It started ok. I got to admire Val especially after her little stunt in the face of the FBI. But i got annoyed with the obscurity of a lot of what's going on and most of all the dialogues. Confusing, unnecessarily long and not how dialogues should look like in novels. I was so irritated i could not go on

One tree, that rules them all. A motley crew of PhD’s, a hardened journalist and some of America’s richest and powerful. And an entity.

What can I say about this book?

OK here goes.

So the daughter of the VP has gone missing after a trip to a remote and barren part of Russia. The corridors of power in Washington are awash with rumours. The deputy director of the CIA is drafted in, alongside one of the biggest and long serving lobbyists. The final card in the pack, the journalist tasked with discovering just what happened.

This is one hell of a story, it held my concentration from start to finish. I just had to know what was going to happen next, how it was going turn out.
I think the most interesting thing, was just how the American government was running scared with things that were out of their control and that they couldn’t understand. And, their answer for everything…

This is the first in a new series by the author, and personally I can’t wait for the next instalment.

Status: Completed

Rating: 4.9/5..0

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

4* premise, 2* writing

I got pulled into this book very quickly and found it engrossing. I loved the premise, and loved the idea of people being drawn to the tree and afterwards being 'different' or 'whole' again, as well as the effect it had on the groups of people together (trying to avoid spoilers). I want a leaf!!

I have to be honest - I agree with some other reviewers: I don't think it's brilliantly written, the characterisation is a bit flat. There's perhaps a surfeit of knowing looks and shared smiles. Nonetheless it grabbed me and I wanted to keep picking it up again at every opportunity. It's fast-paced and exciting. What a disappointment when it ended rather abruptly. I definitely want to read the sequel.

I hadn't realised that this was the first book in a new series and was rather disappointed at the abrupt ending as I was intrigued as to where it was heading.
Val Garnier is a journalist and the story opens as she is making her way towards the Kuril Islands, just off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, and now under the control of Russia. Initially the reader is not privy as to why she is travelling this way, but then the book skips back in time and we have the explanation for her trip into the unknown. Val is a feisty and gusty character and doesn't let anyone overwhelm her. But she is up against a formidable enemy - too say more would create spoilers. But Val is the most fully developed character in the story, most of the others are described physically but have little to distinguish them individually.
The book goes into quite detailed science explanations of some of the events - suffice to say these went straight over my head, which is a shame because there should have been a way of making it 'user friendly'. In fact, I found the hard science edge jarred somewhat with the magical elements of the story.
In short the book provides an intriguing premise but doesn't really follow through with character and detail and I probably won't rush to get the next instalment. However it may well appeal to sci fi/magic realism fans.
With thanks to Netgalley and Severn House for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

What happens when everything you thought you knew and understood about the world is shattered in a single moment? That's the question Valentina Garnier faces after a sudden trip to Russia at the bequest of a long time ally. Val is known in many circles as someone who gets the story without getting attached and it's for that reason, among others the reader discovers along the way, that she is chosen to find out why so many significant people are traveling to a remote island and coming back...changed.

I was intrigued by the description for this book as how often do you come across government, spy novels with elements of magical realism? Rarely for me, but it felt reminiscent of X-Files which I was a fan.

It was a little difficult to engage in the initial chapters as the author chose to start in the middle then do a classic "X many hours earlier" move to then catch the reader up and understand how we got here. I liked early Val as she took no flack off of anyone, CIA Director or not, but midway through the book once events started unfolding she pivoted into what felt like the stereotypical mid to high level cult member. A little spacey, knowing smiles and speaking in altruistic high brow phrases. We've all seen the politicians that say a lot of words but never manage to say much at all.

There was a lot of this book that absolutely went over my head which is simply because of my own inexperience or lack of understanding of some of the science that gets referenced. I won't speak to those elements because I do not have the expertise to voice an opinion, but I will say if you aren't super science-y, have google at the ready for some of the explanations of what's occurring.

