A lyrical, beautiful fable. It began a bit slow but once it picked up, it was a wonderfully fantastical tale filled with well written characters and an interesting mystery that had me rushing to the end to figure it all out.

Fans of Naomi Novik should definitely check this one out. I was able to also listen to the audiobook and the narration was fantastic. If you get a chance to check out the audiobook, I highly recommend it.

A River Enchanted is a story that has unforgettable characters and a world that you will get swept away in.
The writing has a very poetic and lyrical feel to it, which is really fitting to the storyline as music is intricately woven into the storyline. A bard's music is the only thing that the spirits will answer to after all. The story did take me a while to get into and read through, but this is one book you will want to take your time to read and not rush through.

I loved having the multiple point of views in this book. They were essential to this story as they provided a more in depth look into each of the characters as well as the story overall. I cannot even tell you who my favorite characters are from this story because each of them has a special place in my heart. They've all been through so much and I just want to wrap them all in a big hug.

As the story progressed closer to the end, the revelations kept coming faster and faster. The ending was phenomenal and I, for one, am excited to see where Rebecca Ross takes this story in book 2.

Wow! A River Enchanted absolutely blew me away. The worldbuilding and the magic system is intuitive but also mysterious and full of wonder. I really enjoyed the use of elements in the magic building, it's so effectively done and makes for absolutely gorgeous imagery. Every interaction with the spirits was tense but also lovely. Just as it is with the best folklore stories, the spirits reel you in with beauty only to frighten you with their power. I loved that. There's a real cost to using magic in Cadence and that gives the actions of the characters depth and meaning.

You can really feel the influence of Scotland as well throughout River, with the naming, culture, and folklore in particular. For a culture that can be really overdone at times (and not well often), I think Ross did an incredible job keeping the beauty and spirit in her interpretation.

The characters really shine in the world of Cadence. Jack is so instantly lovable, you can't help but root for him, and Adaira really grows into herself as the story continues. I was surprised by the addition of Torin and Sidra (the blurb makes it seem much more like a single love story) but their story is truly incredible. It's like you get the beginning of lifelong love with Jack and Adi and then see the deepening of love in a relationship already grown with Torin and Sidra. It's perfect and, if you twisted my arm to choose, I'd say Sidra was my favorite as her wrestling with herself and her world in the midst of loss was both fascinating and heartfelt.

The plot is expertly woven. There's a lot going on between all of the characters and five different POVs but the reader is always exactly where it's best to be for the scene. It doesn't slow down either. The mystery holds taut the whole way through, right into the last few chapters, and I found it impossible to put down.

I won't lie: I'm absolutely heartsick over the ending. Truly. But I think it's a perfect ending for the characters and the duology overall. Now I just need book 2 to get here so it can fix my sad soul! I highly recommend this to any fantasy reader. It's an incredible beginning to this two-book whirlwind and I can't wait for the second part.


Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

This book was beautifully written. I was pulled in and loved the writing style. I will definitely be keeping track of Rebecca's writing career and reading more of her books.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy to review.

Five stars

A River Enchanted quickly became my first five-star read in a hot minute. I had very high hopes for this book due to a friend recommending it and my love for Ross' Queen's duology.

Ross hooked me from the very start, which she tends to do. The story of Jack and Adaira was just perfection and also stressful. And Sidra and Torin, I just need more of everyone involved in this book. I miss these characters so much.

I have to say if you give this one a go, check out the audio. The narrators were PERFECTION. I was floored by how good they were. The accents were everything and I felt like I was there in the book. They created a beautiful movie in my head. I was in awe. I found myself forgetting to do my job 99% of the time I was listening.

Now I won't give away the plot. Which I never do. But for this one, I definitely don't want to. But I swear my mouth was on the floor most of the time. The twists and turns were not what I expected. And that only made it a million times more exciting.

Is it time for A Fire Endless yet? Because I am desperate.

please please read this book.

'A River Enchanted' is the first half of a duology set on a Scottish-inspired mystical island, complete with enchantment and fair folk.

