A River Enchanted
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- Create Date：2022-03-03 08:52:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rebecca Ross
- ISBN：0008514631
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Summary
Enchantments run deep on the magical Isle of Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind， plaid shawls can be as strong as armour， and the smallest cut of a knife can instil fathomless fear。 The capricious spirits that live there find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home， but that mischief turns to malevolence as girls begin to go missing。
Adaira， heiress of the east， knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music， enticing them to return the missing girls。 But there’s only one bard capable of drawing the spirits forth by song: her childhood enemy Jack Tamerlaine。
He hasn’t stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years， content to study music at the mainland university， but as Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than first thought and an older， darker secret lurks beneath the surface， threatening to undo them all。
Sarah J Maas’s Crescent City meets Uprooted in acclaimed YA author Rebecca Ross’s brilliant first adult fantasy。
Adaira， heiress of the east， knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music， enticing them to return the missing girls。 But there’s only one bard capable of drawing the spirits forth by song: her childhood enemy Jack Tamerlaine。
He hasn’t stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years， content to study music at the mainland university， but as Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than first thought and an older， darker secret lurks beneath the surface， threatening to undo them all。
Sarah J Maas’s Crescent City meets Uprooted in acclaimed YA author Rebecca Ross’s brilliant first adult fantasy。
Reviews
Kelly
，
A beautiful written tale with vivid imagery， a coherent storyline， strong characters， and an ending that is both a conclusion and an invitation to the next book。 This is not a genre I typically read， and it was a book I was "forced" to choose so I could obtain another book I actually wanted。 Surprisingly， I loved this story and cannot wait for the next one。 Finally， I am by no means against sex scenes， but often I find myself repelled or bored by how the tongue works or how her or his "swells" a A beautiful written tale with vivid imagery， a coherent storyline， strong characters， and an ending that is both a conclusion and an invitation to the next book。 This is not a genre I typically read， and it was a book I was "forced" to choose so I could obtain another book I actually wanted。 Surprisingly， I loved this story and cannot wait for the next one。 Finally， I am by no means against sex scenes， but often I find myself repelled or bored by how the tongue works or how her or his "swells" are plunged in/into。 In this story， the scenes are romantic， and are an ode to the fade to black ， but so much better。 Overall， this is a quality book I did not want to put down and am grateful to have been introduced to a wonderful writer in a new world to explore。 。。。more
Elisa
，
Lyrical。 Love the Celtic setting and the underlying folklore but I don't think I would invest the energy for the next one in the series（ I'm assuming it'll be a series？） Lyrical。 Love the Celtic setting and the underlying folklore but I don't think I would invest the energy for the next one in the series（ I'm assuming it'll be a series？） 。。。more
Susan Ballard
，
If you recall， I said I wanted to get back to reading more fantasy。 Well， this book certainly reminded me why I love the genre。Written in lyrical prose， this is one of those magical， meandering stories， letting you take in the lush details。 Jack Tamerlaine was sent away to the mainland when he was only ten years old to become a bard， and he believed it had something to do with the opposing clans on the Isle of Cadence。 He has journeyed home after receiving a letter requesting his return。 There i If you recall， I said I wanted to get back to reading more fantasy。 Well， this book certainly reminded me why I love the genre。Written in lyrical prose， this is one of those magical， meandering stories， letting you take in the lush details。 Jack Tamerlaine was sent away to the mainland when he was only ten years old to become a bard， and he believed it had something to do with the opposing clans on the Isle of Cadence。 He has journeyed home after receiving a letter requesting his return。 There is trouble on the isle; girls are going missing – something has taken them。 Adaira， Jack’s childhood nemesis and Heiress to the clan， asks for help finding the girls。 It is Jack’s music that can summon and appease the spirits。 But with every enchantment there comes a cost， maybe too high of a price for Jack。As I stated， the pace here is not a rushing river; it’s a meandering stream。 Yet， there is so much to take in: the Scottish legends， the magical system， political intrigue， the romances， and the atmosphere， especially as Cadence has much to reveal。Thank you to @williammorrowbooks and @harpervoyagerus for the gifted copy。 。。。more
