A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
It starts with a letter and an ominous journey across dark waters. Ten years after being sent away to the mainland to become a bard, Jack Tamerlaine is summoned home to Cadence. But his return is not a joyous one: Girls are going missing from the island, and Adaira, future leader of the clan, believes Jack is the only one who can find them.
Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind, plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instill fathomless fear. The elemental spirits that dwell in every breath of air, splash of water, blade of grass, and flicker of fire find mirth in the lives of the humans. Kidnapping the Tamerlaine girls is a step too far though, and it is only through a bard’s music that the intangible spirits can be summoned to explain where the girls are.
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This book was one of the most unique, beautiful fantasy journeys I’ve been on. I had such an enjoyable read and took my time with this one. The words were so rich, the descriptions and characters so deep, the magic system so unique and fantastic that I really mourned the loss once I was done this book. The book takes place from multiple points of view and you don’t really know who the main characters are but the entire cast is so wonderful that not having a “main” focus didn’t take away from the story at all. The world building was my favourite part as everything takes place on this enchanted island cut off from the rest of the world and is, itself, enchanted where the rest of the world doesn’t seem to be. It takes tidbits of Scottish faerie lore and twists it into something entirely new while still holding that beautiful danger that Scottish folktales tend to give off. The plot was slow but it helped give focus to the land itself and the building of the characters’ backstories which I think will be critical to the series going forward. Besides, the writing was so beautiful that I didn’t mind the slower pace. I can’t wait to get more into this series, the wait for the next book might just kill me.
The setting is perfectly introduced at the beginning as we approach the island with Jack, our first “main character”, in his return to the island he called home so long ago. Right off the bat there’s spirits trickery at foot, you need special access to even get to the island and outsiders aren’t welcomed. Jack’s homecoming is stilted and awkward yet heartwarming. The return of a long-lost son. We experience along with him all the changes both good and dangerous that have happened while he’s been away and the mystery begins almost immediately. The island itself seems eerily similar to Scotland along with a lot of the customs and titles which gave a tiny “real world” feel the the story. This also made the glens and valley’s, mists and mountains all really easy to picture. The mysterious weather worked really well with the mysterious spirits (all nature based) to make the most enchanting setting in a book I’ve ever read.
The characters were the real treat in this book. Every character whether it was one who’s point of view we read from, or a side character that only had a few lines, every character carried such depth that I couldn’t help but love them all. Jack is extremely relatable with his struggles in fitting into a place that he’d left behind long ago, as well as his deep love of music and his confusion over what paths to take for his future. I found his story so enchanting and I loved the fact that, as a main character, he’s a bard because these characters always seem to be side-lined. It was nice to see this type of character appreciated for a change. Adaira, the heir to the island, is more warrior-like so their roles were a reversal of the typical gender roles in a fantasy novel and I loved it. They made her fierce and terrifying in her own right without taking away her humanity or compassion or femininity.
Two characters that I didn’t expect to love so much were a bit more side-lined but ended up being my two favourites: Sidra and Torin. Torin is the leader of the guard and cousin to Adaira, and Sidra is the island healer and his wife. They both had so much character development, more than any others in the book, that I found their chapters my favourite ones of the entire book. Sidra was such a positive representation of a stay-at-home mother. Her hopes and dreams were that of being a good mom and wife and instead of that making her weak or something to be made fun of, which seems typical in fantasy, it made her so strong and the most able, out of all the characters, to see things for what they really were. Torin had such a good character arc with his own vulnerability as well. He starts off as the tough general but as you get deeper into his character his true-self, one that’s vulnerable and scared, you see how brave he truly is in overcoming everything he fears to be the protector of the island that he’s really had no choice in being. Their relationship growth was so touching and heart-rending that I can’t wait to read more of their life in the books going forward.
There were many other aspects of this story that were wonderful including the lore, the music, and the danger but if I continue on, you’ll be here reading for an hour or more. I’ll just say this book was fantastic and such a joy to read. I’m so happy that it exists and so heartbroken that I have to wait to find out what happens next. But it was worth it. I gave this 5 stars. If you like fantasy, magic, or mythology, this book is perfect for you.