Month: September 2024

Audiobook Review: An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Publishing Info: Audiobook by Simon & Schuster Audio UK, narrated by Julia Whelan

Star Rating: 5/5

Back Cover Summary:

From the internationally best-selling author of Sorcery of Thorns comes a breathtaking fantasy story of danger, lust and forbidden love. This is the perfect story for fans of Cassandra Clare, Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series, and Holly Black!

Every enchantment has a price….

Isobel is an artistic prodigy with a dangerous set of clients: the immortal fair folk. Yet when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, a fairy prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes—a weakness that could cost him his life.

Furious, Rook escorts Isabel to his kingdom to stand trial for her crime, but their journey is full of danger. Forced to depend on each other for survival, will their alliance blossom into something more? After all, love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws…but are some matters worth the risk?

Although I enjoyed Margaret Rogerson’s two other novels – Sorcery of Thorns and Vespertine – I was unsure about reading An Enchantment of Ravens due to it having quite a low average star rating. However, I’m very glad that I finally picked this one up as I ended up loving it, and am honestly surprised it has such a low rating on Goodreads. Margaret Rogerson’s writing in this novel is just sublime. The descriptions are so evocative and paint such a clear picture, I felt I could truly sink into the story and be enveloped by it. The audiobook narration from Julia Whelan was also excellent.

The novel centres on the romance between a human and a fair one, which causes the protagonist a lot of problems as love between a human and fair one is forbidden. At first, I thought the romance might be a bit rushed at the start, but actually it is given time to grow and develop throughout the book. I was really rooting for these two and willing Isabelle to realise her true feelings.

I loved how the fair folk are depicted in this novel. They are completely inhuman, beautiful and ethereal yet cold and distant, tricky and cunning and dangerous. The atmosphere that the author creates with her beautiful writing is so striking and the way the world of the fair ones is described is both beautiful and disturbing, in a way that it really makes you think about what it means to be human and to feel human emotions, and how cold and hollow life would be without them. 

There are some very amusing moments when Rook is confused by Isabelle’s human needs and emotions. His characterisation throughout is excellent. The way the author describes his expressions and moods is so spot on, I could visualise his character so clearly.

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Recent Reads #1 – Scandal, Mystery and Magic

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

It’s been a while. This year has ended up being quite a difficult one, and the unplanned hiatus I’ve been on the last few months was certainly far longer than I’d expected. In the spring, my long covid was flaring quite badly and then, because life loves a curveball, I got covid again in June. I had a month off work and another month of reduced hours, before going back to work as normal. The recovery has been slow and I’m still not back to feeling quite myself. But I decided I wanted to try and get back into blogging as I’ve missed doing my hobbies while I’ve been unwell.

Today’s post is a whistlestop tour of some of the books I’ve read while I’ve been away from blogging.

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin ⭐⭐⭐⭐– While Sophie Irwin’s new novel isn’t a sequel to A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting, it does follow in a similar vein to the author’s first novel. I was once again thoroughly entertained and had lots of fun reading this novel. It was a light and fun historical romance. I’m looking forward to Sophie Irwin’s next book very much! 

Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs ⭐⭐⭐.5 stars – This was an interesting take on part of the Beowulf story I’m not familiar with. I felt very immersed in the historical setting of this novel and the author did an excellent job of including details which really brought the place to life. There were a lot of POVs which gave the novel an unfocused feel – it would have benefited from having fewer. Something just felt missing from this book. There were many great elements, but the way the story was told just didn’t pull me in or leave a lasting impression.

Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This book sure was a ride, and I certainly wasn’t able to predict what would happen next. It’s part mystery, part romance, part family drama. Some pretty odd and unbelievable things happen, and yet I found myself having a great time reading it. This was a really fun read and had some very amusing moments.

Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber ⭐⭐⭐.5 stars – I was immediately drawn into this story and both authors have great writing. There were also quite a few humorous moments which I hadn’t been expecting, so that was quite fun. The story alternates between the POVs of twin princesses who were separated at birth. There were two narrators for the audiobook which helped make the characters’ POVs distinct. Although I was hooked at the start, this book didn’t hold my attention all the way through. There was a lot of backstory, worldbuilding and set up. Perhaps the next book will have more momentum now that all the set up has been done, but I’m not sure I was captivated enough to keep reading the rest of the series.

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This witchy romance was such a fun, cosy read. I loved the magical house that shifts its shape and style with the residents’ moods. The humour was spot on, especially in the first half. While the second half took a bit of an unexpected turn which I wasn’t sure about, I still enjoyed finishing this one as I was invested in the characters and their story. Asides from the main character and love interest, there is also a great cast of side characters. I especially enjoyed seeing Josh and Sienna’s sibling relationship grow. The writing style and narration are what drew me in from the start. The author’s writing just really pulled me into the story and the audiobook narrator was just perfect for this book. I’ll definitely be checking out more books from this author and narrator. 

The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allain ⭐⭐⭐.5 stars – This was a sweet Regency romance but I felt there was some detail or depth missing in places. It was quite a short book and possibly could have benefited from being a little longer. Some conflicts also felt too easily resolved. Having said that, I enjoyed listening to this audiobook and particularly liked the female friendships the author explored. Though the story is fictional, the idea for the registry of ladies with fortune came from a real, similar historical document, and is an interesting springboard for the characters to meet. The ending was very satisfying with several happily ever afters for multiple couples.

What books have you enjoyed recently? Chat with me in the comments!