Modern day college witches! Sororities and secrets! The Ravens told an amazing story that forces you to keep turning pages to see what's going to happen to these characters next. There were areas I thought could have been fleshed out and some side characters didn't pop as much as I had hoped, but this was definitely a great read — though I could've guessed as much just from THAT COVER.

I really wanted to like this book. A college story whith a dark sorority and witches? Yes please! Sadly this just did not hold up. 
  For a book about witches and girl power major parts of this book really did not convey that message. For starters characters are first described by skin ton which I do not love. If you are going for a book that empowers woman maybe your first descriptor shouldn't be physical. Also a love triangle is not the best way to show solidarity between woman.
 Over all this book had a really solid premise but it did not play out. I see what they were going for but over all this book focused to much on a romance and felt very high school. This could have been great book but sadly it just fell flat.

What a good read! I hope that this series continues. I loved reading from Vivi and Scarlett's points of view, though Scarlett was my favorite of the two. Vivi is an ingenue, and Scarlett is a Slytherin with a heart of gold. (Speaking of, there are plenty of Harry Potter and other pop culture references in this one.) It was interesting to watch the dynamics of their relationship slowly shift.

While the characters were great, the plot was interesting, too. Some parts of the mystery were easy enough to solve, while others kept me guessing, which is the predictability level I like best when it comes to books like this one. There's also a light dash of romance for both characters which promises for interesting love stories to unfold in a sequel. Despite the characters being young adults, by which I mean actual adults, presumably 18-21, I would say this is more of a YA novel than a New Adult one. SLJ says it's for ninth grade and up, and I can see a high schooler or college student really getting the most from this novel. The romances have a very low heat level, while most NA novels are pretty smutty. (Which I like!)

The only reason this wasn't a perfect read for me was because I was in a sorority in college. I could be wrong and the authors could be sorority women too, but it read to me like this was a researched take on Greek Life, but not researched enough. Some of the language is off. While the pledges aren't fully initiated, they are referred to as members of the coven/sorority - wrong - you aren't a member until initiation. A fraternity member talks about quitting his house - you don't quite, you disaffiliate. And Hell Week takes place right after the pledges accept their bids, when Hell Week is the final week of the pledging process. Two of the sisters are in a relationship, when most, if not all, organizations forbid two active members from dating. (You're sisters/brothers, after all.) For someone with experience in Greek Life, these little things annoyed me.

However, I must note the overall positive representation of sororities and fraternities in this novel. So often in the media we see the worst of Greek Life, when there are so many good things about it. While there's some hazing shenanigans and a little cattiness, overall this book shows the true meaning of sisterhood and the lifelong friendships that can be found in Greek Life, as well as the side that isn't all about partying - philanthropy and helping out around the university, for instance. I loved my years as a sorority member and am still best friends with two girls from my chapter. I keep in touch with many others, and follow what the current members are up to almost a decade later. I also remain friendly with members of other Greek organizations from my college days. It was so cool to see my experience reflected in this novel with a witchy spin.

Overall, this was a 4 star read for me and I am excited for more books in this series, whether there's only a sequel or we get to see all of Vivi's four years at Westerly! My thanks to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was another fun story about witches! I have been loving all these witchy reads lately! This one has a coven hiding out at a college as a sorority. I loved the setting for this and the way the coven keeps secrets.

The magic was a lot of fun, and overall, this was an enjoyable read that is perfect for YA lovers and witchy readers!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Thank you Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get a copy of this book! As a former sorority girl myself, I was first intrigued by the book description but check out that cover! So pretty!

Right from the start, I knew I was going to enjoy reading The Ravens. The writing was so good which made it very easy to get swept away in the story. I love the idea of sorority girls actually being a powerful witch coven! It is a very fun read.

I also liked how this story is told in two POV, Vivi and Scarlett, respectfully. Starting off, Vivi is a pretty easy heroine to root for. She’s very new and innocent and down for being a part of something in order to form relationships with others. She has a wildness about her that makes it fun to see where exactly the wind is going to blow her. Scarlett, on the other hand, is very grounded, centered, and focused. She knows what she wants, has a map of her goals laid out in her mind, and knows exactly how long it will take to achieve them. In the beginning Vivi comes off as a little immature, and Scarlett comes off as a mean girl. However, both Vivi and Scarlett learn and grow so much in this book and I really enjoyed their character developments.

