What just happened someone tell me ?
This book was something at first i was confused then l started understanding each character then i finished the book and i spent some time re-reading that ending trust me l am still confused cause l mean ..it ..did not have to end like this i have a lot of questions to ask this author really .Definitely a 5 star !

This story sounded so promising, but unfortunately for me the execution was lacking. I loved the idea of a dream world that influences the real world and getting revenge on your bullies that way. Also I love Edgar Allen Poe so to have that influence should make it even better! Only...the writing wasn't great and the storyline was creepy but not in ways that it should be. I ended up dnf-ing this one.

Rebekah is an outcast at her school - she is the poor kid among the rich and her mom is the school nurse. The school scenes were written so oddly for me and Rebekah felt very young so when it is obvious that the author is going to have her and her older cop neighbor get together it was really creepy. Like... she seems WAY too young for him. She is still in high school! And he is a cop! Creepy, but I don't think it was supposed to be (and I didn't remember how old she was so I did look and it says she is 18 at one point, though she doesn't feel like she is that old from the writing).

Neighbor cop Mike is also...not the best written. We get his point of view as well and it was not good. Plus I mean he is a cop and he doesn't fit in with the other cops which could make it better in this day and age where we all know ACAB, but he desperately wants to fit in with the awful cops so...not good. Not a fan. I mean I know there are lots of books with cops in, books I still enjoy because it is fiction and all, but this one? The writing is not very good so I just was put off by it. A lot.

So yeah. I didn't get that far into the book - the dream world and the Raven would have been cool if they were better written. Lots of telling not showing and well...this book wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book

Like nothing I've ever read before and definitely not what I expected. A worthwhile read, but might benefit from some trigger warnings.

I meant to finish this before it was published but it took me a minute. This is weird., Like wtf did I just read but also I liked it.
I know I have friends who look for "wtf did I just read" books. Yall will love this. The entire book is a surprise.

Thank you netgalley for providing me an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

I DNF'd this because the way it was written pointed out every inconsistency and plot hole. The Raven is a classic, but this fell short and flat. Not for me.

The title alone made me want to read this book. Then as I read along, I really enjoyed the characters, the references to Poe’s literature and a serial killer was involved. Any novel involving dreams as a way to kill people is a book that I will read. I may have nightmares later, but that will not stop me from reading. The imagery the author provided at how one place looked so different was excellent. I could really feel the difference in the atmosphere of the Lee House. The house was creepy enough in our world and when the house was viewed in the dream world, the house was downright macabre. Having someone like the Raven as your personal judge and executioner, might feel justified but Rebekah soon discovered it was making her into what she was fighting against. There were definitely twists in this book. Overall, I would recommend this book.

Overall this book was not for me. I found that it had lots of plot holes and and while the book had a great idea i find it was just not well executed

Writing: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Character Development: 3/5
World Building: 4/5

Warnings: None

Themes: Thriller, Mystery

The Raven is about a girl who finds a friend in a dream world that takes revenge on her tormentors, but she finds out her dreams are affecting the real world. This book had a fun twist between an Edgar Alan Poe story and Carrie. It had relatable characters and a lyrical quality to it. The relationship between a couple of the characters felt a little forced but other than that it was a really fun read.

This book is great for anyone who loves reading Poe and a good revenge story.

I received a free copy of this book and am leaving an honest review.

Rebekah is used to being a social outcast – not only is she quiet and obsessed with her comic, but she’s the only poor student in her prestigious high school and her mom’s the school nurse. She begins to have dreams again of her imaginary friend, The Raven, who resides in a decrepit and ever-changing mansion. After an intense bout of bullying, one of her antagonists is present in her dream and the Raven gives her a chance to exact some revenge. But when she awakes the next morning, she finds that these dreams are more linked to reality than Rebekah ever could have thought.

This work drew inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe’s works, especially when it came to the creative sessions of torture that occurred. I liked the idea of a dream realm versus the real world, and how the two interacted and affected each other.

Unfortunately, there were many things that detracted from my enjoyment of the work. The biggest thing was that the characters never came to life and weren’t well developed. Most of the secondary characters were simply stereotypes/cliches, and only really existed to be mean to Rebekah. Even her mom and her friend were bland and didn’t receive much page time. Unfortunately, Rebekah was also a flat character that left me wanting much more from her as a protagonist – a large chunk of the book was made up of her inner-monologue that was quite repetitive, which became a chore to get through.

There were also many plot holes, making the entire experience rather frustrating. Similarly, there were many important things that weren’t explained, making the read lack in immersion and satisfaction. I really wanted to like this work, but the only positive thing about it was the concept. The author’s writing consisted of telling rather than showing and relied heavily on purple prose, which became exceedingly frustrating as the book continued. It was also full of errors and mistakes, but as my copy is an ARC, I’m not taking this into account for my rating.

Unfortunately, I can’t recommend this read to anyone. My thanks to NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for allowing me to read this work, which will be published February 7. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

TW: bullying, rape, torture

I want to thank #netgalley for the opportunity to read the eArc of #TheRaven.

Rebekah is an outcast. Going to school where the rich kids rule it all and never forget to remind her how beneath them she is. It doesn’t help her mom is the school nurse and everyone knows she also happens to be a drunk. Rebekah has one friend, Alice. Alice convinces Rebekah to go to a party to prove to the other high schoolers that they aren’t afraid of them and can still have fun.

The party ends with Rebekah covered in a drink, a recording and the new name piss bitch.

