This is THE fantasy. This is amazing.

rom the very first pages, this book pulled me in with its vivid imagery, compelling characters, and a world that feels truly lived in. Set against the backdrop of a society shaped by eight mythic beings and the factions that follow them, the story weaves together rich world-building, a clever murder mystery, and a thrilling competition that keeps the stakes high and the pages turning. The characters—both human and animal—are deeply memorable, with distinct personalities and motivations that make every interaction feel meaningful and real.

What elevates the book even further is its sharp, wry narrative voice which brings levity and cleverness to even the darkest moments. The writing is smart and full of surprises, with twists that genuinely caught me off guard. Despite its hefty length, it never once felt like a slog. For fans of immersive fantasy with strong character work, inventive storytelling, and just the right amount of humor, this is an absolute standout—and a fantastic way to kick off a new year of reading.

I went into this book completely blind, hadn’t read the blurb, just knew it was a fantasy trials book, which I’m not always the biggest fan of, but I am so glad I picked this one up!

The start did really confuse me based on what I knew of the book, but was 100% needed in the context of the story. The sheer brutality of the first part really set the pace for the rest of the book.

I did find it a little info dumpy at times, but this is a beautifully complex world where it’s really required in order to grasp it fully. Otherwise the pacing was good, I raced through it really for such a chunky book!

Plot was excellent enough going on to keep me engaged but without it being too much all at once. I’m usually pretty good at guessing plot twists and endings but actually in this book, there were definitely a couple of surprises which kept me on my toes!

I liked Neema as a character, I think some people may find her a bit irritating, but I found it suited her role in the book. My only tiny issue was the romance, I really didn’t feel like it was needed, it’s a really minor plot point but just felt unnecessary tbh.

Overall, great book with an excellent ending, can’t wait for the next one!

Thank you to Hodderscape for the opportunity to review this ARC.

If you like politics and intrigue you will enjoy this book.
The book follows Neema who is a Raven Scholar and rises to the position of High Scholar.
She finds herself involved in a competition to see who will replace the current emperor.
Then one of the contestants is murdered.
The first few chapters are a bit dry but are obviously setting the scene.
Neema is likeable and has worked hard to get to such a position often at the expense of being liked.
There is a lot of back stabbing and power struggles.
There are also funny bits and a bit of romance.
It took me a while to get into the book but I was glad I read on.
The characters in the book have choices to make but don't always choose the right path and it comes back to haunt them.
I really did not like Ruko and how he betrayed Yana.
Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher.

Sad to say I didn't love this one as much as I hoped. It's a book with a good story, great characters, and balanced humor, but unfortunately I couldn't connect with any of it, and reading past the 30% ended up feeling like a chore, which I'm sure is part of the reason why it took me over a month to get through my ARC, even though I loved the beginning of the book. The Raven Scholar will appeal to many readers; I'm not one of them, sadly.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodderscape for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Hodderscape and Netgalley for both the eARC and audio ARC copies of this book in exchange for an honest review (read and listened to in combination).

I have to say that I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but this chaotic fantasy book has turned out to be one of my favourite reads so far this year.

The mix of humorous and more serious aspects meant I never knew what was going to happen next, and I found it hard to put down (despite the length). There’s something to keep everyone intrigued - political intrigue, games and a murder mystery, and some romance.

The characters are very well developed and the world building was very unique, but just so well crafted (and not in an overwhelming way!)

I love good banter and humour, and two of my absolute favourite things in this book were the witty dialogue and characters. Both were seamlessly interwoven with the more serious aspects of the story.

For example: “I’m not furious,” Katsan said, furious.

As well as the humour, I appreciated the fearless approach to dealing with characters to move the story along, and the plot twists were fantastic.

I also adored watching the various relationships between the characters grow and develop, and can’t wait to see how they develop further.

I really enjoyed the audiobook, and the narrator’s accents and voices for the characters were on point.

Bring on the next book!