I felt the pace set for this book was very good. I never got bored while reading, although there were a couple of times I had wished a scene had a little more “meat” to it. Overall, I thought this was a great book. It was an easy read that kept me entertained all the way to the last page.

Loved the premise of this story! And I loved the characters too. The cover is perfect. My students will devour this story for sure.

I must admit that I did not want this story to end from page one I was on to this book and could stop turning the pages. The storyline was intriguing and captivating and the characters are deeply enjoyable and you feel like your friends with each one of them

Wow! I really enjoyed this book. Vivi is off to college, against her moms wishes. When she joins a sorority for witches, she realizes that there is dark magic at play. Vivi's big, Scarlett is a legacy and has a lot to lose, including her perfect boyfriend. This story reeled me in and didn't want to let me go! I cannot wait for the next book in this series!

Once this book was announced as BN YA bookclub pick, I knew I had to read this asap! When I saw this book on Netgalley, I had to read it! As a avid YA reader, this book was nice shakeup in the YA world. Instead of your typical ‘teen’ or ‘high school’, this was set in college. I could related to Vivi (expect being a witch!) which brought up so many memoires as a freshman in college, and trying fit in. The storyline was so creative and fresh. What I enjoyed the book is told in two different point of view, but wasn't confusing on who was speaking. We meet Vivi, a witch who just wants to fit in and our mean girl Scarlett who is from a long line of legacy witches. The book hooked me from the very start, and until the very end. I can't wait for the next book in the series. That cliffhanger!!! 4 stars.

This book is about sisterhood, mixed in with mysterious secrets and, of course, it is brimming with witchcraft. 
Vivi is moving on from a hectic life with her tarot card reading mom and moving to Savannah to attend Westerly.   This is where she discovers a sorority name Kappa and meets the seemingly perfect Scarlett who will wind up becoming a major part of her life.  Kappa is not a normal sorority.  It is literally a sorority of witches and their sisterhood overflows with magic.  
I definitely recommend this for a fun and quick read.  I had a blast reading about all the awesome spellcraft and the more normal day to day life of an awkward college student.  Overall a great read.

The premise of The Ravens is a fun one and it's a book that would be great adapted into a shop on the CW or Netflix. It follows a sorority that is secretly a coven of witches, with each author writing a different character perspective.

Vivi is an incoming freshman excited to start fresh and stay in one place after a nomadic childhood with her tarot-reading mother. When she's asked to pledge the Ravens, she has no idea what she's in for. Meanwhile Scarlett is gunning to be the next president of the sorority and has her future perfectly planned out. And something about Vivi rubs her the wrong way. This is full of drama, danger, and (not-so-unexpected) twists, and would certainly make a fun show.

I mostly had fun with the story, but the early pacing of the book is a little slow and the twist was pretty obvious with quite a lot of foreshadowing. There's also an element I didn't totally love involving (view spoiler) Also the school is set in the South (though it feels pretty generic) and Scarlett is Black, but it's all written as if race is a non-factor beyond literal skin color. And honestly it feels a little tone deaf to not at the very least nod to the reality of racial tensions, especially right now given that this is set in the ACTUAL American South, not a fantasy world.

That said, overall it's a fun, escapist book and I think people will enjoy it. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed The Ravens, it was fast paced and very easy to get sucked into the story and the characters. I loved the concept behind the story, that hidden among the sororities is one of the most powerful covens recruiting new sisters. I would also consider this upper YA/NA since the characters are in college, one a new freshman and one a junior. And while they were older, I would not say the content was incredibly inappropriate (minus the human sacrifices and possible death threats) but language or sexual content was not out of control. (I personally think that having this at college instead of high school helped to keep down on the over the top immature drama I have been encountering a lot in YA, so I am a big fan.)

The story alternated narration at chapters between Vivi and Scarlet, two characters who could not be more different. Vivi is a newbie freshman naïve in the ways of the world who is just looking for roots and a place to fit in. Scarlet is a junior who knows the greatness she is capable of and demands respect, while at the same time battling family expectations and her own wants. I really expected to have Scarlet and champion Vivi, but I will admit that I adored Scarlet and wanted to occasionally shake Vivi (no, it is not ok to be with a friend's ex! Everyone should know that rule, and there are so many other fish in the sea.) I loved the person Scarlet really was and rooted for her at every hard choice, and I do hope that in the future she can get a certain suspicious boy to come around, just saying.

