Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the early e-arc of Raven Scholar.

I attempted this read about 3x, and once even as an immersion read. I got about 20% in and found myself disconnected from the characters and events. There was alot of information dumped quickly in the beginning and the character development was ok, but I didn't feel the connection I like to feel when starting a fantasy book. The characters didnt feel accessible to me emotionally.

I have settled on the fact that it is truly a me issue, as multiple people I know and have similar taste to, absolutely loved it. I am putting this as a soft DNF for now and will definitely pick up again in the future. I actually bought a physical copy upon publishing and have a special edition from Illumicate (which is beautiful).

I am confident in a different mindset or with more mental bandwidth, that this will be a 4-5 star read. For now I am going to provide a 3-star rating as I did not fully finish it. I fully intend to come back to this review in the future when I complete the read and provide additional feedback based on updated progress.

I really enjoyed the Raven Scholar, it was such a refreshing debut. The world was both so unique but also reminded me of what I love about the fantasy genre. The characters, and political intrigue had be locked in from the very beginning all the way to that insane ending. Really looking forward to book 2 and more from Antonia Hodgson.

*Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I love a fantasy with a mystery, especially when that mystery plays a starring role in how the story unfolds. Pairing that with a faction-based society, a competition for the crown, and animal companions? It's a recipe for an Emm 5 star read.

But holy hell, this book could've been shorter. And combining that with some weird formatting in the ARC I read (to the point of it making the first 10% almost prohibitively difficult to read), I'm not sure if I'll be continuing with the series. Because god knows, the books only get longer as a series goes on...

"The Raven Scholar" by Antonia Hodgson is magnificent. I got a bit crazy with trying to see if I could solve it, since there is a murder, and I did not figure it out. But I have copious notes that should lead to revelations in the next book!

I don't want to give a summary, just k ow the characters are great, the plot is deep, and read the footnotes

Reasons to read:
-How the words land on the page, it does interesting things with font, and when voices come in
-Oh we got antagonists of the jerk variety
-Banter and chemistry that invokes Rick and Evie
-How information is give to the reader
-The arcs

Cons:
-I didn't finish before my friend who takes issue with thiccc books so I have to hold that L

Neema, the emperor's high scholar, wants only to retire with him as he reaches the end of his 24 year tenure, so she can settle into a life of reading books, writing books and drinking hot chocolate. When her nemesis perishes before the trials to select a new emperor can even start, it's up to Neema to clear her own name and catch the murderer. There's no way this will end with her discovering dark secrets and getting wrapped up in political machinations that would change the world as she knows it.

The Raven Scholar was unputdownable and is absolutely the edge-of-your-seat plot-driven fantasy that I'll be recommending this summer. Stakes are high, and there are so many moving pieces to this puzzle. I'm excited to read more in this series!

I was in the mood for a good epic fantasy and The Raven Scholar definitely delivered on that. This was a great blend of political intrigue, unique magic, and interesting mystery. What really surprised me, though, was the humor woven in. I wasn’t expecting that, but it was really refreshing. I loved the sass that the ravens brought. I thought the characters were interesting as well. I was surprised how fast paced the plot moved especially for such a chunky book. The audiobook for this was really enjoyable. The narration was clear, easy to understand, and fit the vibes of the story perfectly. I also enjoyed the added effects that were interspersed throughout the story. I’m excited to see where the story goes in the next installment.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ohhhh my god how do I even begin talking about The Raven Scholar? This was easily one of my favorite reads of the year, and it was just so easy to sink into. It’s immersive and compelling and I loved the way Hodgson played with perspective. I loved the writing quality and the balance of humor and more serious scenes, and I really enjoyed all of the characters—some were very easy to hate, but mostly they all intrigued me. I know I’m not the biggest theory crafter when I read, but some twists had my jaw drop. It’s evident that Hodgson is a seasoned writer, and this being her fantasy debut is impressive—the writing is tight and though this book is almost 700 pages it doesn’t feel like it. The world is rich and interesting and I’m thrilled that this is a trilogy.

