Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner REVIEW

Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner follows Princess Catrin, a young Celtic warrior. She has an unlikely bond with ravens, which allows her to use a raven as her eyes to see things from a distance. However, her parents have forbidden her from using these powers, believing that the power will be too much for her mortal body to handle. The former queen had cast a curse on the king’s future daughter, making them nervous about what may happen to Catrin. One day, the family’s banished son, Marrock, returns to the kingdom with Roman soldiers, whom he had tricked into changing a truce between them and the king that would recognize him as the rightful heir despite his disownment. While the king goes to meet with the Romans in a secret location to renegotiate the treaty, Marcellus, a Roman boy, is left with the Celtic royal family as a prisoner. Catrin finds herself drawn to the boy, and falls in love with him, leaving her torn between her love for Marcellus and her loyalty to her family.

I loved learning about Catrin’s kingdom, and the world of Ancient Britannia. The imagery that the author uses is so well done and gives the reader a good idea of what the locations in the novel are like: “The sheer chalk cliffs formed an impenetrable wall against the crashing waves (12).” 

Several characters, including Catrin, her mother, Mor, and Marcellus are very well developed. This is good, as the reader can connect with more than just the main character, Catrin, and care about what happens to them. Even the lesser developed characters are interesting to read about, such as the warriors at the feast after Marcellus agrees to stay as a prisoner, who are boisterous and blunt.

One thing about this novel that I am not a fan of is the repeated mentions of rape. While an important thing that is later revealed has to do with this subject, the other mentions are unnecessary and distasteful. Marcellus’s father is often found talking crudely about sex, but it is his flippant remarks about rape and encouraging his son to do so that is appalling. Marcellus is vocally against this, making him an even better character in my eyes. This is honestly probably the only barrier that would stop me from recommending this to my friends. These mentions are completely unneeded in terms of the storyline.

I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.