klakton
，
4。5⭐️ NEARLY PERFECT。 The only reason I am not giving this 5 stars is that I found it to be a little slow to start。 However， once I got past ~80 pages I was HOOKED。 It was such an enchanting story。 I loved exploring the lore of the isle and the twists and turns that the story took。 I was so disappointed as a neared the end and it was clear everything wasn't going to be resolved in this book， but I am really looking forward to seeing where the next installment will take us。 This was such a cozy a 4。5⭐️ NEARLY PERFECT。 The only reason I am not giving this 5 stars is that I found it to be a little slow to start。 However， once I got past ~80 pages I was HOOKED。 It was such an enchanting story。 I loved exploring the lore of the isle and the twists and turns that the story took。 I was so disappointed as a neared the end and it was clear everything wasn't going to be resolved in this book， but I am really looking forward to seeing where the next installment will take us。 This was such a cozy and comforting read and perfect to curl up on the couch and enjoy。 。。。more
Jeana Aaron
，
First and foremost I have not read a book this beautiful in such a long time。 It was stunningly written with a unique plot and storyline…a magical world filled with ghosts and spirits of water， earth， wind and fire。 Jack returns to Cadence after being gone for ten years， only to be reunited with his sworn enemy Adaira who summoned him to help in the case of some missing little girls。The story takes place on the isle of Cadence （I got full-on Celtic/Scottish vibes from this world 🖤） which is spli First and foremost I have not read a book this beautiful in such a long time。 It was stunningly written with a unique plot and storyline…a magical world filled with ghosts and spirits of water， earth， wind and fire。 Jack returns to Cadence after being gone for ten years， only to be reunited with his sworn enemy Adaira who summoned him to help in the case of some missing little girls。The story takes place on the isle of Cadence （I got full-on Celtic/Scottish vibes from this world 🖤） which is split into the east and west。 The world building to me was done slow overtime but was done very well。 I was never confused or bored。 The world was built along with the beautiful storyline。 It’s a slow burn but I like books like this。 The characters were all equally amazing。 Surprisingly my favorites were not the main characters Jack or Adaira， although I liked them。 I was truly in love with Torin and Sidra so much more。 I felt this way because Rebecca spent a little more time developing Torin and Sidra， diving deep into their relationship and minds。 Did I want more about Jack and Adaira…yes， yes I did。 I’m hoping that the second part In this duology will give us a deeper look into Jack and Adaira。 More awesome characters included Mirin， Fraedah， Graeme and Maise。 This book was well balanced with the exception of building more on Jack and Adaira’s relationship and the ending left me so sad。 This is a duology called Elements of Cadence and I’m so ready for the conclusion to this lovely story。。• ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ •。 。。。more
Opal Wright
，
4 Stars I was immediately pulled into this story because of the uniqueness of the setting and the nagging sense of foreboding and mystery that naturally comes with starting a book with a good premise and immediately coming face to face with some intriguing conflict。 This definitely set the tone for my experience with the book as a whole， and while I did enjoy it immensely， there were a few things that felt underwhelming to me: First of all， I will just say that if you're expecting an enemies-to- 4 Stars I was immediately pulled into this story because of the uniqueness of the setting and the nagging sense of foreboding and mystery that naturally comes with starting a book with a good premise and immediately coming face to face with some intriguing conflict。 This definitely set the tone for my experience with the book as a whole， and while I did enjoy it immensely， there were a few things that felt underwhelming to me: First of all， I will just say that if you're expecting an enemies-to-lovers trope， you will be disappointed。 In the scope of the story， the lack of actual enemies-to-lovers tension does make realistic sense but based on the blurb on the cover of the book， I felt a little misled。 I also didn't find the main romance of the book to be particularly intriguing or as satisfying as I was expecting， though if you're looking for sweet， loving， healthy relationships， you will find them in all manner of places here， romantic and otherwise。 