An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
This book felt like Lord of the Rings for teenagers and young women! I really enjoyed reading it, and the world building was stupendous. Plot wise, it took me a little while to get into it at first, but it was worth it during the second 2/3 of the book, when I started to see how all of the puzzle pieces fit together. The love story between Rook and Isobel resonated with me, and it has my head spinning about why seemingly ordinary, but very talented mortal females tend to fall in love with older men (even though the older men physically appear young) from other worlds. Is it because the other worlds offer them a place where they can be treated as power figures, which our current world sometimes doesn't? I also loved the emphasis on Isobel wanting to develop her artistic craft. As a writer, I could relate. As a teacher, I loved the idea that emotions bring strength, even though society teaches us that emotions make us weak. The book also brought up issues about morality and aging th