Wow, The Raven Scholar completely blew me away. From the very first page, it grabs your attention and doesn't let go, even after you've finished reading. I found myself just sitting there, staring at the ceiling, trying to process everything that just happened. Antonia Hodgson has crafted a world so rich, so layered, that it feels like stepping into a completely different universe—one that’s filled with god-like animal guardians, high-stakes political drama, throne trials, and a murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Let’s talk about the world-building because it’s honestly chef’s kiss perfect. The empire of Orrun is ruled by an emperor who only reigns for 24 years before a new one is chosen through a series of brutal trials. These trials aren’t just about who’s the strongest or smartest, though. Each contender represents one of seven sacred animal monasteries: Raven, Tiger, Fox, Hound, Ox, Bear, and Monkey, with the mysterious Dragon lingering in the background. These animal guardians are no mere symbols—they’re actual, powerful entities who meddle in human affairs with a combination of humor, grace, and terrifying grandeur. Seriously, the Raven’s narration is one of the best parts. It’s sassy, dramatic, and just so full of itself that it had me laughing out loud.

The story kicks off with Emperor Bersun, a former Bear champion, preparing to step down, but things take a dark turn when one of the contenders is murdered. Enter Neema Kraa, the Raven Scholar, who gets thrown into the chaos, not only as an investigator but as a surprising contender in the trials. What follows is a wild, unpredictable ride full of revenge plots, betrayals, secret alliances, and conspiracies that run deeper than anyone expects. And just when you think you’ve figured it all out, Hodgson pulls the rug out from under you—more than once. I literally gasped out loud at some of the twists and turns.

What really makes this book stand out, though, is the characters. Neema is brilliant but deeply flawed, trying to navigate the ruthless world of court politics while carrying the weight of her past mistakes. The other contenders are just as compelling—Cain, the charming Hound, Yasila, the fierce Tiger, and so many others, each with their own hidden motives and secrets. And don’t even get me started on the guardians. The Raven’s scenes are some of the best, both hilarious and awe-inspiring, while the Fox… well, let’s just say I’d rather not run into it in a dark alley.

The pacing is spot on—no slow moments, just constant tension and intrigue. The trials themselves are intense, testing everything from combat skills to diplomacy, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Plus, the footnotes throughout add an extra layer of depth, making the world feel even more real and immersive.

If you’re a fan of political fantasy with a twisty plot, morally grey characters, and a magic system that feels fresh, The Raven Scholar is a must-read. It’s got it all: heartbreak, humor, a touch of romance, and an ending that will leave you desperate for the next book. Seriously, is there a sequel coming? Because I need it!

I don’t usually read a bunch epic fantasy, especially ones that clock in at 600+ pages but the synopsis for The Raven Scholar really stood out to me. The world and characters pulled me in from the very start. The pacing is slower in the beginning, but it does a great job setting the stage for the tournament and introducing us to the contenders.

I really enjoyed the murder mystery woven through the plot. It kept me guessing and I loved how the pieces gradually clicked into place. The last couple hundred pages were an absolute whirlwind, I found myself torn between racing ahead to find out what happened next and pausing to really sit with the reveals and let them sink in.

And I can’t talk about this book without mentioning one of my all-time favourite tropes: talking animal companions. Without giving anything away, I’ll just say that this element was an absolute highlight for me.

The book starts off focusing on two twins who have just reached a stage of maturity in their society as they travel to visit the emperor. It turns out their father was a rebel many years ago and tried to overthrow the emperor and the story starts from there. Except it doesn't exactly, as it flips then to focus on Neema - the titular Raven Scholar. For some reason the empire decides who is going to control the empire for 24 years at a time by having a series of trials set up by each of the 8 main houses of the Gods and then also fighting each other on a daily basis to gain points. I did struggle to get into the book as the main character is supposed to be unlikeable - a know it all who signed an order of exile and fated a teenager to her death because she wanted to show off her calligraphy as much as anything - but there are layers to Neema - and to the book as a whole. It turns out that the story you think you know might not be quite as it seems and there are reveals and twists and turns throughout the story. The cast is large and this didn't help me engage with the story, but it did payoff and after slogging through the first 45% of the book I flew through the rest. There is a lot of politics, scheming, trials, secrets, historical tales being exposed, mythical/legendary/holy creatures becoming more present in the living realm. There is a LOT going on and I've no idea where the author could take it in the sequel but I am interested to find out.