That was one of the best things about the book in my opinion--the characters who loved each other were （for the most part） able to navigate difficult situations in ways that felt real and compassionate， and mistakes didn't cause a harsh and immediate backlash that had to be resolved for the story to progress。 The story and the characters were entirely complimentary in a very satisfying way。 The one other thing that bothered me comes down to personal preference: the author definitely leaned towards larger words when smaller ones would have sufficed， and that choice was jarring enough to pull me out of the story entirely until I got used to it （for example， the choice to consistently use the word "countenance" instead of something like "expression"）。 If the book had been entirely written in a style to accommodate this， it wouldn't have stood out so much， but I didn't feel that was the case。 Overall， I found this book highly enjoyable， and if you're looking for a cozy read with enough intrigue and unique story elements to keep the pages turning， I highly recommend you check this one out！ 。。。more
Desiree
，
This book is the first in the Elements of Cadence series and is the author’s first adult fantasy。 However， although the characters are older， it read very YA to me so keep that in mind。 The romance is a slow burn and closed door。What I liked:• The mystery of the kidnapped girls。 I truly had no idea how to solve that one so I was pretty surprised by the reveal。• Torin and Sidra’s relationship was complex and more compelling than the main romance。• The magic system was interesting and unique - I l This book is the first in the Elements of Cadence series and is the author’s first adult fantasy。 However， although the characters are older， it read very YA to me so keep that in mind。 The romance is a slow burn and closed door。What I liked:• The mystery of the kidnapped girls。 I truly had no idea how to solve that one so I was pretty surprised by the reveal。• Torin and Sidra’s relationship was complex and more compelling than the main romance。• The magic system was interesting and unique - I loved the ties to the spirits and the way that they manifested through Jack’s music。• Multiple POV。What didn’t work for me:• It’s an extremely slow burn。 The first 300 pages DRAGGED。• Jack and Adaira’s relationship didn’t have enough tension。 It just… happened。 I wish it had been more enemies-to-lovers。 I think the author was going for that， but it didn’t work。• I wish the world building had been more fleshed out。 The Scottish inspiration comes through in the clothing and foods， but the setting was hard to picture。• The ending was kind of meh。 Wasn’t worth the slow burn IMO。• Some people were forgiven way too easily while others were judged harshly for things out of their control （really hard to expand on that without spoilers）I’m undecided on reading the next book， I hope since the magic and main story has already been set up that the second book won’t be too slow。 Thank you @harpervoyagerus for the gifted copy！ 。。。more
Cassandra
，
I really enjoyed this read， however the ending left me feeling incomplete & in anguished for jack and Adaira。 I will be thrilled to read the sequel to find out what happens next！！！
Lindsay
，
This was fine。 Interesting and atmospheric at times。 The world was cool and has a lot of symbolism and stuff I like。But it sacrificed well-developed characters for slooooooow plot。 Literally nothing happens for half the book and the characters felt bland。 The end was exciting enough to keep me maybe interested in continuing， we’ll see。I’m not really experienced with true fantasy （magical realism is my jam）， so perhaps I missed something that others would find amazing。 This is getting rave review This was fine。 Interesting and atmospheric at times。 The world was cool and has a lot of symbolism and stuff I like。But it sacrificed well-developed characters for slooooooow plot。 Literally nothing happens for half the book and the characters felt bland。 The end was exciting enough to keep me maybe interested in continuing， we’ll see。I’m not really experienced with true fantasy （magical realism is my jam）， so perhaps I missed something that others would find amazing。 This is getting rave reviews。 。。。more
Corey
，
A magical land with bards， lairds， spirits， and dealing clans。I thought this was an awesome read and I cannot wait for the next one to come out！ I do have to say the beginning was a little slow going and I thought of putting it down from time to time， but I pushed through and I did not want to stop reading！ A great read for anyone who loves fantasy， drama， and a tinge of romance！
Devon Tarantino
，