The formatting of the eARC was kind of wonky, so I had a hard time getting into this book.

What I did end up reading was interesting enough for me to add it to my TBR to pick up a physical copy when I can.

I'm not usually one for "competitions" in fantasy books, but the characters were interesting enough to keep my attention!

I luuuurved this book — I’ve been missing the characters since I finished it a few days ago. A well built fantasy world with a competition and a MC who is a bit grumpy will always get me, and this was no exception. It reminded me of Voyage of the Damned a bit in many regards, but very much stood on its own two feet. I had a few little issues with the writing, but nothing that took any enjoyment away from the story. I’ll be scouring the interwebs for news of book 2!

This is a really enjoyable book that is well worth the hype! For a book over 600 pages, it flowed quickly and every twist and turn kept me engaged and anticipating the next page. I loved the pantheon of animal gods, and how the pantheon interacted with the mortal world. A creative take on political intrigue that layers competitions and a murder mystery really well, I definitely recommend this book. Very much looking forward to the next book in the series!

A huge thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for my thoughts.

"The Raven Scholar" by Antonia Hodgson is a captivating epic fantasy that masterfully blends elements of political intrigue, a deadly competition, and a compelling murder mystery. Set in the richly imagined world of Orrun, the novel draws readers into a society defined by its unique history, mythology, and intricate social structures.

Here's what makes this book stand out:

Intricate World-Building: Hodgson's attention to detail brings Orrun to life. The world is vividly realized, from the grand imperial politics to the nuances of daily life within the different factions. The concept of the animal Guardians and their influence on society is both original and fascinating.

Compelling Characters: The protagonist, Neema Kraa, is a standout. She's intelligent, complex, and often delightfully prickly. Her journey is both captivating and relatable. The supporting cast is equally well-developed, with each character having their own distinct motivations and secrets.

Unique Narrative Voice: The story is told through a distinctive narrative perspective, adding a layer of intrigue and humor. This narrative choice enhances the reading experience and sets the book apart from other fantasy novels.

Intriguing Plot: The combination of a murder mystery and a competition for the throne creates a propulsive and engaging plot. The story is full of twists and turns, keeping readers guessing until the very end.

Themes: The book delves into themes of power, ambition, loyalty, and the weight of the past.

In summary, "The Raven Scholar" is a triumph of epic fantasy. It's a must-read for fans of the genre who appreciate rich world-building, complex characters, and intricate plots.

This is exactly what epic fantasy can and should be. The Raven Scholar is enthralling, complex, and sprawling, masterfully pulling together layered characters, detailed worldbuilding, and a mystery full of amazing twists.

The Twists: Right from the beginning, The Raven Scholar shows you not to trust anything you read, and yet I still found myself amazed by each progressive twist throughout. Each was set up perfectly within the context of the world and the characters, giving new context to decisions and plot points earlier in the story. By the end of the book, I found myself wanting to reread immediately so that I could view everything again through a new lens.

The Trials: I'm always going to be a sucker for a book with competitions, but Antonia Hodgson managed to take that somewhat common trope and make it unique to her book. Each trial was specific to the world of The Raven Scholar, and I loved watching the characters navigate through them. Each character came at the problems in their own ways, helping develop out personalities while also adding some fun elements to the plot.

The Characters: The main character of The Raven Scholar quickly became one of my favorites. I found her need to fact check everything both comedic and incredibly relatable, and I loved watching her try to figure out the murder mystery that unfolds. Neema and Cain have a wonderful dynamic to help guide the emotional core of the book, but I really loved pretty much every character by the end, even those I started more unsure about. Also the animal companions!!! I will refrain from spoilers, but I will promise you will fall in love by the end of The Raven Scholar.

Despite the intimidating page count of over 700 pages, I found The Raven Scholar incredibly fun to read. The writing, characters, and plot kept me engaged the whole time, and I ended up basically reading this in a day.

Plus the published edition has pretty foil, so... go get it obviously.

There were a lot of things I loved about this story - the world, the competition for the next ruler, the characters, and especially the raven and the raven’s POV.

