Name: Jini's review of An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
Item: An Enchantment of Ravens
Rating: 4
Author: Jini

Margaret Rogerson

From the internationally bestselling author of Sorcery of Thorns comes a breathtaking fantasy story of danger, lust and forbidden love. This is the perfect read for fans of Cassandra Clare, Leigh Bardugo, Alexandra Bracken and Holly Black! Isobel is an artistic prodigy with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread 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. 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, Rook spirits her away to his kingdom to stand trial for her crime. But something is seriously wrong in his world, and they are attacked from every side. With Isobel and Rook depending on each other for survival, there's the risk that their alliance might blossom into something more. After all, love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws . . . but are there some matters worth the risk? An instant New York Times bestseller! 'an ideal pick for fans of Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater, and Laini Taylor' –?Publishers Weekly, starred review

An instant New York Times bestseller

An Enchantment of Ravens

An instant New York Times bestseller! An Indie Next Top 10 Pick A Parents’ Choice Silver Honor Winner “A funny, action-packed, and sweet romance.” —School Library Journal (starred review) “A phenomenal read.” —RT Book Reviews A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts—even as she falls in love with a faerie prince—in this gorgeous bestseller that’s “an ideal pick for fans of Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater, and Laini Taylor” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Isobel is an artistic prodigy with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread 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. 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, Rook spirits her away to his kingdom to stand trial for her crime. But something is seriously wrong in his world, and they are attacked from every side. With Isobel and Rook depending on each other for survival, their alliance blossoms into trust, then love—and that love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws. Now both of their lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight 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.

Rook looked down, his gaze stripped bare.

I think this might have been the main reason I found Rook even the slightest bit attractive.

Fascinated, I studied him. He met my eyes. I gave his hair a second, experimental tug. He let his head fall a little to the side, in the direction of my hand. Somehow I knew what that meant: he'd give me complete control if I wanted it.

But Rook didn't move; he only regarded me innocently from the ground, with a look that plainly said he didn't much feel like going anywhere, thank you very much.

"Something about you changed every day. Isobel, you're very beautiful."

Then it happens to you, and you understand you aren't any different from those girls after all. Oh, they still seem just as absurd— you've simply joined them, in quite a humbling way. But isn't absurdity part of being human?

He patted at his sword belt and checked his sword. No, he hadn’t forgotten his sword after all. There it was! Beaming, he adjusted the lay of the sheath against his leg. God, he was a terrible actor—what did I expect from someone who couldn’t lie?

– Da. Şi... nu. Isobel, te iubesc întru totul. Te iubesc veșnic. Te iubesc atât de mult, încât mă înspăimântă. Mă tem că nu as putea trăi fără tine. Ti-aş putea vedea chipul în fiecare dimineață când mă trezesc, timp de zece mii de ani, și încă aş astepta-o cu nerăbdare pe următoarea, ca și cum ar fi prima.

Enchantment of Ravens

Elena M.

Then it happens to you, and you understand you aren’t any different from those girls after all. Oh, they still seem just as absurd—you’ve simply joined them, in quite a humbling way.

My mind and hand become possessed. I paint not because I want to, not because I’m good at it, but because it is what I must do, what I live and breathe, what I was made for.

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 Is

OH. MY. FUCKING. GOD. NUH UH. THIS CRAZY BASTARD. MY JAW: DROPPED. MY SKIN: GOOSEBUMPED.

Cloey Yerger

“I challenge the Alder King! I challenge him for sovereignty over the four courts!”

Minnie Mazuera

“Are you in love with me?" I blurted out. 

A terrible silence followed. Rook didn't turn around.

He rounded on me. "Is that so terrible? You say it as though it's the most awful thing you can imagine. It isn't as though I've done it on purpose. Somehow I've even grown fond of your - your irritating questions, and your short legs, and your accidental attempts to kill me." 

I recoiled. "That's the worst declaration of love I've ever heard!”

“Walking along a blade’s edge was only fun until the blade stopped being a metaphor.”

“Ah, but you were not a pawn. All along, you have been the queen.”

