I couldn't get enough of this book! It gripped me from the first chapter and I wanted to devour it immediately. I liked the characters, the mystery, and the magic. It was fun, fast paced, and well written.

Vivi has no idea that magic is real, she's just trying to make a life on her own without her mom's interference. When she discovers that the sorority she pledged is actually a coven of witches, Vivi feels like she finally belongs somewhere. Scarlett has grown up with magic her whole life and is preparing to lead her sorority when dark magic starts attacking her house. Both girls are thrust into the chaos of finding out who's behind the kidnapping of their sister, while also clashing with each other over their differences and jealousies.

Scarlett had her moments where I thought she was unnecessarily mean to Vivi, but I also could see where she was coming from. Having your new sister crush on your very recent ex would be difficult and it wasn't nice of Vivi either. However, Jackson is a good match for Scarlett and I'm hoping we'll see more of them in the next book. He can be abrasive like Scarlett, but they click and have some nice chemistry.

The mystery behind the dark magic was something I partially guessed, but not completely and it still had some interesting twists. I'm really looking forward to the next book to see what else the coven gets up to!

I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this reminded me of watching The Order. It's college, it's witchy, it's dark.

The story was completely self-contained and thus satisfying to read, because although there will be more in the series, the big questions were wrapped up and there was some closure. I really appreciate that as it's hard to find sometimes.

The characters were great, flawed, and had real growth, the subplots weren't too overwhelming and were compelling enough that I actually cared about the romances and stuff.

There was a bit of an issue with pacing in some parts, as well as the timeline being a little unclear; Vivi taking on life-long witches after only knowing she herself was one for like 30 seconds was really annoying, but since she's the audience proxy I understand why it was done. It cheapened the overall magic though.

And I will never ever get over women calling each other their "little" or their "big." It was gross and squicky and I cringed literally every single time it happened. I don't know why it had to be those instead of "big/little sister."

The narrator of the audiobook, Sophie Amoss, was excellent.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and RB Media in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

I am so glad I got the opportunity to listen to the audiobook for The Ravens! This dark YA fantasy was just what I needed. I enjoyed this unique story with all its twists and turns. The gothic feel of the sorority house has me looking for a sign up sheet! How do I pledge Kappa Rho Nu?

So much happened in this fast-paced story. I enjoyed having duel POV's between Scarlett and Vivi. I liked that they came from different backgrounds, one knowing who she is and one discovering who she is. There were some big twists and surprises along the way that helped lend to the mystery of what was happening at the school and among the girls of the Kappa house.

I hope there are more books in this world because I feel like there is so much more we can discover about these witches! If you're looking for an original dark YA fantasy than I definitely recommend this one! I'd also recommend the audio. It was really well done and even though there are two different POV's done by one narrator it is really well developed and the reader can easily differentiate between the chapters.

If you liked American Horror Story: Coven, you'll love this book. This was so much fun right from the start, and by fun I mean vaguely unnerving yet engaging all the same. We follow Scarlet and Viv, big and little, as they start their semester and experience all the craziness that comes from being in an envied sorority. I always love a good witch book and I can't wait for the sequel to come out.

Trigger warnings: witchcraft, murder

Vivian "Vivi" Deveraux begins her freshman year at Westerly College at a glamorous Kappa Rho Nu (AKA the Ravens) party where she feels out of place. She goes to the school to get away from her mother, a psychic who kept Vivi moving around her entire life. At the party, she meets Kappa Scarlett who doesn't think Vivi is Ravens material.

Scarlett is a junior who is vying for sorority/coven president next year and will do whatever it takes to succeed. She isn't convinced that Vivi, who has no idea that she's a witch, will make a good addition to the coven. When she sees Vivi talking to her boyfriend, her dislike increases. Scarlett is assigned Vivi as her little sister, who she must train in basic witchcraft.

A suspicious ex-Raven shows up and starts making trouble for the Ravens. Events become increasingly dire, and all the girls must band together to protect themselves and each other. There's an element of mystery as the girls need to figure out who is at the heart of their issues.

Sophie Amoss has a voice that sounds young enough to convincingly portray college-age women. She flawlessly switches between accents for different characters.

Recommended for teens and adults who enjoy tales of the supernatural.

This is a story about some sorority witches.

I really enjoyed this audio, the narrator utilized just the right tone & emphasis to convey a sense of superiority, and later, fear. The story itself was engaging; however, I wanted more time to be spent within the magic system, and I wanted more relational development. If this is the beginning of a series, I would definitely be interested in reading more!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️. 💫

Thank you Netgalley & RB media!

