An Enchantment of Ravens

By: Margaret Rogerson

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2017 Margaret Rogerson (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

felt empty and landed flat

I originally bought this book because of the preview and I wanted to know more about the character. However, it was difficult to get through and the main character was tedious at times by trying to "not be like other teenage girls" while still swooning and not doing much that would make a protagonist fall in love.

Overall, the book felt like it lacked more world building and character development/character. I couldn't connect with the hero who felt very flat. While I enjoy a good fairy fantasy, and the premise for describing faries as something outside of the norm, I would have enjoyed a richer story development.

Story overall was at least well written and had a good premise.

For fans of Sarah J Maas and Holly Black

Definitely for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Holly Black - it reminded me of A Court of Thorns and Roses crossed with The Darkest Part of the Forest. The romance was definitely rushed, as was the plot, but I loved how much worldbuilding managed to fit into such a short book! The characters were interesting even though some of them fell a bit flat, but overall, I definitely enjoyed this book.

Super creative

This book surprised me. I probably wouldn’t have read it if not for the glowing recommendations of some Goodreads friends I trust because mainstream YA disappoints and/or irritates me just as often as anything else. Imagine my happy surprise when I found myself truly enjoying the well-crafted world and interesting characters.

There are lots of different takes out there on the nature of faerie beings (a.k.a. fairies, fair ones, fair folk, etc.). An Enchantment of Ravens focuses on the dangerous side like you find in folklore, then adds twists that makes them feel fresh and new. I was fascinated by the way the author made it so that craft of any kind is deadly to the fair ones to the point that they are dependent on humans for such things as new clothes, art, etc. This gives basis for the uneasy relationship between the humans and the fair ones and thus sets up the story for our young human heroine who paints portraits for faerie clients.

I don’t want to get into too much detail about the story and spoil people, but suffice it to say that the author did an excellent job of making the faerie courts and the fair ones themselves so very OTHER that it made me feel like I was truly transported to other worlds. I loved the drama (that ending was EPIC!!!), the twists, the turns, and I generally liked our hero and heroine. I liked Rook’s complexity and his backstory, and I enjoyed his and Isobel’s dynamic together. Isobel was also a good character and I appreciated her sense of humor, spunkiness, wit, and her refreshing attitude about certain things that I can’t detail because, again, spoilers. :P

The main issue I had with the lead characters is the main issue I have with many mainstream YA romantic leads (as well as part of the reason I took off a star)…It didn’t take long to get them to push physical boundaries with a heavy make-out section that very nearly resulted in them having. To their credit, this only happened once and they showed more restraint after that, but still. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Seeing how close you can get to “the line” without actually crossing it is not something that books need to romanticize for young, immature readers who, by nature of having brains that are not yet fully developed, already struggle with forethought and self-control. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking with it.

Anyway. The other reason I took off a star is because of the profanity that, while infrequent, did not (in my opinion) fit the tone of the story, and I just plain don’t like hearing/reading profanity and find it unnecessary.

Other than those two things, though, I did enjoy this book a lot and I think the author is very creative and has a talent for writing beautiful, lyrical prose. I will keep an eye out for her future books.

I don’t know where to start...

I bought this book because in a few reviews it was compared to Sarah J. Maas’ books. It in no way compares. It’s a story without depth and character development. I will say it is one of the best first person stories I’ve read, but that is because of her writing style not the content. It has an interesting perspective on fey. It is supposed to be about the human condition and emotions, but falls short of what it advertises. Please listen to the reviews on this one.

Down hill after the first chapter

This book had so much potential but the first chapter turned out to be it's best. I was lost in the woods with these characters for several painful hours and I struggled to get through it. I repeated chapters many times until I finally gave up. I wanted to know more about this world. The fae were very interesting but it felt disjointed in some places. I definitely got a Tolkien feel but without the enchantment. I liked the narrator's voice but only as the main character. Every other female voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard...too high pitched. It was torture to continue listening. The male characters sounded hoarse. This was no page turner so it's a pass for me. I'll stick with Holly Black for now.

loved the whole concept of this story but...

I absolutly loved the whole concept of this story, its just the kind of whimsical fairy tale I enjoy reading! However, parts of it will have you rolling your eyes, the love story was very rushed and not complelty believable to me, but other than that I really enjoyed the story, and the preformace was excellent. Well worth the time! I just wish it was longer.

A pity a negative review is the first one you see.

I almost did't get this because of the review that the story fell flat. It has quite a few votes which puts it up front and center when you click on the reviews section. But I'm a sucker for a faerie story, where they are not nice (Holly Black, Melissa Marr, Maggie Stiefvater, etc.) so I thought I'd give it a try. I have to add Margaret Rogerson to my list of favorite authors. What a great story! The world building is excellent, the faeries complex motives and hierarchies as well as what humans are subjected to at their hands are superbly drawn. I kept waiting for the story to lose steam and fall flat, but instead it gained momentum as it wound through the different faerie lands and courts that are both subtle and deep. I found it a very satisfying tale. And bonus! Julia Whelan's narration is terrific. I'm hoping for more stories in this universe and will keep an eye out for whatever else Margaret Rogerson writes from now on.

bleeding hearts of the world unite

it was slightly better than what I expected.
A young adult heart throb kind of book.
I like the audible, but not enough to buy the physical book.it was more like giving it a 3.7 star.

A story that goes absolutely nowhere! Skip it

The author definitely has a way with words. However my interest peaked somewhere towards the middle. couldn't bring myself to care about what was happening! Thanks in large part to the narrator! She has a very pleasant voice, but when bringing other male characters to life is where she struggled. Overall I was mildly entertained.

Great story, great narration

I'm very picky about narration, and Julia Whelan did an excellent job. The story was vivid and engaging, the prose was solid and sound which you don't always get in the fantasy genre. Well done Ms. Rogerson and Ms. Whelan!!