Tuesday 31 October 2017

Teaser Tuesday: An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson.

An Enchantment of Ravens –
Margaret K. McElderry Books

We aren’t ageless creatures who watch centuries pass from afar. Our worlds are small, our lives are short, and we can only bleed a little before we fall.
— Chapter 4

“In this matter, you might prefer ignorance.”
“Believe me, I never do.”
— Chapter 7





Anyone can do vampires and werewolves on Halloween, let’s take a different approach and ready something with faeries … was not why I picked up this book. As a matter of fact, Halloween sneaked up on me a little and I don’t think that it will be observed more than by enjoying the extra reading time on this public holiday today to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the reformation. But I digress.
I had no expectations for this book, which is a rather uncommon thing for me as I almost always already have an initial inkling of what to expect before I start reading. For this book, however, I basically fell in love with the title and didn’t look any further. That can be a really bad decision, but here the title lived up to the task of providing an engaging and mysterious story as well. It’s not the sweeping and opulent fantasy world, but a contained, almost quaint bubble of a fantasy realm. There is the world beyond, but it doesn’t really matter to the story and is only mentioned in passing. There is a history, but it’s accepted and not really dwelt upon. And there are social rules and behaviours to be followed, but you can more or less easily figure them out as you read along.
What I really liked about this is the snowball-like plot development, which starts rather unassumingly and quietly gathers more and more substance and momentum until it rushes past mightily and destructively and then almost explodes to be immediately over. It made a lot of sense that way, even if the epic fantasy reader in me would have loved to have a longer denouement … which probably wouldn’t have sat well with me as not fitting to the overall story arc had it been there, so don’t actually listen to me. The plot development is very fitting just as it is. Just the little voice of always wanting more of a good thing talking here.
I also liked that there is a romance at the very core of this, yet I would not say this is a romantic book. The romance is, after all, forbidden and, apart from a few short scenes, not front and centre. Unless you count all the lovely quiet moments, which I certainly do, and then it definitely is a very sweet and romantic book amidst all the turmoil and adventure.
A lovely read for anyone who appreciates a quiet yet meaningful romantic plot and a certain dash of adventure with maybe a little too abrupt an ending. Very, very maybe there is potential to add another book to this story? I would love to know what happens next but will be content if it’s just this standalone.

What’s the last book you started without any further expectations, be they positive or maybe negative? And how did the book turn out to be? Share your experiences and teasers in the comments!

What was the last book with a plot twist that had you disbelievingly staring at the page? Share your experiences and teasers in the comments!

3 comments:

sjhigbee said...

I love the sound of these two quotes and thank you for a really thoughtful, well-written review:). I'm glad you liked the book and it certainly sounds like something I, too, would enjoy reading. Happy reading:) My TT is also something a bit different - https://sjhigbee.wordpress.com/2017/10/31/teaser-tuesday-31st-october-2017/

Kathy Martin said...

This does sound like a book I would enjoy. I'll have to look for a copy. This week I am featuring a book I want to read again - Written in Red by Anne Bishop. Happy reading!

Laura said...

I had read an excerpt from your pick and enjoyed it. Glad to know it's a good read all the way through. My Teaser

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