Sandy M’s review of Sybelle and the Seven Ravens: A Sweet Zombie Fairy Tale by Clare Curtis
Paranormal Romance ebook novella published by Clare Curtis 5 Sep 12
If you’re at a crossroads and not sure what you feel like reading next, try this wonderfully lovely fairy tale. A young and innocent love begins with such promise, only to be thrown into the chaos of curses and death, leaving you to wonder if love is enough to get these very likable characters through the worst time of their lives, before their life together even starts.
Sybelle has made the decision to make her own destiny and live the way she wants, not the way her seven brothers have her life mapped out for her. Her destiny is waiting for her at the local graveyard. She loves Rhys, the blacksmith’s son, and is ready to run away with him, to marry him and begin their new life.
But as she arrives she finds her brothers ganging up on Rhys for daring to reach for more than he deserves. Angry they’d do such a thing, Sybelle curses them for trying to take away that which means the world to her. The next thing they know her brothers are gone and in their place are seven ravens that take to the skies and disappear into the far-away crystal mountain, an unknown place for those from their village.
Feeling guilty for the part she’s played in her brothers’ current state, Sybelle selflessly leaves Rhys and their life behind to visit the old crone everyone knows as a witch. Giving up her love and happiness is the only way to give her siblings their lives back. By the time Rhys figures out what Sybelle’s done and finds her at the witch’s home, he’s too late. But he won’t leave her alone, just as he wouldn’t have if they’d been married.
And that’s what makes this novella so sweet and touching. It doesn’t matter to Rhys what has become of Sybelle since she made her choice. She’s pale, like death warmed over, which is truly what she now is. She’s awkward, has no heart beat, ends up with broken bones and a number of other things that make her wonder why he’s still with her on this journey. For Rhys it’s what’s on the inside of Sybelle that makes the difference. They tough it through the three dangerous areas they’ve only heard about before making it to the crystal mountain. They run into danger after danger, rescuing each other when their luck seems to run out. Little by little after each rescue, Sybelle is a bit worse for wear, but he sticks by her side, even when she tries to make it on her own so he’ll return home safe.
Unbeknownst to Sybelle, Rhys has his own agenda when they reach the end of their trek, no matter what happens. While he’s never believed in the magic that she’s always embraced, he readily takes the advice the old witch gave him to make sure he and Sybelle will remain together, despite what they may face and how it will all end. I love that they love so wholeheartedly, without question.
Oh, the brothers? Well, you’ll have to read for yourself to see what their fate is!
Grade: B+
Summary:
Once upon a moonlit night… A young girl rushes to the graveyard to meet her true love in secret. But before Sybelle and Rhys, the blacksmith’s boy, can elope, they’re ambushed by her seven brothers. Her angry curse, spoken under the reaping moon, turns her brothers to ravens and exiles them to the mysterious crystal mountain. The village witch warns that nothing living may enter the mountain of the dead, so if Sybelle hopes to rescue her family from her fatal mistake, she’ll have to become something un-alive. On the eve of what should’ve been a Happily Ever After, this young couple will face a heartbreaking question: can love survive when even life has gone?
No excerpt available.
