A vivid fantasy that is impossible to put down.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Vividly imagined . . . This will appeal to lovers of fantasy from Name of the Wind to the Earthsea series.” — Publishers Weekly
“With lush worldbuilding and lyrical prose, A River Enchanted feels like the echo of a folktale from a world right next to our own.” — Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf
"An alluring and rich tale, at once a fast-paced mystery and a love story as warm as a hearth. Like music, it will bewitch your senses, carrying you to the wind-swept hills and effervescent waters of the isle of Cadence. A River Enchanted made me homesick for places I've never been. This is a classic in the making." — Ava Reid, internationally bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman
“Riveting and richly imagined, A River Enchanted flows like a song you cannot forget. Rebecca Ross has crafted a tale as tricksy and elemental as the human—and inhuman—heart.” — A.G. Slatter, award-winning author of All the Murmuring Bones
“Reading A River Enchanted is like being swept away by a song. The novel is exquisitely crafted and rich with emotion. I loved every word of it!” — Danielle L. Jensen, USA Today bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom
"Missing girls, an enchanted island, two enemies forced to work together—I was hooked from the first page. Rebecca Ross’s debut adult novel does not disappoint!" — Shea Ernshaw, New York Times bestselling author of A History of Wild Places
“A River Enchanted is a melodic and sweeping tale filled with whimsical magic, unforgettable characters, and heartfelt romance. Every line is a lyrical masterpiece, breathlessly taking you on a poignant journey through the mystical isle of Cadence. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! — Isabel Ibañez, author of Woven in Moonlight
“A tale that blends political intrigue with elements of a fantasy thriller. . . Ross has built a fully realized world clearly inspired by Scottish myth and legend and thick with heroes. . . A rich fantasy of bards and bairns in which the magical island setting becomes the main character.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Delightfully atmospheric, this compelling first book in a new fantasy series makes for a perfect rainy day read." — Buzzfeed
"A sublime mix of romance, intrigue and myth, A River Enchanted is a stunning addition to the canon of Celtic-inspired fantasy. With its lyrical prose and tight world building, this story is both modern and timeless, drawing from the traditions of genre greats like Steven Lawhead and marrying them to the sensibilities of modern works like Genevieve Gornichec’s The Witch’s Heart and Tana French’s In the Woods ." — BookPage (starred review)
“A complex exploration of nature, family, and what the idea of home means, there’s plenty to love here, and much to build upon in the Cadence duology’s forthcoming second half.” — Paste Magazine
"[Ross] has written into existence some of the most beautiful passages I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading in a fantasy novel....A River Enchanted plucked just the right notes for me, holding me bound in a bewitched thrall until the final page." — GateCrashers
"A gorgeous and thoughtful addition to the fantasy genre." — Popsugar
“The word that comes to mind when I think back on this book is 'lovely'. The characters in this novel are so well-written, you’ll forget you’re reading about fictional people.” — Richmond News
“A River Enchanted swept me away from the very first page. A memorable cast, a unique magic system, and a mystery that will keep you turning the pages long past bedtime, Rebecca Ross’s adult debut is truly magical.” — Genevieve Gornichec, bestselling author of The Witch’s Heart
“A River Enchanted is exquisitely written with compelling characters and romance, and a gripping story that kept me captivated. I was swept away by the enchanting and magical world Rebecca Ross crafted, and loved every moment of it.” — Sue Lynn Tan, author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess
"An alluring and rich tale, at once a fast-paced mystery and a love story as warm as a hearth. Like music, it will bewitch your senses, carrying you to the wind-swept hills and effervescent waters of the isle of Cadence. A River Enchanted made me homesick for places I've never been. This is a classic in the making."
Riveting and richly imagined, A River Enchanted flows like a song you cannot forget. Rebecca Ross has crafted a tale as tricksy and elemental as the human—and inhuman—heart.
With lush worldbuilding and lyrical prose, A River Enchanted feels like the echo of a folktale from a world right next to our own.
"Missing girls, an enchanted island, two enemies forced to work together—I was hooked from the first page. Rebecca Ross’s debut adult novel does not disappoint!"
“A River Enchanted is a melodic and sweeping tale filled with whimsical magic, unforgettable characters, and heartfelt romance. Every line is a lyrical masterpiece, breathlessly taking you on a poignant journey through the mystical isle of Cadence. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!
