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agascuseme's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
caylieratzlaff's review
4.0
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4.5/5 stars
WOWZA. This was SO good. It was the perfect blend of action, adventure, court politics and intrigue, fantasy, and romance. As the plot continued, I was constantly astounded by the different plot twists and actions that had plot altering consequences. I truly couldn't see any of the plot twists coming, and I didn't want to put this book down in the small chunks of time I found to read it.
While Katya is a typically YA protagonist, she is, what I would consider, morally grey. This is compared to the a population of monster banishers/spiritual presence that exist as a faction in the book. The teachings of meditation and spiritual power often contrast with Katya's desire for revenge.
The romance was beautiful, but I also appreciated how it wasn't the focus of the plot. I love how the plot focused on Katya and Daaksh working together and becoming friends before exploring their romance.
The inclusion of South Asian culture and mythology wasn't overdone, with only some select mythological creatures and elements of religion and magic steeping in the world.
This was just...good. It was a good book. I hope there's a chance for more, because the way it ended left me wanting more in this world and to see what happens with Katya, Daaksh, and Revaa.
WOWZA. This was SO good. It was the perfect blend of action, adventure, court politics and intrigue, fantasy, and romance. As the plot continued, I was constantly astounded by the different plot twists and actions that had plot altering consequences. I truly couldn't see any of the plot twists coming, and I didn't want to put this book down in the small chunks of time I found to read it.
While Katya is a typically YA protagonist, she is, what I would consider, morally grey. This is compared to the a population of monster banishers/spiritual presence that exist as a faction in the book. The teachings of meditation and spiritual power often contrast with Katya's desire for revenge.
The romance was beautiful, but I also appreciated how it wasn't the focus of the plot. I love how the plot focused on Katya and Daaksh working together and becoming friends before exploring their romance.
The inclusion of South Asian culture and mythology wasn't overdone, with only some select mythological creatures and elements of religion and magic steeping in the world.
This was just...good. It was a good book. I hope there's a chance for more, because the way it ended left me wanting more in this world and to see what happens with Katya, Daaksh, and Revaa.
cupidtuals's review
4.0
1 star off because i wish everything was a little more fleshed out. i think this would have excelled as a duology. it had a great premise and story, but the middle parts felt mushed together like the author was trying to fit it all in one book. and that took away from the experience because eid how complex the plot was.
besides that, however, i absolutely love this. an indian high fantasy novel with a strong fmc and revenge story. found family. slowburn romance. magic and good vs evil. so much backstory so many characters. so much to unpack. katya has my heart and all i wanted through the book was for her to have the happiness she deserves.
besides that, however, i absolutely love this. an indian high fantasy novel with a strong fmc and revenge story. found family. slowburn romance. magic and good vs evil. so much backstory so many characters. so much to unpack. katya has my heart and all i wanted through the book was for her to have the happiness she deserves.
_alyssaslibrary_'s review
4.0
thank you netgalley for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review!
4.5*
this was such a good ya fantasy book! this follows katyani, the protector of the crown princes, and her journey battling grief and betrayal from a great tragedy. she also meets daksh along the way, who slowly breaks down the barriers around her.
i loved daksh sooooo much he was so cute and such a great character. you could tell how much he loved his country, his father, and the people around him through his actions even though he didn’t say much around everyone. katyani was so funny and her banter with daksh actually made me laugh. their relationship was a very small sub-plot and this was very plot heavy which i actually really enjoyed. i liked how they kept wanting one another throughout the whole book and they didn’t get together sooner, it made everything more enjoyable.
overall this was a great read and i definitely recommend this :)
4.5*
this was such a good ya fantasy book! this follows katyani, the protector of the crown princes, and her journey battling grief and betrayal from a great tragedy. she also meets daksh along the way, who slowly breaks down the barriers around her.
i loved daksh sooooo much he was so cute and such a great character. you could tell how much he loved his country, his father, and the people around him through his actions even though he didn’t say much around everyone. katyani was so funny and her banter with daksh actually made me laugh. their relationship was a very small sub-plot and this was very plot heavy which i actually really enjoyed. i liked how they kept wanting one another throughout the whole book and they didn’t get together sooner, it made everything more enjoyable.
overall this was a great read and i definitely recommend this :)
thindbooks's review
3.0
This was a good book which is about Katyani who protects the royal family and escorts a royal off in the gurukul where she discovers that she needs to find out about her truth through all the betrayals. When I first started the book, I wasn't completely enjoying it. But the storyline did get better after the conflicts started to come in and I understood the main character more. I really loved the world that the author created in this book which was easy to understand and so magic also unique. Mostly about the writing, I enjoyed the setting which was medieval India where there are spirits and monsters in the land. There was also a theme of the found family which I thought was cute for the book as it made it a great story.
