Rating: 53.5% | F | ★★ Warnings: + Violence Synopsis (from Goodreads): 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 debut novel. 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 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 and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another 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. Spoiler-Free Section Oh boy. What can I say about this book? Long story short, I stand by my rating. This book rapidly became a chore to read. I was initially attracted to it because of its ostensible similarities to the Folk of the Air trilogy, but alas. It bears very little resemblance to Holly Black's works. This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy some parts of the book. The writing was nice. The plot was nice (in some parts). But overall, I finished the story feeling . . . completely unmoved. And for a book whose entire plot hinges on human emotion, that isn't a good sign. I didn't like the book for several reasons—the most serious of which is the character development. Rogerson starts the story with a worldbuilding concept that would require at least 300-400 pages, if not a second book. Unfortunately, An Enchantment of Ravens is only 250 pages. Much too few for thorough and appropriate character development and plot development. Isobel and Rook remained completely static characters that did not seem to learn much from their adventure or their burgeoning romance. That's another failed point for me: the romance. Isobel and Rook shared some attraction, but not nearly enough to warrant the soapy praise that Rogerson seemed to heap upon their love story. And again, 250 pages is hardly sufficient for a story of this ambition. It is at this point in the review that I have to disclose that this book currently has a 3.7/5 on Goodreads, so . . . take my negative review with a grain of salt. I didn't like this book, but that doesn't mean everyone will share my opnion! (Click "Read More" for spoilers.) Plot (14/30)
Beginning (7/10) The beginning starts off promising enough. We are introduced to Isobel, who is an exceptionally skilled painter, and the Fae/human world she lives in. The Fae, devoid of all art and emotion, seek out human artists in order to capture what they cannot have. When Rook first showed up and saved Isobel from the wild beast, I was initially on board. However, the pacing of the story quickly slowed and became disjointed. Isobel spent weeks working on Rook's painting, but his anger at the result and Isobel's subsequent romp into the world of the fair folk happened over the span of less than a day. It seemed as though Rogerson skipped all the necessary relationship development between Isobel and Rook in exchange of transitioning to a more exciting part of the story. But in doing so, the story lacks the requisite reasons why the reader should even indulge the idea of a relationship between Isobel and Rook. Middle (5/10) This is really where my issues with the book started in earnest. The whole side plot with the spring fae (forgive me, I can't quite recall the actual name of the court/lord) was stilted. With how much danger both Isobel and Rook stressed they were in, I didn't expect them to stop for something as quaint and peaceful as a vacation in the springtime. The plot slowed down—massively. I felt as though I was reading a daily log of Isobel's outfits rather than an actual story. Even with the revelation that the spring fae are integral to Isobel and Rook's eventual mission to kill the Alder King, this portion of the book just did not meet my standards. I will say, however, that the idea of the fair folk living in an illusion of luxury is ingenious. That was the only thing I wholeheartedly enjoyed about this book. End (2/10) The ending simply . . . did not make sense to me. There are only a few things I know for sure after reading the ending: one, Isobel and Rook killed the Alder King; two, the spring fae helped; and three, Isobel and Rook are allowed to be together. Everything else that isn't specifically contained under those three reasons is a complete mystery to me. There was no gravity to the final battle; in fact, there was not very much gravity given to any event in this book. Isobel and Rook seemed to float through things with only pretended urgency. Was there ever a real threat to their relationship besides vague references to the "Good Law"? Characters (12.5/30) Development (5/15) Perhaps I'm being a little cruel, but this is how I genuinely feel about the character development in this book. Isobel comes out of her arc the same exact way she went into it. She was headstrong at the start; she was headstrong at the end. She was wise at the start; she was wise at the end. Little, if any change, occurred in her character that showed development. Rook doesn't escape unscathed either. In fact, if possible, he has even less development than Isobel. Other reviewers have postulated that this is because the story is told completely form Isobel's first-person POV, and I am inclined to agree. Rook remains a mysterious, brooding, handsome young man—and haven't we seen enough of those in YA fiction? Lure (7.5/15) Despite the dearth of character development, Isobel and Rook remain—at their core—interesting characters. Their arcs and story potentials are ingrained in who they are. A part of me still wants to know more about Isobel's ability to paint emotions. A part of me still wishes to know more about Rook and the fair folk. This story has every element needed for success: forbidden love, a lush fantasy world, interesting characters. But it still manages to fall flat. Writing (17/20) Descriptions (8/10) and Flow (9/10) Despite everything, Rogerson is clearly a good writer. She makes effortless juxtapositions between the beauty of the fair folk and the spoiled, moldy things they eat—juxtapositions that still make shivers race down my spine when I think too much about them. There are still a few rough patches; Rogerson has a habit of over-describing certain scenes. For example, she will sometimes reference the same landscape feature (e.g., a cliff) multiple times in the same scene, making it redundant. Closure/Set-Up (10/20) Logic (5/10) and Lure/Closure (5/10) I won't keep harping on my dislike of this book, and I think I've said all I wanted to say about the ending in the "Plot" section. In the end, I just wish I could have liked this book. I wish it had been more cohesive, more thorough, and more engaging. There was enormous potential at the start of the story; I only wish that that potential had been fully explored by the end. Thank you for reading!
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