The Raven: 1 (Florentine)

I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.I love the sense of place and the sense of history in Sylvain Reynard’s writing and the way he captures Florence in this story is magnificent. Even as the centuries and characters blur, the city and its art remain fixed and somehow separate from time.There are many familiar vampire tropes in this story. The urban fantasy element of the series isn’t its strength. Very little of the worldbuilding is original and women are often reduced to tired virgin/whore/crone stereotypes.It took me a while to like Raven. For someone with a PhD tasked with restoring some of the world’s most precious art, her self confidence is awful and her view of herself and her disability feels unnecessarily reductionist. I enjoyed her interactions with William and I liked the way she became more confident as the story progressed. She’s possibly too much of a vulnerable victim for me at times but I’ll withhold judgement until I finish the series.William is a character full of contrasts. I enjoyed the conflicting elements of good and evil in the Florentine prince. He’s an intense character and I’m still not certain I understand his motivations. He is a more interesting character than Raven but I’d like to see some power rebalance in the next books so they feel more like a matched pair than hunter and prey.I loved the city and the art in this story. I love the author’s writing style. I’m not certain about the vampire lore or the relationship between Raven and William but I’m engaged enough that I want to immediately download the next book in this series.

I will begin this review with; I’m not a supernatural reader. I don’t normally finish reading this type of novel.So it’s all credit to Mr Reynard’s unique use of prose that I completed The Raven.I’m not going to give any spoilers.The novel is set in Florence and the Uffizi Gallery where the Emerson’s Botticelli illustrations are on display. These illustration are stolen.Raven becomes a suspect when she disappears for a week recovering from a brutal attack. She was close to death when The Prince found her.The Prince is the head of the supernatural underground world of Florence where vampire’s only use humans not save them.The Prince finds himself attracted to Raven.Plot/Story: Romance intertwined into the bloody world of vampire’s as well as mystery and intrigue. 3 StarsCharacters: Strong, interesting courageous. Raven is independent with a caring side to her nature that wants to save the world whereas the Prince has superior supernatural powers and intelligence within his vampire world. However he believes in violence and death. 4 StarsWriting style: Easy to read and follow. Mr Reynard’s captivating use of prose seduces the reader into the story. 4 StarsFinally this is a story of a supernatural world intertwined with romance set in Florence with references to the Italian Renaissance.The author has considerable knowledge of the art works of Botticelli, Primavera, Birth of Venus. Descriptions of these painters and modern explanations are entwined along with the story of Cupid and Psyche.In a nut shell this story will appeal to many readers, those who like the Italian Renaissance, those who like romance and finally those who like vampire’s.Mr Reynard’s creative eloquent writing is not to be missed.I wanted to award 3.5 stars because of the supernatural element.

I've wanted to read this since it was published, but kept putting it off for some reason. I read all the Gabriel series more than once and absolutely loved them. I downloaded this hoping and praying I wouldn't be disappointed. The reviews were full of praise for this which is usually a good sign, well they were all most definitely right it's fab! The characters are great and the story is fast paced and beautifully written. I have to go to Florence now. Love the way SR writes and will be downloading the next book as soon as I've finished my review. It's essentially a love story within a very good story if you read the twilight series then you may just possibly enjoy this although this is far better written and a lot more sinister.

As a fan of the Gabriel series I was eagerly awaiting the release of The Raven. I have to say I was not disappointed, tinged with just the right amount of erotica, it brings a unique view of Florence through the Prince's eyes and the conflicting emotions that begin to plague him from his first encounter with the beautiful Raven. Whilst reading I was very pleasantly surprised to find that through The Prince, Sylvain Reynard promotes the celebration of the female form in all its natural and curvaceous splendour in a way that is utterly refreshing in today's society, thus making the female lead even more relatable. SR brings to us feminine beauty with words, what Botticelli gave to us with a brush; escapism in its truest form... to be enjoyed over and over again.

Not what I expected but really enjoyed it. Again a slightly annoying female characterbut I aways hope they get killed anyway. Gutted second book is so dear to buy for the kindle. So for that reason I wont find out the next step in the story.If books were more equally priced then is buy the full set but sadly not. Im not paying 10 plus for a book.

Not quite as lovely as the Gabriel books, however still a classy, intriguing affair that beats the pants off most romantic books out there at the moment.I read the book twice - once relatively soon after it came out, then again just recently a few months later. On a second reading I appreciated the book more and look forward to finding out more about William, as well as how their relationship may develop.The settings and language shouldn't disappoint those who enjoyed the Gabriel books.Giving it a 4 simply as I'd have liked a bit more time spent on their relationship, rather than the other plot(s). Enjoyable, though! And as always, love Reynard's writing style.