Ashley vatafu

Jini

Annabella

this book had a very intriguing premise, where fair folk live very guarded and empty lives without the ability to craft or create things. if they do, they die. every part of the fair folk's lives are fabricated, glamoured to hide the empty husks beneath the beauty.

however, it was pretty disappointing. i know that YA books aren't exactly for my age group, but this one in particular fell so flat. it was your stereotypical teenager (she's 17) falling in love with an old ass fairy guy. chaos ensues. then it's wrapped up neatly when she defeats the big bad man and they can live happily ever after, at least until she dies. at least she didn't accept the offer to be immortal.

the love was very shallow and moved far too quickly, it was very insta-lovey. i don't like when it's just handed to me in the first half of the story. 

the writing and descriptions of the world were very pretty, though. the plot just left a lot to be desired.

kaii

this book had a very intriguing premise, where fair folk live very guarded and empty lives without the ability to craft or create things. if they do, they die. every part of the fair folk's lives are fabricated, glamoured to hide the empty husks beneath the beauty.

however, it was pretty disappointing. i know that YA books aren't exactly for my age group, but this one in particular fell so flat. it was your stereotypical teenager (she's 17) falling in love with an old ass fairy guy. chaos ensues. then it's wrapped up neatly when she defeats the big bad man and they can live happily ever after, at least until she dies. at least she didn't accept the offer to be immortal.

the love was very shallow and moved far too quickly, it was very insta-lovey. i don't like when it's just handed to me in the first half of the story. 

the writing and descriptions of the world were very pretty, though. the plot just left a lot to be desired.

(3.5) Very nice book. However, some scenes felt too shallow compared to the other books Rogerson has written.

Margaret Rogerson can definitely write. The way she writes characters and their emotions, and also their environment (both indoors and outdoors) is beautiful and it flows perfectly.

I enjoyed reading this, but something was missing. 

I dislike insta love, and the romance in this was definitely just that. I did like Rook and Isobel - both, respectively, but their love made little to no sense. Isobel met the guy and painted him and in just few sessions she was thinking “I’m actually falling for this person” ?! Like, no you are not.

I also think that the world building was a little bit unfinished, although I liked how it was closer to actual fae & fairy folklore than any other fae related fantasy I’ve read.

Side characters’ motives were also very unclear (read: Gadfly, spoilers by the way. You can’t convince me he was plotting all this from the start, no way.) But even though they were kinda silly and dumb I liked them a bit too, especially Lark she was very entertaining (when she turned Isobel into a hare)

The ending was a bit rushed too. The whole book was both slow and not, which is kinda confusing but if you’ve read it I think you could see what I mean. The Alder King plot line was just kind of thrown in there in the end and it was very silly how Isobel crafted the plan that would save them and set them free from the punishment they should’ve gotten for breaking the Good Law. (spoilers again, sorry not sorry)

Good Law is also kinda stupid and not very well explained (or I forgot that it was because a lot of parts in the book are forgettable and not relevant to the plot at all)

It was an enjoyable read, but not really a masterpiece. There are definitely way better young adult fantasy books, but there are also worse ones. 

I’m probably going to try reading her other works, because she can write and can make beautiful worlds, and I just hope that the other ones (singular or plural, not sure how many books she’s written) make a bit more sense and leave me loving them more than I did with An Enchantment of Ravens :)

Margaret Rogerson can definitely write. The way she writes characters and their emotions, and also their environment (both indoors and outdoors) is beautiful and it flows perfectly.

I enjoyed reading this, but something was missing. 

I dislike insta love, and the romance in this was definitely just that. I did like Rook and Isobel - both, respectively, but their love made little to no sense. Isobel met the guy and painted him and in just few sessions she was thinking “I’m actually falling for this person” ?! Like, no you are not.

I also think that the world building was a little bit unfinished, although I liked how it was closer to actual fae & fairy folklore than any other fae related fantasy I’ve read.

