This is a genre I don’t usually read. However I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book and can not get through the series fast enough now that I’ve started it. I’m enjoying it so much. The author has won me over and I’m a fan and will be reading all of her books from now on! I think these books are great for teens and adults.

This was a wild ride! I loved reading the first book in Morgan's new series, and can't wait to pick up the others in the series!

Feelings!!

Wowsa, this book was fabulous! The worldbuilding, characters, character arcs, and themes blended together to create a fantasy masterpiece with a beautiful soul.

Mark of the Raven is a fabulous start to an upper YA fantasy series. With a slow build of tension, author Morgan L. Busse begins world building through the dysfunctional family dynamics of the royal House of Ravenwood as Lady Selene begins to learn some of the secrets of the women of her family.

This is a story of rival houses and rival siblings, magical gifts that are secret and known, and the growing discontent of Lady Selene. As she experiences what it is to wield the gifts of the Dark Lady and begins acquaintances with her contemporaries in the other Houses, a fascinating world and riveting story unfold.

With an ending that left me impatient to continue with the trilogy, and an introduction to a story thread of faith that is sure to grow, this is upper YA that will delight the adult reader as well as those in the upper YA demographic. Highly recommended.

This review refers to a digital galley read through NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

I would like to thank Bethany House Publisher and Netgalley for this partnership.

There is Selene, who is the heir to a large house in Ravenwood. She has great power and a dark secret. She must kill the man who wants to destroy his family except that he is the only one who can bring peace. She will have to make a choice that could cost her dearly.

I struggled to connect with the story but in the end I loved this first book. Looking forward to discovering the rest.

Boy am I glad I got the opportunity to read this book! I do enjoy fantasy novels every now and then - I really have to be in the mood for them. And while I may not have totally been in the mood when I started this one, it did not take long for that to change. If this is how Busse writes all of her stories, then I need to read them. All of them!

The beginning of the book may have been a tad slow for me, but it's necessary to understand all the characters, the background of the world you're reading about, and to build hype for what's to come. The more I read, the more fascinated I became. It didn't take too long for the pages to move a bit quicker, and the storyline to really pick up. The last third of the book - well there was no way I was reading that in pieces! Busse just really draws you in. Reading isn't a choice, it's a must!

Selene really captured my attention from the start. I could tell she was a little different then her overbearing, evil mother, but I wasn't exactly sure how it was going to all play out. Busse wrote her story better then I could have ever imagined. And while I can't really go into detail about what drew me into Selene's character (it just gives too much away), I can say this - I think there's a little bit of Selene in all of us. She's torn between two things, much like we are (although probably not to her extent). She's so easy to connect with, cheer for, and hope for.

Damien, well he's what every girl thinks she wants. A guy who will stand up for what's right. A guy who will make sacrifices to protect his people. But you see a slight vulnerability with Damien, and that is what did it for me. He's not perfect, he has insecurities, and at the end of the day he's just trying to do his best.

I'm actually glad that I started this series late, because there is no way with a cliff hanging ending like this one I would be able to wait a long time for the next book to come out! And now....onto the next :)

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mark of the Raven by Morgan Busse captures the essence of light and darkness within an ingenious package of daunting expectations and ingenious characterizations. . . . . .taking its readers on a journey that leads straight to their souls. "There were no choices, her future was dark and bleak."


As heir apparent to the House of Ravenwood, Selene has just been gifted; she's now a dream walker, and according to her mother, a surprisingly powerful one. Curious about an ability that the other six regions of her kingdom thought was destroyed, she listens as Grand Lady Ragna describes the seriousness of honing her skills, for she is to be the savior of her people by . . . controlling the dreams of others to the point of death? It cannot, it must not, be true.


