An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson Pages: 300
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on September 26th 2017
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy & Magic
Source: Paperback ARC from Publisher
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 among them. 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, violating the fair folks’ ruthless Good Law. There's only one way to save both their lives, Isobel must drink from the Green Well, whose water will transform her into a fair one—at the cost of her Craft, for immortality is as stagnant as it is timeless.
Isobel has a choice: she can sacrifice her art for a future, or arm herself with paint and canvas against the ancient power of 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.
An Enchantment of Ravens is a young adult standalone fae fantasy by Margaret Rogerson. I used to love books about the fae, but I haven’t read a really good fae-centered book in a long time. So I was super excited when I started to see great early reviews of An Enchantment of Ravens. And when a few of my favorite bookstagrammers said it was one of their favorite reads of the year, I knew I had to read this one ASAP. And I was so not disappointed. An Enchantment of Ravens is a magical story, with beautiful writing. This is a book that instantly swept me away. I seriously loved this story.
In an Enchantment of Ravens we meet Isobel, a talented portrait artist in a town bordering the Fae world/forest. Whimsy is such an interesting town because of their proximity to the fair folk. Throughout the town’s history, Fae come into town to buy items that are crafted. I’m not sure if this is a unique trait to Mrs. Rogerson’s fae, but in this world fae cannot craft anything. In fact, engaging in any amount of crafting will kill a fae. That was such an interesting concept to me. So, the fae are absolutely ravenous for anything crafted. They cannot get enough of it. Isobel draws portraits of the fae, and in exchange she asks for various enchantments to help her family. I love how smart and perceptive Isobel is. She is a marvelous heroine on this faerie adventure.
Near the start of the story we meet Rook, the autumn prince. Rook is a fascinating character. I have such a crush on him and isobel. They juxtaposed themselves so nicely. I loved their romance, I loved their bickering. Honestly, I loved everything about the two of them. I really liked a lot of the secondary characters too. The fae that we found in the spring court were all very interesting. I am itching for a sequel or a companion novel because this book was simply too short. I need more! I would be happy to see the next book have a different character focus, like the spring prince!, but I am dying to see more Isobel and Rook.
Bottom line: Whether you are a fan of fae stories or not, you need to check out An Enchantment of Ravens. It is a beautiful fantasy tale that has enchanting prose and has a wonderfully romantic romance. I was totally swept up in the story and writing of An Enchantment of Ravens. This book is really lovely. It is a favorite new release of mine in 2017. And one of my favorite reads of the year! I cannot wait for more from Margaret Rogerson.
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