Young girls are going missing on Jack's home of Cadence, says the letter he receives at his university from his laird calling him home to aid. So Jack takes his harp back to Cadence, the place he swore he'd never step foot again in his life, to help bring the girls back to their families.

Everyone's character development was so magical to witness. There is not one single person in this entire book that does not grow from who they were at the start. Rebecca Ross's writing is so rich and laden with emotion - I felt that, while I was enjoying myself wholly, I was also really growing + learning so much as a writer while reading this book, which is not common for me.

It took me so long to read this book - until it didn't. 65% from January until yesterday, and then last night I sat down, took one enormous breath, dove in, and didn't resurface until I had finished. This is a book to be savored in its first and second acts, and then completely devoured in its third.

If you love intricately-crafted fantasy series with magic, mystery, and high stakes, all with love at the core of it all, you will adore 'A River Enchanted.' The second book in the duology, 'A Fire Endless,' is out in December, and I cannot wait for the conclusion!

I would first like to state that I have been in a HUGE reading slump. I have not picked up a book that I would not put down in a few months, which for me means about 20ish books usually. A River Enchanted broke my reading slump and for that, I am beyond thankful. This book not only met all my expectations but BLEW them out of the water.

Jack has been on far away from home for 10 years studying to be a bard, learning how to produce beautiful music when one day, he is called back to his home. His home is a magical island off the coast called Cadence, which as been split between 2 different clans for as long as anyone can remember. Jack is soon reminded that the spirts (water, earth and wind) not only provide the clans magic but rule this island and can do whatever they wish. Jack soon finds out that it was not his clan’s leader that called him home, but his old enemies, the leaders daughter. She informs Jack that small girls are being kidnapped from their side of the island and she is hoping that Jack will pay for the spirts in hopes to find information on where the girls are at and if they are still alive. Jack soon gets swept into the magic of the island and starts uncovering so many truths not only about the missing girls, but his own past.

I loved SO much about this book. The setting, this magical Scottish island is so enchanting on its own. Then you add in the spirits who are never seen prior to Jack playing and the detail that the author gives to them is EVERYTHING. I love the magic and how it is both a curse and blessing. The way the author describes this island makes me want to immediately buy a ticket to Scotland and live with in the rolling hills and flowers. It was just everything that I wanted plus more.

Jack and Adaira are a beautiful, classic enemies to lovers. I adore their relationship and the romance that it brings to this book. Not only do we have their relationship, but also Torin and his wife Sidra AND Jack’s mothers long lost love story. I would not categorize this as a romance, but I loved that there was some in it.
The best way that I can describe this book is a Scottish lore fairytale of small children going missing and how a clan fights to find the missing girls. This means challenging everything that they know and hold to be true. In this process, some dark secrets come out that are SO unexpected but in the best way possible.

If you enjoy Scottish lore, fairytales and mystery, this book is for you. It was simply amazing and was easily a 5/5 star rating for me!

This was an absolutely beautifully written book that captivated me from the very beginning. I fell in love with the atmospheric vibes and amazing characters!! The slowburn romances just had me swooning and anxiously waiting for the big kiss! It was wonderful!!

A RIVER ENCHANTED is a beautiful, enchanting read by Rebecca Ross. Inspired by Scotland and Celtic mythology, this book weaves together adventure and fantasy with lyrical writing and lovely characters. I really enjoyed the setting and loved Ross’s writing- I’ll eagerly await the sequel and look forward to checking out Ross’s other work.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review.

This lovely, Scottish inspired fantasy focuses on a musician named Jack, who left his homeland of Cadence for the “mainland” many years before and is just now returning at his Laird’s behest. Upon arriving, he is told that girls have been disappearing from their village and the spirits are suspected. There is also unrest with their neighbors to the west, the Breccans, who continue to raid Cadence.
Jack also is reunited with his childhood enemy, Adaira, who is to become Laird upon her sickly father’s death. She asks for his aid to solve the mystery of who is taking the girls, and their rivalry grows into something very different.
The descriptions and overall writing of this book was lovely. You can feel the essence of Scotland in this fantasy setting. The way the spirits were presented was neat. While I felt like it was a bit slower paced, the second half seemed to go by a lot quicker for me - I wanted to know how these girls were disappearing and why.
It ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and I’m eager to see what happens in the next book.

