Topherlytle
Read this book!
The Raven Scholar had everything, and then some. It's an epic fantasy that somehow feels shorter than its 600+ pages. While it's not perfect and could probably have been trimmed a bit, it has easily landed in my top five reads of the year.
This book is packed: a cast of richly drawn and complex characters, fully realized worldbuilding, palace intrigue, a slightly narcissistic raven, a murder mystery, an ongoing competition, real stakes, and best of all, humor. It's honestly so refreshing to read high fantasy that isn't afraid to weave in perfectly timed quips and ridiculous (yet entirely in-character) moments of levity.
Antonia Hodgson deftly uses each character's personality to drive the story forward, while keeping us grounded in the journey of the primary protagonist. Impressively, even the secondary characters are given meaningful arcs, making every thread feel vital to the larger narrative. It deepens your emotional investment in ways that feel organic and earned.
I hadn't even heard of this book until a visit to Blackwell's while I was in Oxford. A bookseller there told me it was his favorite recent fantasy release, describing it as something that hit all the right notes without being preachy, overly grim, or mind-numbingly slow. Now that I've read it, I couldn't agree more.
This book is a journey, one absolutely worth taking. I alternated between reading the physical book and listening to the audiobook, and I have to say: the narrator is phenomenal. She brings each character to life with distinct voices and emotional nuance.
No matter how you read it, if you're a fan of fantasy, The Raven Scholar is one to put on your shelf. 4.5 almost a 5.
Read this book!
The Raven Scholar had everything, and then some. It's an epic fantasy that somehow feels shorter than its 600+ pages. While it's not perfect and could probably have been trimmed a bit, it has easily landed in my top five reads of the year.
This book is packed: a cast of richly drawn and complex characters, fully realized worldbuilding, palace intrigue, a slightly narcissistic raven, a murder mystery, an ongoing competition, real stakes, and best of all, humor. It's honestly so refreshing to read high fantasy that isn't afraid to weave in perfectly timed quips and ridiculous (yet entirely in-character) moments of levity.
Antonia Hodgson deftly uses each character's personality to drive the story forward, while keeping us grounded in the journey of the primary protagonist. Impressively, even the secondary characters are given meaningful arcs, making every thread feel vital to the larger narrative. It deepens your emotional investment in ways that feel organic and earned.
I hadn't even heard of this book until a visit to Blackwell's while I was in Oxford. A bookseller there told me it was his favorite recent fantasy release, describing it as something that hit all the right notes without being preachy, overly grim, or mind-numbingly slow. Now that I've read it, I couldn't agree more.
This book is a journey, one absolutely worth taking. I alternated between reading the physical book and listening to the audiobook, and I have to say: the narrator is phenomenal. She brings each character to life with distinct voices and emotional nuance.
No matter how you read it, if you're a fan of fantasy, The Raven Scholar is one to put on your shelf. 4.5 almost a 5.