Side characters’ motives were also very unclear (read: Gadfly, spoilers by the way. You can’t convince me he was plotting all this from the start, no way.) But even though they were kinda silly and dumb I liked them a bit too, especially Lark she was very entertaining (when she turned Isobel into a hare)

The ending was a bit rushed too. The whole book was both slow and not, which is kinda confusing but if you’ve read it I think you could see what I mean. The Alder King plot line was just kind of thrown in there in the end and it was very silly how Isobel crafted the plan that would save them and set them free from the punishment they should’ve gotten for breaking the Good Law. (spoilers again, sorry not sorry)

Good Law is also kinda stupid and not very well explained (or I forgot that it was because a lot of parts in the book are forgettable and not relevant to the plot at all)

It was an enjoyable read, but not really a masterpiece. There are definitely way better young adult fantasy books, but there are also worse ones. 

I’m probably going to try reading her other works, because she can write and can make beautiful worlds, and I just hope that the other ones (singular or plural, not sure how many books she’s written) make a bit more sense and leave me loving them more than I did with An Enchantment of Ravens :)

Whilst this book had great tension and romance, I think it lacked in a bit of world-building, explanation and a bit of plot. I was confused at certain points because Rogerson didn’t flesh everything out properly. I didn’t understand the motivations of the main villain and when it was revealed he planned everything all along I was just as confused. 

I found it kind of ridiculous that this all started because Rook was made at a painting and was taking Isobel to be put on trial. 

If you put aside those things however, you will find you’ll have a great time reading this. I did thoroughly enjoy everything else about the book. The building relationship between Rook and Isobel was well done. It was an entertaining read. 

Alexandria New

Whilst this book had great tension and romance, I think it lacked in a bit of world-building, explanation and a bit of plot. I was confused at certain points because Rogerson didn’t flesh everything out properly. I didn’t understand the motivations of the main villain and when it was revealed he planned everything all along I was just as confused. 

I found it kind of ridiculous that this all started because Rook was made at a painting and was taking Isobel to be put on trial. 

If you put aside those things however, you will find you’ll have a great time reading this. I did thoroughly enjoy everything else about the book. The building relationship between Rook and Isobel was well done. It was an entertaining read. 

britt

this was so good and it hit every mark it was supposed to.

Annalissa Powner 

How do I put this... this book wasn’t bad, but it also wants great either. It felt very very a court of thorns and roses, but without the grab factor. The magical feeling was there, the ingesting little things were there, but I wouldn’t read it twice.

I’m not usually a fairy fan, but I love the humor, romance, and descriptions. The dialogue is very funny and candid.

Jeweliet Coffee

Mel 

Absolutely enchanting and magical! Margaret Rogerson is so good at writing fantasy that feels timeless.

Sheryl

“Why do we desire, above all other things, that which has the greatest power to destroy us?”

This book is lovely, and you'll get the most out of the reading if you turn off your brain to embrace the absurdity of everything.

 I had the impression that An Enchantment of Ravens was inspired by old fairytales (such as the ones written by the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen, for example). So the plot is as intriguing as it is also straightforward and easy to process (except for a HUGE PLOT-TWIST by the end that I guarantee many of you won't see coming).  For example, some villains are easy to defeat, animals turn into people and villagers get like “Well, is just another normal day”, blood can grow plants, and love at first sight is one of the tropes (but calm down, they discover is mostly a crush, but still—knowing they'll end up together anyway, it kind of doesn't matter). 

So, in case you're looking for really high IQ readings or want a bit of a challenge, maybe this one is not for you now. I'd suggest you save it for later because the ending truly makes it worth it and the protagonists have an intriguing journey until they get to the point they arrive at the end, it truly pays off if you enjoyed it until then. 

 I'm still waiting for her to write a spin-off standalone book with those protagonists as side characters, though, because I miss them so much...

addie

“Why do we desire, above all other things, that which has the greatest power to destroy us?”      

