Ravencry

Probably 4.5, really. I liked Blackwing, but with some reservations, so I'm happy to report that this is a much better book than the first in the series. The characters are better, more roundly drawn than the hard and nasty grimdark cliches the first book fell into, and the crazy bad trip psychedelic wasteland of the Misery, way underused last time around, is explored a lot more. The book still struggles a little to escape the grimdark cliches, but there is more inventive and original stuff here. I was a little ho-hum after Blackwing, but having read this one, I'm definitely on board for the third in the series (moreso because it's not immediately apparent where the story goes next - Galharrow vs Crowfoot is my bet for the climax....).