It's incredibly refreshing to read a YA book that has College age protagonists, it feels like a rarity.

This book had me hooked from page one, or more specifically from the first time I heard Scarlett speak. I am a bit of a sucker for a lady with a southern drawl., which Sophie Amoss captured perfectly. I have no regrets about handing the physical book off to the next person waiting for it at the library, because I fell in love with Sophie's narration bringing Scarlett and Vivi to life. Enough so that I want to listen to it again.

I really enjoyed the use of New Age Magick being the cover for witches existing in real life, and it felt nice to see things that I use in my Practice being carried over to be part of this book. It is the kind of Fantasy Fiction I really wanted in my adolescence.

Also the description of things in this book were the kind of things that at points gave me chills because I could feel it on my skin as it was described.

This felt very similar to Legendborn by Tracy Deonn which I read recently, where the college is a cover for a secret society, but instead of the blatant racism we see towards Bree from those in The Order of the Round Table and the general lack of Diversity. We definitely see more diversity and acceptance within the racks of The Ravens. Which was interesting to experience overall.

Thank you NetGallery for granting me access to this audiobook. Typically I much prefer to read the book myself, but considering I'm a slow reader and how busy the holiday season is it was very convenient to listen to this book while engaging in other tasks. I am a fan of Kass Morgan and the truth is that both the synopsis and the cover of this book resonated a lot with me.

Due to my attention problems, I try to listen to my audiobooks while performing simple tasks, but with this audiobook I found myself looking for anything to do to continue listening to it. I was super hooked! Sophie Amoss' narration was really good. Although in some parts I helped myself with the book by listening to the audiobook and reading at the same time and I found that it had some punctuation errors between commas and periods in her interpretation. But really this was a couple of details. I liked how she changed her voice slightly in the dialogue so that it was very easy to tell which character was speaking, whether Scarlett, Vivi or one of the other Kappa girls. I also loved how despite masculinizing her voice to play the male characters she didn't do it ridiculously. She was a great performer.

I loved the plot of the book. Certainly these are the kinds of stories I have a predilection for. Magic, sisterhood, personal discoveries and a touch of love, although not in excess. Some plot twists were predictable, like the romantic path both protagonists would take. But there was something that I loved and it was that all the time they made me believe that I knew the outcome that the climax of the book was going to have but then they gave it a totally unexpected plot twist. I take my hat off! I also want to emphasize that I appreciate the diversity in the characters. It was also very refreshing that the plot revolved around college students as opposed to high school students. Personally I prefer reading about dangerous situations or sexual tension in adults instead of teenagers.

Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige did an excellent job together and I look forward to reading more about them and the Ravens.

This book was 2.5 stars for me. It was... very average. I could have done without the love triangle. The main character Vivian was also extremely rude to her mother for seemingly no good reason, which was hard to read. Both characters, Vivian and Scarlet, were unlikable to me. I was not a sorority girl, and I am past college age (although not by much), so maybe that has something to do with me not liking this book as much as I thought I would. However, I am very into witches, and I did enjoy all the parts of the book that explored the witchy-side of the coven. I wish there was more of that and less of the unnecessary love triangle. All in all, I wanted to love this book, and the concept was very interesting, but it ended up being quite generic plot trope-wise and character-wise.

I was excited to start this story as it has been one of my most anticipated reads of the season. I read the blurb and was interested to see how the story developed and how the mythology of magic/witches were incorporated.

I really enjoyed the narrator in this audiobook. I think she did an amazing job of creating a calming read with the right emphasis on the different aspects of the story as well as creating each character in a unique way that I had no trouble distinguishing between the major characters (the story is a dual narration of two female characters).

The story itself was a bit slow and slightly lack luster from me, only in that I was expecting much more action and magic and "witch-ness." What is there is there is nice but it is a more subtle experience in my option. I did believe that these characters were Freshman in college. they has that native yet older adult vibe to them. There was the common jealousness and some petty moments but overall this was a nice story. As I stated above, the story is rather calm and very relaxing, I never felt any heart beating moments but I was interested at finding out what the ending would be. I will read this again in physical form and I will be checking out the next in the series. I received an Audio ARC via NetGalley and RB Media and I am leaving my honest review.

Loved the concept and idea of this book, but just didn’t love the execution. The writing style was fine, the audio narration good. The voices seemed younger than they should have for this age range. Vivi was a frustrating character and I kept wanting the two brain cells in her head to rub together.
Part of my issue in this story was the obvious bad guy, guessed easily from the first few chapters. I think if this had been executed a little better, then the tension, intrigue and stakes might have felt a bit higher.
The story was fair and reasonable, but just didn’t bring anything new to the table.

