It's been a while since I've read a book set in the faerie realm and all my love of this folklore returned. Rogerson's faeries are unsettling, eerie, and disturbing with plenty of laws and tricks--just as I like. In this story the fair folk are unchanging and are thus unable to create change in anything, and they are enamored with human "craft." Isobel is a portrait artist and is patronized by the fair folk who crave her art. This premise was interesting and played out in great ways. I was not a fan of the romance, but the last portion of the book is an intense quest to try and out-wit the fae and I couldn't stop listening to the audiobook. I will say that I had questions that were not answered by the ending, but I honestly don't care. I'm okay with it being a little fuzzy. My rating is 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. ( )

This was beautifully written and a new favorite of 2020.

Content:
some kissing that gets intense
a bit of language that really jarred the narrative considering that it's a fantasy world. ( )

Isobel lives on the edge of Faerie, and the Fae crave the portraits she can paint of them. She bargains carefully for enchantments that will protect and provide for her family, carefully worded to avoid ill effects. When Rook, the Autumn Prince, arrives for a portrait session, things are somehow different. There's something about his eyes -- sorrow, she finally realizes, an emotion that the Fae aren't supposed to be able to feel. Isobel is drawn to the faerie prince, but she knows that they cannot break the Good Law, which forbids faerie/human relationships. When the portrait, with its telling revelation of Rook's sorrow is unveiled before the court, a furious Rook returns, dragging Isobel to his court to stand trial. Surrounded by the Fae court, who can Isobel trust?

I enjoyed this story, though it has some flaws. I liked the setting and descriptions, and the conceit that the Fae can't make art (Craft, as the book calls it, which can include things like Isobel's paintings, but also food, clothing, furniture, etc.) and therefore bargain with their human neighbors to obtain it. I thought there were some pacing issues, and I wasn't entirely convinced at the insta-love that characterizes the romantic plot. I listened to the audiobook, and I always enjoy Julia Whelan's narration, which may be part of the reason the book's shortcomings didn't bother me until after I finished listening. All in all, if you enjoy stories of humans in the faerie court, you might like this one, if the things I mentioned aren't deal-breakers for you. ( )

Flawed at points, but on the whole this was a lavishly written fairy tale that was nothing less than enchanting. Think “Spiderwick Chronicles” meets “A Court of Mist and Fury”.
Full review can be found here on my blog: https://thedeborahembury.wordpress.com/2017/10/18/an-enchantment-of-ravens-by-ma...
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This book was incredibly charming. I loved getting lost in it and I read it in one day. I felt a bit lost when it ended, I wasn’t sure why at first which is why I waited to write the review. I don’t want it to end. ( )