Cry of the Raven

I'M SO DEAD. THAT MAGNIFICENT ENDING. I'M SO DEAD. <br /><br />10 billion stars.<br /><br />So. It took me more than a month to recover. We're all very surprised. <br /><br />Thinking about writing this review has been driving me crazy. Words aren't enough this time. How could they be? The pressure I've put on myself to write the best review ever (because Morgan L. Busse is amazing and deserves it) has made me insane. <br /><br />Don't mind my endless fangirling in this *coughs* "professional" review. <br /><br />This book encouraged me. It reached beyond my mind and touched my heart. My soul. Needless to say, I cried, and laughed, and FELT THINGS FAR BEYOND WHAT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE for pretend humans. <br /><br />(You honestly probably don't want to know this so skip it and keep reading ..... but I went outside after I finished this book. I screamed at the sky and the trees and the air. And then I wept. Because Damien and Selene weren't real and the adventure I shared with them was over.) <br /><br />The gentle and yet intense weaving of this story puts me in awe. Words. They are magical creatures in the hands of Morgan L. Busse. They dance and sing from their hearts for her. <br /><br />ALSO OH MY LANTA. THE ADORABLE LEVEL OF THIS BOOK IS ???. I CAN'T EVEN. CAN WE JUST HAVE ONE MORE CUTE KISSING SCENE??? THANK YOU. ?<br /><br />I miss them all so much already. ?<br /><br />Setting: gLoRiOuS. *sings gayly* The magical, wonderful, fantastical world of Morgan L. Busse's imagination. Where all seven Great Houses have been given a gift. A gift that reflects the Light. <br /><br />Plot: The pacing was amazing. Not too slow .... normally quite action packed. I guess they're were some areas some people might consider boring. Battle planing and working out strategies. But I lOvEd it. ? <br /><br />Description: Can I just say that I was impressed? Okay. I'm impressed. I'm very impressed. The tiniest details are important and brought to light. I love it. OMW. Everything is flushed out perfectly, all blending together. No scene was idle. <br /><br />Romance: RIDICULOUSLY CUTE. THEY ARE ONE OF MY TOP OTP's. ? Selene + Damien for lifeeeeeeee. (someone help me.) It was clean and absolutely a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. I can't stress that enough. Go read the whole trilogy. It portrayed what marriage is suppose to look like. Messy yet so focused on love. They hurt one another (with their words), they support one another, they get back up again and move on. ?<br /><br />Content: SO. CLEAN. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. It is YA. It's a Christian Allegorical Fantasy. There are some darker moments. Depression and loneliness. All the things we face in life. Mild kissing. Husband and Wife laying in bed with one another. Suggestive conversations. It's all handled delicately. <br /><br />Message: Learning to let go and let God. ??? "Put all things in the hands of the Light" This touched my heart. I got goose bumps So Many Times. ?<br /><br />Characters: AHhHahaahHahahahAhahhhhhHhHhhHh. Theywereallsoamazingandican'teverstopscreamingaboutthem. THEY WERE DEEP. COMPASSIONATE. FORGIVING. SINFUL. PEOPLE. They made mistakes. They fell down. They got back up again. Even though it hurt. Even though it felt impossible. They are an inspiration. They are all so encouraging. The things they say. The feelings they deal with. The victories they have. It teaches us we can be victorious too. ????<br /><br />Overall: I have yet to recover. I don't think I ever can. The impact this book has had on my life .... ? Thank you, Morgan L. Busse. Never stop writing. <br /><br />AND YOU. Yes, you. The one I'm looking at. The one who read through this whole mess of words. GO BUY A COPY AND READ IT ASAP IF YOU ALREADY HAVEN'T. MEND YOUR MISTAKE. <br /><br />**FTC DISCLOSURE** I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I request that you don't take them personally. Thanks! :)

THERE WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH WORDS TO SCREAM ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE MY OTP.<br /><br />Every now and then, you meet a couple in fiction that you just LOVE. You just...you're addicted to reading about them. You grin with their successes. You cry when they fail. One hug is enough to tide you over for 100 pages. It's just...ACK I LOVE SELENE AND DAMIEN SO VERY VERY MUCH.<br /><br />And there wasn't enough of them!!!!! I needed every single scene to be a Selene and Damien one. But, alas, we cannot have everything in this life. So instead we got some of my favorite side characters in this series. All the lords and ladies are amazing and I love them.<br /><br />I think the highest compliment that I can give any series would be: I'd happily read ten more books about the adventures of these characters.<br /><br />4 stars. My heart is full.