The main character in this book is Katyani. She is a guard for the royals and loves them as her family. I enjoyed her character development in this book and she kind of reminded me a little of Celeana in some ways. There were also many side characters in this book who you will absolutely love especially Daksh. Why? Because the bantering between the two is so good that I love it. But the sad part was that the romance sucked. The romance was a slow burn with a bit of hate to love but the thing was that the romance felt so forced. Yes, the banter and tension were there but not in the sense of romance and it wasn't throughout the whole book. As a romance sucker, I was disappointed.
The ending was well done but when I realized there was barely any romance, I was sad. The world-building and storyline were so good but the lack of romance kind of dropped the stars because there was so much potential for this book. I think many people will love this book if they prefer no romance because the fantasy story is still great and I know so many readers prefer no romance. I still recommend this book but it just wasn't for me.
*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*
The main character in this book is Katyani. She is a guard for the royals and loves them as her family. I enjoyed her character development in this book and she kind of reminded me a little of Celeana in some ways. There were also many side characters in this book who you will absolutely love especially Daksh. Why? Because the bantering between the two is so good that I love it. But the sad part was that the romance sucked. The romance was a slow burn with a bit of hate to love but the thing was that the romance felt so forced. Yes, the banter and tension were there but not in the sense of romance and it wasn't throughout the whole book. As a romance sucker, I was disappointed.
The ending was well done but when I realized there was barely any romance, I was sad. The world-building and storyline were so good but the lack of romance kind of dropped the stars because there was so much potential for this book. I think many people will love this book if they prefer no romance because the fantasy story is still great and I know so many readers prefer no romance. I still recommend this book but it just wasn't for me.
*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*
shannonxo's review
5.0
And if I stayed up until past 2 am to finish this, what's it to you? I'm an adult. And sleep is for the weak.
Can't believe I left this languishing on my night table for months before finally getting around to it. I'm obsessed. I couldn't put it down. I loved every minute of it. I just—*collapses on my bed in despair that it's over*
This was just too good. The political machinations, the lies and betrayal, the twists—all of it was so well written! Throw in the magic and bloodthirsty monsters and spirits and it was everything I needed. Every character was so well thought out and used to their full power in life and in their death.
And the sweet little romance! Daksh and Katyani have my whole heart and then some and I would die for a second book of just them on a monster-bashing adventure.
Can't believe I left this languishing on my night table for months before finally getting around to it. I'm obsessed. I couldn't put it down. I loved every minute of it. I just—*collapses on my bed in despair that it's over*
This was just too good. The political machinations, the lies and betrayal, the twists—all of it was so well written! Throw in the magic and bloodthirsty monsters and spirits and it was everything I needed. Every character was so well thought out and used to their full power in life and in their death.
And the sweet little romance! Daksh and Katyani have my whole heart and then some and I would die for a second book of just them on a monster-bashing adventure.
wannabebard's review
4.0
The world building and narrative of this book was beautiful. The love story was a side note, but I liked the ride.
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
In Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove, Katyani is a royal bodyguard who's been the queen's bondswoman since childhood. A shared butterfly tattoo is the external marker of the magical internal bond that connects them, sending emotions and impressions constantly back and forth. It makes Katyani a devoted servant and a fiercely protective surrogate daughter. The bond resulted from powerful magic used by the queen to save Katyani's life as a toddler. Though the practice is morally ambiguous at best, Katya feels nothing but grateful for the act that saved her life and gave her a family, and she can't imagine living at a distance from the queen. At the start of the story, we find Katya repelling assassination attempts on the royal family before she's ordered to go with the princes, the brothers of her heart, to a school deep in the monster-infested forest of Nandovana. The guru there is known for his spiritual power and moral authority, offering practical and ethical training that's revered far and wide. There, Katya is stressed by her separation from the queen, especially when war brews and assassins roam, uncaught. She reluctantly falls into a rhythm of learning and reflection despite her not particularly scholarly bent. She enjoys teasing the guru's upright, sheltered son, Daksh, befriends the few other women, and looks out for her brothers. When an emergency calls the trio home prematurely, it's only the start of Katyani's fraught, transformative journey.
Katya is an ideal protagonist in that she's easy to cheer for and fun to follow. Impish and irrepressible at times and dutiful and devoted in others (or all at once), we get to see her grow into her complexity, even if the circumstances that push her to evolve are horrific. Throughout the book, she becomes more thoughtful and balanced without losing her spark of mischief or need for action. We also get to see her relationships shift and enter new phases, some for the better and others for the worse. Either way, they pack an emotional punch, and the author not only respects the challenges of this growth but also shows the grey areas of feeling that come from powerful connections with other people. I got genuinely emotional at several points as Katya navigates her sometimes seemingly contradictory feelings for those she loves-- opportunities are lost, circumstances interfere, and endings come too soon.