This book… I honestly didn’t have high hopes for it， but it sounded the most appealing out of February’s BOTM choices， and man did I choose right！ This story is beautiful， and it mixes folklore and historical fiction and romance and family drama and mystery。 Every character in this is strong in their own way， and it was really interesting to see some “traditional” gender roles mixed in with others tossed on their head， and how they all acted with each other。 It’s so well-written， and I loved eac This book… I honestly didn’t have high hopes for it， but it sounded the most appealing out of February’s BOTM choices， and man did I choose right！ This story is beautiful， and it mixes folklore and historical fiction and romance and family drama and mystery。 Every character in this is strong in their own way， and it was really interesting to see some “traditional” gender roles mixed in with others tossed on their head， and how they all acted with each other。 It’s so well-written， and I loved each storyline and how they all progressed。 I didn’t realize it was the first in a series and my only grievance is that I have to wait until December for the second installment！ I’ll definitely be checking out Ross’s other works in the meantime。 。。。more
Mary Brophy
，
I came into this book thinking I knew what it was going to be like， and from the get go was entirely yet pleasantly surprised。 Catch me humming "Good Riddance" from Hades at every point that Jack plays a song for the spirits。。。 I came into this book thinking I knew what it was going to be like， and from the get go was entirely yet pleasantly surprised。 Catch me humming "Good Riddance" from Hades at every point that Jack plays a song for the spirits。。。 。。。more
Nuris R。
，
Let me start by saying the description is misleading in comparing this to house of earth and blood。 The word building is no where close to that novel。 The isle of Cadence was actually very simple。 It is split into east and west ruled by rivaling clans。 They believe in spirits of the wind， sea， earth， and fire。 They worship spirits but they rarely can actually see them。 The spirits grant them magic to incorporate into their items like weapons and clothing。 To me this book read more like a folklor Let me start by saying the description is misleading in comparing this to house of earth and blood。 The word building is no where close to that novel。 The isle of Cadence was actually very simple。 It is split into east and west ruled by rivaling clans。 They believe in spirits of the wind， sea， earth， and fire。 They worship spirits but they rarely can actually see them。 The spirits grant them magic to incorporate into their items like weapons and clothing。 To me this book read more like a folklore。The writing in this book was beautiful。 I love descriptions that transport you and feel like your reading classic poetry。 The author did very well with this。 I can’t stay I found myself attached to the characters but more so invested in the story itself。 Overall it was a good read。 。。。more
Kristen Kitchen
，
It was an enjoyable read overall and I appreciated all the Scottish folklore。 It moves slowly but each scene does add something to the book。 I liked all the different characters she included。 It is definitely different than other fantasies I've read， and I appreciated her explanations of the musical/magical elements。 They were clearly well-thought out。 The downside: This fantasy story is almost entirely based on a romance and reads YA， even though it is labeled as an adult fantasy。 I like YA fan It was an enjoyable read overall and I appreciated all the Scottish folklore。 It moves slowly but each scene does add something to the book。 I liked all the different characters she included。 It is definitely different than other fantasies I've read， and I appreciated her explanations of the musical/magical elements。 They were clearly well-thought out。 The downside: This fantasy story is almost entirely based on a romance and reads YA， even though it is labeled as an adult fantasy。 I like YA fantasy just fine， but in an adult fantasy it isn't believable that two people would go from Rivals to lovers this fast。 The ending made sense。 I do wish it had been drawn out a little more。 The rest of the novel was so slow that to have the whole mystery/romance/conclusion wrapped up in the last 10% of the book felt rushed。 I suppose it leaves room for a sequel？ But I hope she doesn't write one。 I think it's best to leave this as a standalone。 。。。more
Bailee D
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this book was great！ I'm stoked to see the rise of fantasy duologies and I am so looking forward to the second Elements of Cadence。 this book was great！ I'm stoked to see the rise of fantasy duologies and I am so looking forward to the second Elements of Cadence。 。。。more
Karina
，
3。9/5This was ok。 It had the elements of the typical book I read （romance and fantasy） however the pacing was off and the writing style threw me off sometimes。 It was a very slow build and the POV jumped from one paragraph to the next; the POVs weren’t organized into chapters or a divider， just a double space in between。 I will give it props for the last 10% or so， it had me on the edge of my seat and at some points made me tear up。
Sabrina Burton
，
