This was an excellent follow up to the Ravens. The authors have an excellent writing style that feels cohesive as a writing duo. The storyline was well paced and developed. If you enjoyed book 1, Definitely pick up the continuation of the story!

Writing reviews for sequels is so difficult, especially when it’s an ARC, and the first book hasn’t been out that long, so I don’t want to spoil THE RAVENS for anyone, what I will say is that THE MONARCHS picks up just a couple weeks after The Ravens ended, where a lot of drama went down that changed the lives of the main characters forever, and in this novel Scarlett and Vivi are having to deal with the fallout from what happened in the woods at the end of the first novel, and the fact that someone or something seems to be intentionally trying to destroy Kappa Rho Nu.

I enjoyed it, and I think if you liked the first book, you will be pleased with the follow up! But it definitely isn’t a stand-alone, it requires a lot of remembering stuff from the first book and since I read that arc forever ago, it was difficult for me to get into at first.

4 ⭐️

The best way to describe this sequel/duology/conclusion would be the tv shows Charmed and Supernatural had an unruly love child. I will not go into details because that might be spoilery, but tell me I am wrong after you finish the book. This was full of witches with magic, tons of danger, heartbreak and betrayal, as well as a lot of twists I never anticipated which was a pleasant surprise.

The Ravens was hands down one of my favorite reads last year, it was such a cool world we were introduced to, with a college sorority filled with witches practicing magic yet with the general public unaware. The series is listed as YA but I would easily call it NA since the characters are 18 and up and feel more like adults getting life started- and without all the petty high school dramatics. The Monarchs picks up roughly a semester after the The Ravens ended, with the coven attempting to recoup from devastating losses and the sisters trying to find their places again.

I will say that Scarlett is my girl, I love her and everything that she sacrifices and is capable of. Vivi on the other hand drove me a little insane in this book. I understand that she is young (at 18) and only been a witch for a few months, but after seeing what the quest for power and lack of communication did in the first book, this girl should make better choices! There were so many times I wanted to shake her for her stupid choices and had to talk myself down.

I found the ending to be the best part of the story with so much action and intrigue, but it felt rushed as well (I think this probably could have been spread out into a trilogy with how much was going on) and a little too HEA (not that I don't like HEA, it just felt a little rushed as well). Overall I enjoyed the book and the series in general and I hope that these authors want to write together again because I would be here for it!

4.5/5 stars

The Ravens was one of my favorite reads of last year and The Monarchs may have topped that. The sisters of Kappa are once again faced with a threat to their existence, but this time it is a little bit creepier. I once again loved the setting at a southern college (this one taking a slightly more "gothic" turn) and the look are sorority life (even if it isn't super accurate).

The Ravens first semester in Kappa Rho Nu didn’t go as planned. Scarlett Winter is determined to be the president the sorority needs after the death of the last president, Dahlia. Freshman Vivi Devereaux wants to make her Big, Scarlett, proud. New rivals aren’t making things easy. With the pressure escalating of course every and anything that could go wrong does. Do Vivi & Scarlett have what it takes to save them all...again?

I enjoyed this book much more than the first one. I think it’s because the stolen guy drama wasn’t mixed in. Though Vivi was still pretty annoying. The magic use in these books is so silly and fun, using it to throw parties with glamours and basically be the best at everything, and I loved that we got to dive more into it all here.

Some of the drama (like with Vivi and Mason) was very repetitive from book one to this book, with no character growth, and sometimes it all just felt like the same person talking even if it wasn’t. This happened more with Vivi and Scarlett.

The one thing I wish we got more of was The Monarchs. It is the title of the book, and the story starts to allude to the reader getting more from them, unfortunately that never pans out. I really would have loved it if The Ravens had to work together with the Monarchs in this one.

Some new characters are introduced in this book (one that I ended up loving). That storyline felt like it was left a bit open ended. Maybe this won’t be a duology after all? I’d read a book 3!

Overall a quick, fast paced and engaging read that I’d recommend to readers that enjoy YA books with witches and magic!

*Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

I loved the first novel The Ravens and was very excited to read the sequel and the novel started out pretty good, however, as the novel went on some of it just got a bit ridiculous. The ending was good and sweet and far too easily and prettily tied up with a happily ever after bow, so that was a bit frustrating. The love story between Vivi and her partner did not ever seem all that real and very forced, whereas Scarlett's love story did feel more realistic. Also, the characters sounded different with how they spoke. I get that this novel is taking place in the south, however, I cannot remember Scarlett saying "ya'll" at ALL in the first novel and then she said it a lot in this novel. I almost feel like the authors forgot their characters?

The overall witchy story was pretty fantastic and the magic in the world was very fun, I just feel like this novel was not as strong as the first. I would still absolutely pick up another novel by these two authors again though!

This follow up was exactly what we all deserve!! Page and Morgan are honestly one of the best writing duos of our time and I hope this series continues for a long time! Loved the story and the plot was just SO GOOD!

What a wonderful, great follow-up to "Ravens". Kass Morgan has simply done it again! Thankful to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this title.

Whereas the sequel THE MONARCHS is a thriller compared to it's horror predecessor THE RAVENS, it's no less a smashing success. Authors Paige and Morgan are back with tension that will leave their readers as breathless as the cool characters surviving at the book's roller-coaster pace.

Thank you so much for the digital review copy HMH and NetGalley. January 2022 can't come fast enough!

Overall, I enjoyed this book! The Monarchs picks up where The Ravens left off--Scarlett and the coven are working to repair their group from the previous semester's drama and fallout. However, from the first page, there are hints of new problems--like a hand, reaching out of a crypt. Despite this, Kappa is working towards change, such as creating a journal/guestbook to host people's secrets and avoid misinformation and lack of information from causing trouble again. And yet, after the house begins to behave oddly (cracks in foundation, plumbing issues, fires) our characters try a new spell and lose their magic, which begins their journey of rebuilding trust and regaining their magic.