But given all of that, this book was waaaay too long. I lost the plot and why everything was happening somewhere around page 400 and still had 200+ pages to go. This easily could have been two books. And I say this having read Sanderson’s 1200+ page books. I wanted to really love this. And I would have if it didn’t feel like shoved into all of the amazing things there was a lot of filler.

The audiobook was what kept me going through this when it got slow, so I highly recommend that if you are planning to read this.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thanks to @orbitbooks_us and @netgalley for the eARC. Thank you to @libro.fm for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.

This was a chunky book! Phew, it’s a lot but it was worth it. I love a fantasy book with god-like beings. This one was extra fun because they were associated with an animal. Each animal and house had different character traits so when a person chose a house they shared those traits. It was very interesting to me!
Neema was also interesting because she wasn’t entirely likable, at least for me. I kind of loved that though. I loved that she was very much herself whether people liked her or not. And then there’s Cain! He brought a lot of humor and I adored him.
This book was both fantasy and mystery and it was both dark and witty. I really loved that I never ever knew how this book would end. You keep thinking you know what happened but you are mistaken. 😅 trust no one! Everyone in this book had a morally grey/dark side. I want to reread to see if I missed anything now that I know everything.

I definitely recommend it but be prepared for the length. I don’t mind a longer book but this ‘felt’ long at times, if you know what I mean. It was really good overall though. I can’t wait to see what happens next!!
Thank you Orbit for the gifted review copy! I shall treasure it 💜

The Raven Scholar is a spellbinding, richly layered fantasy debut that masterfully blends political intrigue, myth, and personal ambition into a completely unforgettable story.

Set in the empire of Orrun, where seven ancient guardians (The Raven, the Fox, the Bear, the Ox, the Tiger, the Monkey, the Hound, and the Dragon) each once protected the realm, the story follows Neema Kraa, the brilliant and unconventional High Scholar, as she navigates deadly imperial trials, works to uncover a murderer, and possibly claim the throne. As seven contenders, each from a different Guardian palace, vie for power, Neema must untangle centuries of hidden secrets, survive fierce political rivalries, and face her own ambition while mysterious forces, like her own enigmatic Raven, whisper in her ear. Though the Guardians have long since vanished, their legacy shapes everything, and their return is a threat no one in the empire wants to face

The Raven Scholar felt like the perfect blend of so many of my favorite stories: it has the scholarly ambition and systemic struggles of Blood Over Bright Haven, the deadly, high-stakes trials of The Final Strife, the wit and sharp sarcasm of The Tainted Cup, and the shifting narrative perspectives of The Fifth Season. Add in intricate political maneuvering, the queernormative world, a DASH of slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance, and plot twists that you think you know but you absolutely don’t — and I was completely hooked.

Despite being over 600 pages, there was not ONE MOMENT in which I was bored while reading this book. In fact, I felt that the length gave Hodgson the space to fully develop a rich and layered world with deeply complex (and morally ambiguous) characters. And it was done in such a way that it felt both grand in scale and deeply intimate and that alone made it worth every minute of the time investment.
If you love political fantasy, deadly competitions, complex heroines, and rich, myth-infused worlds, The Raven Scholar needs to be on your radar. I have a sneaking suspicion that this book is going to take the fantasy book world by storm.

Read this for:
- deadly challenge to rule the kingdom
- different ways of life guided by guardians
- layers upon layers of secrets
- magic
- mystery to solve
- older main characters

My thoughts: I didn't fly through this book, but oh the notes that I took could fill their own book - underlines, summaries of the rankings during the challenges, guesses as to who the killer was, and honestly there were a lot of red herrings.
The mystery is very well done, the story starts off with a bang, slows to do some amazing world building, and then ramps up and you don't want to stop reading, I fought going to sleep several times then dropped the book on my face before giving up with 20% to go. This is a chonky book in the physical form but it doesn't feel overly long when reading it.
Neema as the Raven Scholar is a very interesting character with depth and her inquisitive nature and random fact drops (almost seems compulsory) is by far my favorite character, but I'm also intrigued by Cain and what will happen next for them.