Grand Lord Damien from the House of Waters is convinced that the Seven Houses must unite their gifts in order to avoid an aggressive attack from the nearby Dominia Empire. When called to the House of Ravenwood for a strategy summit, he hopes to build an alliance that will bring peace, the kind of unity that his deceased father longed to establish. Fascinated by the dark beauty that resides in Rook Castle, he cannot help but wonder what kind of strength lies beneath Selene's cold veneer. . . if he only knew, he is about to find out.


"A leader can serve her people by sacrifice and love."

This is a stretch from the genres I usually frequent- fantasy with a gothic feel and religious themes. I enjoyed the story, though I wouldn't recommend reading it before bed.

Initially I thought, I don't know why she's beating herself up; they're only nightmares, it's not like she's actually doing the things in the dreams. Then I thought about some nightmares I've had that caused lingering anguish and the fact that the damage from emotional and mental abuse can oftentimes last longer than physical abuse. And that's what is repeatedly happening in these dreams- mental and emotional abuse. So now I get it.

I enjoyed the world that was built and am intrigued by the mystery. And I like what I've read so far about the religious themes, good vs evil, etc. I'm invested. I want to uncover the history, see this world put back together, families and friendships restored, and I want to see the gifts working the way they were intended.

It felt like Selene and Amara needn't have the animosity between them if Selene made an effort to reach out or show affection, etc. And I wish that Selene was a bit more determined to find a new way rather than give in to feeling trapped and just go along with things. But I think she has potential.

Looking forward to the next book!

You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

Actual rating of 4.5

"The dark lady will be with you tonight."
Selene had no idea how much that one sentence would change her life. Selene is the eldest daughter of House Ravenwood, and the time for her gifting has arrived. Once she receives the gift of House Ravenwood, she learns more about her mother and their ancestors than she cares to know. The empire is threatening to breach the borders of neighbouring houses and Lady Ragna, Selene's mother, refuses to have her house virtually wiped from the map again. So she is ruthless, she trains Selene in the art of dreamwalking and bestows upon her great expectations as well as the weight of making sure House Ravenwood survives and thrives. Selene finds their gift hard to swallow once she learns what her mother has used it for. But she persists and tries to push down the revulsion because it serves their people and protects them. Once an assembly is called to unite the seven Houses to discuss the encroaching empire and what to do, Selene meets Lord Damien of House Maris, she is torn by him because the Lords and Ladies of the great houses cannot marry. Once a Lord or Lady marries, his or her consort instantly learns that house's secrets. However, Damien and Selene both feel an undeniable pull towards each other. Selene must choose whether she follows her mother's plans which would ensure the survival of House Ravenwood, or whether she follows her heart and what she believes to be right and see the downfall of her once great house.

Wow. Wow wow wow. I was NOT expecting this at all. The premise was super interesting and the cover caught my eye, hence me requesting it in the first place, but holy mother of god. This was totally so much better than what I was expecting. Houses each bestowed with their own gifts, different gifts, and House Ravenwood's gift was just amazing. The ability to dreamwalk and manipulate the person's dream is just awesome. I love how dark and cold Lady Ragna was, and once we find out what the gift has been used for I must admit, I gasped. I was all "noooooooooo." It just seemed so underhanded and sneaky!

I absolutely LOVE the conflict that Selene feels. She knows what happened to her house all those centuries ago, she understands her mother's absolute hatred for the other houses, but she is still torn. I believe this shows how deep her character is, it would be so easy to fall into the belief that her mother holds, but having grown up with their servants and learning about who they are as people, that they are more than just servants is where it starts. Her mother using different servants for Selene to practice her dreamwalking skills on, makes her uncomfortable in the beginning, but when she delves deeper, when she learns the truth, she must harden her heart, lock it away where it cannot feel, otherwise she knows that she will break. That she will let her mother and House Ravenwood down. It is an absolutely heartbreaking decision. It's not because of letting her mother down either, Lady Ragna comes across as such an unlikable character (though you can understand why she is the way she is the more we learn) that this is not what is tearing Selene apart. She doesn't want her sisters to have to carry the mantel of House Ravenwood because she couldn't. She doesn't want to subject her sister Amara (even though she's a bitch and so much like Lady Ragna she could be a clone in personality) and especially not her baby sister Ophie. It would break her heart to know that her sisters had to take her place because she wasn't strong enough. And so she locks her humanity away to try and cope.