Michael lives next door. Just a few years older than Rebekah he has always had a thing for her and when he sees her running home from school one day he decides to reconnect. He feels like an outcast at the police department he just can’t seem to make any friends.

Rebekah takes solace in her tome of Edgar Allen Poe workings. Then one night in her dreams she finds herself in a dilapidated mansion she played in with her imaginary friend the Raven. The Raven isn’t alone with him is Scotty one of the boys from the party that is always cruel. The Raven gives her the chance to seek revenge. In the real world though those she is seeking revenge on are finding themselves hurt and terrified.

Is this Rebekah’s chance to make them all pay and is The Raven really the protector it seems to be?

This is the perfect book for fans of Edgar Allan Poe!
It’s really unique to read a book with jaw dropping, shocking twists and wow this was it!
This is a young adult horror novel so it’s perfect for those who want to start reading this genre. The atmosphere in it was eerie and great to read.
Overall I really enjoyed this book!

🪶 bullying
🪶 revenge story
🪶 shocking twists
🪶 secrets
🪶 great atmosphere

Thank you so much netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I feel like this one was a mixture for me. I liked the horror elements and the mystery elements. Those who pick on Rebekah end up facing trouble in both this world and the dream world. Rebekah hopes to stop the Raven but can she? There was intrigue in the book but there was also thing I didn’t connect with. I feel like for me this one is a mixed bag. Not terrible but not the best either.

Beka has been visited in her dreams by a mysterious figure known as the Raven. However, dreams meet reality when the Raven starts to help her get revenge at her bullies at school. I felt like the suspense was missing for me in this one. It didn’t snag me in like a lot of thriller books do.

The Raven by Dani Lamia & Gwendolyn Kress is a very interesting read.
I for one truly enjoyed it.
The writing style and the character depth as well as the storytelling had me hooked to this book.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Level 4 Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Revenge stories go one of two ways - they're either handled well or they're not. Unfortunately, this one is a little different and falls somewhere in between the two leaving me numb and not exactly sure if it did it well or not. I liked the horror aspects, but I do feel the story could have excelled more if it had leaned more strongly into it,

Okay, okay I had to take a moment to adjust my thoughts to this book because there were so many twists and turns that it was hard to catch my breath.

This book seems to be a mix of Death Note, Nightmare on Elm Street, and every bit of Edgar Allen Poe's novels.

Rebekah has been trying to fit into her school. Unfortunately, the popular girls and boys in school are making it difficult, and even worse, they have gone as far as to humiliate her. But in Rebekah's dream, she has The Raven and he gives her a chance to turn the tables on her enemies. As things escalate, Rebekah has to find a way to stop the Raven in his steps.

I enjoyed this book. I devoured it within a few short hours and I found myself enjoying the story. I was even surprised when I felt some of it had the Death Note feel to it. If you don't know what that is, you should read the manga. This has a feeling to it, but it also has all of Edgar Allen Poe's novels mixed right within it.

The only downside of this novel was Rebekah herself. I get this power was something she never experienced and it dominated her, but when things started going downhill that was when she realized this was not the power she wanted to hold. And get that, I would have felt the same way. She didn't need to continue to be so indecisive when she should have been more assertive in taking control. She could have stopped all of this but she was weak.

Still, this was a delicious read and I quite enjoyed the ride. I am looking forward to seeing more of this author will bring to the table.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me a chance to give this an honest review.

Final Destination meets Nightmare on Elm Street. As a fan of horror books/movies, I was excited to dive right into this book.
I wanted to figure out how the Raven was appearing and physically manifesting into Rebekah's life.
I absolutely loved all of the inventive ways in which the students who were bullying Rebekah were dealt with in the dream world and in the actual world.
Spoilers ahead.
The dying by being stuck in a coffin, dying by a pendulum blade across the stomach, noxious fumes, etc.
That was in dream world, in real world, they drowned, jumped off a 2nd story balcony, ran their car into a wall.

Pretty interesting and inventive ways to die.

HOWEVER, there was so many issues that I had with this book.
Mainly a full 30% of the book is Rebekah ruminating about how she is responsible for the dreamworld, she likes what is happening, she feels powerful, she can't stop it, no one can stop it.
It got repetitive and old FAST!

So what does Rebekah do? She dates her next door neighbor who is a cop assigned to investigate mysterious accidents of her classmates.
WHich right there is a weird thing....who calls the cops on accidents?
Further, she is in HIGH SCHOOL and she is dating a patrol officer?!
Weirdness overlord is when the Raven ENCOURAGES the cop to date Rebekah KNOWING That they are SIBLINGS! GROSS!

The book had my head spinning with plot holes, plot gaps, and downright disbelief.
What happened to her friend, her only friend, she kills her...why?
For instance she vows not to sleep, goes to sleep
Thinks that the Raven will only come if she is in her room, she falls asleep in a shed with the cop, she meets the Raven and wakes up in her room. What happened to Mike?
She can't control the Raven, goes back into dreamworld to....guess what? control the Raven.
Then to have the Raven be the next door neighbor who just happens to have this power, gives it to her and not to his son?!

This book fell flat on so many levels. The worst was the constant internal monologue and the plot.

This book is great for any Poe fan.

It weaves a story of a young girl being bullied at school who finds a way to take back her power and get revenge against her bullies.

It's part fantasy and part horror with a twist I didn't see coming. A quick read that I flew through in order to see how the story would wrap up.