This book is lovely, and you'll get the most out of the reading if you turn off your brain to embrace the absurdity of everything. I had the impression that An Enchantment of Ravens was inspired by old fairytales (such as the ones written by the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen, for example). So the plot is as intriguing as it is also straightforward and easy to process (except for a HUGE PLOT-TWIST by the end that I guarantee many of you won't see coming).  For example, some villains are easy to defeat, animals turn into people and villagers get like “Well, is just another normal day”, blood can grow plants, and love at first sight is one of the tropes (but calm down, they discover is mostly a crush, but still—knowing they'll end up together anyway, it kind of doesn't matter). 

So, in case you're looking for really high IQ readings or want a bit of a challenge, maybe this one is not for you now. I'd suggest you save it for later because the ending truly makes it worth it and the protagonists have an intriguing journey until they get to the point they arrive at the end, it truly pays off if you enjoyed it until then.  I'm still waiting for her to write a spin-off standalone book with those protagonists as side characters, though, because I miss them so much...

I love margaret rogerson and i love the aesthetics of her books. I think this book was pretty good and the plot was amazing. I might reread this book again to be honest, i dont think i gave it the best chance, because i wasnt as focused as i could be.

surtified™

Denaiir

that one was utterly forgettable, I didn't feel invested in the story, the world was not developed enough, the characters were bland and the romance was way too rushed and too central.

Even though Julia Whelan did an amazing job with the narration as usual, I couldn't keep focused because the story was just boring.

This was the first book I read by Margaret Rogerson and her writing captivated me from the first page. The writing was beautiful and it made up for any other elements that felt lacking. This book felt cozy and like a cool Autumn day. I loved the take on fae, very different from the usual and it was really refreshing. I really liked Isobel and Rook, and their love story was adorable 

June

this book was a delight! a! delight! I loved it the romance was cute, the writing was beautiful and engaging, and I never stopped rooting for the characters. as a general point, I love when characters are smart at knowing the rules of their genre, and isabelle knowing the rules of fae and being smart and never making the wrong choices (until she does 👀) made this really awesome, would recommend and read again!

fris🐝

becky oh

Did I just read a poem? 
This is the most poetic book I've ever seen and I fell in love with it.

More reviews on my blog, Dusts of Magic

I really enjoyed this book. I read this because it similar to The Cruel Prince. Similar but more of an art vibe  I love Isobel and Rook. I loved the season themed courts and Rooks court is the most beautiful in my opinion. I don’t know how I feel about GadFly but looking forward to the next book. I also didn’t expect the ending at all.  

Leah Diaz 

haley bertsch

entertaining. i didn’t really buy the romance tho

alexandra

reeeeeeaally sad i didn't love this book. my biggest problem was that it felt extremely unrealistic – like, love at first sight, bursting into tears, and overdramatic proclamations. it started off great but towards the end i was just waiting and waiting for it to finish. i was just skimming it at the end. *sigh*

i really loved the world and characters. it was super vivid and made me want to read more fae/faerie themed novels. even though it was all sparkly and great, i couldn't help but feel that it was all so flat.

This was the first book I've read by Margaret Rogerson and her writing captivated me from the first page. The writing was very beautiful and it honestly made up for the plot which felt a little underwhelming. This book had an autumn feeling and I did enjoy all of the world building in it. This book wasn't like most books with fae, where the fae are basically humans with pointy ears. The fae in this book were much more complex and honestly not beautiful at all once you read about how their glamours work and how emotionless they really are. An enchantment of ravens was a simple fantasy book that was enjoyable and easy to read. My only complaint for this book is the age gap between rook and isobel, I would have liked it better had she been an adult instead of 17 and rook being hundreds of years old

Courtney

Ok. This is one of my new all time favorite books ever.

Faith Kitowski

4.5/5. oh my gosh, this was so cute. this book needs more appreciation. rook was literally hilarious, i love him sm<333

Really enjoyed the actual story and even the characters but all I kept thinking about was her age and it kinda ruined it for me. 

Kirsty Dyer

It was good the writing and characters were nice but nothing more than nice it felt like it was missing something don't get me wrong I enjoyed it but overall it was a meh for me. I didn't like the ending it felt a bit rushed. The book needed more time.

Jini &
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

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Jini &An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

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An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson