An Enchantment of Ravens - by Margaret Rogerson (Paperback)

Amazing from beginning to end!

An Enchantment of Ravens is a quick, fun read. I really liked the characters Isobel and Rook, and all the other fae introduced, but the plot was a little weak. Not weak enough to make the story unenjoyable, but I very wish this was a tad longer. I think with another 20-30 pages, some of the plot could have been fleshed out more.

The first (and last) faerie-centric book I read was awful and felt like torture forcing myself to finish it (if you absolutely must know, it was Wicked Lovely), so I was understandably a bit hesitant about picking up An Enchantment of Ravens. What convinced me, however, was the hype around the book before its debut and the gorgeous cover. On a whim, I borrowed the audio book on Overdrive because I wasn't in the mood to read the other books I had and, wow. Not once did I expect I would be hooked by Margaret's beautiful writing, compelling characters, and fascinating world building, all within the first chapter. It's not an exaggeration when I say Margaret's prose is absolutely gorgeous. Isobel is such an interesting, compelling, and admirable character and I could not help but find her absolutely lovable. She's so strong-willed, wise, and loyal to her family. Also, not only is she an extremely talented artist for her young age, but she is also very cunning - something she had to be in order to deal with her usual clientele of mischievous fair-folk. Unlike most of the people in the village of Whimsy, Isobel was always extremely careful and very practical when it came to receiving enchantments as payment for her Craft from the faeries. I also really admire her determination to stay true to herself, especially when it would have been easier to do the exact opposite. And, speaking of Craft (basically anything that people do to create something, like cooking, painting, writing, etc.), I thought the entire concept of it and how the faeries all crave it but are literally unable to perform any of it themselves was so interesting! The world-building of the human village of Whimsy, the World Beyond, and the Faerie Courts is crafted and woven together so seamlessly that it was so easy to picture everything. Margaret was able to create such an interesting and magical world without weighing it down with too much new concepts that would have taken me more time to digest, which is what usually happens to me when I read fantasies. And I can't do this review without expressing my complete adoration for Rook. Even though he was arrogant I found it to actually be quite endearing, especially when Isobel would call him out on being a showing off. I loved seeing him slowly learn more about people, specifically human emotions, through his journey with Isobel. I thought that their feelings for each other in the beginning (even though, chronologically, it occurred over the course of several weeks) were a bit rushed, but I didn't mind so much because I just adore them both so much, and also, later on it was further developed. Honestly, I didn't really notice the insta-love much at all because I was so focused on their crazy journey together, encountering one threat after another, and the revealing of the ugliness hidden behind all the beauty of the world of the fae. I also just really love their characters in general, and the chemistry they had. That being said, I thought the plot was a bit predictable at times but didn't mind too much, especially since there were other plot twists that took me completely by surprise. At the last quarter of the book I was so enthralled that I actually stayed up until 2am because I didn't want to put it down! I was exhausted at work the following morning, but all I could think about was when would I have time to finish the book because I really needed to find out how it all concluded. Other than that, the only other critique I have is that the ending seemed a little rushed and that I wish there was a little more! (I wanted to learn more about the World Beyond!) Overall, I definitely recommend An Enchantment of Ravens if you love reading about adventures and politics in a faerie world and enjoy a (sort of) hate-to-love fairy-tale style romance, featuring an arrogant but endearing faerie prince and a smart and strong-willed artist, all told in gorgeous prose.

A magical fairytale! You won't be able to resist being drawn into this world - I couldn't put it down! An absolute must-read.