Like the many-faceted characters, the settings also drew me in with rich descriptions, whether in a forest or a palace. World-building enhances these scenes rather than existing as separate chunks. Different monsters, spirits, and spiritual abilities are extensions of the places and peoples Katya encounters. We are invited on the journey without needing to know too much detail on the how or why. This makes it a supremely accessible fantasy read regardless of the reader's affinity for the genre.
I appreciated the pockets of social commentary accompanying the story. We see Katya reckon with history and its telling, the bad actions of good people and vice versa. We also see her confront smaller but no less important inconsistencies. Katya's impish views towards the monkish insistence on celibacy and quiet reflection are a foundation of her teasing of Daksh and also a funny aside for the reader. She especially questions the guru's rules that put special limitations on women and how they interact with men, not only from a basic gender level but also from a queer lens.
On this odyssey, Katya meets challenging truths with fortitude and grace. She grows even when it's uncomfortable and holds onto empathy even when it's not the easiest path. This ya fantasy is a stunning standalone steeped in subtle but meaningful world-building, treating readers to a lush map of people and places. I was honored to join Katya on her journey. Thanks to Wednesday Books for my copy to read and review!
Katya is an ideal protagonist in that she's easy to cheer for and fun to follow. Impish and irrepressible at times and dutiful and devoted in others (or all at once), we get to see her grow into her complexity, even if the circumstances that push her to evolve are horrific. Throughout the book, she becomes more thoughtful and balanced without losing her spark of mischief or need for action. We also get to see her relationships shift and enter new phases, some for the better and others for the worse. Either way, they pack an emotional punch, and the author not only respects the challenges of this growth but also shows the grey areas of feeling that come from powerful connections with other people. I got genuinely emotional at several points as Katya navigates her sometimes seemingly contradictory feelings for those she loves-- opportunities are lost, circumstances interfere, and endings come too soon.
Like the many-faceted characters, the settings also drew me in with rich descriptions, whether in a forest or a palace. World-building enhances these scenes rather than existing as separate chunks. Different monsters, spirits, and spiritual abilities are extensions of the places and peoples Katya encounters. We are invited on the journey without needing to know too much detail on the how or why. This makes it a supremely accessible fantasy read regardless of the reader's affinity for the genre.
I appreciated the pockets of social commentary accompanying the story. We see Katya reckon with history and its telling, the bad actions of good people and vice versa. We also see her confront smaller but no less important inconsistencies. Katya's impish views towards the monkish insistence on celibacy and quiet reflection are a foundation of her teasing of Daksh and also a funny aside for the reader. She especially questions the guru's rules that put special limitations on women and how they interact with men, not only from a basic gender level but also from a queer lens.
On this odyssey, Katya meets challenging truths with fortitude and grace. She grows even when it's uncomfortable and holds onto empathy even when it's not the easiest path. This ya fantasy is a stunning standalone steeped in subtle but meaningful world-building, treating readers to a lush map of people and places. I was honored to join Katya on her journey. Thanks to Wednesday Books for my copy to read and review!
samidonovan's review
4.0
3.5 - i struggled with connecting to these characters, partly due to the audiobook narrator not having distinctive character voices so i had a hard time knowing who our main character was interacting with. around the 80% mark i thought the story was over but there was still another 2 hours which made it feel longer than it was, but i actually really enjoyed the ending. this story packs so much into it that i didn't always enjoy the pacing but once i got into the story, which took longer than usual, i was into the adventure and panic of the events, feeling a lot of concern about how things would turn out.
leapearlreads's review
4.0
Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove is a wonderfully crafted story. Anyone who loves upper-YA Fantasy with political intrigue should give it a go. It's fast-paced, brimming with action, and has an enemies-to-lovers subplot that any romance fan will enjoy!
Katyani is a fantastic FMC...she's strong and independent. She goes through a lot in this book and still doesn't waver. I absolutely adored her.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of and I would've liked a little more depth to some...they weren't as fleshed out as they could be and I felt like their actions weren't super clear, but perhaps that'll change if there's another book (I would love another book ;)).
It was actually difficult to give this book only four stars as I enjoyed it so, so much, but the pacing was a bit too quick. The plot moves very fast and I think that ended up hurting the story. I would've preferred to linger a bit before moving onto the next scene. This book could've easily been longer.
All in all, a wonderful book and I genuinely hope there is more written!
Thank you Wednesday Books for the ARC to read and honestly review!
Katyani is a fantastic FMC...she's strong and independent. She goes through a lot in this book and still doesn't waver. I absolutely adored her.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of and I would've liked a little more depth to some...they weren't as fleshed out as they could be and I felt like their actions weren't super clear, but perhaps that'll change if there's another book (I would love another book ;)).
It was actually difficult to give this book only four stars as I enjoyed it so, so much, but the pacing was a bit too quick. The plot moves very fast and I think that ended up hurting the story. I would've preferred to linger a bit before moving onto the next scene. This book could've easily been longer.
All in all, a wonderful book and I genuinely hope there is more written!
Thank you Wednesday Books for the ARC to read and honestly review!