The reason for my 3 stars on this book are 2 fold. First, what I just mentioned about the science going heavily over my head, was disappointing. Inserting some joking analogies from some of the non-science members of the team for the prissy scientists to be mock would have been an easy, clean way to make it more palatable or understandable for readers like myself. There were already elements of this method in the scene in the forest warehouse so I don't think it would have been a hard lift.

The second, more influencing reason for me, was that the "villian" of the story were flat and 2-dimensional. I won't call out who specifically to avoid spoilers, but the antagonist of the story is giving no humanity, no depth, nothing for the reader to consider. They are simply presented as a hyper focused career junkie with a single minded agenda and that just disappointed me. Perhaps there will be more nuance to their character arc in coming books, but rarely is it ever so black and white.

"Collateral damage is secondary to speed."

"The sudden thrill of being let off the professional leads."

"When things start moving fast, I need to be at the heart of darkness"

We get it; they're a sociopath.

I liked the premise of this book, I generally liked the execution of it. I will likely watch for the sequel to see where the story goes. If government thrillers with elements of the unknown are your jam, then this book is definitely for you!

I had not realised that this was book 1 of a possible series!

I really liked the premise, the links to the 'first forest' ideas in mythology, but overall the story, to me, felt rushed in places. Perhaps too much 'back story' for me, as when the characters are all brought together, the climactic chapters of the novel arrived, for me, too quickly and the tension dissipated. Perhaps this is because I, as a reader, love to read modern fantasy fiction, in which rowan-myth is prevalent; whereas, this is a sci-fi story - I'd like to make that clear, because I do feel as though my preferences led me to this book based on its title and the mythological aspects of it, rather than the sci-fi parts of it.

Fascinating and intriguing story that pulls you right in. Touches of mystery and hints of fantasy as worlds cross and interweave. Val, a journalist undertakes a mission to discover the secrets of a far away land and a mystery Rowan tree. Sacred and divining, she tries to uncover why it has become an attraction and why the people drawn there seem changed and return different, including the vice president's daughter.

An interesting, well written plot and story that contains plenty of mystery, secrets and diverse characters. A quest to get to the roots of the magical Rowan. A great and fun read.

First of all thank you NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in advance of it being published. The reason in which I gave it the rating I did was because the writing style didn’t agree with me so I couldn’t get into the story properly. There was some interesting characters and the synopsis intrigued me but I didn’t realise that it would be set in the urban setting.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise is so intriguing, but the plot and characters fell a little flat for me. The writing is very descriptive, but lacks feeling or warmth. The plot could have been so great, but just fell short. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC I was able to read!

Thank you to Severn House, NetGalley and David Bunn for an E-copy ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐.25/5 Stars

I tried reading this book physically at the start of the month and ended up giving up after only 20 pages, I just couldn't connect to the writing but I hate not finishing a task I started and then I found out that on the NetGalley app you can get your phone to read the book to you... So I did.

I didn't enjoy the book in all honesty but I'm glad I finished it. I felt that the book execution didn't live up to the description. There was also way too many characters for me and I couldn't keep up with who was who or what the hell was going on to be honest and I kind of didn't car either.

I don't think David Bunn's writing is for me to be completely honest and I unfortunately wouldn't recommend this book and I will not be continuing on with this series.

I found this book a very disappointing read. The plot of the story read interesting. However the book just did not live upto it at all and fell really flat. The characters felt very two dimensional and boring. I didn't connect or care about any of them in the book. I also felt this lacked any explanation of what was happening and left so many plots that could have happened open.

I felt the author was a bit offensive and should definitely let people know there are in fact trigger warnings in this book referring to characters as "oriental" and the other character who appears to be Jewish as "rabbi". There is also such a small focus on a young boy with autism and then nothing.

I did eventually DNF this book because it felt very boring, plain and that there was no purpose to continue to read just to leave a review to state I did not enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advance copy to review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is going to be a DNF for me - it just...the writing isn't up to the grand description. The author seems very focused on describing physical aspects of characters, which is fine except it comes off as creepy more than descriptive. The writing is very basic but not in a way that seems like it's trying to be accessible...unfortunately it just isn't good.

