A review by books_onthe_ground
The Raven King by Nora Sakavic

dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This series, man. This series. There is the notion that the middle book of a trilogy is always the worst or just not as good as the others (see filler books). The Raven King however is just as good as the other 2 in the series. This is 100% down to the amazing structure of the trilogy as well as the killer character development and dialogue. The structure and pacing of this series actually blows me away and is something I always come back to when I’m talking about these things in class, to friends or students, it’s always my go to when people ask for examples. The reveal of information, the plot twists, the build-up to major plot moments, they are all incredibly written and engage the reader so well. 

My only real complaint about the book and this is true for the final book as well, is that every so often there is a kind of recap? So characters get introduced again and we are reminded about events in the previous books, almost like a ‘previously on All for the Game’ as if it was a TV show. This is annoying and does take you out of the book and I found that it breaks some of the tension for me, but yeah that’s the only thing I found that I didn’t like about the writing. 

The characters, again, are incredibly written and the character development is well paced out and believable. These characters have amazing continuity, and you can tell the author had their developments, motivations, personalities etc. etc. all written up and decided as every decision made, every piece of dialogue or one liner, every reaction is exactly how you expect the character to be and there isn’t a single moment where I thought something was out of place for them. It’s incredibly impressive and something I rarely see. 

I have so much love for this series. It’s a heart attack waiting to happen; full of tension that feels like when someone in a horror movie is walking right towards the killer, and you are screaming at the screen for them to not open the door. I could rant about this series for ever and this book is no exception. It’s a difficult read in places and I mean that. Please look up triggers for this book. However, issues are handled with care and taken incredibly seriously, they are never used for just shock or for plot points. These characters have gone through and continue to go through absolute hell, and it stays with them. It's part of who they are, and they react as you would think, and the experiences deeply affect them for the rest of the book. Trauma doesn’t go away and oh my god I’m so thankful for this series for handling issues in such a good way and showing that actions have consequences and people don’t just get over things. So often characters simply get over their trauma or act like it never happens, like it has no effect. The character’s grief and reactions make them some of the most believable characters I’ve read about. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings