Haven’t finished this one yet, but I wanted to chat about books this week, so I decided to do a post about the one I’m into right now. :) ...

Currently Reading: An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Alexa Mintah

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Haven’t finished this one yet, but I wanted to chat about books this week, so I decided to do a post about the one I’m into right now. :)

Description From Author Website:

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 trade valuable enchantments for Isobel's work. 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, 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 perhaps even love, a forbidden emotion that would violate the fair folk's ruthless Good Law. To save both their lives, Isobel must choose between sacrificing her Craft or using her art to defy the ancient malice of the fairy courts... for Craft may hold more power over the fair folk than she ever imagined.

I’m a little over halfway through and I’m kind of in love, lol. I’m not really sure how it’s going to turn out, but I’m fascinated by the world: the richness of the descriptions, the complex way the characters act and react and carry themselves, the way the Fair Folk interact with humans and Craft: their wide-eyed wonder and starving wildness. As for the mains, Rook is insensitive and arrogant, but he’s also kind, respectful, and strangely adorable; there have been enough hints to his backstory that I’m pretty sure I know what it is, but I’m still hooked enough to want to actually read the rest. Isobel is creative and wise, but she’s also susceptible to her feelings (though I suppose we all have slips of the brain for love) and she’s occasionally more forthright than is likely healthy for a human in her situation. But still, all the qualities together make her more human, make both of them more human; they have hearts, and I can see them aching and beating on every page. All-in-all, I’m enchanted and excited to watch this simultaneously swift and slow unfolding to see how it all turns out in the end.

One thing I really like is the falling in love. There’s some instalove and some... unwise decisions because of it, but in the end, I really like the portrayal of her confusion in it all. How Isobel tries to pick apart her emotions, examining each one to see what’s real, then comparing them with her love interest’s to see if his are real. It's complex and thought-provoking, instead of just, "head over heels, I'M IN LOVE WITH HIM." Which is different and neat.

This is my favorite quote so far:

Seeing a confession of love in his eyes was nothing like hearing it declared aloud. This was a look that would make time stop, if it could. Soft and sharp at once, an aching tenderness edged with sorrow, naked proof of a heart already broken. Here I stood in a dragonfly dress, holding arm, and he knew our time was almost over.

The exposition and descriptions are all like that: so beautiful.

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So what have you been reading lately? Have you seen this one before? Can’t wait to hear from you, and I’ll see you in the comment section!

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