This is the greatest strength of this story. “A River Enchanted” digs deep into these relationships.

I love stories about characters, relationships, and family dynamics. This book could have started with “Once upon a time…” and I would have been happy to follow Jack and the other characters on their adventures. Jack, the bard, whose music can summon the spirits Adaira, the Heiress of the East, who didn’t get along with Jack when they were children Torin, the captain of the guards, and Sidra, Torin’s wife, are the main point of view characters. The story is told from multiple points of view. He stays to help find the girls and stop the kidnapper.Īt its heart, this story is about family, relationships, and romance. He returns to discover he has a sister he didn’t know about, and someone is kidnapping young girls. Jack, a young bard who left Cadence years ago, returns when the leader of his clan sends him a summons.

Add the elemental spirits, who are capricious, speak in riddles, and interfere in relations between the clans, to the mix and a reader can expect serious problems. I suspect the series is going to deal with this issue. In the past, the spirits divided the magic unequally between the clans. The river separates the two clans, who hate each other because of a long-standing feud.

Ross weaves the spirits and their mythology into the story as it unfolds, allowing the reader to piece everything together.Ī river divides the Isle of Cadence, but the division goes deeper than water. The isle’s lore and culture, think Scottish lore, enchanted me. “A River Enchanted” by Rebecca Ross is a fantasy novel with strong fairytale vibes.

A river enchanted