Highland Raven

The Celtic Blood Series, Book 1

Destined to become Queen of Scotland. Bound by blood to the Celtic gods.

Scotland, 1026 - Gruoch, descendant of the line of MacAlpin, should have been born into a life of ease. But fate is fickle. Her father's untimely death, rumored to have been plotted by King Malcolm, leaves her future uncertain and stained by the prophecy that she will avenge her family line.

Escaping to one of the last strongholds of the old Celtic gods, Gruoch becomes an adept in arcane craft. Her encounters with the otherworld, however, suggest that magic runs stronger in Scotland than she ever imagined.

Haunted by dreams of a raven-haired man she's never met, Gruoch soon feels her fate is not her own. She is duty-bound to wed a powerful lord, if not the Prince himself; however, she's not sure she can stop her heart when she meets Banquo, a gallant highlander and druid.

Fans of Outlander and Mists of Avalon will relish this sweeping Scottish historical fantasy that tells the tale of Gruoch, a woman struggling to escape her fate without blood on her hands.

©2014 Clockpunk Press (P)2016 Clockpunk Press

Reseñas de la Crítica

A great novel that captures realistically a world of witches and fairies, warrior women and barbaric men, and a woman exploring a life she had no idea existed (Author Carrie L. Wells)

A rich tale of lore and legend that will trap you faster than a fairy ring ( Fabulous and Fun Book Reviews)

Grabbed my soul

If you've ever looked into divination, past lives, runes or wicca, read this, and never even mind the whole Macbeth thing. Because, to be honest, I remember zilch from Shakespeare's Macbeth.
But I know that there are times in every woman's life when she wishes to be included in a tribe of women, to be taught herb lore and mysteries. To be an aspect of the Goddess and to find her inner calling. Go on this journey with Corbie, as she becomes Cerridwen.
You'll love what you find.

Also please give a medal to the person who got Lesley Parkin to read this story. Her Scottish accent totally convinced me I was in 11th century Scotland, following future Lady Macbeth. Beautiful.

Pet peeve: the lady on the cover of this book should probably have been raven black-haired, like the heroine. I like her braided updo, though :)

I still have 3 hours left of this story... so, gotta go.

See you in our next life together!

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Just okay

The narrator did an excellent job but for me something was just missing in this story. It was decent enough but didn't pull me in. I don't think I'll continue with the trilogy.

Disappointing

What did you like best about Highland Raven? What did you like least?

I thought I would enjoy the narrators heavy accent, but it was too distracting. The writing was tailored more towards a young teen, with simple sentences with limited structure.

Would you ever listen to anything by Melanie Karsak again?

No.

Incredible, richly written and engaging!

I strongly recommend this series. The majority of listeners rated this work as 4/5 stars. Not sure what was going on with the few glaring and mean negative comments I saw. Melanie Karsak is a highly accomplished author. I have 20 years experience teaching literature and history. I’m not easily pleased with historical fiction, but what Karsak did with the story of Lady MacBeth astounded me. Yes, the genre is historical fantasy which requires a lot of historical research and a strong talent for creative imagining. Highland Raven (and the series) accomplishes both. Well done!!!

Update: I just finished reading the last of the Celtic Blood series on Kindle. The books read very smoothly. I can't believe how finely crafted the stories are. I could hardly make myself stop reading. The characters are interesting and complex, the plot is unpredictable and contains exciting adventures and adrenaline powered cliffhangers. I spent a little time reading about the real-life background for this series as I went. I liked how Karsak creatively incorporated the essence of what we know about the people, the Druids, and the historical period while fantasizing to create a detailed story. The series' ending is brilliant. Happy reading!

Wonderful new trilogy

What's going to happen? Just download book two in the series. Can't wait to start it. We'll written and Narrator was Wonderful