The Tower of Ravens (Kate Forsyth)

I was a little surprised to find myself thoroughly enjoying The Tower of Ravens. This novel (the first in a trilogy, I believe) is set in the same world as Kate Forsyth's Witches of Eileanan series, which I've never read, but this was not a detriment. It's essentially a world embroidered from Celtic myth (with a few other things thrown in for good measure) - not in a particularly original way, but not so terribly as to detract from the story.

Of course, there were elements to The Tower of Ravens that had me rolling my eyes. Rhiannon is just a bit too gorgeous and mysterious and wonderful to be true. Forsyth introduces a bit of conflict within Rhiannon, but not really enough to detract from the sheer gorgeousness of her. Of course, there's a tortured love story (with a man as equally gorgeous as herself) - will they ever be able to simply love on another, in peace? No, of course they won't. Don't be silly. Where's the fun if the characters aren't being emotionally tortured?

I seem to be rather conflicted - saying I enjoyed the book, then roundly criticising it. I suppose what I'm trying to convey is that it's a decent work of fantasy, suffering from some flaws, but not enough to make it unreadable. Forsyth is a decent writer, so that I can lose myself in the story despite the occasional silliness of it. Only for fantasy fans - 3.5 out of 5.