Highland Raven

By: Melanie Karsak

Narrated by: Lesley Parkin

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

Destined to become Queen of Scotland. Bound by blood to the Celtic gods.

Scotland, 1026 - Gruoch, descendant of the line of MacAlpin, should have been born into a life of ease. But fate is fickle. Her father's untimely death, rumored to have been plotted by King Malcolm, leaves her future uncertain and stained by the prophecy that she will avenge her family line.

Escaping to one of the last strongholds of the old Celtic gods, Gruoch becomes an adept in arcane craft. Her encounters with the otherworld, however, suggest that magic runs stronger in Scotland than she ever imagined.

Haunted by dreams of a raven-haired man she's never met, Gruoch soon feels her fate is not her own. She is duty-bound to wed a powerful lord, if not the Prince himself; however, she's not sure she can stop her heart when she meets Banquo, a gallant highlander and druid.

Fans of Outlander and Mists of Avalon will relish this sweeping Scottish historical fantasy that tells the tale of Gruoch, a woman struggling to escape her fate without blood on her hands.

©2014 Clockpunk Press (P)2016 Clockpunk Press

Critic Reviews

A great novel that captures realistically a world of witches and fairies, warrior women and barbaric men, and a woman exploring a life she had no idea existed (Author Carrie L. Wells)

A rich tale of lore and legend that will trap you faster than a fairy ring ( Fabulous and Fun Book Reviews)

Another Hit by Karsak

Melanie Karsak does it again! Highland Raven is a delightful mix of historical and fantasy that pulls inspiration from Shakespeare's Macbeth. The story centers on Lady Macbeth, before she ever took that name and is instead Gruoch MacAlpin the daughter of a royal bloodline and at the heart of magic from the Celtic gods.

Karsak has made her way onto my favorites list with her The Harvesting series, and are among my favorite audiobooks because of her care at picking amazing narrators who bring her stories to life. She doesn't disappoint with Highland Raven. I will admit to being somewhat hesitant with this one since it's a little different from her other novels, but that worry was pretty much pointless because I really think she knocked it out of the park with Highland Raven. We are given a chance to look at Grouch as she grows up and begins to learn that her fate has been set before her by the old gods, and that she is not only bound as a relation to the King but also by the old magics that still linger in the land. We get a surprising amount of religious strife as Christianity starts it's hold on the area and as those who still believe in the Celtic gods struggle to hold onto that heritage in the face of outright disapproval. Then there is the magic itself...I completely adored all the chapters in which Gruoch spent with the coven, as that is when we really start to see the Bard's work pulled in and weaved into the story-line in bits and pieces.

There was so much I wasn't expecting as far as the characters go. Grouch (Lady Macbeth) is portrayed as a power hungry woman who is completely lost to her husband's ambition in the original Shakespearean play, she pulls the strings behind his rise and we occasionally see the three fates at important moments lingering. In Highland Raven we see her as a woman who is placed with tremendous power and finds love not with Macbeth, but with Banquo. She is strong willed, curious, and glad to have this higher purpose, though the power behind her isn't one that allows for weakness or mercy. Then there is Sid...who is burdened with a gift of her own, but becomes a fast friend to Grouch and is completely delightful.
The narration, as a mentioned before, is perfection. Lesley Parkin does an excellent job with the reading and really makes each character stand out with a variety of different accents. She does read a bit on the slow side but she does have a pretty steady pace and a fantastic reading voice.

There is so much I wish I could talk about when it some to HR, but this review has gone on long enough already without adding in even more rambling about character development and fantastic scene setting. Karsak is definitely an author to keep an eye out for, and I really love her range. I'll be keeping up with this series for sure and I can't wait to see how Lady Macbeth handles the new revelation at the end of this book.

I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Great listen, again, and again

What did you love best about Highland Raven?

I loved the author's imagination and knowledge with which she created a world and characters with which I got embedded.

What did you like best about this story?

What I liked best was the way the story portrayed life, that even with magic there are ups and downs and Cerridwen's ability to deal well with all.

What does Lesley Parkin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think the narrator gave the book a life that I could not have done by reading. Accent (because I am in USA), emphasis, passion...I can't imagine anyone else doing so well!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, and I did. It was worth getting to work late

Any additional comments?

I anxiously await the next book. Quite a cliff-hanger about love and the next phase for her. I will listen again this weekend. There are some books that I just wish would never end.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Grabbed my soul

If you've ever looked into divination, past lives, runes or wicca, read this, and never even mind the whole Macbeth thing. Because, to be honest, I remember zilch from Shakespeare's Macbeth.
But I know that there are times in every woman's life when she wishes to be included in a tribe of women, to be taught herb lore and mysteries. To be an aspect of the Goddess and to find her inner calling. Go on this journey with Corbie, as she becomes Cerridwen.
You'll love what you find.

Also please give a medal to the person who got Lesley Parkin to read this story. Her Scottish accent totally convinced me I was in 11th century Scotland, following future Lady Macbeth. Beautiful.

Pet peeve: the lady on the cover of this book should probably have been raven black-haired, like the heroine. I like her braided updo, though :)

I still have 3 hours left of this story... so, gotta go.

See you in our next life together!