This book follows two main characters that are members of a sorority that is a coverup for a witch's coven. Scarlet is a well to do member of this coven while Vivi is an awkward freshmen rushing the sorority in her first week of college. There's a mystery to be solved and magic to be learned.

I thought this book read very young, considering the characters were in college. I did find it easy to read and I wanted to know where the plot was going, so I found myself flying through it.

Some of my main issues with this were the juvenile actions of the characters. A lot of this book discussed the importance of sisterhood, but I didn't feel like the friendships were strong or well developed, and there were some tropes utilized that are overdone and tired.

Another issue that I had, which may only be something that I take issue with, is the setting being in Savannah, GA. I'm from there, and was excited to have it as a backdrop for a witchy book, as I feel like it's a perfect setting. However, it felt like there were just a few locations googled and that the author hadn't spent much time in the city. It effected the world building for me as I don't feel like the city was captured at all.

This is one of those books where the premise immediately pulled me (college campus, a sorority that is actually a secret coven, elemental magic), but the execution left MUCH to be desired.

I at least found the first half of the book engaging. I enjoyed the alternating POVs between Vivy and Scarlett especially since they were stark opposites as characters.

However, after the pledges are officially welcomed into Kappa (the sorority coven), I just lost so much interest in the plot. Yes, there’s a mystery that needs to be solved, but it’s pretty obvious who the “bad guy” is early on.

I also wasn’t invested in the two romance sub plots and felt that they didn’t add to the storyline.

I wanted more dark witchy magic, and I just didn’t end up feeling satisfied in the end.

Thank you to Recording Books Media for providing a review copy through NetGalley. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

This is what I was hoping "Ninth House" would be. I loved how easily the book flowed and how some things, like the element's symbols, were explained more than once which help someone like me, who rarely reads anything close to fantasy, follow along. I can't describe how fun this was to listen to and how intrigued I stayed the entire time. The narrator was wonderful.

I absolutely loved this book.
It gave my Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Chilling Adventures of Sabrina vibes. While being set in college in a fraternity.

As soon as I started this book, I did not want to put it down!

As soon as I heard about this book, I was excited for it. Witches in a sorority? Sign me up. The fact that this book gave me vibes of the tv show Sabrina was just a bonus. In this book you'll meet Vivi, the young and innocent girl who has no idea of her powers. She doesn't know she's a witch let alone that magic exists.

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She's going to college after a life of moving around with her mom, always being the new girl. This time, she's older and wants it to be different. She still feels a bit apart from the beautiful girls she sees there. So when she gets invited to join in this elite sorority that every girl seem to admire, she has questions.

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There she meets a few witches. Among them is Scarlett (which we also have the POV), a witch who wants to be the next sorority's President. At first, Scarlett really isn't happy to have to teach Vivi, the girl who didn't seem to want to be one of them.

However, when a witch goes missing, both girls are going to be on the look-out and will do pretty much anything to get to the truth. For most of the book I thought I knew what the reveal was going to be like but then this book surprised me and proved me wrong.

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Overall, I'm glad I got to listen to this book! It was pretty fun and entertaining. I was interested to see where it was going and I'll be happy to read the next book in the series (even though I'm not sure what the plot is going to be) once it comes out :)

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

It's not clear why I feel this way, but I am downright surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Maybe it's because I didn't expect much because of the setting. Perhaps I expected petty sorority girls and douchey frat boys with a splash of magic. Whatever it was, I am so glad I was proven wrong. Many thanks to Raincoast Books and HMH Teen for the ARC!

Full review at Write, Read, Repeat

Right from the get-go this drew me in. Told in dual POV, this is a book that is unafraid to dig into the darkness of witches and magic and encourages the importance of found family. Kappa Rho Nu is the most exclusive sorority on campus, and few girls ever get picked to join. Their entry criteria is pretty strict, and that's probably because you have to be a witch, even if you don't know you are. But that's okay, because they're going to teach you.

I have always found the college/university Greek system to be weird. From the bottom of my heart, I've never understood the fascination and spectacle around it. That said, it played surprisingly well into the witch angle. Kappa isn't just a sorority, it's a coven hiding in plain sight. The idea of sisterhood is twisted to fit nicely into the concept that witches are stronger together. There are four types of witches: Cups, Swords, Pentacles and Wands. Each has a specific affinity, like Pentacles witches are able to work with nature to grow and alter it, but together, witches can learn from each other. I quite like how tarot cards were used in spellcasting and learning what type of witch the new girls were, but it felt like it was forgotten halfway through and not utilized all too well.

