Read my #BookReview of Apollo’s Raven (Curse of Clansmen and Kings, Book 1) by Linnea Tanner #AncientRome #AncientBritannia #HistoricalFantasy @linneatanner @maryanneyarde

 

Apollo’s Raven
(Curse of Clansmen and Kings, Book 1)
By Linnea Tanner

Publication Date: 20th January 2020 (3rd Edition). Publisher: Apollo Raven Publisher, LLCPage Length: . 394 Pages. Genre: Historical Fantasy, Historical Fiction

A Celtic warrior princess is torn between her forbidden love for the enemy and duty to her people.

 

AWARD-WINNING APOLLO’S RAVEN sweeps you into an epic Celtic tale of forbidden love, mythological adventure, and political intrigue in Ancient Rome and Britannia. In 24 AD British kings hand-picked by Rome to rule are fighting each other for power. King Amren’s former queen, a powerful Druid, has cast a curse that Blood Wolf and the Raven will rise and destroy him. The king’s daughter, Catrin, learns to her dismay that she is the Raven and her banished half-brother is Blood Wolf. Trained as a warrior, Catrin must find a way to break the curse, but she is torn between her forbidden love for her father’s enemy, Marcellus, and loyalty to her people. She must summon the magic of the Ancient Druids to alter the dark prophecy that threatens the fates of everyone in her kingdom.

 

Will Catrin overcome and eradicate the ancient curse. Will she be able to embrace her forbidden love for Marcellus? Will she cease the war between Blood Wolf and King Amren and save her kingdom?

Trigger Warnings:

Sex, Violence, Sacrificial Rituals

Book Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚⭐ = A book in a million
📚📚📚📚📚 = I could not put this book down. I Highly Recommend it.
📚📚📚📚 = A really great read.
📚📚📚 = It was enjoyable.
📚📚 = It was okay.
📚 = Um...! 😕

My Review

Apollo’s Raven

📚📚📚📚📚 = 

I could not put this book down. I Highly Recommend it.

I was really looking forward to reading Apollo's Raven because it has been quite a while since I have ventured into the world of historical fantasy. This novel, although it has many fantasy elements is set in a very real historical setting, so much so, that I think this novel can certainly fit in both the historical fantasy and the historical fiction categories.

This book reminded me greatly of the TV series "Vikings",  because it has a very strong religious theme to it. The ancient Gods certainly come out to play and there are plenty of mythological moments with prophecies, omens and curses aplenty. The world of the Ancient Britains and the Ancient Romans came together with a resounding crash, which makes for a very compelling story. 

There are several characters that the story follows in this novel. Firstly there is Catrin, a young princess, whose spirituality is captured in the form of a bird, the Raven, with whom she has a sacred connection. Then there is Marcellus, the son of an ambassador from Rome, whose life takes an unexpected twist for he must stay in the land of the savages. And then there is Marrock, who had watched his mother's execution when he was just eight years of age, and who has been banished from his father's kingdom forever. Like his half-sister, Catlin, Marrock also has a sacred connection, but while Catlin welcomes the light, Marrock seeks the darker side of the Druid religion and he is determined to get his revenge.

This book really lived up to all expectations. The characters were skillfully drawn. There are some scenes that may distress some readers, for this was a seemingly brutal time, where sacrifices were commonplace. There is also a very sensual love story, which kept me turning the pages.

I really enjoyed this novel, it is rich, vibrant and was certainly difficult to turn away from.  

You can pick up your copy of this book at the following bookstores: Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, Kobo, iBooks, GooglePlay, Booktopia, Books-A-Million. This book is also available on Audible, and iTunes.

Award-winning author, Linnea Tanner, weaves Celtic tales of love, magical adventure, and political intrigue in Ancient Rome and Britannia. Since childhood, she has passionately read about ancient civilizations and mythology. Of particular interest are the enigmatic Celts, who were reputed as fierce warriors and mystical Druids.

Linnea has extensively researched ancient and medieval history, mythology, and archaeology and has traveled to sites described within each of her books in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series. Books released in her series include Apollo’s Raven (Book 1), Dagger’s Destiny (Book 2), and Amulet’s Rapture (Book 3). Skull’s Vengeance (Book 4 Curse of Clansmen and Kings) is anticipated to be released in late October 2022. 

A Colorado native, Linnea attended the University of Colorado and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry. She lives in Fort Collins with her husband and has two children and six grandchildren.

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