Overall rating and opinion of "Apollo's Raven"

Jmteachmom · Post by **Jmteachmom** » 14 Sep 2018, 09:00

I have just began reading this book. So far, I am intrigued by the story.

Georgia Lyonhyde · Post by **Georgia Lyonhyde** » 14 Sep 2018, 16:32

CommMayo wrote: ↑12 Sep 2018, 12:34
Georgia Lyonhyde wrote: ↑09 Sep 2018, 19:10 I have been waiting for this discussion forum to go live. The reviews for both this book and its sequel highly recommend the series. I'm a great fan of time travel and ancient civilisation so I couldn't pass this by. I can't help wondering if it'll be equally as wonderful as the Outlander and Shanara series'. It has a great premise, a conflict of love always makes for a good read. Reading through the various discussion threads, it has certainly cast a high impact.
If you are a huge fan of Outlander, you will probably be pretty disappointed with the quality of this book. I love series like that, but I found this book to be a poor attempt at that genre. There was too much random mysticism thrown in to be seen as anything but a strange attempt as sci-fi historical fiction.

Thanks for the heads up. Outlander is absolutely amazing. I can't fault it, I love the characters, the concept, the series even though it deviates. It's just brilliant. That said, I still think I want to give this one a chance. Even if it's only half as good, it'll still make for a good read. I love so many different genres depending on my mood that I think I can handle it. Plus, all writers have to start somewhere, I'm hoping this story is a stepping stone to even greater things to come.

CommMayo · Post by **CommMayo** » 15 Sep 2018, 10:46

Georgia Lyonhyde wrote: ↑14 Sep 2018, 16:32 Thanks for the heads up. Outlander is absolutely amazing. I can't fault it, I love the characters, the concept, the series even though it deviates. It's just brilliant. That said, I still think I want to give this one a chance. Even if it's only half as good, it'll still make for a good read. I love so many different genres depending on my mood that I think I can handle it. Plus, all writers have to start somewhere, I'm hoping this story is a stepping stone to even greater things to come.

Just be prepared for absolutely no conclusion at the end of this book. If you read this novel and want some sort of closure, you will be signing up for the next in the series. Personally, I don't think I could stand reading another book by this author.

cpru68 · Post by **cpru68** » 15 Sep 2018, 11:52

I generally do not read this genre, but I decided to give it a whirl as it was the book of the month. I thought, why not? I started reading it on Labor Day weekend and was grateful that I had nothing to do so I could get hold of the storyline that grabbed me and would not let me go! I enjoyed the various characters, the plot twists, the family dynamics, and the deceitful, cunning nature of those who were in the shadows. I thought that it had a lot going on, but I was easily able to follow the various sub-stories such as Mor's forbidden love and the Queen's hidden love life. Even with all of its glowing attributes, I did only give it a 3 out of 4 stars. I know that sounds contradictory to what I just said, but I could not handle the romantic scenes, and I felt that they took away from the richness of the story. I started skipping over those as it seemed predictable and the language became somewhat low class compared to the higher quality of writing. This, however, did not stop me from reading the sample of the next book that was included at the end. I wish the sex scenes would have been toned down a bit, and this may play to the author's favor as it could appeal to a wider audience.

CommMayo · Post by **CommMayo** » 15 Sep 2018, 11:55

cpru68 wrote: ↑15 Sep 2018, 11:52 I know that sounds contradictory to what I just said, but I could not handle the romantic scenes, and I felt that they took away from the richness of the story. I started skipping over those as it seemed predictable and the language became somewhat low class compared to the higher quality of writing. This, however, did not stop me from reading the sample of the next book that was included at the end. I wish the sex scenes would have been toned down a bit, and this may play to the author's favor as it could appeal to a wider audience.