And Damian, oh Damian. What a beautiful soul (literally ha!). I absolutely loved his characters, he's torn apart because he knows that his gift has the power to kill but he wants to avoid that at all costs, though he knows it's not always possible. He's the youngest Great Lord to ever rule a house, and he didn't get there through positive means. He has suffered the loss of his parents and little brother which still haunt him. He is just such a well rounded character. And he is SO caring and SO ABSOLUTELY FREAKING LOVELY I JUST CAN'T! I love how he is pulled towards Selene, he needs to know her, to know why she hides behind the cold mask of indifference.

I also absolutely loved the contrast between these two characters. Selene has taken on her house's gift with her mother there to guide her and she feels trapped in an absolute pit of despair, unable to breathe, to escape and reach the light. Where Damian has come into his gift through tragedy and must learn about everything without the guiding hand of his father. It made me wonder, would Damian have been taught differently by his father? Would he have ended up in a similar place as Selene had everything gone as it should and his parents were still around? I honestly don't believe it would have been different. Damian is so kind and caring and I believe that came from his parents, the whole family just sounds like a giant ball of sunshine to be honest. But it still raised the questions.

The pacing was good, at times I felt it was a little slow, especially at the beginning, but once it got going and we were thrown into the story it was pretty constant non-stop go. All of the characters were so well written and well rounded. There were no two dimensional characters here, no sirree!! The world building was fantastic. I absolutely LOVE the idea of the different Houses and their gifts. It was just amazing. I cannot wait until book two. The romance sort of made an appearance and the way it was written was done perfectly, and it's made me crave more. I NEED BOOK TWO NOW PLEASE!

Christian fantasy is one of my all-time favorite categories. I found this book to be a good read that I enjoyed except for a few things.
1) Cliffhanger alert.
2) Repetition.
3) It takes a while to lay the foundation so it doesn't pick up until later in the book.
Beyond that, I felt that the story was entertaining enough, very gothic, and Lady Ragna's motives clearly shown. The supporting characters were almost stronger than the main ones. I hope they are featured more prominently in the next book in the series. Faith is interspersed, but not overwhelming. That may make this book ideal for newcomers to Christian Fiction. This is my first book by this author.

My copy came from Bethany House. This review is my own, let of my own free will.

Selene Ravenwood is the heir to her Great House, and to a gift believed by outsiders to be lost, she trains under her mother as a dreamwalker fanning the flames of other's nightmares. Selene tries to deaden herself to the pain that she is inflicting, but continues her training in hopes of sparing her sister a similar fate. Her father encourages Selene to discover other uses for her gift, and believes that she has the power to help bring the fractious houses together, if she can get out from her mother's influence.



Will Selene follow in her mother's footsteps, or choose the less sure path, risking it all and trusting a stranger with her life to bring the Great Houses together against the oncoming invasion?



I didn't know what to expect with this new series, and honestly I was on the fence as to whether I wanted to read this series or not, but I'm sure glad I did! Morgan L. Busse is a previous Christy award finalist, and I'd heard of her books before, but had never read one until now. Ms. Busse is a masterful storyteller, her world-building felt seamless and flowed effortlessly with the story.



I was instantly drawn to Selene, she is brave, compassionate, and a loving sister, though she must hide many of her feelings behind a mask. She is good at holding the cards close to her chest, and is justifiably reluctant to trust. Selene is self-aware, protective of her sister, bound by duty, she shows the world a cold detachment while locking away her deepest feelings as if afraid to hope. Selene is the kind of heroine that I could cheer for, vulnerable, with an untapped inner strength and longing for more, for purpose.