Amazing new fantasy with fantastic characters! Already can’t wait for more in this series, would definitely recommend to fantasy lovers

Really enjoyable, especially the first two thirds with the mystery. Enjoyed the intrigue and twists and turns, always happy when i cant guess whats going to happen next!

This book is filled with deadly trials, a complicated mystery and super interesting characters. I absolutely love the way this book is written, and the unique narration. The perspective really helps to add a sense of humor to the plot, without taking anything away from the complex story. World building is always important for me, and I wholey fell into this world; it clearly has a fully developed history and details that I'm sure expand far beyond the page.

I cannot overstate how much I love Neema. She is the main character, and our Raven Scholar - she's flawed and socially awkward and it makes her so relatable. Following her as she is thrust into deadly trials whilst simultaneously trying to solve a murder mystery is so enthralling, I couldn't wait to pick the book up again to find out what came next. Her intelligence really stood out to me, and I loved reading about the clever way she approaches different conflicts that come her way.

There are so many other amazing characters too, so much so that I think I could read a different story for each of them. I immediately disliked and distrusted Ruko - but he genuinely became one of my favourites to read about. And Cain was fantastic too!!

This book has so much political intrigue, secrets and almost haunting experiences to work through and it leads to a beautiful story, and an absolutely epic start to a series. This book genuinely has something that will appeal to everyone and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

This was another boko that I was drawn to after being heavily influenced by bookstagrammers stating is was a hugely anticipated read.

The writing was really engaging, and kept my attention - which is hard in a world with so many books to read, and not enough ADHD medication to keep me focused. But I was truly, entirely hooked.

I like that the characters felt human in themselves. They're witty, they're flawed, they're smart.
There's so much representation throughout this book, which is always refreshing to see, especially in fantasy genres.
I didn't feel like the characters pulled the plot along, but similarly, they didn't get dragged along by the plot. There's a nice balance between the plot being story driven and character drive, and that balance can be so hard to find. The romance also didn't overshadow the main plotline which was nice too.

This is epic fantasy at it's finest

As a fantasy, The Raven Scholar has all you might wish for – original settings, a good cast of characters with intriguing flaws, political intrigue, magic, rivalries, some underlying romance, humour, and the promise of much more. It’s quite a long read, the beginning somewhat slower than I would have liked, but once it gets into top gear, it is a jolly good escapist read.

4.5 stars

The Raven Scholar is the first installment in this new epic fantasy series. We have magic and myths, a strong worldbuilding, murder, mystery, twists and turns you don't see coming, a nice cast of characters and a playful writing style. All of this combined create an unique, complex story perfect for every fantasy reader! I really enjoyed this journey and I'm very curious to see what will happen next!

This is a great fantasy, with excellent world-building and full of political intrigue. The narrator is unique and witty. Neema's investigation into the murder mystery reveals complex political machinations, all the while blending a bit of mythology into the story. Neema is a very compelling character, and a refreshing change from the clueless 17-year-olds who are not like other girls. She's a grown woman, of colour, on the spectrum, who has difficulties dealing with social skills, and she has great character development. There's some romance, but it's pretty minimal, so it doesn't take the focus away from the plot. I feel like with the rise of romantasy, I've been struggling to find good fantasy books without huge romance storylines, so I liked that it wasn't at all the most important thing here. I really don't have much criticism about this book, besides that it was a bit too long at times. I saw so many friends giving it 5 stars and I can totally understand why; the only reason I'm not is that I think I'm growing out of this genre and don't enjoy it as much as I used to. But I still liked this book enough that I think I'll pick up the second one!