Reading A River Enchanted is like being swept away by a song. The novel is exquisitely crafted and rich with emotion. I loved every word of it!
A vivid fantasy that is impossible to put down.”
Booklist (starred review)
"Delightfully atmospheric, this compelling first book in a new fantasy series makes for a perfect rainy day read."
11/08/2021
With this vividly imagined, Scottish-inspired mythic fantasy, Ross makes her adult fantasy debut (after the YA novel Dreams Lie Beneath ) and launches the Elements of Cadence duology. Jack Tamerlaine departed Cadence, an island divided by an age-old feud between two clans, 10 years ago to train as a bard on the mainland. Now he is summoned back to the childhood home he hoped to leave behind. Young girls are going missing from the island, and Adaira Tamerlaine, future Laird of the East and Jack’s childhood enemy, needs Jack’s help to find them. The rescue mission forces Jack and Adaira to work together to appease the spirits of earth, fire, water and air—but this magic comes at a high cost, one Jack may be unable to pay. Ross puts a faith-based spin on the familiar elemental magic system and infuses her richly drawn world with dangerous spirits, while raising thoughtful questions about spirituality, morality, man’s relationship with nature, and the meaning of home. This will appeal to lovers of fantasy from Name of the Wind to the Earthsea series. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (Feb.)
09/01/2021
First in the "Kithamar" trilogy, set in an ancient city with a blood-bathed history, Nebula-nominated, Hugo-winning Abraham's Age of Ash tells the story of a thief named Alys whose hunt for her brother's murderer reveals secrets that could bring down rulers (40,000-copy first printing). With Clean Air , award-winning author Blake introduces a postapocalyptic world where trees are so overgrown that pollen chokes the world and people must live in domes that someone is viciously slashing. From Hugo nominee and internationally best-selling Dutch author Heuvelt, sends Nick Grevers and climbing partner Augustin up a remote mountain in the Swiss Alps called the Maudit ("cursed" in French), whose eerie stillness presages the horror to come (150,000-copy first printing). In The Thousand Eyes , a follow-up to Larkwood's LJ -starred debut, The Unspoken Name , Csorwe has defied the wizard she served and disappeared into the unknown to lead a quiet life with her mage-girlfriend—but not for long; bits and pieces of an ancient goddess are arising in the worlds of the Echo Maze, and Csorwe must join with old companions to resist (150,000-copy first printing). Owen, The Boy with the Bird in His Chest in Lund's debut, is hidden away by his mother for years to protect him but decides to risk an outing in the woods that turns catastrophic (60,000-copy first printing). Successful YA author Ross's first adult fantasy, A River Enchanted takes place on an island as magical as Prospero's, where spirits responding only to a bard's music thrive—and the trouble they are stirring up forces just-returned musician Jack and his nemesis, heiress Adaira, to cooperate (50,000-copy first printing).
★ 2021-11-30
Thanks to a centuries-old curse, the controlling clans of the east and west live in completely different worlds on the Isle of Cadence. The Breccans in the west can wield magic themselves, but the land is unyielding and the spirits there, hostile. In the east, the Tamerlaines weave magic into objects at a steep cost to their well-being, yet they maintain bountiful relationships with both the land and its spirits. The Tamerlaines sent Jack away from Cadence when he was just 11 years old, forcing him to leave the magical island he'd always called home and train as a bard at a mundane university. He comes home a decade later, after he receives a letter from the Laird of the East asking him to return. After making the dangerous journey homeward, however, he learns that it was his childhood rival, the laird's daughter, Adaira, who summoned him. The spirits have kidnapped two young girls, and Adaira wants Jack's help to find out why. The young bard finds himself torn between his successful career as a music teacher on the mainland and his family—his mother and the younger sister he didn't know he had. When a third girl disappears, however, it becomes clear that no spirit is responsible for the east's troubles. Here, Ross has built a fully realized world clearly inspired by Scottish myth and legend and thick with heroes. Jack and Adaira are not alone in their fight but are instead surrounded by a bevy of well-rounded kith and kin. Readers begin to sense just how deeply intertwined the lives of the Tamerlaines are the moment Jack returns home, and they'll quickly realize this is not his story but that of Cadence itself.
A rich fantasy of bards and bairns in which the magical island setting becomes the main character.
