I have a bit of a fascination with ravens, so when I saw Antonia Hodgson’s new release The Raven Scholar at the bookstore, it immediately caught my eye (it’s also purple and shiny, two other things that please me for no logical reason). I didn’t know much about the author or the plot, so I went into this one fairly blind.
Set in a world where people can join organizations (somewhat of a mix between religious and vocational) dedicated to the sort-of God-spirits of various animals (raven, tiger, fox, bear, ox, hound, monkey, and dragon), the emperor is approaching the end of his reign. It’s a nominally meritocracy-based society, where a ruler stays in power for up to 24 years, then steps down. A representative is chosen from each animal to participate in a competition to determine the next emperor. When the representative for the raven is murdered the night before the competition starts, the empire’s High Scholar, Neema Kraa, is unexpectedly chosen both as the replacement competitor and as the prime investigator for the murder.
The best part of this book was undoubtedly the worldbuilding. The way the society is set up, and the implications of that, was super interesting to think about. The plot was full of twists and turns, and while I saw some of the reveals coming, it also managed to surprise me in places too. While the side characters were great (especially the aspects of the raven and the fox), Neema as the main character fell a little flat for me. Her motivations and feelings weren’t developed very well, and she sometimes felt a little bit of a blank slate.
Overall, this was a fun first book to a series and I’m likely to read the next book. Part of me wishes I hadn’t read it so soon, as it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, and now I have to wait for the sequel to be released.