An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson – A Mini Review

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

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. 

8.5/10 Ravens (4.5/5 STARS)

Featuring one of the most stunning covers I’ve ever graced my eyes upon, An Enchantment of Ravens is an enchanting tale of true love, whimsical faerie antics and the beauty of humanity through art and passion.

While this is a relatively short novel, coming in at 300 pages long, this still gave enough of a story to feel satisfying. I also think that the short-length gave helped its world-building feel less overwhelming to me. There wasn’t too much or too little of it. The writing was also so flowery and immersive. I loved Margaret Rogerson’s descriptions of Whimsy and the seasonal lands of faerie.

I adored the characters in this, especially Isobel and Rook, the main couple of the story. Isobel was a great heroine, with a down-to-earth personality and a passion for art that made her easy to root for. Rook is a typical prince like character, arrogant, charming, and trying to prove himself but he’s also a very sweet, genuine nice guy who respects Isobel.

The side characters were each interesting in their own ways. My favorite was Gadfly for numerous spoiler-y reasons but I appreciated him a lot. I also enjoyed Isobel’s family, her aunt Emma and her goat sisters, March and May (yes goat sisters). They had a mystical charm to the story even without the mischievous and trickster faeries that lurked in the latter half of the story.

I have to be honest and say that Isobel and Rook are indeed very much an insta-love couple, but I can like a cliche such as that when it’s executed well, and it is here. The romance was charming and also one of the healthiest relationships I’ve read in a fantasy novel. There’s a discussion that the characters have about consent that this very nuanced and I appreciated seeing brought up.

The only downsides I had with An Enchantment of Ravens was the pacing and the fact that I wish there was a sequel to this story. (I NEED MORE OF THIS SWEET ROMANCE Y’ALL)

If you want to read a story that involves magical fae and a wonderfully executed romance with autumnal vibes, check this one out!

I can’t wait to read the next book that Margaret Rogerson writes and see what other worlds she comes up with next! 🙂