An Enchantment of Ravens

The story is magical, the human heroine feisty, and the “fair one” hero ... well, he’s gorgeous in his glamoured form, and if the heroine can see past his cadaverous natural state and sharp pointy teeth, then so can we, the readers. This wonderful novel is narrated in the first person by Isobel, a talented portrait artist who paints the likenesses of the “fair ones,” strange, unearthly creatures who inhabit the nearby Courts of Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall. Isobel trades her oil paintings for useful enchantments: firewood appears neatly bundled and hens lay a predictable and predetermined number of eggs. Her family is delightful if irregular; her aunt, who took over her care when her parents were killed, is the town’s doctor, and her young twin sisters used to be goats. They still bleat and eat irregular items! The town itself dwells in a constant-summer-status, and all its residents offer Crafts (baking, writing, dress-making and tailoring, cooking, and other skills, including Isobel’s portraiture) to their immortal clientele to keep themselves prosperous. Although the connection is intentionally kept vague, the “real” world as we know it lies somehow without the boundaries, or perhaps parallel to, the town in which Isobel lives; for example, almonds used for marzipan delicacies offered in the town’s confectionery are “imported” from this outside world. Isobel makes a good living as an artist, and she prides herself on exactitude where the foibles of her clients are concerned, the rituals of politeness, the carefully delivered compliments. She tells the reader that it’s a daily walk along a razor’s edge, and her caution and attention to detail both on canvas and in her interactions with those posing for her are all that prevent a fatal slip-up. One of Isobel’s frequent clients, Gadfly, informs her that he has referred a new patron, Rook, the Autumnland’s prince, whose magical abilities include being able to take the form of a raven. Rook has been absent from the human world for years, and do Isobel is justifiably nervous awaiting his arrival. Rook seems to her vain and unreachable as most of the fair ones are, but at the very end of his sitting, the artist in her sees something highly unusual and intriguing about his eyes. She becomes enamored, feeling the tug of attraction and desire for the first time in her life. His portrait is finished, though, and one of his entourage comes to collect it. Lovelorn Isobel knows her crush will be unrequited, as bitter as the knowledge is. However, not long after Rook takes possession of the portrait he commissioned, he’s back, not just dissatisfied but enraged, and Isobel is, apparently, to blame: From that moment the action of the novel takes off in a whirlwind of adventure, peril, love, and—of course—enchantment. The novel is sheer delight. The emotions of the characters leap off the pages, no mean feat given that the hero is of an entirely alien, “other” category of being. I have to give a special note of appreciation to this author, who creates a brave, intrepid, worthy heroine who nonetheless gets stinky after lengthy outdoor physical exertion, has to stop to pee, and (gasp!) gets a zit. Love, love, love this! I cannot imagine any reader who enjoys fantasy and adventure not devouring this book with relish. It is truly delightful.

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.

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.