The Seventh Raven
The Seventh Raven by David Elliott is a retelling of the classic Grimm fairytale. In The Seventh Raven, April tries to reverse a curse that allowed her to live.
“There are too many Jacks
There are too many Jacks
There are too many Jacks”
When April was born, she died. Her seven brothers, all named Jack except for Robyn, were distraught. Her father, also named Jack, and her mother, Jane, were inconsolable. They blamed God, or the spirits, or anyone. They called for the priest to baptize April before she died. And then, the six Jacks and one Robyn turned into seven Ravens- and April comes back to life.
“I know exactly what I’m seeking- my seven brothers, transformed, cast out, and lost. And I will find them. But I wonder at what cost.”
Admittedly, I should have read the reviews for this as I was not aware that it was written in verse. As with most books written in verse, I enjoyed- but I would have preferred it written in the traditional sense. The writing was haunting and well described, but I found myself lost as to what was going on at some points. The different perspectives were well done, and with so many of them, this could have been easily ruined.
“It’s when I am myself that I am free. I will not give that up so easily.”
I found the art really beautiful and would have enjoyed reading a physical copy of this. A physical copy would have made the art more enjoyable to look at and the verses more comfortable to read. ARC’s tend to destroy books’ formatting a lot of the time, and this book did not escape that fate.
It was a quick read, and so there wasn’t too much to dislike about it. Again, I wish the publisher had clarified that it was a story in verse, for those who do not enjoy that format.
Thank you to Edelweiss for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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