Those sex scenes were cringe inducing, weren't they?!?! Make sure you hop on over to the forum dedicated to them. Writing those kinds of scenes are definitely not in the author's wheelhouse!

cpru68 · Post by **cpru68** » 15 Sep 2018, 12:43

CommMayo wrote: ↑15 Sep 2018, 11:55
cpru68 wrote: ↑15 Sep 2018, 11:52 I know that sounds contradictory to what I just said, but I could not handle the romantic scenes, and I felt that they took away from the richness of the story. I started skipping over those as it seemed predictable and the language became somewhat low class compared to the higher quality of writing. This, however, did not stop me from reading the sample of the next book that was included at the end. I wish the sex scenes would have been toned down a bit, and this may play to the author's favor as it could appeal to a wider audience.
Those sex scenes were cringe inducing, weren't they?!?! Make sure you hop on over to the forum dedicated to them. Writing those kinds of scenes are definitely not in the author's wheelhouse!

I just felt that she is a higher caliber writer than that, and they were not needed whatsoever. I did already go to that forum and explained myself there as well. Including this, that has been three times. So, I think anyone who reads what I wrote will see that while I did enjoy the book, those parts I did not.

Dolor · Post by **Dolor** » 15 Sep 2018, 21:29

I have read the first ten pages of this book, but not the whole story yet. I have seen a lot of positive reviews and high ratings on this book both on OBC and on Amazon. I will read the story and participate on the discussions, sooner.

Chandler_Greg · Post by **Chandler_Greg** » 16 Sep 2018, 10:35

Sen_Suzumiya wrote: ↑01 Sep 2018, 06:41 I loved the book. It was a travel in time and I admired the author's detailed descriptions of ancient civilizations. I didn't like the way the romance between Catrin and Marcellus was built, but perhaps I'm too fussy when it comes to romance. Nevertheless, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars and I recommend it to people who love historical books with a twist of fantasy.

The romance was a bit problematic, no doubt.
While Catrin seems to be "all in" pretty much from the beginning, Marcellus is clearly less sure. He vows marriage to "the Goddess", but it is not his goddess an he clearly thinks this was a one night stand. He doesn't really understand why Catrin wouldn't consider coming back to Rome as his lover (whore) wouldn't be enough. He knows hsi father will never let them marry. There is also the fact that Catrin is only 15, while Marcellus is presumable older. So the "rape" that wasn't rape would have been in America today.

Purpledove · Post by **Purpledove** » 16 Sep 2018, 14:32

I love historical fiction and thus thoroughly enjoyed the book. I especially like the fusion of history and mythology. I did find the development of the romance between Catrin and Marcellus to be a little bit lacking however and so I would give this book 3 out of 4 stars.

Melchi Asuma · Post by **Melchi Asuma** » 16 Sep 2018, 14:36

I love how everyone seems to be in love with the novel and all it's elements. I, however, have not read it yet but I have gotten it from Amazon and hope that I will enjoy it as much as well

bookdragon7 · Post by **bookdragon7** » 16 Sep 2018, 15:39

I just received this book for my next book to review. I'm really excited to read it. It sounds like it has some mix of historical fiction & fantasy which shall be interesting! I can't wait to start it & come back here & give my opinion when I finish it.

Sahar Majid · Post by **Sahar Majid** » 16 Sep 2018, 19:32

I personally haven't read the book yet but it sounds so fascinating. I just love mythology in general and although I've heard the erotic scenes are very "cringey", I'll give it a try anyway.

KMSingh · Post by **KMSingh** » 17 Sep 2018, 00:30

I gave the book 4 out of 4 stars because it is technically proficient and kept my interest. I don't intend to read the second book because, frankly, the genre isn't really my thing. I love historical fiction, which is what I expected this to be. I didn't think it fair to penalize the author or the book for my personal preference in reading material.

jenjayfromSA · Post by **jenjayfromSA** » 17 Sep 2018, 04:32

Personally I found this light-weight and rather annoying. The romance was cloying, to say the least, and neither the characters or the setting particularly believable. I don't think it deserves to be book of the month.