Damian is the youngest Grand Duke, and he doesn't take his responsibilities lightly. He is a natural ruler, with a heart for the people, bearing the duty of his people's safety. He has a vision of unity amongst the Great Houses. Selene intrigues him, he sees past her mask of coldness, and can't help but be drawn to her and the secrets that she keeps.



An excellent start to a new series, I was instantly drawn into the masterfully crafted world of powerful gifts, nobility, politics, and intrigue. Selene is a brave young woman, mentally strong, with a desire to break the chains of past generations. One of my favorite characters is Caiaphas, he is a wise man who has sacrificed much in hopes of working towards peace and unity. A gripping read, from beginning to end, I liked the way that Ms. Busse brought the chill of Ravenwood's atmosphere to life, with a strong sense of urgency and intrigue. One of the best Christian fantasy books that I have read in a long time, I can't wait to read the next installment in the series!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

Absolutely loved this book! Full of intrigue and plot twists, I couldn’t put it down! Can’t wait for the sequel to come out!

I. Am. Impressed.
The Mark of The Raven is hands down one of the most solid novels I’ve ever read.
I’m not much a fan of fantasy, but I was hooked from page one. Descriptive writing has you immersed in the world of powerful Houses, intrigue and the beginning of the discovery of true self and gift.
I need the second book urgently!!

"She has a searching heart" - and therefore she holds a threat, unbeknownst to many.
Selene Ravenwood feels like her life is not her own; her destiny is written as the next leader of her House.
But, when the truth of the Ravenwood secrets come to her knowledge and she finds there all that is at stake, will she do it? Will she sacrifice her heart for her people? Or is it only for her name that they are really fighting for?
In the tug between Light and Darkness, where does Selene's destiny stand?

Well, I am well and truly sucked into this new series from Morgan L. Busse. I felt the story was a little slow to start out as the reader was introduced to Lady Selene and her newly bestowed gift of dreamwalking, but as the world-building continued and more characters were introduced, I was drawn further and further into the drama that was unfolding within and around Lady Selene.

The politics of this world are intriguing, particularly because of the bonds and strictures that arise through marriage, but the dreamwalking and the associated moral dilemmas Lady Selene must grapple with were the most compelling parts of this story for me. I loved the vivid imagery of light and darkness and they way they pull against each other in Selene. And I loved the concept of being able to see a person’s soulsphere. The spiritual parallels were obvious, but no less powerful for being so.

There were some parts of the narrative that felt a little repetitious, as though the author didn’t quite trust the reader to have grasped and retained a full understanding of the world she had created and then apply that knowledge as the story unfolded, but overall, it was a story that not only held my interest but increased it as time went on. And the ending held a few surprises that have definitely whet my appetite for the next book in the series!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Mark of the Raven calls to the ultimate decision of doing what is right. Selene has always done as her mother ordered from the time she was young. Now Selene has been given the power of a dreamer and the burden of the people of Ravenwood. The gift of the dreamer becomes a burden when Selene learns what her mother will require of her.
Damien has the power to control water, lifting barriers to protect his people from those who would harm them. When his region is attacked, Damien calls for an assembly of the seven great houses, something that has not been done in hundreds of years.
Damien seems to be the only one who can see through Selene's cold mask. She struggles to harden her heart against the demands her mother places on her. Damien wants to know the woman behind the mask. Something about Selene draws him in, refusing to let go.
This world of magic and great houses was well-described. The majority of the story takes place in Rook Castle, and we are given plenty of detail about the surroundings and the people. I would have liked more detail on the type of gift each great house possesses. Perhaps that comes in the next book.
Mark of the Raven reminds us that small compromises lead to bigger and more dangerous compromises. We each have a job and a purpose, but we cannot allow others to dictate how we use the gifts that God has given us. We must do what is right, regardless of the outcome. Even if it takes us away from friends, family, everything that we know. We must do what is right in the eyes of God.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not required to leave a review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Mark of the Raven is the first novel in a new fantasy series from author Morgan L. Busse. Overall, I enjoyed it more than I expected it to. The concept was good and well executed and the world building quite believable. I would not all the setting wholly Medieval, as there were modern elements (tea trays etc) but they don’t seem intrusive or anachronistic. They just kind of work as part of the invented world.

