A review by literaryluxe
The Raven and the Rush by Sarah M. Cradit

5.0

First, this book is the beginning of interconnected romance standalone taking place in different settings. So every book after the Raven and the Rush will feature different stories and characters which makes it easy to commit to - or not if you don't like one of the stories. Each book will also have different tropes that appeal to all readers AND different steam levels so you can choose what you're most comfy with. This is part of the reason why'd I'd say it's more NA. The classification between YA and NA seems to be way different than when I was younger. This isn't necessarily fade to black scenes, but the descriptions are there enough for you to piece together what's happening between the sheets in case you're looking for something clean. It's PG-13. Another reason I'd say it's NA is that it is pretty complex and detailed for a YA book. The Raven and the Rush deals with political intrigue, duty, forbidden love, and reluctant heroes. There is implied incest from PAST generations but nothing is detailed. It also has kidnapping/hostage if these are triggering to anyone. I will say that this book reads more like a HIGH FANTASY!!!!! Or like an entry-level high fantasy and the other reason why I'd say its more along the lines of a NA book. If you are easily overwhelmed but loads of information, names, plots points, etc... then this book may be hard for you to get into. I live for those kinds of books so I didn't have a problem with that. I live for these type of books! If you stick with it, those plot points slowly start to unravel and tidy up as the book moves along. The story has a slight insta-love trope going on which was the only thing I found bothersome. However, the insta-love actually satisfied me since the characters - Evra and Rhosyn - acknowledge that while they are moving fast because of their circumstances, they know what they feel is love for one another near the end of the book. Overall, it was really easy for me to get into this romance story and I didn't find it boring at all. I will definitely be reading the other books and would recommend it to my romance peeps.