𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢:

𝗔 𝗯𝗼𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀. 𝗔 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿. 𝗔𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻. 𝗔 𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻.𝗔 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗲 ...𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝘁?

Pip is the happiest boy in the kingdom of Lindensea, until he loses everything and becomes the saddest boy in the world. Falling in love with a dishevelled young nobleman who is leaving the kingdom seems like a piece of foolishness that will only break his heart.

It took hard work and determination for Pip to survive. It will take time, luck, and a sprinkle of magic for a chance at true happiness. But are the stars on his side, or working against him?The question remains: 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘙𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘙𝘶𝘦?

𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚍?: Yes, with a total of 30 chapters.

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:

I'm going to be honest, I am a huge sucker for fairy-tale retellings. So, I knew going into this story that there was a good chance I was going to like it. However, I was not expecting to be blown away by @ella_rowan 's beautiful, unique twist on the classic Cinderella tale.

Raven and Rue focuses on our main character, a boy named Pip, and his struggles through life. We, as the reader, are taken along on his adventure from an unlucky country boy to being the happiest man in all the land. It is through his lifelong journey that tough subjects such as parental death, sexuality, and gender are tackled in a beautiful way that I think many will find enjoyable.

However, don't be fooled by these hard-hitting topics. This story is still very lighthearted. There were many times where I found myself giggling and even kicking my feet with joy. And, of course, swooning over how sweet our "Prince Charming" is.

That being said, I believe it is only fair to give this book the rating it deserves...

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 3-Stars, A New Favorite!

𝚆𝚑𝚢 𝙸 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝙸𝚝:

Raven and Rue felt truly unique and unlike any other Cinderella-tale that I've read before.

𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:

• The author does a great job at exploring a character's sexuality

Pip, our main character, is a perfect example of this. Even in the early chapters, Pip's feelings towards the same sex and the topic of androgyny are explored through light conversations and actions. However, while his journey is (obviously) the main focus, we are also introduced to a few other recurring characters with varying preferences/sexualities.

While there are a few (slightly more) mature scenes, it is nothing graphic. The author also puts warnings at the beginning of each chapter that contain scenes like this for those who do not care for it.

• The story depicts a vast variety of characters

Like Pip, we are introduced to a lot of interesting characters, most of which I found myself getting attached to easily. That said, I believe the characters depicted in this story were very realistic. Even the "antagonists" (which I use this word very lightly) had fair reasons behind their actions. It wasn't necessarily to hurt our lead, but to ensure a proper image for their family, maintain a fair work environment, to follow the laws...and the list goes on.

• Contains an interesting setting/history

The Kingdom of Lindensea has such a rich history and belief system that I think I could read an entire book filled with little tidbits and not grow bored. We get little bits of information at the end of most - if not all - chapters and while many of you may think this will disrupt the story, I believe it ties in perfectly. In fact, I believe these bits of lore flows well and even adds a bit of whimsy.

𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙲𝚊𝚗 𝙸𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎:

*Please note that this is mere advice and should be taken lightly.*

• Breaking up long sentences

This is something I caught mostly in the very early chapters of the book. And, while it is not that big of a deal, I think the story's narration would benefit from having these longer sentences shortened.

As a fellow writer, I also make this mistake... a lot. In fact, I've probably made it while writing this review! However, I know that by breaking up a few of those long sentences, it can make it easier for readers to comprehend your story.

• Adding more conflict

Okay, maybe this is just me, but I was expecting a little more conflict near the end of this story. While the ending was sweet and left me feeling happy, I don't think I was fully satisfied.

The 'Happily Ever After' seemed a bit too easy.

I think in the last 10 chapters, maybe - last 5, definitely- I was waiting for one more problem to appear that would have the potential to really mess things up for Pip. Though, it never came.

Though this story's sole focus is on seeking out a 'Happily Ever After', I think by getting that last big conflict, the story's ending would have felt well-earned.

𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:

"Once upon a time in a kingdom far, far away lived a little boy named Pip Lenior, and he had everything that his heart could desire." - Ch. 1

"Aye, mayhap laddie, and mayhap goats will swim underwater like fish," said Mrs Bennett drily. "Don't trust money that comes from the gaming tables. It disappears like fool's gold." - Ch. 4

"'Mount your horse, my lady,' said Zarvic, with a sarcastic flourish.

"I'm not a lady," Pip objected.

"That's alright. This ain't no horse, neither.'" -Ch. 13

𝚆𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛?

Yes. In fact, I am looking forward to starting the prequel, How Peter Won Ellen, very soon. ella_rowan has a beautiful way with words that has me wanting to stay in her world of fantasy for as long as I can...

Huge thanks goes out to @ella_rowan for being the first to request a review from me. I had a great time reading your story and I hope this review will push more readers your way.

If you are a fellow author wishing to have your book reviewed, please refer back to the beginning of this book for more details.

With love, Alex