While the ending wrapped up the big issues in this story, it is in no way the end for The Ravens and I will certainly be back to see what will happen next to these powerful lady witches. I didn't realize when I started that this was a series but I am happy that I get more time set in this world.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

This book was amazing! I love that the story is told from two different points of views, that of Scarlett who has grown up a witch and always known that her destiny and goal was to be president of her sorority/hidden in plain site witches coven. The other point of view is from Vivi who just wanted to finally have a stable place and chose Westerly for the school...and has no idea about witchcraft.

This novel was wonderful and exciting and was a book I was always excited to pick up and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The only negative I would say for the entire novel is the minimal love triangle felt a bit forced but thankfully, it was such a minor part and didn't overwhelm the actual story.

This novel is the beginning of the series, however, it also was a fully finished novel as well with now horrendously frustrating cliff hangers! I am excited to see what else is to come with these sorority sisters/coven!!

The Ravens was a witchy sorority story. I love books about witches, love Southern Gothic, and am really happy to read YA set in college!

The Ravens are a sorority of witches at a Southern college. Scarlett is a legacy member whose mother and sister were members. Vivi is the newbie and didn't even realize she has powers. The Ravens have a secret, one that they'll do anything to protect.  

This was a little fluffier and less dark than I was hoping for, but it was still a fun read.  

Definitely for fans of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

The Ravens is the first installment in co-authors Kass Morgan (the 100 series) and Danielle Page’s (Dorothy Must Die series) Raven series. This is a contemporary fantasy series about a sorority of witches called Kappa Rho Nu (Ravens). It is told in two different perspectives. One belonging to Westerly College freshman Vivian (Vivi) Devereaux, and the other to Westerly College Junior Scarlett Winter. For Vivi, this is her chance to break away from what she believes is a paranoid mother who has premonitions of darkness that seems to be calling for Vivi.

After years of picking up and moving from city to city and changes schools in the middle of a school year without any real explanation, Vivi is given a scholarship to attend Westerly College which is in Savannah, Georgia. Vivi does not want to be like her mother Daphne who she believes defrauds people with her tarot card reading; she wants to redefine herself in a way that feels true to herself. Vivi wants to stop running and settle down and enjoy the next 4 years of college and just maybe, find some friends in the process. Vivi had no idea that she was a witch until she attends a party at Kappa Rho Nu and lights a sparkler which is an indication that she’s a witch.

In this world, every witch is born of their own magic. Cups = Water, Swords = Air, Pentacles = Earth, and Wands = Fire. Each sign is aligned with a suit of Tarot Cards. Vivi’s arrival on campus ends up with her choice to attend a Kappa Rho Nu party where they are looking for new members, one girl per suit. After Vivi is told that she’s a pentacle, she must also go through initiation games, aka Hell Week to become a full pledge member of the coven. As usual, there is the usual hanky panky that comes with rushing for a sorority.

Scarlett is a Junior at Westerly College and part of the Kappa Rho Nu coven. Her mother was a Raven, her sister was a Raven, and now she is working towards becoming the next President of the sorority which just happens to be a major coven of witches. Scarlett struggles to escape from the shadow of her family’s legacy and live under the pressure of being a Winter. Scarlett’s isn’t one of my favorites in this story due to her treatment and resentment of Vivi and the fact that she couldn’t see what was happening right in front of her own eyes. After Vivi and 4 others are offered a chance at initiation, Scarlett ends up being Big Sister to Vivi who she despises because there’s really nothing of her background that would inspire anyone’s confidence that she’d be a good witch and sister.

In the middle of all the shenanigans, they must contend with a missing sister, a vengeful former sister, someone threatening to expose them all, as well as boyfriend games and exploration. On top of everything, Vivi discovers a few secrets about her own mother that she’s been keeping secrets and reasons why she is always on the run and moving at the drop of a hat. We also learn that Vivi isn’t someone to be trifled with. She may be one of the most powerful Pentacle witches in a generation. But it also makes her a target for villainous sisters and those who want to use her to get what they want.