This book is very plot-driven, which is great for YA! The characters read very similarly to one another, which might be in part because of the third person perspective limiting how much we get to see of each character. Still, well-written and fast paced enough to keep me turning the page.

I would recommend this book to my high school students who are already invested in magic and maybe dark academia style books, but I would not recommend it to students who are just moderately curious about magic and sororities. That is to say--definitely put it on a bookshelf and make it available to students, but I would not feature nor teach this book.

The Ravens walked so The Monarchs could run. Rarely does the sequel outshine the first novel. Hoping to see more from these authors.

I was not the biggest fan of the ravens. It was a mediocre story to me, but when I saw that there was going to be a sequel my curiosity got the best of me. I’m honestly surprised at how much I enjoyed this more than the first book, BUT the story feels unfinished... Maybe there’s a third book? Plus the drama and romance was kind of repetitive and irritating at some points.

An excellent sequel! This book picked up right where The Ravens left off and plunges the Kappas into trouble again. This time, there's a rival sorority and their magic is going crazy. I was constantly second guessing the side characters and their motives, so I was never sure who was going to end up being the villain. I got a little tired of the romance back and forth, but overall an amazing book. I would definitely recommend this one to students, just as good as the first!

There is rarely a sequel that is so good that makes you forget it’s a sequel but The Monarchs did that for me.
The Monarchs is part Charmed, part Gossip Girl with some good ole southern mama drama thrown in.
The authors really knocked it out of the park with their severely relatable characters and the relationships they have with each other. Even with the all the drama, I wish I could pledge Kappa IRL.
I’ll be recommending this book to my friends/students who love a witchy thriller and badass girl friendships.
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review but if you know me, honesty is not a problem.

The Monarchs is an amazing sequel to the smash hit "The Ravens". When it comes to sequels, there is always that fear that it will not live up to the original but I believe this far surpassed "The Ravens" and brought an entire new element to the Ravens universe. The writing by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige is an amazing combination of two wonderful authors coming together, creating a great piece of work and the reader cannot even tell it is written by two different authors. When it comes to adopting this for curriculum, I cannot think of an assignment I would want from this but I would absolutely suggest this for summer reading projects or over winter break for sure! Thank you for an amazing sequel, conclusion (which I hope not) and great read!

The Monarchs by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige

9780358098225

448 Pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Books, HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: January 11, 2022

Fiction, Teens, Young Adult, Witches, Magic, College, Sororities, Greek Life

The Ravens are the young women in the Kappa Rho Nu at Westerly College. They are like any other sorority on campus except they are witches with magic. It was a hard time for the women when two of their sisters died when magic when bad. They are trying to rebuild their lives but are being challenged by the women of the Theta Omega Xi.

Scarlett Winter is the new president after the death last semester of Dahlia. She is in a budding relationship with Jackson. After they plan on having dinner at his off-campus apartment, Jackson tells Scarlett that he changed his mind and walks away from her. She is worried about his abrupt change in his personality.

Things begin to go wrong for the Kappas at the first mixer of the semester. Then one of the sisters has a seizure-ish episode. Someone or something is messing with their magic. Scarlett and Vivi must find the answers before it’s too late for the Kappas.

This book is the second in The Ravens series. The story is fast paced, it is written in the third person point of view, and the characters are well developed. If you like books about magic and intrigue, you will enjoy this book. It is like an older version of Hogwarts with secrets galore.

This book was received as an ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group - HMH Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read The Ravens and absolutely loved it so I had high expectations coming into the Monarchs and was so blown away with amazement. I love YA books that focused on drama of a secret society and you can't get more secret than the coven of witches. This series definitely had that House of Night feel especially with the drama going around where Vivi is now dating Scarlett's ex and Scarlett is so consumed in the power of her new job as President of Kappa Rho Nu. Now Vivi being assigned as the social chair, uncovers a new magic that risks the entire society, her sense of belonging might be short lived. So much drama, secrets and adventure await in the Monarchs and I can't wait to see what happens next in which I hope there is a third installment.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Fierce, ominous, thrilling! Those are three words that describe this sequel, and end to the duology. I devoured this book in 24 hours, and I am absolutely blown away. I don’t typically care for duologies because they feel too short, but this one was so well done!! The struggle, the revenge, the CREEP FACTOR!! Loved it! The plot line picks right back up from the end of The Ravens, and smoothly continues on. The tension with the impending evil, the build up and then the release was all executed perfectly. The characters are feisty, humbling, and daring. By far one of my new favorite series ever.

The Monarchs is the sequel to The Ravens.
🦋
It’s second semester and The Ravens are trying to put the events of the fall behind them so they can start fresh with Scarlett as president of Kappa Rho Nu and her little, Vivi, as newly appointed social chair. But when everyone starts acting strangely and The Ravens lose their magic, will Scarlett and Vivi rise up to the challenge? Or are they not the leaders they thought they were?
🦋
I absolutely loved The Ravens so when I saw the sequel was on Netgalley I had to request ASAP. In this stunning conclusion to the YA paranormal series we find both Scarlett and Vivi at a crossroads as they fight to get their powers back from an unknown assailant. I just adored this duology and want more! Be on the lookout for this book in January 2022!

Here we have another entire damn story where the only plot device is "make sure someone interrupts these characters before they can have a mutually revelatory conversation." Also? The monarchs, the name given to the former ravens, didn't have anything to do with anything. Like, they didn't even appear except as background characters at a party once, so, like, what's going on with that title?