Firstly thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for sending me an eARC of this fantastic book。 I really loved this story it is very obviously inspired by celtic folklore and traditions which I enjoyed。 The folklore element really added to the atmospheric nature of the story and the writing is so beautiful it pulls you in and makes you feel the pull of Cadence。 The world is intriguing and magical and discovering the folk of the island was intriguing。I loved the characters and the various fem Firstly thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for sending me an eARC of this fantastic book。 I really loved this story it is very obviously inspired by celtic folklore and traditions which I enjoyed。 The folklore element really added to the atmospheric nature of the story and the writing is so beautiful it pulls you in and makes you feel the pull of Cadence。 The world is intriguing and magical and discovering the folk of the island was intriguing。I loved the characters and the various female characters that were all strong but in different ways and the men who are strong but can be vulnerable as well。 My only complaints are occasionally the use of random scots phrases without the rest of the dialect pulled me out of the story but this is extremely minor。The story definitely feels more young adult than adult but it is so well done and I can't wait to read the next books in this series。 。。。more
Cara
，
I love how this book blended the real world with the world of the spirits， and how they interacted with each other。 The wind carries gossip and rumors on its back as it passes through the towns。 Water playfully （maybe a little maliciously） sucks people under the waves to be released in time to take a breath， only to be dragged under again。 Earth provides flowers and herbs to help heal， but asks for sacrifices to be made in order to do so。 The way the people of the island of Cadence live side by I love how this book blended the real world with the world of the spirits， and how they interacted with each other。 The wind carries gossip and rumors on its back as it passes through the towns。 Water playfully （maybe a little maliciously） sucks people under the waves to be released in time to take a breath， only to be dragged under again。 Earth provides flowers and herbs to help heal， but asks for sacrifices to be made in order to do so。 The way the people of the island of Cadence live side by side with these spirits is why I gave this book 3 stars。 Now lets talk about the story itself。I found this book easy to put down， and more difficult to pick up again。 It was slow to build and the climax was a little dissapointing。 While I enjoyed the characters， their storylines dragged。 Its hard to pinpoint exactly what I didnt like in this book， but I felt more relief upon finishing this book than anything else。 It was a slog。 In summary， this book is beautiful in the way it describes the magic of the world。 The storys pace， climax， and resolution were less than magical。 。。。more
Crystal Angeline
，
Did not expect to like this book let alone love it， but it somehow grabbed my attention from the very first chapter and never let go。 Very excited to know there will be another book in the future。
Grace Schilling
，
This was an easy read！ The Celtic folk influence was fun and I liked the background lore。 I LOVED the small romance… it was sweet and wholesome but I don’t want to spoil anything！ A good start to a new series！
Tavish
，
Duology。 Romance， action， mystery and fantasy。
Ciara Trunnell
，
absolutely amazing！ one of the best pieces of adult fantasy i've read。 it hasn't even been a month since it's release but i'm already hoping for a book 2！ even if i have to wait years， of course！ absolutely amazing！ one of the best pieces of adult fantasy i've read。 it hasn't even been a month since it's release but i'm already hoping for a book 2！ even if i have to wait years， of course！ 。。。more
Mary Parrish
，
Maybe 4。25 stars or so？ There was a lot that I loved; the setting， the whimsical/fantastical elements， the beautiful and oftentimes poetic writing。 The plot was unique and held my attention; I was disappointingly， however， not all that invested in the characters。 It felt as though there were a wall in the way preventing me from truly knowing them， and I felt that that took away from the overall enjoyment to some extent。 They’re not poorly-written characters， but I did not feel as though they wer Maybe 4。25 stars or so？ There was a lot that I loved; the setting， the whimsical/fantastical elements， the beautiful and oftentimes poetic writing。 The plot was unique and held my attention; I was disappointingly， however， not all that invested in the characters。 It felt as though there were a wall in the way preventing me from truly knowing them， and I felt that that took away from the overall enjoyment to some extent。 They’re not poorly-written characters， but I did not feel as though they were fleshed out quite enough for me to become truly invested。 So， that’s what really kept this from being a 5-star read for me。 Overall though I really enjoyed it， definitely one I recommend！ 。。。more
