Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: December 14, 2021
Format: eARC
“I have always known no one is coming to save me. No one could. Expecting otherwise is foolish, and I will need my strength about me for what’s coming, won’t I?”
Sarah M. Cradit’s The Raven and the Rush is an imaginative, beautiful read perfect for fans of epic fantasy. If you love authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, or Leigh Bardugo then you should definitely give The Book of All Things series a try.
The beginning of the book does have a slow start (there were a couple of times I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep going), but once you get past all the character introductions and information that the author needs to provide it is amazing! Ms. Cradit did a great job utilizing multiple narrators and points of view to tell the story. It was a bit jarring at first to switch the point of view so suddenly (i.e. in the middle of a paragraph without a page break or something similar as a signal), but I found it to be less of a problem as the book progressed. The voices of the narrators were distinct as well - there was never an issue in determining who was talking (even without the benefit of context).
Everything felt so real and immersive in the story. I’m a die-hard fantasy reader (fantasy makes up more than half of what I read), so it always excites me when an author does a great job in worldbuilding. From the actual world and the social dynamics (i.e. politics and alliances) to the very relatable characters, Ms. Cradit made the transition into the world of her imagination seamless. Ms. Credit also took me through a whole whirlwind of emotions - from happiness and excitement to cringing and gagging (once you read about the Lagenacht you will understand why I was cringing and gagging). While I loved Rhosyn and Evra, my favorite character in the book was Meira.
The romance and the chemistry in this book were off the charts. Despite their very different upbringings, Rhosyn and Evra have a lot in common. For example, they both have serious family issues (though Rhosyn’s are worse in my opinion - again, read the book and find out what the Lagenacht is). They also both have issues that the other can help them solve. For those who might be curious, the steam or heat level is mild. Intimate moments are mentioned, but nothing is described in explicit detail.
Overall, a fantastic start to a new YA fantasy series. Looking forward to the next book, The Sylvan and the Sand! Thank you to the author for allowing me to read an early copy of the book! I enjoyed it so much that I purchased a full eBook copy.
Escape into this story of fractured duty and forbidden love weaving together a fate bigger than man, bigger than magic.
Evrathedyn Blackrook whiles his days away at university, blissfully oblivious to the horrors afflicting his homeland. He escapes into dusty books, content as a second son.
Rhosynora Ravenwood spends her sleepless nights fantasizing of ways to escape her icy, suffocating dynasty. To flee her birthright is to invite a traitor’s penance. To stay is another kind of death.
But time and fate have a way of mending all mistakes.
Evra soon finds himself the new Lord Blackrook. His inheritance is a plague-ridden land, the pyres from his late father’s campaign against magic still smoldering.
His realm’s future in the balance, he travels beyond his borders to a remote northern hamlet, where he meets Rhosyn. The spark between them is immediate; the suspicion even stronger. In Rhosyn, Evra sees her rare magic as the perfect answer to his troubles. In Evra, Rhosyn sees everything wrong with the depraved world of men.
But Evra is out of options. And Rhosyn is out of time.
As they resist the undeniable, forbidden bond growing between them, Evra’s dawning horror of Rhosyn’s fate brings him to an impossible choice.
His home, or her?
Sarah is the USA Today Bestselling Author of Epic, Contemporary, and Paranormal Fantasy. An unabashed geek, Sarah enjoys studying subjects like the Plantagenet and Ptolemaic dynasties, and settling debates on provocative Tolkien topics such as why the Great Eagles are not Gandalf's personal taxi service. Passionate about travel, Sarah has visited over twenty countries collecting sparks of inspiration (though New Orleans is where her heart rests). She's a self-professed expert at crafting original songs to sing to her very patient pets and a seasoned professional at finding ways to humiliate herself (bonus points if it happens in public). When at home in Pennsylvania, her husband and best friend, James, is very kind about indulging her love of fast German cars and expensive lattes.
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