Book Review: A River Enchanted
Let’s se… lush world building, fairy tale elements, slow burn romance, Scottish lore, and truly beautiful prose? Thank you, Rebecca Ross! The descriptions alone transport us right into Cadence from the very first page of A River Enchanted, and I’m eager to share my thoughts on this one with you today.
A BRIEF SUMMARY
In A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross, we get to experience the isle of Cadence, a Scottish-inspired fantasy realm brimming with magic, mystery, and romance. The story begins with Jack Tamerlaine, a bard summoned back to his homeland after ten years away. Girls have been disappearing from the island, and Jack finds himself entangled in a web of ancient secrets and elemental spirits, joined by his childhood rival Adaira in a quest to uncover the truth and hopefully bring the girls home.
WHAT I LOVED
Ross's writing is beautiful, immediately drawing us into a world rich with detail and atmosphere. As someone whose preferences lean more literary, and as a writer who has worked to make my style more commercial, I’m impressed by her ability to still write in an accessible way while maintaining so much of the richness I love in literary prose.
“There is no failure in love,” she said and covered the furrows. The soil was rich; it swallowed a portion of her grief. “And I have loved without measure.”
The pacing of the story is well-balanced, blending character development with action that keeps everything moving forward. The characters themselves are vividly portrayed, each with their own character flaws and personalities that make them feel like real individuals rather than basic archetypes, which can sometimes happen in these fairy tale-like stories. And even with the time and care put into setting description and exposition, I feel like it moves at the perfect pace, allowing us space to breathe in between the more loaded scenes. While the plot is always moving and interesting, I can’t overstate how significant the overall atmosphere is to the experience of this book. Ross's prose brings the island to life, from its mist-shrouded landscapes to its enchanting inhabitants.
The relationships between the characters are also a highlight, with Jack and Adaira's dynamic serving as the emotional focus of the story. I do feel that their dialogue felt stilted at times, especially in the beginning, and I’m still unclear as to whether or not that awkwardness and redundancy was intentional. Regardless, it wasn’t enough to take away from my overall positive impressions of their relationship growth throughout the book, but it is worth noting.
While A River Enchanted leans more towards the atmospheric side of fantasy rather than high adventure (don’t get me wrong… there are high stakes and plenty of action), it still delivers a compelling and immersive reading experience.
If you enjoy a good audiobook from time to time, like me, this is one you won’t regret getting on audio. Narrated by Scottish voice actor Ruth Urquhart, I feel like it adds an extra layer of ambiance to the story, enhancing the overall experience. I’ve read the physical book and have listened to the audiobook, and recommend both equally. As a writer, I like having the physical book so that I can really examine the prose and engage in the process of physically annotating. As a reader, I loved this one in audio format because I truly felt immersed. Either way, you can’t go wrong.
FINAL THOUGHTS
4.5/5 stars for the vibes, heartwarming story, and prose.
Overall, A River Enchanted is a beautifully written and creatively crafted novel full of magic, music, and mystery… all the things I happen to love in a good book! There are unforgettable characters, evocative settings, and timeless themes, so it’s one that’s stuck with me. It’s great for fans of fantasy, romance, or Scottish folklore, and to anyone who just loves vibes, it’s well worth the read. This is book one in the Elements of Cadence, and I’ve read the second already. I recommend that one as well!
Happy reading!