Takes a minute to get in to but when I was in it, I was in it!! I laughed, I gasped, couldn’t put it down.

Emperor Bersun is stepping down after his full term of 24 years and as ancient tradition demands, each of the 7 guardian houses put up a contender to compete for the throne. Unpopular house of the Raven Scholar and imperial advisor Neema, is looking forward to a quiet life outside of court once her emperor steps aside. Nothing quite goes to plan when a contender is murdered. As Neema looks in to this, the person who thinks she knows everything finds that things aren’t as they seem.

It is sooooo good. Very long but I don’t mind. Patrick Rothfuss fans this will ease the (long) ache in between the Kingkiller chronicles!

It’s been ages since I’ve read fantasy, not romantasy, and this has everything! Superb world building, really multifaceted characters, a tight tight plot and humour! It’s actually really funny in places. I feel like sometimes humour can detract from the seriousness of the plot and almost break you out of it, but that doesn’t happen here! Everything in the world created is as it should be, I was fully walking around immersed in the space and the rules the author had created.

Just read it, please.

Thank you #netgalley and #hodderbooks for my #arc

What a fantastic read this was! I’d been so hyped to get to it after seeing friends rave about it, and it absolutely lived up to my expectations. Over 650 pages - and it read so smoothly the entire time. Wow!

The Raven Scholar is the first book in a new high fantasy trilogy, filled with compelling political intrigue, trials for the throne, and a (teeny tiny but oh-so-precious) touch of romance. It's written in a witty, occasionally humorous tone, narrated by an interesting, if sometimes unreliable, narrator (the Raven).

As per tradition, the Emperor is about to step down after 24 years on the throne, and seven contenders are competing to take his place. But when the Raven contender is murdered the night before the trials begin, High Scholar Neema is forced to take her place and solve the murder at the same time. Given her history with the victim, many suspect Neema herself, and she becomes determined to uncover the real killer. Her investigation pulls her into a web of intrigue far more dangerous than she bargained for. With the help of a contender with ties to her past and a rising mythical power trying to reach her, Neema must survive the trials and bring the truth to light.

I absolutely loved the layers of intrigue and political machinations that unfold throughout the novel. And the twists - wow! While I suspected a couple of things, the way the plot twisted and turned still caught me off guard in the best way. The author has crafted a brilliant, multilayered story, and the way this world's mythology is woven into the narrative is great!

The constantly shifting character dynamics kept me guessing who to trust right until the end. Neema’s development as a protagonist, and as an unwilling contender for the throne, was both believable and engaging. A couple of characters really stole my heart (though I won’t say who to avoid spoilers!), and that tiny hint of romance was so sweet and promising. I'm rooting for more of it in future books!

Overall, this is an excellent fantasy novel I’d recommend to anyone who loves high fantasy with a side of murder mystery. I already can’t wait to read the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free review copy.

What I loved right away: the protagonist is over 30, highly intelligent, on the autism spectrum, and a person of color. Social interaction isn't her strong suit—she often rubs people the wrong way, really just wants to do her job at the emperor’s court well, and be left alone. Naturally, that’s not how things go…

After 24 years, the emperor wants to abdicate and organizes a competition to choose his successor. Among seven candidates from different houses, a winner is to be determined. Unfortunately, the representative of the House of the Raven (which Neema belongs to) dies the day before the competition. Since Neema finds the body, she’s tasked with investigating what happened—and at the same time, representing the deceased in the competition…

With lots of dry humor, sensitivity, and perfect timing, Hodgson tells a story that is incredibly fun to read. Both plot and characters are equally central here. Neema might not come across as likable at first, but she is always disciplined and focused on her work. I especially loved her character development—she has to push herself out of her comfort zone, but stays true to who she is, and what seem like weaknesses often turn out to be strengths. This is exactly how I love seeing people on the autism spectrum portrayed!

As a subplot, there's a romance on equal footing that always felt believable to me and never overshadowed the main plot. Cain is Neema’s ex-boyfriend—they’ve known each other since childhood and are comfortable with each other, even if they don’t always agree. Their love is based on a deep friendship, which you can feel in every interaction between them.