As there are two authors attached to this book, it makes sense that there would be two POVs as well. Vivi and Scarlett are both two very different characters, and it was kind of nice having older characters in a YA novel.

Scarlett has always known she was a witch. With her mom and sister all previous Kappa presidents, it's always been the path she was to follow. Now in her third year of university, Scarlett has some skeletons in her closet that have dug guilty fingers into her thoughts for some time, and they're finally coming back to haunt her. I thought she handled things well, for the most part. There were a few incidents where I wished she would get over herself, she really shone when someone close to her was taken away. Honestly, she was probably my favourite of the two, and her ending made me somewhat sad. As some people have pointed out, Scarlett is Black, but it never plays into her character. Personally, I'm fine with this. I believe the one author is Black, and I cannot blame her for not wanting to write a book about valid Black pain every single time.

Vivi is a freshman who is completely unaware that she is a witch. All she does know is that this is the first time she's been able to do something for her and find a place to belong. Her mom has uprooted and moved them without warning more times than is healthy, and Vivi is ready to spread her wings. I do feel like we didn't get to know her enough before she started leaning into the new Vivi. We barely met her before she adopted this new attempted persona, and it felt like we were missing something from her because of it. Yes, we could fill in the gaps, but it did feel somewhat less genuine. She settled into Kappa well though, and I didn't find her naive or annoying, even though the opportunity was there. She held her own well.

A large part of the set-up, as you can tell from the book's synopsis, is that Scarlett does not think that Vivi is Ravens material. She does not like her vey much, but honestly, the strife between them felt weak. Scarlett takes offense at something Vivi that sort of falls into the whole petty sorority sister thing, that I didn't care for. But mostly the issues arise from Scarlett's boyfriend, a senior, apparently being into freshman Vivi. Not only was that pairing somewhat hard to swallow, but what Scarlett saw that set her off on Vivi was sort of ridiculous.

I must admit, I am very surprised to learn that this is the first in a duology. This felt very much like a standalone with a strong but bittersweet ending, but I would not be opposed to seeing more of these characters!

Really enjoyed this teen fantasy. Its gothic themes and great storytelling kept me listening way past my bedtime. Will definitely be recommending this as soon as its published (and sooner!)

4.5/5 stars for this YA Witchy read! Total The Craft vibes for this one! Who wouldn't love a witchy book set in a sorority? Love the cover! Narration was great! This would be a perfect fall read! Highly recommend if you need a witchy book!

*I received this book in exchange for honest review from Netgalley*

**I received this audiobook from netgalley in exchange for a review**

"Magic didn't preach. It gave and took. This was the gift. This was the cost."†

The narrator was the best part about this.

If you feel like you’ve read this before, it’s probably because you have. The Ravens is a frankensteins-monster mishmash of every university magic secret society I’ve read/ seen before. It fails to bring anything new to the table. The magic system is boring, and the verbiage of the spells themselves is painfully cheesy. There isn’t even anything interesting about the main characters. They don’t particularly have any personalities, and are more or less interchangeable.

The new-girl-versus-upperclassman-mean-girl (over a boy with the appeal of stale bread) is soooo overdone. I honestly kept wishing this was gonna flip the script and give me some bi-girl f/f, but alas...

Vivi has approximately one (1) brain cell. I’m not really sure about this weird yearning relationship with breadboy since Vivi likes to throw around words like love and heartache when they’ve had three conversations?? Both (all three I guess??) "romances" in this book are, frankly, awful. The long-term relationship established before the start of the novel ended with zero fanfare. I'm so down for emotionally mature breakups, but both of them seemed entirely indifferent to ending things despite past implications that they wanted to spend their lives together? It was just really awkward to read. And then the two new romances developed** from NOWHERE (**i hesitate to even use the word "develop" because that implies there was some sort of organic growth).

Nothing happens in the first half of this book. I almost DNF'd, though I'm glad I didn't. At around 60%, sh*t hits the fan. But, whew, that was a long intro... all of that info dumping could have been condensed in between climactic scenes. The twist was meh, because it was so obvious. I called it in one of the first chapters.

This wasn’t a bad read, but it wasn’t a particularly good one either. I’m not super invested in continuing with the series... but I do like witchy ladies, so maybe someday, if I can remember this amidst a stream of other series doing the same thing (albeit slightly better).

†check against final text