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Apollo's Raven

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Apollo's Raven

By: Linnea Tanner
Narrated by: Kristin James
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About this listen

Can a curse control ancient Britannia?

The world is in turmoil. Celtic kings hand-picked by Rome to rule are fighting each other for power. King Amren's former queen, a powerful druid, has cast a curse that foretells Blood Wolf and the Raven will rise and destroy him. When Roman envoys unexpectedly arrive with a cohort of legionaries and demand King Amren's fealty, his rule begins to implode.

King Amren reveals to Princess Catrin, the grim prophecy that his former queen pronounced at her execution for treason to him:

The gods demand the scales be balanced for the life you take. If you deny my soul's journey to the Otherworld by beheading me, I curse you to the same fate as mine. I prophesize your future queen will beget a daughter who will rise as a Raven and join your son, Blood Wolf, and a mighty empire to overtake your kingdom and to execute my curse.

As his daughter, Catrin is trained as a warrior and discovers she is the Raven and must find a way to block the curse of the evil former queen. Torn between her forbidden love for her father's enemy Marcellus, the great-grandson of Mark Antony, and her loyalty to her people, she must summon the magic of the ancient druids to alter the dark prophecy that awaits her.

Will Catrin overcome and eradicate the ancient curse? Will she be able to embrace her forbidden love with Marcellus? Will she cease the war between Blood Wolf and King Amren? Will she save ancient Britannia?

Apollo's Raven sweeps you into an epic Celtic tale of love, magic, adventure, intrigue, and betrayal in ancient Rome and Britannia.

©2017 Linnea Tanner (P)2017 Linnea Tanner Fantasy Fiction Historical Royalty King Magic Users

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Critic reviews

“'Apollo’s Raven' is a good balance of adventure, magic, and romance. Every side character has a unique voice and personality, and each has a backstory that is intriguing to the point of the listener wanting more. What makes this book especially fun is the spin on ancient history as it blends real events and people with the realm of the magical. Marcellus and Catrin have undeniable chemistry. Their journey is one full of turmoil, betrayal, and lust." (InD’Tale Magazine)
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There is a great deal of wonderful ancient intruigue in this book. There are detailed touches that make it feel authentic- many of them are bloodthirsty as this time was reputed to be and so are in context. The is a beautifully written struggle for power. It is an exciting story and the paranormal twist of a dark prophecy adds an extra dimension to a classic tale that has been replayed in history in every era. The paranormal abilities of the young protagonist are forbidden or at least severely fround upon. Within an atmosphere of political plotting and manoeuvring you will find this is also the touching story of a young girl, Princess Catrin, who is trying to come to terms with her magical abilities, the aforesaid prophecy which directly involves her, whilst addressing her obligations as a valuable bartered bride burgeoning womanhood and dealing with a mother who is infuriatingly unsympathetic and creates some unnecessary problems for Catrin. Her fatalistic father - King Amren is no help and you feel her frustration at her lack of control over her own destiny. Enter the handsome Roman and sort of prisoner, Marcellus who catches Catrin's eye, and whom despite being the enemy seems to be the most heroic and courageous of them all. We all want Catrin and Marcellus to get together but you will enjoy the obstacles that get in their way as well as the details of their beliefs back in the time of the Celtic tribes, druids and Romans. This cleverly written epic tale needs your full attention. There is a lot background information that is relevant to the plot. Definitely worth reading. Narrator Kristin James does a good job voicing the accents - regional English accents are a challenge for any actor.

The original game of thrones in ancient Britannia

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This is such a riveting story and so excellently read it made the story come to life. There was so much going on, so many plots and counter plots that I had to concentrate really hard to keep up with what was going on. Those were terrible Times and people were so brutal. The parts with the sacrifices are hard to get through but I know are integral to the story. Ignorance and fear caused a lot of mistakes and so did anger. As a fly on the wall observer I found it fascinating, and the authors expertise made it possible for me to do that. She is an amazing historical writer with expert knowledge and imagination. Hats off to her! I really want to listen to the next audio book to find out what happens next.

Review.

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Intrigue ,status seeking,betrayal ,mystical magic are rife in this Masterfully written tale.The intrigue,campaigns and the politics drive the story.I thought the way the Clans interacted with the Romans was superbly written.How to trust anyone when you don't fully trust your allies.The story, the characters, the pace -- everything is perfect a. There are so many other things left unsaid, only a fraction of the story told in this installment, in spite of its overall complexity. Apollo's Raven has the potential to become a worldwide phenomenon and the series has the potential to become a representative of a unique and daring wave of literature. This being said, the sequel cannot come fast enough! The narration is near-perfect for that style and the combination of author and narrator produces some powerful moments.I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.I received this title for free in exchange for an unbiased review.As always this is my honest opinion .

.One For The Ages

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Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No - This is only the second book I have been unable to finish. I got it because I liked another work, the narrator had done and because the time period is one that I have done a lot of research in.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I appreciate that this is fiction not fact but a number of things stood out as not right. Unfortunately for me it was too distracting and made the story too unbelievable.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I felt the narrator was wrong for this story. An american accent did nothing to help the inaccuracies the author had written into the story. I have enjoyed other narration by Kristin James but it did not work in this case.

Could you see Apollo's Raven being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

No.

Any additional comments?

If the author had not tried to base this story in a given time period in British history but instead invented her own world then the story might have fared better. I have read other reviews that say the story gets much better further in - I might give it another go later. I admire what the writer was trying to do, maybe reading, rather than listening will be better?

Very disappointing

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One of the great things about receiving free audiobooks for review is that I get to sample genres out of my comfort zone. Although I am a fan of historical fiction, I have never read anything set in Roman times.
Apollo's Raven is fascinating, not just from the point of view of the belief systems of those times - curses, wolf spirits and sorceresses, but also for its insight into the way negotiations took place - with a hostage left in the enemy camp to ensure a serious attempt at peace.

Amren, King of Britannia, needs to broker peace with the invading Roman legions. While he is off negotiating with their ambassadors, Marcellus, son of one of their number, stays behind as 'guest' to the Celts, while one of Amren's daughters effectively becomes hostage to the Romans at their camp 100 miles away.
Unfortunately, there is an instant spark between Catrin, Amren's youngest daughter, and Marcellus. This is fueled by her father's instructions to act as host to him, all the while extracting valuable information about the enemy. It is a relationship with no hope of a future, as both parties are pawns in their parent's power struggle and an alliance forged by marriage is too good a bargaining tool. As negotiations break down and the danger level rises, so too, does the attraction between Catrin and Marcellus.

The book was well narrated by Kristin James, although I found it a bit too breathless in the exciting parts. There were also phrases in italics at the beginning of each chapter, which I wasn't even aware of until I saw them mentioned in another review. Apart from that she was clear and easy to understand.
Although I learnt a fair bit from this novel and it was obviously well researched, I didn't find it calling to me and although I see many other reviewers gave it 5 stars, I felt 3 stars was more representative for me.
For readers of Fantasy and lovers of Romans in history, this would be an excellent read, the first in a series in which Catrin and Marcellus may (or may not) manage to make a future together. It would also appeal to those who like strong female characters.

Romance, intrigue and sorcery.

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