By the end of the story, I was kind of hoping that Scarlett would find her own happiness that she’s apparently lost on the way to attempting to become the Raven’s President. I think that if the Ravens are supposed to exemplify in personality, pedigree, intelligence, and sophistication, there is an exceptionally long road to get there from those who are introduced in this story. Recently, I’ve been having issues with authors focusing on the color of the persons skin instead of who the character is. IE, white girl, or that girl with the dark skin. You get my point. I honestly though that with this being 2020 we could finally get away with caring what skin color a person is, but I guess not.

The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Page is the exciting first installment in their YA fantasy series of the same name.  I’m always drawn to books that are set in schools, so this one being set on a college campus really appealed to me.  The Ravens does not disappoint either.  It’s a dark and atmospheric, fast-paced read that is perfect for spooky season, but at the same time, it’s a wonderful story about sisterhood and sacrifice.  I really enjoyed it.

Kappa Rho Nu sorority is the envy of all at Westerly College.  Filled with glamorous and powerful women, it is easily the most elite and exclusive sorority on campus, issuing the fewest invitations to join during the sorority rush week.  Vivi Deveraux, a new student at Westerly, is shocked but thrilled when she receives an invitation to join.  She is even more shocked when she learns why – Kappa Rho Nu is not just a sorority; it’s also a coven of witches.  Only witches are allowed to join, which comes as a huge surprise to Vivi, as she had no idea she even was a witch.  Scarlett Winters, next in line to be President of the Kappas, is the first sister Vivi meets during rush week and they unfortunately get off on the wrong foot. Things get even more awkward for Vivi when Scarlett gets assigned to be her mentor and help her learn how to harness her magic.  When a dark secret from the Kappa’s past rears its ugly head and threatens not just their reputation on campus, but also their actual lives, can Vivi and Scarlett put aside their differences and neutralize the threat?

Vivi was probably my favorite character, mainly because she has that underdog vibe from the moment she gets on Scarlett’s bad side. I always have a soft spot for those underdogs.  I also found her to be a very sympathetic character in that she has come to Westerly looking for a fresh start.  She and her mom have spent most of Vivi’s life moving from place to place around the country, never putting down roots anywhere long enough for Vivi to make any friends. As soon as I heard her backstory I was really rooting for Vivi to find her squad.  I also found Vivi to be an interesting character in that her mother is completely opposed to her attending Westerly, swearing that it’s too dangerous for her there.  That, coupled with the fact that Vivi’s mom obviously never told her she’s a witch, made Vivi an all the more compelling character. There’s a mystery there and I really wanted to get to the bottom of it.

I do have to confess that I didn’t like Scarlett quite as much as I liked Vivi, probably just because she was so cold to Vivi when she first arrived at Kappa.  She grew on me though as I learned more about her. She’s a legacy and is trying to live up to the reputation of both her older sister and her mother, both of whom were Kappa presidents.  She’s under a lot of pressure because of that and she’s also trying to live down something that happened in her past, which makes her an interesting character to keep an eye on.

Filled with twists and turns as the Kappa sisters confront the danger that threatens to destroy them, The Ravens is a riveting read that will keep you turning the pages late into the night.

Vivi's mother has moved her around all of her life, claiming that darkness is following. She's never had an opportunity to make friends or build relationships. Now Vivi is headed to college, and for the first time in her life, she can put down some roots. At Westerly, she decides to rush Kappa, a very exclusive and swanky sorority, even though she feels like she is not good enough for them. To her surprise, not only is she given a bid, she learns that she's a witch! Kappa is the perfect cover for her coven, the Ravens, to discover, recruit, and train witches without being discovered. Vivi finally starts to feel like she belongs, but everything is not as it seems with her new sisters. Someone is using dark magic, and no one is safe. 

The Ravens was a good spooky book to read that got me into the Halloween spirit without being scary. As a former sorority girl myself, I really enjoyed the Greek traditions and processes that the author included, because it gave me some flashbacks to my college days. My biggest complaint for the book was that I felt that some characters were really unnecessary to the plot, and were only there to create a romantic angle that wasn't really needed. The book would have been better without the forced romance/love triangle, and should have stayed focused on the sisterhood aspect. Overall, it was a fun read and I'd recommend it if you like witchy/magical books. I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley, in return for my review.

