Apollo’s Raven: Book Review

In 24 AD, there is tension between Celtic kings and Rome while they all struggle for power. Rhan, the former queen of King Amren, was sentenced to death by beheading for trying to take the throne from him. Before she is executed, she casts a curse on Amren and claims that the Blood Wolf and the Raven will rise together and destroy him. The Blood Wolf is his son, Marrock, and the Raven will be his youngest daughter sired by a new queen. King Amren does remarry, to the beautiful Rhiannon, and they have a daughter named Catrin. Catrin is magnificent, pure of heart and pure of soul, but raised as a mighty warrior. When she was nine, Marrock abandoned her in the woods and killed two children, which enraged the king, forcing him to banish Marrock. Now, as an adult, Marrock believes the throne and title of the king should be his, and he tries to ally with Rome to obtain this.

During this time, Catrin starts to develop a second sight and feels connected to her Raven. Feeling scared, her father will not be happy with this; she is surprised to find that he knew this would happen. King Amren then opens up to her about the curse and that she should train with Agrona, a powerful Druidess, to learn how to control her power correctly. Roman warriors, along with the Senator and his son, Marcellus, meet with the Cantiaci king to try and come to an agreement. Instantly, there is a connection between Catrin and Marcellus. They are both windswept into a forbidden love where they are faced with the choice of following their hearts or staying loyal to their families during this time of conflict.

I gave this novel a three out of five stars because I was turned off from the instant love that the two main characters had. I can understand the curiosity that the two had towards each other, both being young and attractive and from different cultures, but to instantly fall in love seems like a stretch. I love a wonderful slow-burning romance, the kind that is a small kindling, and then bursts into flames and brings out all of your feelings. Also, I wasn’t a big fan of the ending of the book. I cannot go into detail without spoiling anything. However, I can say that the way it abruptly ended left me confused and unsatisfied.

However, I enjoyed this novel, and I felt like the author spent a lot of time researching this period. The overall plot of the…