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A review by wingfooted
The Raven King by Nora Sakavic
5.0
I mentioned in my review of the first book that, first and foremost, a huge suspension of disbelief is necessary to get through these books. That holds true for the second book as well, but I'm not going to dock it any stars for that this time. I figure if you've made it through the first book and continued on, it's not a big problem for you.
What I love about this book is the sheer level of humanization that happened with the characters. Our villains are still largely just that, but our anti-heroes are really coming into their own. I hated most of the protagonists in the first book. They were horrible and cruel and seemed genuinely unlikable. This book took that, acknowledged it, and gave us a huge dose of "why" to help us empathize with those characters. It took me from strong dislike for them to a protective streak a mile wide. I love each of these characters now for different reasons. They are flawed, but they are beautiful, and I think that is really what this book did well.
Yes, the story was interesting and had me drawn in as well, but the true strength here was in the revelation of the characters and in watching their interpersonal relationships begin to grow and develop. Watching Neil's perception of the world around him change, watching him integrate himself into this new group of people, watching him learn to relate to them, and watching them slowly begin to learn about him were all things that will stick with me.
This story, enjoyable and engaging though it may be, is absurd. These characters, however, were made real in this book, and it was both energizing and painful to read. I really enjoyed it and am so ready to see how this ridiculous story with these wonderful characters ties up in the third book.
What I love about this book is the sheer level of humanization that happened with the characters. Our villains are still largely just that, but our anti-heroes are really coming into their own. I hated most of the protagonists in the first book. They were horrible and cruel and seemed genuinely unlikable. This book took that, acknowledged it, and gave us a huge dose of "why" to help us empathize with those characters. It took me from strong dislike for them to a protective streak a mile wide. I love each of these characters now for different reasons. They are flawed, but they are beautiful, and I think that is really what this book did well.
Yes, the story was interesting and had me drawn in as well, but the true strength here was in the revelation of the characters and in watching their interpersonal relationships begin to grow and develop. Watching Neil's perception of the world around him change, watching him integrate himself into this new group of people, watching him learn to relate to them, and watching them slowly begin to learn about him were all things that will stick with me.
This story, enjoyable and engaging though it may be, is absurd. These characters, however, were made real in this book, and it was both energizing and painful to read. I really enjoyed it and am so ready to see how this ridiculous story with these wonderful characters ties up in the third book.