Apollo’s Raven (Apollo’s Raven #1)

FANTASY/HISTORICAL:  Catrin is the victim of a curse. On the day her father’s former queen was executed, she put a curse on the king’s future heirs. She prophesized that his own children and a foreign enemy would destroy him: the Raven, the Blood Wolf, and a mighty empire. Now years in the future Catrin is a trained warrior and upon discovering she is the Raven from the prophecy, she becomes determined to reverse the curse put on by the old queen. Yet it seems the prophecy may come true as Catrin struggles with a stinging attraction to her father’s enemy Marcellus. Could he be the mighty empire the old queen spoke of? Is their love a potential bridge to her father’s downfall? Most importantly, when the time comes who will Catrin choose?

Fantasy, politics, and suspense — these three words describe “Apollo’s Raven”. From the beginning, the reader is pulled into the historical appeal of the story and the ancient elegance of the Roman period. Somewhat in contrast to this is Catrin who, though a princess and relatively familiar with political games, stands out as her own young woman and character. For the reader, the setting and characters only strengthen the story. However, the author may have taken on a bit too much. Ms. Tanner has to balance historical accuracy with her own world building, magical rules, and, of course, character and story development. One of these aspects sometimes had to suffer for the others. Still, “Apollo’s Raven” is a story that demands the reader’s attention until the last sentence.

Jacey Lee