Caroline Comparato
，
I hope there's a sequel after the ending！！ I hope there's a sequel after the ending！！ 。。。more
abby
，
4。25
Jessica
，
3。5 starsMost books I read can be described as compelling。 This was quiet and soothing and mildly interesting， but not distracting。 It was nice to listen to something different from my usual。 The Scottish-type accent in the audiobook helped， too。 I can already feel myself forgetting the book， though， which doesn't bode well for being able to pick up the sequel someday。 3。5 starsMost books I read can be described as compelling。 This was quiet and soothing and mildly interesting， but not distracting。 It was nice to listen to something different from my usual。 The Scottish-type accent in the audiobook helped， too。 I can already feel myself forgetting the book， though， which doesn't bode well for being able to pick up the sequel someday。 。。。more
Marge
，
Received an Advance Readers Edition and loved it ！ It was fantastic。 I can see this overtaking Outlander。 Can't wait to see the next book May be Rebecca's first adult fantasy and hope it isn't her last ！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！ Received an Advance Readers Edition and loved it ！ It was fantastic。 I can see this overtaking Outlander。 Can't wait to see the next book May be Rebecca's first adult fantasy and hope it isn't her last ！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！ 。。。more
Kayla Niel
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Loved it， cannot wait for the next one！
cam
，
i’m not writing a long review but if you feel compelled to read this book please do。 it’s a book that has absolutely 0 problems in my eyes and i can’t wait for the next books to release！ it was a fucking rollercoaster but lemme tell you i STAYED on that mf。 literally so good i can’t-
Lynn Spencer
，
Honestly？ I just kept getting bored。This fantasy novel sounded promising， and it did get off to a good start， but midway through， the book started to falter and never really got back on track for me。 The book is set on the island of Cadence， which is split into two enemy kingdoms。 In the East， people have plenty but they can work magic only at great cost to themselves。 In the West， the enemy Breccans are impoverished but can create magical items without harm。 With all the talk of lairds， clans a Honestly？ I just kept getting bored。This fantasy novel sounded promising， and it did get off to a good start， but midway through， the book started to falter and never really got back on track for me。 The book is set on the island of Cadence， which is split into two enemy kingdoms。 In the East， people have plenty but they can work magic only at great cost to themselves。 In the West， the enemy Breccans are impoverished but can create magical items without harm。 With all the talk of lairds， clans and mountainous landscapes， this fantasy island clearly feels rather Scottish。 Jack Tamerlaine has been called back to this magical island somewhat against his will。 As an illegitimate child who did not even know his father's identity， his childhood on Cadence was far from idyllic and his musical studies on the mainland have brought him at least some contentment。 Still， he obeys the laird's summons to return - finding himself face to face with his old nemesis Adiara， the Heiress of the East。Jack quickly learns that something is afoot in Cadence。 Little girls have been mysteriously disappearing from the East and the clan wants answers。 Since the death of Adaira's mother， the clan has been without a bard， and it seems that the Tamerlaines may need his magic now。I found myself intrigued by the intertwined threads of plot in this book。 Jack， Torin （captain of the guard）， Adaira， and the others all interested me and I liked trying to puzzle out how their world worked。 I also felt drawn into the mystery of the vanishing girls， which seemed to have magical ties， perhaps to the Breccans' of the island。 However， as the story moved along， frustratingly little seemed to happen。 Tantalizing hints work to an extent， but when I'm reading fantasy， I eventually want to see that world pulling together a little more quickly than it did here。In addition， while I found Jack and his quest somewhat interesting， the dynamic between Jack and Adaira just didn't work for me。 I think there was supposed to be a romantic subplot， but it just lacked emotional depth， and I had trouble caring。 Ultimately， while I thought the plot was interesting and the book started off well， it started feeling almost cliched by the middle and in the end， I almost didn't finish because it just wasn't holding my attention。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A River Enchanted
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A River Enchanted&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A River Enchanted&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0