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A Grand Celtic Story!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would! This is a story about life for a young Celtic girl back in 1026 Scotland. She goes though intense adversity and has to deal with cruel Chieftains.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gruoch.....this is the young Celtic girl. She goes through a whole lot but remains strong.

What does Lesley Parkin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Wow! Talk about a Scottish accent! There are times where it is difficult to understand what is being said. But then again...it is wonderful to her that accent!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Life and Love for a young Celtic Lady?

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed the book! I received this book for free from the Author and Audio book boom in exchange for a unbiased review.
Thank you!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Captivating historical fantasy.

[The End]
Bambi: Nooooooooooo! It can't be over!
[Frantically checking Audible to see if the next book is out]
No! Gah! ::flails::

It's been a while since I had that reaction to the end of a book, but I was utterly captivated by Highland Raven. It was just so... so... magical, for lack of a better word. And I can't say enough good things about the narrator, Lesley Parkin. She really did a fabulous job with the accents and tenor of the story - she brought all the characters and the setting to life with a lyrical cadence.

So this story is about Shakespeare's Lady MacBeth... with some paranormal twists. Now it has been many years since I read Shakespeare in school, so I really can't much about the correlation between this story and Shakespeare. And I could really care less the storylines meshed or not - I was thoroughly entertained by Melanie Karsak's tale.

Pledged to the Morrigan at her birth by her vengeance-driven father, our heroine is known by many names: Gruoch, Corbie, Boudica, Cerridwen, Lady MacBeth. She is of the royal line of MacAlpin, with ties to the thrones of Scotland and Ireland. Cerridwen's family follows the old Gods at a time when Christianity is sweeping the land, so the story is full of Celtic and Pictish rituals and mythology. But Karsak weaves even more magic into the story with fae interludes, prophecy, wizardry and travel between realms. I liked Cerridwen as our warrior woman heroine. I loved that she was capable and curious and emotional. At this point, I'm not really seeing Cerridwen as Lady MacBeth... she is a young girl who is stretching her wings (literally) to learn family traditions and cope with her fate as best she can.

I am not usually a fan of the love triangle... but this one has me quite intrigued. I was very excited by Cerridwen's visions of a raven-haired man with eyes full of love. I thought I had an epic love story on my hands. But then along comes Banquo, who had a special connection to Boudica as Prasutagus. We see a lot of soul magic happening and it appears that Cerridwen and Banquo have been reconnecting time and again through each life. So, not remembering much MacBeth at the time, I was confused as to whose team I should be on! I think this allowed me to really feel the same conflict that Cerridwen was feeling when she had the soul-deep connection on one hand, but was still curious about the raven-haired man from her visions on the other hand.

This story ended on a cliffhanger and I absolutely cannot wait to see what's next in store for Cerridwen and MacBeth. I only wish these stories were longer because I was not ready for this one to end. While I am sure reading the story in print is great, I highly encourage you to give it a shot in audio because the narrator is fantastic.

I received a copy of this audiobook at no cost from the author in exchange for an honest review.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Disappointing

I bought this title after a summer of reading historic and classic fiction. I wanted something fun and magical and it said if I liked Outlander and Mists of Avalon this was a good choice. The narration was pretty decent but the plot was not well paced at all. I had no idea what was happening some of the time and I don't think there was much building of characters, scenes or worlds. Nothing seemed fully developed. The ending was abrupt and I thought I accidentally skipped it somehow. Clearly they want you to rush in and buy the next book to try and figure out what the heck happened, but honestly, I'll pass. I only stuck this book out b/c I'm not a quitter and honestly, I kept hoping the plot would get interesting.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

won t do series

didn't like first person telling and thought it was shallow. I won t do the rest of the series.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Enchanted story

What did you love best about Highland Raven?

The story from a long time ago

What did you like best about this story?

The old pagan ways, the goddess and the traditions.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Cerridwen was in her raven form and took revenge on Alister

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When she meets all the sisters and learn the old ways

Any additional comments?

Lesley Parkin voice makes the story even better.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Love this series

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The foretelling of the fire and how she faced it...also how she came to realized she had loved her husband.

Any additional comments?

Love how this ties in to Lady Macbeth. Can not wait until the next installment. Loved the author and loved the narration of the book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Wonderful Story

Would you listen to Highland Raven again? Why?

Absolutely, I loved the characters and the way they interacted with one another. The use of magic in this book was also very good. The way that the characters interacted with each other was enjoyable and it was an immersive experience. I found this book to be different from most fantasy books and I liked listening it.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the way the magic was put into the book, like it was just part of the world. I also enjoyed the way she used the old festivals that druids celebrated.

Have you listened to any of Lesley Parkin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to the narrator before, but I thought she did a wonderful job

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes absolutely, actually I practically did, as we were on a road trip at the time.

Any additional comments?

I got this book in exchange for an honest review from audiobook blast

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A brilliant story, excellently narrated

I listened to this story as an audiobook, excellently narrated by Lesley Parkin, who really brought it to life, drawing out its subtle nuances and breathing life into the characters - with my eyes closed I could see the movie playing in my imagination! I absolutely loved the way that the author has woven in elements of the inspiration Shakespeare and real Scottish history, but still kept it a very original story, giving Lady Macbeth her own backstory, and I can't wait to listen to book 2 and find out what happens next!