“I am but a verse inspired by your chorus, and I will follow you until the end, when the isle takes my bones and my name is nothing more than a remembrance on a headstone, next to yours.” 

Sometimes there comes an author that enchants and surprises you with the worlds they create and the characters they breathe life into. Rebecca Ross is that author; she is the author of popular teen duologies The Queen’s Rising, Divine Rivals, and standalone novel Sisters of Sword and Song. A River Enchanted is her adult debut. 

Jack is a bard on the mainland, since he left the island of Cadence many years ago, when he is called back to his island home by the laird. When he returns home, he discovers the laird of the East is none other than Adaira, his childhood rival, and that she has called him home because young girls have been disappearing.  

Cadence is a magical place that is split into the East and the West, the Tamerlaines and the Breccans, two sides which do not meet. It is also home to spirits, spirits of the wind, air, water, and fire. As Jack and Adaira work together with Torin, the captain of Adaira’s guard, and Sidra, his wife, to search for the missing girls, they discover that there are many secrets on the island, secrets the spirits are working hard to keep. 

Just like Ross’s other works, A River Enchanting is an immersive novel that takes you on a journey to an island that you don’t want to leave. Ross is a storyteller and the story she weaves of Cadence is magical, enthralling, and haunting. The world of Cadence is intricate with a rich history that seems to be inspired by Scottish lore and myths of fairies and spirits. The history between the Tamerlaines and Breccans is similarly deep and fraught with problems.  

The tale is told through alternating perspectives of four people: Adaira, Jack, Torin, and Sidra, two couples that are both similar and different. Adaira is a newly appointed laird, soon after her father’s health takes a turn for the worse, when she calls Jack, her arch-nemesis back to the island. Jack, by contrast, has one foot on Cadence and one on the mainland. He doesn’t know where he belongs, when he reluctantly returns to Cadence, with an intention of going back to the mainland eventually. 

Torin is Captain of the guard and has killed many Breccans that cross the clan line. Sidra, his wife, by contrast is a healer and struggles with her husband’s violent streak. She is his second wife, after his first wife died giving birth to their daughter, and Torin and Sidra’s relationship is not perfect.  

The romance that Ross writes about is far from insta-love which is often depicted in teen novels, and only based on looks. The love stories that Ross depicts here are filled with sacrifices, regrets, misunderstandings, and putting the other person before yourself. Torin married Sidra to be a mother for his small infant, and while he cares for her, their relationship is fraught with distance, as he often spends time away from home, protecting the clan line. Watching their relationship grow and blossom is a sweet experience. 

Similarly, Jack and Adaira are an unlike match when they first reunite, and it could easily be an enemies-to-lovers trope, but Ross handles their journey with finesse and maturation. They come together under dire circumstances but end up growing closer and falling in love in ways that are unexpected.  

The ending is both surprising and satisfying, and leaves you breathless, longing to return soon to the enchanted world of Cadence. A River Enchanted is available to borrow at WPL and the sequel, A Fire Endless, is also available.