Edition: Advance Copy
Published: September 26th, 2017 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 304
Goodreads Rating: 4.15/5 stars
My Rating: 5/5 stars
For all my reviews so far I have thrown in a quote in from the book that stood out to me in some way and stuck with me for the rest of the book. I just couldn’t do that with An Enchantment of Ravens, nothing really stuck out to me because everything was so beautifully written. Margaret’s writing in An Enchantment of Ravens is truly something magical. It made me feel as though I was right there with Isobel and Rook throughout the story.
In An Enchantment of Ravens we follow alongside Isobel, a portrait artist that lives in the village named Whimsy. Her craft is seeked by various fair folk who pay in the price of enchantments, which can grant anything your heart desires. It may sound like a blessing at first but if not careful with the wording of these enchantments they can turn sour, or even deadly. But with years of practice of working with fair folk and learning all their tricks, she knows how to use the enchantments to her benefits. She never asks for too much, always something practical and useful for herself and her family.
During one of Isobel’s regular client’s appointments he tells her she will be expecting the Autumn Prince soon. Within her time with Rook, the Autumn Prince, to create his portrait Isobel gets to know him more so than other clients. With this she makes the mistake of painting a mortal emotion of sorrow in his eyes. This weakness can cost Rook his life. Furious, he takes Isobel back to the Autumnlands to stand trial for her crime.
I feel like it may be a little too soon to say this is my favorite book of 2017.. buuut it is my favorite book of 2017. I’ve been waiting for this book ever since I saw someone recommend it to a friend many months ago (I am so thankful for Sarah (Margaret’s agent) for sending me an advance copy!) When I was finally able to read An Enchantment of Ravens I couldn’t find it in myself to put it down―and I know I say this a lot but I truly could not find myself putting it down. I kept wanting to know what happened next.
I loved how Margaret wrote the fair folk in her book. They may not lie (just because they cannot lie does not mean they are honest), disguise themselves like humans to hide their true nature, must curtsy back (at all costs), and don’t experience human emotion. For me it was quite different from most faerie novels I’ve read, which I loved. I always appreciate when an author goes a different way than the typical route that many authors use with their novels.
I may be bias because I have always had a strong love for anything autumn related but you guys, I absolutely adored Rook. I just want to protect him from the world and love him forever. I expected him to be an egoistic prince―I mean, he was a little bit about him being the Autumn Prince but it wasn’t as bad as some other male protagonists in different novels. He does not understand human emotions at all and it’s quite amusing because emotions practically terrify him. He always apologizes when he may think he upset someone, even if he really doesn’t understand why or how. If I wasn’t making this a spoiler free review I would share all my favorite interactions between Rook and Isobel because I could list them all so easily.
All the characters and scenes in An Enchantment of Ravens were all written all so beautifully I wish it was longer because I wanted it to never end. I hope we get to see more of Margaret’s writing soon, her and her writing kept me captivated from beginning to end with this book.
P.s Viktoria has already called dibs on Rook but I would like to overrule her verdict and call dibs on the Autumn Prince.