Primary thoughts after finishing:<br /><br />1. Selene and Damien are a true power couple. <br />2. Caiaphas is a champ. <br />3. I want more. <br /><br />This series caught my attention fast from the moment it began, and I’ve eagerly awaited each poignant installment. The trilogy is rich with powerful messages, and this book too is filled with empathetic themes. Mostly, I would say it’s about trust. People learning or choosing to trust each other despite previous damage. The unsteady alliance of the seven houses as they face off a much greater enemy is a main focus after all.<br /><br />But most of all, it’s about trusting God. Not only with your life, but the lives of the people you love. And not just their lives, but their deaths too. As you can imagine, this makes for some heart-wrenching and difficult moments, and I wish we could all reach this level of faith sooner for our own peace.<br /><br />That being said, while most of the death in the book was meaningful, there was one side character who I felt would have been much better left alive. <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="425c9b8b-0d27-49a6-988c-0b3e01904008" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="425c9b8b-0d27-49a6-988c-0b3e01904008"> Renata’s fate has been a question since book 1 and her death felt too similar to Amara and too under-explained. If she’d lived I don’t think she wouldn’t have interfered, and the reader would have been much more satisfied. Plus having a character to recover from a coma and live on, even with mental disability, would have been lovely. But I digress. </label><br /><br />The climax was awesome! I loved seeing more of the different cultures, especially the Healer kingdom! And while the ending was wonderfully satisfying, it also left (as all good, thriving stories do) many incredible stories ahead in the future, and I only hope one day they get explored.

About this book:<br /><br /> <i>“Wife. Warrior. Lady of Two Worlds.<br /> As War Looms, Will Her Power Be Enough to Save the Ones She Loves?<br /> Lady Selene Ravenwood has come into her full power as a dreamwalker--a power greater than any in history. She embraces her new role as Nightwatcher, able to intercede for her people in the dream world, but the dark shadow of war draws ever closer. <br /> Working together, the Great Houses come up with a plan to secure the borders from the approaching Dominia Empire. But dissension, conflict, and suspicion threaten to destroy their tenuous treaty, and as the empire burns a path across their lands, Damien Maris starts to lose his ability to raise the waters, leaving the lands vulnerable to the empire's attacks.”</i><br /><br /><br />Series: Book #3 in <i>“The Ravenwood Saga”</i>. Review of Book #1 Here! and #2 Here!<br /><br /><br />Spiritual Content- Prayers; Talks about the Light (God figure), praying to him, trusting him, &amp; following him; 'H's are not capital when referring to the Light; Witnessing to others about the Light; Many mentions of the Light, having faith, &amp; giving loved one over to him; Mentions of prayers, praying, &amp; Thanking the Light; Mentions of those with gifts (Damien &amp; Selene) offering their gift up to the Light (similar to worship) &amp; praying for their people; Mentions of monks, their chanting, an abbey, priests, &amp; a temple; A few mentions of a festival about the Light; A few mentions of people wishing the Light to be with others on their journeys; A mention of someone following <i>“some of the tenets of the Light”</i>; A mention of seraph from ancient stories that made supplications to the Light; <br /> *Note: Each of the seven Great Houses have a special gift (some control water, others fire or the earth, and Selene’s house is able to get into others’ dreams) and some believe in gods of some form, the <i>“old god/god of old ways”</i> (called <i>“the Light”</i>), and others believe in <i>“the Dark Lady”</i>; The gifts each house has are from the Light to protect their people; The House Ravenwood’s patroness is the Dark Lady and it is their belief in her that gives her power (Lady Ragna is spending a lot of time with her so her powers can grow); Fighting the Dark Lady in the dreamscape (Light vs Darkness, up to semi-detailed); Selene slips into others’ dreams, talking on the form of a raven and can change back into her human form; The dreamwalker gift of House Ravenwood can be used to encourage people or manipulate them; Mentions of souls &amp; some being dark and some being light; Mentions of the Dark Lady, Lady Ragna being close to her, &amp; the dark