I liked this one a lot. I thought the concept was interesting and the characters really drove the plot and story. It was the perfect mix of contemporary and fantasy. So many twists that I didn't see coming!

If you haven't heard of The Ravens it's a story about sorority which is actually a secret coven. The story follows two sorority sisters Vivi Deveraux, a freshman and Scarlett Winters, a junior.  While Vivi has come to Westerly to escape her mother and find stability she stumbles upon something much greater when she discovers powers she never knew she possessed.  Scarlett comes from a legacy of witches having been raised her whole life to be a Raven like her mother and older sister. This year her biggest goal is to become the sorority president like her family members before her. 

The story is set on a Southern college campus but I'll be honest and say I didn't feel much Southern vibes and it could've been set elsewhere and felt more realistic. I get what they were going for setting it in Savannah because it's America's most haunted city but some things felt off to me. Outside of the few mentions of gothic architecture here and there it could've easily been set at a college up north or on the west coast and had the same vibes. Or it could've even been set at an elite boarding school since at times I got more high school than college vibes.

At times I felt like it was a little too politically correct. Granted I never went to college in The South but even here in the north there is a little racial tension between the different races at time. They really went out of their way to point out how diverse this predominantly white institution (PWI) is by always mentioning people around campus of different races. And in the sorority of itself you have Scarlett who is Black and who has family history rooted in Kappa Rho Nu. With Greek life being notoriously exclusive and other races having had to create their own sororities to have a place on campus it was a little hard to believe so many girls of different races were legacies. And in this book kind of side steps race while trying to show diversity. I understand not wanting to lean into oppression all the time but let's not pretend racism exists in an environment where it's known for being present.  

The magic system is easy to understand. There are four types of witches which include Cups, Wands, Pentacles, and Swords. Each have their own element they are strongest working with. Swords are the air sign, Cups are the water sign, Pentacles are the earth sign, and Wands are the fire sign. Each sign is aligned with it's own deck of tarot cards which can be used to cast spells. Though the tarot cards are more of a pretty prop as when a witch has control of her powers she doesn't need to draw on them. 

Let's talk about what sparks a rivalry between Vivi and Scarlett. It's not just the rich girl/poor girl dynamic that causes tension. Scarlett being the queen of campus is dating the hottest guy from a popular fraternity. Of how I disliked Mason and his summer growth. Yes, people change as they get older and realize things they thought they cared about before really don't interest them at all anymore. He went away for one summer and started acting brand new. All of a sudden he's so above all the shallowness of everyone around him after his privileged summer of backpacking through Europe without a care in the world. So he returns to campus and moves in on the impressionable freshman girl and continues to pursue her despite knowing she's joining a sorority with the girl he's still dating. Not sure why either girl wanted him because he was rather bland. 

All in all The Ravens is an entertaining guilty pleasure kind of book with some twists I didn't expect sprinkled in the last half.  It starts off slow setting up the world around the girls but the mystery really kicks off in the last half and we get to see the girls in action. The magic gives me Charmed vibes with rhyming spells, gathering herbs and other ingredients, scrying to find things, etc. I thought the tarot card aspect was cool and liked that it was explained early on but I wanted to see if go deeper and explore their specific powers outside of them tapping into their powers together as a whole. I found Scarlett to be more fleshed out than Vivi though Vivi got more interesting to me after the 60% mark. I would watch a movie or series based on this book. And this being an Alloy Entertainment production I'm sure a series or movie is already in the works. 

Originally posted at
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-ravens-by-kass-morgan-and-danielle.html

I did not finish this book the writing was fine and the storytelling was adequate, however there was way too much historical inaccuracies. Yes it is fantasy but how did you set a book in a old Southern city like Savannah and act as if race was a non-factor.  It is impossible to believe that a Black and white sorority would exist in the deep South where people of color, particularly Black people and white people  co-existed peacefully with no legacy of slavery and segregation mentioned which lasted way after Jim Crow. At least mention that there needed to be some sort of magic employed (like charming) or talk about how Scarlett's Black ancetors may have been white passing, to be able to make this believable .  It was unrealistic for me to believe that Scarlett, her mom and ancestors belonged to this sorority in the deep South.