I highly recommend the book, especially for those who enjoyed A Tainted Cup.

The Raven Scholar is a meaty start to epic new fantasy series, featuring a murder mystery amidst an organized contest for the throne. It's a long one, verging on too long, but the pages are not wasted. The vast world-building sets up an intricate society where belief in the old gods is dubious, but the societal structures their religion inspired hold all the power. Court politics are equally as intricate, creating a writhing mass of motives and subterfuge. This is the first novel in quite some time that truly kept me guessing from beginning to end.

The cast of characters is huge, and a time jump complicates it some, but each character - primary and secondary - is fully realized with unique voice and personality. I liked how the omniscient point of view widened from our MC Neema to include other contenders for the throne and key members of the court. It provided much needed context for some of the plot twists (which were many, and truly shocking!). The occasional interference of a first-person plural perspective from the Raven god was interesting, but I'm not sure if it was worked in cleanly at times. I found myself jarred by the sudden shift into the POV, but ultimately enjoying the humor and insight it added.

Neema herself is truly irritating at times, a fact which does not make her a bad MC but that also makes the reader unsympathetic occasionally. There is a continuous theme of how Neema struggles to make friends and often people do not like her after they do get to know here. I think that made sense, to be honest. Neema is brilliant and driven, but she is also self-serving at the beginning of the novel and pedantic to a fault. She suffers significant prejudice from members of court but also offends at every chance possible. I found Neema a compelling MC, but one who's general dislike was understandable rather than unjustified.

Overall a deep and compelling start to a new fantasy series. I'm very excited to see where it goes next!

When I read this book, I kept thinking about how different it was from the usual fantasy book tropes. But at the core of the book, there’s hope, and strength, and resilience, and found family. I liked the story and I think it helped me adjust my perceptions of fantasy novels. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a lengthy but engaging story.

This was such an interesting and unique story. Part murder mystery and part competition, and I honestly didn't know what to expect from it! There were a lot of characters, but the story focused around Neema as she attempts to find a murderer. There's court and political intrigue, light romance, and hidden gods, all while a competition is in place to name the next ruler. I really liked Cain for his playful personality, and Fenn's no-nonsense but caring personality.

I genuinely liked the story, but it was also really long. At one point I wondered if this was supposed to be a standalone because the length of it felt like it could be. I wouldn't say it dragged because I feel that's misleading. I truly did enjoy it, but it was a long journey. Maybe this could've been split into two books, but I also don't know where that split would be. The journey was long, but the ending of book one was definitely an exciting one! 

I started this with my eyeballs and switched to audio during my hikes. The audio was enjoyable and the ravens were both funny and ridiculous 😆

Wow…where do I even start with The Raven Scholar? This book was seriously phenomenal. It’s a bit of a long one, but I honestly got through it pretty fast considering. I was just that engrossed in the story.

This is epic fantasy, 100%. The world is vast and detailed. We’re given peeks into its history while getting to know a relatively large cast of characters, but I didn’t find myself lost at any point. I really appreciated the amount of world building and descriptions. It made it even easier for me to picture the island and the palaces and the characters.

There were so many tropes I absolutely love, such as:

Murder Mystery
(Potentially) Deadly Trials
Political Intrigue
A Touch of Romance

I also want to point out how much I loved the POV of this book! The entire book is told by an omnipresent narrator, the Raven. Through the Raven, we’re able to not only follow many different characters, but we also get insights into their thoughts. I also love the way the Raven speaks directly to the reader at some points. It made me feel more involved with the story.

I loved this book so, so much, and I was incredibly excited when I realized it’s only the first book in a trilogy. I cannot wait to see where the story goes after the ending of The Raven Scholar! So heyyyyy Orbit, keep me in mind once it’s time for ARCs of book two. I’ll never say no. 😉

Thank you so much to Orbit for the early copy of The Raven Scholar! All opinions are my own.