I don’t want to reveal too much about the animal companion—only that he’s one of the best and most entertaining companions I’ve ever come across.

The fast-paced story had me hooked from start to finish, with emotional moments that hit just right and humor that kept things from ever getting too dark.

The Raven Scholar is the first book in the Eternal Path Trilogy—I truly hope the author writes quickly so I won’t have to wait long for the sequel.

This book was an absolute highlight for me: 5 stars plus!

The Raven Scholar takes place in the empire of Orrun, where the empire is bringing his reign to an end. To choose the next ruler, seven contenders will compete in a series of trials. Trained at rival monasteries, each contender is inspired by a sacred animal - Fox, Raven, Tiger, Ox, Bear, Monkey, and Hound. They are exceptional warriors, thinkers, strategists - the best of the best. When one of them is murdered, it falls to the brilliant but idiosyncratic Neema Kraa to investigate. But as she hunts for a killer, darker forces are gathering. If Neema succeeds, she could win the throne - whether she wants it or not. But if she fails, she will sentence herself to death, and doom the empire.

The Raven Scholar is what I would call a perfect fantasy book. It had everything I could want in an epic fantasy, and any moment that I was not reading this book, I was thinking about reading this book.

Firstly, the world-building was fantastic and not overly complicated. The gods being eight different animals/mythical creatures was really interesting, and the lore surrounding them was fascinating. The history of the empire was sprinkled into the prose in a way that didn’t feel overly dense or like a big info dump.

I also loved the writing style. It’s witty and sometimes humorous, and this book plays with different points of view in a really fun and unique way. There is a certain (magnificent) point of view from a character that I just adored. Their point of view created fluidity in the narrative, and allowed the reader to glimpse scenes and characters that would have otherwise been closed off.

Despite being almost 700 pages, there is zero filler in this book. The plot does not let up for a second. There’s a murder to solve, a deadly competition, meddling gods, and political intrigue and conspiracies to unravel. There were twists upon twists, reveals and betrayals, and I could not tell where the story was going.

I loved the FMC, Neema. She was brilliant, intelligent, ambitious, and a little socially awkward. I was rooting for her throughout the whole book, and her growth was great. The side characters all had detailed backstories and their own motivations. The character dynamics were ever shifting, and I found it very interesting how many of the characters were tied together by an event that happened in the prologue, eight years previously, and how it had shaped them all in different ways.

There was a sprinkling of romance in this book. I would not even call it a subplot as it was such a small part of the story, but I really enjoyed the crumbs we got!

The ending of this book was explosive, and I am so excited to read the second instalment in this trilogy and find out what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. for some parts, I absolutely loved it, but others I felt that it DRAGGED. I'm rating it three stars to begin with as I am unsure how I feel and whether I think that I will continue with this series. Part of me thinks that this book could've been a little shorter and I think that the formatting on my kindle didn't help with the reading and getting into the book.

I do feel like the odd one out as the vast majority of the reviews I have seen for this book have been absolutely glowing so I am more than willing to reread this in the future to see if my thoughts change - I could've read it at the wrong time and just wasn't vibing with it because of that. The first perspective of Yana at the very start of the book set my expectations HIGH. Like I was completely gripped and wanted to keep reading, but as the novel progressed, my interest kept piquing and then falling. The world building was brilliant nonetheless and thought it was so brilliantly crafted.

This book is LOOOOOONG and I think that this could have been a bit shorter and some aspects cut and edited to be shorter. I am willing to read the finished copy to see if there are any differences. The trials didn't feel as important as they should've been for me. They felt kinda low-stakes?? I'm not sure if anyone else had the same feeling or if I have been reading a lot of trial-based books recently and I am comparing to that.

This book has a lot of potential and I still highly recommend it, but I think there is just slightly too much going on in here. But, it is still a good fantasy book! Thank you for the chance to read it.