Scan barcode
A review by allisonwonderlandreads
Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra
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!