priest receiving messages and prophecies from her; A couple mentions of seeing those who have passed through the veil &amp; seeing them again; A mention of a place being Hell; A mention of a hellish sound. <br /><br /><br />Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘for Light’s sake’, a ‘Lands’, three forms of ‘Light/Dear Light’ (used as the beginning of a sentence), and four ‘dart’an’s; A man is called the <i>“back-end-of-a-wyvern”</i>; A mention of a curse (said, not written); A bit of eye rolling &amp; sarcasm; Seeing deaths (including loved ones, up to semi-detailed); Fighting, Seeing killing, Being attacked, Being burned, Pain, Injuries, &amp; Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Nightmares (up to semi-detailed); Damien struggles with using his gift to harm or kill others (even if they are the enemy, up to semi-detailed); Damien is grieving his parents and brother &amp; Selene grieves her sister; All about many mentions of wars, fighting, a razing of an empire, &amp; murders; Mentions of deaths, murders, killing, assassins/assassinations, &amp; drownings (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of bodies, blood, how they died, burning the bodies, &amp; the smell (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fires (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of attacks, fighting, injuries, pain, passing out, &amp; blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of threats; Mentions of nightmares &amp; people being put into a deep sleep (by the Dark Lady); Mentions of hatred; Mentions of lies, lying, &amp; liars; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of deaths from a plague &amp; grief/grieving (for parents, a father, a brother, a sister, &amp; a mentor); Mentions of throwing up; Mentions of a woman’s mind being shattered and her becoming <i>“like a living corpse”</i> as she can’t do anything (Happened in Book #1; *Spoiler* <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="2a4bbc30-2b3a-400e-ae11-cafb15e57dfe" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="2a4bbc30-2b3a-400e-ae11-cafb15e57dfe">Selene goes into her mind and shows her the Light and then she passes away peacefully *End of Spoiler*</label>); A few mentions of alcohol, drinking, &amp; feeling drunk; A few mentions of wyverns being injured (up to semi-detailed); A couple mentions of slaves/slavery; A mention of a suicide mission; A mention of someone losing a hand in a battle (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of a young girl being slapped.<br /><br /><br />Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch, a hand kiss, three cheek kisses, a neck kiss, three not-detailed kisses, three barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and four semi-detailed kisses; Touches, Embraces, Cuddling, Warmth, &amp; Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Remembering touches &amp; embraces (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to touch &amp; embrace; Noticing &amp; Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); Selene &amp; Damien share a bed (multiple times, but there is also a mention of them putting on their clothes the next morning; also a couple mentions of them missing the other being next to them in bed); A man covets Selene and her power; A man touches Selene’s cheek &amp; she slaps him away; Mentions of an affair &amp; an illegitimate child from it (the man makes also offers for the woman to stay the night with him); Mentions of kisses &amp; kissing; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of blushes &amp; winks; Love, being in love, &amp; the emotions.<br /><br />-Selene Maris, around age 19<br />-Damien Maris, around age 24<br /> P.O.V. switches between them, &amp; Lady Ragna (x3), Raoul (x2), Caiaphas (x1)<br /> 384 pages<br /><br />~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*<br />Pre Teens- One Star<br />New Teens- One Star<br />Early High School Teens- Two Star<br />Older High School Teens- Three Stars <br />My personal Rating- Three Stars<br /><br />I can see why this is a popular series, as the plot is very unique and interesting. I think the bottom line, though, for me, is that I’m not the right reader and not a fan of certain parts that I mentioned in my review of the second book. I do have to say, this trilogy has been an adventure and I’ve enjoyed seeing what would happen next. Had there not been a fade-to-black scene in the second book, I would have kept this series in my bookshelves. (Side note: If you loved the whole <i>“River of Time”</i> series by Lisa T. