Introduction
Published in April 2025 by Antonia Hodgson, The Raven Scholar is the first novel in the Eternal Path series. It’s an epic adult fantasy that deals with fate, power and betrayal.
A Summary
Neema Kraa is a scholar, and she has worked hard to get to where she is. The things she has had to do haunt her, but she has to prove those who think she is undeserving wrong. So when one of the warriors competing to take over the crown is murdered, she must find out the truth in order to save her reputation, and maybe her life.
My Thoughts
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Firstly, unrelated to the writing itself but important to me - I refused to read this book for awhile when I first got it, purely out of spite. The gold text on the front of the cover comes off of the UK paperback version and it made me so angry I left it on my shelf for many months.
Aside from that, the story itself was really well-written in my opinion. The lore was difficult for me to wrap my head around at first, but within a few hours of reading, I had gotten the jist of the history. Beginning the novel with the perspective of Yana was brutally perfect, and the way that she haunts the narrative throughout it all was devastating. When a character dies and then is the moving force of the entire plot - I love it. Truly, it is one of my favorite tropes and it is easy to mess up but Hodgson did it right.
The use of perspective to weave between the characters was great to read. Being able to follow a specific character throughout the plot but also being aware of knowledge other characters possess is interesting because it creates a true psychological aspect to the book.
The use of the animal palaces to give an indication of a person’s personality traits reminds me of the Chinese Zodiac, but it still managed to feel fresh.
I think the name choices could have been re-worked to make it easier to follow, because having Yana, Yasila, Nisthala and Yasthala all being very important people to the plot in very different ways seems slightly confusing, but that is my only true problem with the novel.
Overall, I did struggle to get into the plot to begin with but once I got past the first 100 pages, it was a great time!
Is The Raven Scholar Spicy?
There is no spice within The Raven Scholar, but there are ‘fade-to-black’ scenes within the romance aspect of the plot.
Recommendation
If you love a good fantasy, read this. It’s relatively fast-paced and will leave you craving the next book already.
