An instant New York Times bestseller! An Indie Next Top 10 Pick A Parents’ Choice Silver Honor Winner
“A funny, action-packed, and sweet romance.” —School Library Journal (starred review) “A phenomenal read.” —RT Book Reviews
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 bestseller that’s “an ideal pick for fans of Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater, and Laini Taylor” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
Isobel is an artistic prodigy with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread 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, Rook spirits her away to his kingdom to stand trial for her crime. But something is seriously wrong in his world, and they are attacked from every side. With Isobel and Rook depending on each other 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.
Initial thoughts: Had I read the synopsis, I would've stayed far, far, faaaar away from this book. Alas, I saw some praise for An Enchantment of Ravens on Instagram, and rolled with it. Big mistake. An Enchantment of Ravens reminded too much of ACOTAR. The good thing with this one is that it doesn't glorify abuse or Stockholm Syndrome, so between these two books, I say go with An Enchantment of Ravens. Plus, the writing style is also much more solid. Had this been a different story, I might've actually enjoyed it.
What I wasn't expecting was that for a good part of An Enchantment of Ravens, the characters were on the run. Those kinds of plots usually bore me, and this book was no exception. What would've dissuaded me if I had known, was the romance between a human and a fae. I just can't get behind humans falling in love with mystical characters who are hundreds of years older to boot. That's just weird, if you ask me, and the story really has to wow me to overcome those reservations. This book lacked a whole lot of imagination in order to win me over.