There were faint resemblances to other stories including Patrick W Carr’s Darkwater Trilogy which involves different houses or families having different ‘gifts’, and even Game of Thrones with a clan of dragon riders (a wyvern was according to mythology a two-legged dragon) and a house the symbol of a raven. Yet there was enough originality in the story and characters for this story to work on its own. Despite a few clichés- leather trousers for example or characters drinking tea out of iron mugs. Yeah iron a conductor of heat, so, burning hazard there.

Also, the characters were interesting. Again, it’s easy in some fantasy stories for the characters to get ‘lost’ in the complexities of the story or the action, or just be killed off too quickly. It was possible to identify with Selene’s moral struggles and angst about her purpose the destiny in life, her care for her family was tangible, and I was found myself rooting for her throughout.

My only real complaint was that things got a little repetitive in a few places. I think the history of what had happened to House Ravenwood only needed to be mentioned a couple of times, not over and over again. Also, the way that characters kept mulling over their actions, thoughts and feelings, often with the same decisions and conclusions became repetitive.

I certainly recommend this novel to lovers of clean fantasy with an inspirational flavour set in unique and imaginative worlds, and I look forward to the story continuing in the next book.

I requested this title from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

This book was incredible! Imaginative and interesting, it was hard to put down and surprised me with it's many twists and turns. I can't wait for the next book to come out!

If the cover doesn’t tempt you, if the description doesn’t interest you enough, then I hope this review makes you want to buy this book, because it’s an awesome read!
Selene is a wonderfully drawn character: a young woman who so dearly wants to do what is best for her family and for her nation, but who even more desperately wants to do what is right. Every time her “mask” dropped into place, my heart broke for her, since we’ve all been there–needing to set aside what we feel/want/need for the sake of keeping the peace or doing what we’re supposed to do. And I love that she sought truth above all, even knowing the consequences of that search.
All the other characters in the novel, whether they play major roles or bit parts, are all well-crafted and brought beautifully to life. It’s this great variety of characters that helps to keep this story moving swiftly.
And Morgan Busse has built a fantastic world, filled with beauty, intrigue, passion, political rivalry, swordplay, and wyverns! Can’t ask for much more than that!
Seriously, Mark of the Raven is excellent, and I highly recommend you pick up a copy today!
Many thanks to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for the digital copy of this novel for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my very own!

***4.5 stars***

Wow!!!! Seven houses were given gifts to protect their lands from common enemies and to bring peace and prosperity to their people. One house fell, betrayed by the other houses and the gift was thought to be lost.

Now the houses are threatened by the Dominia Empire. An assembly has been called to strengthen political ties. The problem is that not all houses think that the Empire is an enemy.

I said it at the beginning, but, Wow! There are so many layers in this story. I was blown away by the crafting of this book. It is set in a time and place that is fictional. It has fantasy elements, political strife, romance, alliances, secrets, fears, assassination, loyalty, light vs. dark, etc. If I thought a little longer and harder I'm sure I could come up with more.

I can't wait for the next installment of this book. The book does contain violence.


Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
1 like

This book was superb! The world-building, the lore-crafting, the character creation were all expertly executed, topped by a great plot. The large cast of characters and shifting points of view transitioned seamlessly throughout the story, never losing or breaking the reader’s attention.

And now I’m hooked. There are so many unanswered questions, so many narratives crossing each other – I’m eagerly awaiting the next in the series. I feel like the author brought us to the edge of this sweeping lake, and next book is going to push us off to plunge into everything this tale wants to tell.

This was pure enjoyment to read. You should definitely get a copy!

I received a review copy of this work from the publisher through NetGalley