THE RAVEN by Aderyn Wood
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of our review.
SYNOPSIS
When a foreign tribe attacks the peaceful Onan people, a lonely outcast is forced to reveal her secret Gift — but will such power bring acceptance?
It is the darkest time in winter, when suns, moons, and stars, all wane from the sky. In the Wolf clan, a baby is born with a powerful Gift, but dangerous omens brand her an Outcast, and the Elders name her Iluna.
Orphaned since birth, Iluna struggles to find her place in the proud and distrustful Wolf clan, but as her powers bloom, she discovers a mysterious friend.
Dark magic, war, and treachery soon jeopardize the life of every clan member; many suspect Iluna and her Gift.
Is this Outcast girl to blame, or is she salvation?
REVIEW
I enjoyed this book. Aderyn Wood did a great job at setting the mood of the story. From the beginning of the story, there was an evil dark tone present. This dark cloud never left the book. I definitely think this was the strongest aspect of the story.
If you are looking for a story that has a tone of action, this is not going to do it for you. This book is character driven all the way. A lot of the action is passive and you hear from other people. It’s not until you’re around 70% in the book do you get present action. At times, I missed seeing some action mixed in with the character development.
The story follows the birth of Illuna up til she is a young adult. With so much time passing, you get to see all the characters grow and change in one way or another. Some characters change in unexpectant ways, other barely change.
I’m not sure if Wood is into Native American culture or not, but I enjoyed how her world was split up into different clans that were named after animals. There was definitely an natural aspect to the magic system and the world.
RECOMMENDATION
Definitely give this book a go if you love character driven books with a mood set up from the beginning. These characters will keep you wanting to read. This book knew its purpose. It never felt like it meant to be something else than what it set out to be.
About the Author
From high fantasy to paranormal, Aderyn’s stories cover the broad spectrum of Fantasy. Inspired from childhood by the wonder and mystique of Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising and the adventures in Tolkien’s The Hobbit, her love of the Fantasy genre has been life long. As a writer, Aderyn brings characters and places to life in stories filled with magic, mystery, and a good dollop of mayhem.
Aderyn studied Literature, History and Creative Writing at university, travelled the world, and taught English before becoming a full-time writer. She is also a part-time farmer passionate about self-sufficiency and poultry. She lives in a cosy cottage on a small farm in Victoria, Australia with partner Peter, their dog, cat, and a little duck called Snow.
You must be logged in to post a comment.