I said I wasn't going to get emotionally attached to characters I shouldn't, and then you'll never guess what I did next...

The Raven Scholar has been at the top of my TBR for a while because a fantasy murder mystery with a magical tournament sounds like something I would love, so I was surprised when it took me a week to finish because I thought for sure I'd binge it in a few days. I say this because I plan to reread this whenever we get an idea of when the sequel will release, since I think my experience with my first read through was tainted by life circumstances and a lack of time. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had more time and attention to devote to it, because I the first half in five days the second half in two.

In Orrun, the next emperor is chosen through a tournament, and now 7 competitors make their bid for the throne...until one of them is murdered. This book is part murder mystery, part tournament, and part political intrigue. There are a lot of moving pieces, which was both good and bad at different times. The first 25% of the book was mostly set-up for the actual plot to begin, which is probably why I struggled so much to get invested. The first half of the book was fairly slow; there were investigations, yes, and challenges, yes, but I didn't really feel the weight of the stakes and it felt like the action and plot was buried in political intrigue conversations that I wasn't really interested in. I found the second half to be much more enjoyable, as the stakes rose and the challenges became, well, more challenging. By the end, I was fully invested and I'm mad that we don't even have a release date for book 2 at this point, but it took me around 3/4 of the book to truly care about the characters and plot. Again, I think some of this was a matter of my inability to focus because of life things, so I'll be interested to see how my feelings change when I read it again. The plot twists shocked me (I'm not sure if I'm mad yet about how impossible they probably are to guess), which was fun because they spiced up some of the slower sections. The last 15% was very fast-paced, action-packed, and suspenseful, so I need the next book ASAP.

I say it a lot with high fantasy, but this book is one that I think would've benefitted from a dramatis personae. There weren't that many characters and I did remember most of them, but it took me a bit to get to know them, and by the time I was invested, I couldn't recall the beginnings of their arcs as well as I wanted to. I liked Neema as a main character because I love when scholarly types are forced to do non-scholarly things. She's curious and bold enough to make her intriguing to follow, and she felt like a good lens to see the world through. I adored Cain (a bad decision, probably) because we all know I love the snarky boy with the likely tragic past. Some people have said they found Neema and Cain's developing relationship underwhelming and think it should've been removed, but I entirely disagree. I don't usually care for romance in stories, but I really liked their dynamics and was rooting for them the whole time. I went back and forth between loving Ruko and hating him; at the end, I think I've decided that he better join our found family flock in the future. Sol is amazing and I need more animal sidekicks in books. Tala was a cool character that I wish I'd paid more attention to, but I kept confusing her and Katsun so I'll keep that in mind for my next read. I didn't have strong opinions on most of the other characters because I never trust anyone in murder mysteries, but again, I think that will change on a reread.

The Raven Scholar is the first book in a fantasy mystery trilogy featuring a magical tournament, perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and The Will of the Many.

4/5

"This is my comfort book," I say as they drag me away, kicking and screaming. (It really is a comfort read though.)

"'There.' I lean across to tuck [a flower] behind his ear. 'Everything useless around here is beautifully decorated. I wouldn't want you to feel left out.'"

I thought I was emotionally prepared for The Isles of the Gods this time, but it turns out I was wrong. This book has so many amazing quotes and tropes and I love it so much. The story follows Selly (a sailor), Leander (a prince), and Keegan (a scholar) as they sail to the Isles of the Gods to make an overdue sacrifice to their goddess in order to prevent a war. While I will say that I remember it being a bit more action-packed, the banter is impeccable and the character dynamics carry the story. There's a sense of danger, but I'm hoping for more (and more angst) from book two. Also, the ending is cruel and the world is unjust and I am sad. Like I said, the characters are absolutely amazing. Selly is the main female protagonist and she's so stubborn and strong but also genuinely cool. Keegan is literally me (a bookworm who could care less about romance) except he doesn't want to be on the adventure. Leander is ... look, he's one of my favorite book characters of all time. A spoiled, snarky prince who uses sarcasm to hide his insecurities? What more could I ask for? I like Jude's character, but I did not like Laskia at all. Also, I'm hoping for more Anselm and Galen backstory because the one chapter we got was so sad and good. I will become a monster the moment book two releases and I will recommend this book to anyone and everyone who crosses my path. 4.5/5

‘I didn’t think any sort of romantic entanglement suited you, Wollesley.’ ‘Correct.’ ‘Better a book than a person?’ ‘A book rarely lets you down,’ he says crisply. ‘You will find friends in its pages when they are nowhere else’”(pages 173-174)

Amie Kaufman, how dare you do this to me! That ending was just plain cruel! Pirates? Multiple POV? Magic systems focused on sacrifice? Banter? Only-one-bed trope? A character who hates romance because why fall in love when there’s books? I adored this book so much but now I have to wait another year to find out what happens next. Selly, Leander, and Keegan might be one of my favorite book trios of all time.