, but they possibly could've with more time on the page. Aster and the Hemlock could've been interesting characters, but they fell flat for me- even if they could've been explored more if the book had been longer.Negatives aside- I loved the main duo. I normally feel neutral about female main characters in fantasy- especially when it's in first person- but I actually liked Isobel. She wasn't whiny or naive- nor was she miss perfect. I loved Rook too, there was something sweet about him. I liked the way he and Isobel interacted, and how their vastly different lives intertwined and clashed throughout the story. However, he never quite felt like a "prince" in the way as another character does. I loved the vibe of him, and his character, and I could've read a much longer book exploring him alone and the ins and outs of his life even separate from Isobel.I enjoyed Gadfly, I thought his own manner came off very clear, and the image of him was crisp in my head. I liked Lark too, and found her a joy to read despite her eccentricities.These group of characters in particular jumped out at me and were what helped make this book compelling and engaging. (especially Rook).RomanceI'm the type that struggles with romance that blooms too quickly. This is short- and half the book revolves around the consequences of a mortal and a fair folk falling for each other- and the book's only 300 pages, so yes, it felt rushed to me. I could believe that they would fall for each other- it just happened too quick. There were grand declarations of love that read as so cheesy I was afraid my eyes wouldn't return from rolling up into my brain. They'd not known each other, truly, for long at all. I would've liked a slower burn- and this is the only place the length of this book truly hindered this novel for me. This romance had potential, and if it went there for me this really could've been a 5 star book for me. However- there were two things I did like about their portrayal of their relationship- but I'll hide them in spoiler tags- but I'll let you all know it didn't feel wholly unhinged.WorldOkay, I am crazy for this depiction of the fair folk, or “faeries”- even more so than the world of Maas- like way more. I loved the darkness to it, that immortality isn't glorified or perfect. That there's consequence. I loved that the fair folk had attributes we're familiar with- but that was there an overall feel to it that felt original to this story. I loved that their beauty was only a glamour- how their whole world festered and rotted. It's the embodiment of its what's on the inside that matters. I was happy fair folks weren't these perfect, flawless, beautiful things- that they were so inhuman. I loved the set up, I loved that we had a full sense of the world without a 600 paged novel. I want more fair folks like this, beautiful and ugly, and inhuman without that making them wholly monstrous. It was interesting how Rogerson showed the fair folk’s world view and emotion without making each faerie cookie-cutters of one another. It's hard to articulate my love for it- but I have to say this side of it was my favourite part of this novel.PlotThe plot, for me, wasn't the strongest thing about this book. I personally loved the character, set-up and world. The first half of the book was my favourite- but I could understand that if you didn't take to those elements why this book would fall flat for some people. I loved the exploration of Isobel's Craft- and how it shows the vital importance of the arts- and what our world would be reduced to without it- how we wear and use it every day- and how, a lot of the time, it's looked down upon when compared to the sciences- which are just a different kind of important.A large part of the plot later revolved around love, and though interesting, it feel short as I couldn't wholly believe their love was true considering for how little time they knew each other. After the halfway point, Rook and Isobel are around each other less, and there wasn't a lot of time of them together to actually be together in requited love.WritingThe writing was sharp and crisp and gorgeous. It really brought the world and people to life without being over-descriptive. It was full of precise word choice. It's funny at times, the dialogue well written and consistent. I loved how you could tell the difference between humans and the fair folk just through the word choice of what they said and how their words were phrased.EndingProceed this this paragraph with care if you haven’t read the book (or skip it). It doesn’t have outright spoilers, but hints to how it all ends up until the spoiler tags.I can't say I hated the ending, but I didn't love it either. Some of it felt a bit too easy, or a bit like a fairy-tale ending- but I can't lie and say I wouldn't have been pissed if it had had a depressing end.ConclusionThis was a beautiful read that had undertones of some of my favourite books while remaining original in its own right. This reminded me why I had such a fascination and love for faeries when I was younger- it’s this type of faerie, or fair folk, the kind with a dark side- that’s not just plain and boring and beautiful- the kind that are disturbing and different from us with a different view of the world that I adore reading about. I had my issues, but remember this is a debut- and I will undoubtedly be looking out for whatever Rogerson puts out next as I’m sure she will only improve, and could, maybe someday, write a favourite.

Ainda estou no começo do livro, e geralmente não gosto de dar avaliações ruins, mas quero dizer sobre a qualidade ruim da capa comum, já que não falaram sobre aqui (pois devem ter comprado em capa dura, o que imagino ser de qualidade superior mesmo). Comprei de capa comum esperando poder economizar um pouco e imaginando que ao menos fosse uma qualidade legal, mas nossa, parece pior que os livros em versão econômica. Livro muito mole, folhas parecem ser de jornal, de cor entre branco e cinza. Foto da capa linda, mas a qualidade muito pobre. Veio até com um pedaço soltando, parece ser a coisa mais fácil do mundo só arrancar.Queria ter comprado em capa dura mesmo. Gastaria 30 reais a mais, mas pelo menos ficaria satisfeita. Percebi que livros em inglês só parecem prestar em capa dura. Capa comum é só decepção, ainda mais por não ser barato mesmo assim (em torno de 50,00+)Olhem a diferença das folhas dele pra um com folhas amarelas.Infelizmente a capa dura ficou mais caro que antes, além da complicação que seria a devolução e com os Correios em greve, então acabei ficando com esse mesmo.Se eu gostar demais da história, edito a avaliação em relação à história e quem sabe mais tarde resolva comprar dessa vez em capa dura.

What a delightful book!I can't think of any other word to describe it. The writing was beautiful throughout, the character's whimsical and engaging, and the fair folk as mischievous and deadly as you can ask! Honestly, reading this story gave me all the warm fuzzies I get from reading a classic fairytale, but kept me on the edge of my seat with new twists and turns. The main character, Isobel, was relatable and the kind of girl I'd want to be my friend! And Rook, oh, Rook. It's refreshing to read of a male love interest of the 'immortal' kind that is respectful and polite of the girl's wishes, even despite his background as royalty! His cluelessness at human reactions was utterly adorable and endearing from the start.And the Craft. Oh man, the way it's described, the way the fair folk yearn for it. It was beautiful. When Isobel described how painting made her feel...it was just so perfect, and I was entirely in her corner for the entire book.I'm not going to say much more to keep this review spoiler free, but all I will say is this book is going to be one that is lovingly re-read over the years.

It arrived on time and we'll packaged and the novel itself is nice but the printing was sloppy. The cover was cut further back than the pages leaving them sticking out, some of the pages weren't cut properly leaving very messy edges, and the inside of the book had printing errors along the spine bleeding into the content of the pages.The book itself was a light-hearted read but nothing amazing. I loved the descriptive language used and the fae lore implemented in the story but didn't care much for the main characters. The plot felt very forced and dragged out a little too much. There was only one character who caught my attention and they weren't even a main character of the novel. It wasn't a terrible story and I might reread it again for a light, casual read but nothing more.