Awesome premise, disappointing execution.

Thank you NetGallery and Severn House for this ARC.

I went into this book with no expectations and no idea what I would be reading. This is my first time reading anything by Davis Bunn.

To start with I found it a bit slow to get into, there was nothing happening other than little hints that something strange was going on a remote island and that people were travelling from around the world to witness it.

Then, for me, it seemed to change gears and I couldn’t put it down. I realised when all the action had really amped up that I wasn’t going to get the full story in this book and I can tell you I can’t wait to read the conclusion.

Gripping. Huge thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. I really enjoyed it.

"Ok, I've seen enough". The first page pretty much sums up this novel. This is a case of right idea, wrong execution.

Thought provoking but brief: The Rowan is a novella exploring the impact of a “Black Swan” event on the economic and political landscape. A mysterious Rowan Tree appears in a remote region of Russia and starts to draw a disparate group of individuals to it. Those visiting the tree have life-changing experiences and this draws the attention of intelligence agencies. Soon individuals and government authorities need to make critical decisions about what they believe and whether to treat the tree as a threat or an enabler.

I enjoyed The Rowan best when it was exploring the personal and political dilemmas posed by a new world-changing phenomenon. Disruption of the world order provokes extreme responses, and nations scramble to retain or obtain power.

Some of the characters are a bit loosely sketched, though may perhaps be developed further in later books in the series. The nature of the Rowan itself is also ambiguous and murky, with unspecified powers that undermine any sense of jeopardy.

I found it a diverting but brief page turner, and am interested in how it evolves in subsequent books in the series.

The Rowan Tree by Davis Bunn was an intriguing science-fiction with an interesting concept.
I received a copy of the book for a free and unbiased review.
I enjoyed the original underlying mystery of the book- why are so many people travelling to an isolated island and returning different. The government starts to worry when the Vice-president’s daughter returns different. You must wonder why as some people have returned different in a good way- substance misuse problems have resolved, and autism cured. Val is the investigative reporter chosen by the CIA and a behind the scenes kingmaker to investigate what is going on but Val is fixated on being transformed by the miracle tree too.
I liked Val, a flawed character with troubled past but who is successful despite this. She drives the story, connecting a group of disparate characters and makes their desire to be changed believable (I think I would be a bit hesitant).
Agnes is the opposite, deeply mistrustful of the change and its cause and would do anything to stop the influence. I shouldn’t like her character but again I could understand her motivations and would imagine her response would be the most realistic.

This could be me but I wasn’t sure whether The Rowan and the intelligence behind was entirely benign, but I imagine this will form the basis of the next book.
Perfect for Fans of
The TV program The Manifest

I hardly even know where to start with this book. I had no real idea what to expect, but the events that happened in this were certainly not it.

We follow the story of Val, a brilliant investigative journalist, who has tackled some dangerous assignments in her time. But now she has been contacted by the American one percenters, asking to investigate an Island in the distributed territory between Russia and Japan. Something odd is happening, and some influential people have been going there, but no one knows why.

I had no idea what direction this story would take, but the one it did was surprising and brilliant. I can hardly wait for the next instalment.

Thank you to the publishers Severn House for access to an E-arc via NetGalley .
Part political conspiracy, part science fiction, part first contact, part fantasy, part mass drug induced hallucination (?) - I'm not fully sure what The Rowan was trying to do - perhaps trying to do too much? The idea of a 'hive mind' while still retaining individuality is an interesting concept, but for me, this story just didn't work well, and was too implausible at times. I don't mind things being unresolved at the end of a book - and I was not interested or invested enough to read the first chapter of the next book in the series that was included. Not for me I'm afraid.

Well definitely don't read this book if you're one of the woke generation as clearly you'll spend all of your time on=bjecting to the way the author describes certain characters rather than just settling back and enjoying the story.

It took a little while to get into but once engaged with this it was quite a good read but a little more warning that this was the first of an eventual series would have been good as this ens=ds with far too much left unresolved.

Would I read the next book...oh yes.