A delightful Scottish inspired fairytale with music at its core. I loved the mystery and connection to faerie!

I loved this book. So lyrical and enchanting, I couldn’t put it down. It was the perfect book to get swept away with. I still can’t choose a favorite character, they were all so well written, with clear voices and intriguing goals. I highly recommend this, along with all of Ross’ other books, and can’t wait to devour the sequel.

A River Enchanted is a great, lyrical journey into a fascinating universe that feels ripe for expansion. The characters show authentic growth and development, and I'm always a sucker for interesting magic that ia understandable without too much exposition but allow for serious depth as the reader or characters learn more. Ross's world feels expansive, even though the story takes place in just a handful of locations - her light touch at dropping in just enough detail to create the world for their reader is masterfully done.
Full review to come on YouTube

When Jack is summoned back to his mystical isle home of Cadence after 10 years of education on the mainland becoming a bard, he swears he will leave as soon as his unknown task is done. The out-of-place feeling and judgment is not something he wants to revisit, especially not with his mother's secrets swirling around his provenance. But when he learns that he and his talents can help his people, he begins to find that his place might be in his homeland after all.

This is a mix of mystery and fantasy set in a Scotland-like backdrop. With spirits that controls the land and have unknown motives and a generational feud with the other people living on the isle, this really is brings the reader to another world that clearly has a lot more depth than is even in the story. The pacing is definitely slow and the characters are kept at a bit of a distance, but the mystery is unveiled through four different points of view. There were some things that are easy to predict and others that were definitely a surprise for me. The end sets up clearly for the next book, and I'm interested in seeing where the story goes from here.

Thank you to Harper Voyager, Avon Books, Netgalley for the advanced e-arc!

On a small Scottish-inspired island, the people live alongside the "folk" of the land, air, water, and fire. In this book you'll find: rival clans, magic, disappeared daughters, a bard called home to help, romance, and mystery.

This book was a slow start but keep me intrigued and wanting more. I loved the descriptive landscapes and scenery, I felt like I was watching a movie. I could visualize the characters and where they were, highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the continuation in the next book.

This book was probably one of the best books I read in January. Rebecca Ross is easily one of my top authors, and she knocked this out of the park. I'm a sucker for Celtic mythology and themes, and this book was spot on. I've been recommending this to so many friends, and the pacing is very well done.

Rebecca Ross is an auto-read for me ever since her debut YA duology - so of course I had to read her first foray into adult fantasy. Whereas I felt the first 30% of the book went along slowly and had a lot of world-building, the plot slowly picked up steam until we were barreling towards the finish and I was on my edge of the seat. Also, Rebecca how dare you with that ending. Give me A Fire Endless now!

Anyway, imagine a magical Irish/Scottish island with ethereal elemental spirits, wind that carrying your words across the island, and two sides at war for hundreds of years. Imagine a magical Berlin Wall between the two sides of the island. There are two pairs of islanders that the story follows - Torin/Sidra and Jack/Adaira. Chapters bounced back and forth between perspectives and the major plot point is that young girls are being snatched from the East side of the island and the characters are working on solving the mystery of who is kidnapping them. But add in secrets, hidden love, and lies.

I did end up loving this book by the end. It may have been a slower progression than I prefer, but that isn't unheard of in the adult genre. And Rebecca's writing always speaks to me so I knew if I kept with it I would end up enjoying the book. For a debut adult fantasy it was very good and I look forward to the sequel with bated breath.

**Thank you to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

If a book could give you the chills and also have no chill at all..this is it right here. The story of a bard who was sent away only to be asked to return by his rival without him knowing it was her and to drop his life at the mainland to help save his homeland from this mystery of young lasses disappearing. With his power as a bard and a mystery to solve, Jack puts his people before himself to help them get the lasses back. It was a page turner AND a tearjerker. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

This was an excellent fantasy novel that I would definitely recommend to anyone who thinks it sounds interesting!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.