On Tour with Prism Book Tours JD's Review

Flight of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse
JD's Rating: 4 out of 5 bookmarks

Editor's Note: Flight of the Raven continues the fantasy series, The Ravenwood Saga, that began with Mark of the Raven. If you have not read Book 1, be aware that this review may spoil some plot points from that book.

Flight of the Raven picks up right where the previous book left off without much passage of time; a few hours at most. Selene and Damien's relationship with one another plays a huge part in the arc of this book so there is obviously a larger romantic element here than in the previous book. And while this book felt much more slow-moving than Mark there were still some developments in the story that advance the plot.

In this book, Selene is really on a journey to discover just who she is. She wants to learn as much as she possibly can about the history of House Ravenwood and their gifting and use that information to inform her current situation and position in the realm. She's also digging down deep inside of herself and grappling with her feelings, emotions, and confusion about the things she's been brought up to believe. Selene is a very rich character and it was interesting to get to know her further in this book. It's a good thing that she is such a great character since the majority of the book is dealing with her and her internal struggles regarding her marriage to Damien, how she should feel about the Light (the deity of the Old Ways whom her husband and his people worship), and even the smaller issues like fitting into daily life at Northwind Castle.

Lord Damien is the perfect gentleman character. Though he does make a few blunders on occasion, for the most part, he is the quintessence of refinement and poise. You might even criticize him for being too perfect, though he felt genuine enough to me to not find him to be flawless to the point of annoyance. His earnest care and concern for his people was a great quality that he showed from the moment we're introduced to him in Book 1. He's a truly just and honest leader.

Sprinkled throughout the first three-quarters of the book are some tidbits of backstory on Damien, some history of the giftings, and other information which helps to flesh out the story world even more and make it that much richer and vivid. But the action doesn't really get going until much later. After all the character development that takes up the majority of the book, there is some action at last near the final quarter of the book.

In summation, this is a highly character-driven book with lots of time spent getting to know the major players from Book 1 on a much deeper level. And we learn more about the story world and its history and lore. This all builds up to the few bits of action we get near the end and sets up things for a much quicker-paced, action-filled adventure in the next volume. So let's hope Busse keeps the momentum going that was built up in the final chapters and carries it over to Book 3.

Content Advisory
Mentions of marital infidelity (though not graphic), multiple murders, typical war-related violence that you'd expect from a fantasy story with kingdom rivalries. There are also allusions and references to intimacy in marriage though nothing is described or explicitly stated beyond a few kisses. Would recommend for male and female readers ages 18 and up.




J.D. Sutter is the producer and host of the Bookworm Banquet podcast and editor of the blog. He is the founder of Porchlight Family Media, a network of quality audio programming and review blogs based in Phoenix, AZ.








Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book for promotional purposes. This post contains affiliate links.