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A review by cherithe
The Unkindness of Ravens by Abra Staffin-Wiebe
4.0
I received an Advanced Review Copy of this novella.
Stories about tricksters gods are among some of my favorite and the setting behind the story in The Unkindness of Ravens greatly intrigued me for this reason. I hope to see more of it in the future. There is a splendor and breadth to the background of the world we're introduced to that reminded me of the recent Black Panther movie. Hiding behind the plot is a country divided by houses backed by powerful godly patrons. We meet our main character Anari, royal heir of House Crow and his childhood friend and heir of House Raven, Kayin, as the story begins. And shortly the death of their ruler turns them at odds, kicking off the plot proper.
This is an engaging story, starting with the friendship between Kayin and Anari, and into the struggles of Anari, who is certain his god, Lord Crow, doesn't favor him. Following Anari through a botched assassination attempt which leads him into the heart of the Scorned and a surprising favor owed to him by Lord Crow takes a few surprising turns. I thought I might have figured out the ending before I got there and was happy to have been proven wrong. The story ends with what I hope is a promise for more in this world, whether it follows after Anari or not.
Stories about tricksters gods are among some of my favorite and the setting behind the story in The Unkindness of Ravens greatly intrigued me for this reason. I hope to see more of it in the future. There is a splendor and breadth to the background of the world we're introduced to that reminded me of the recent Black Panther movie. Hiding behind the plot is a country divided by houses backed by powerful godly patrons. We meet our main character Anari, royal heir of House Crow and his childhood friend and heir of House Raven, Kayin, as the story begins. And shortly the death of their ruler turns them at odds, kicking off the plot proper.
This is an engaging story, starting with the friendship between Kayin and Anari, and into the struggles of Anari, who is certain his god, Lord Crow, doesn't favor him. Following Anari through a botched assassination attempt which leads him into the heart of the Scorned and a surprising favor owed to him by Lord Crow takes a few surprising turns. I thought I might have figured out the ending before I got there and was happy to have been proven wrong. The story ends with what I hope is a promise for more in this world, whether it follows after Anari or not.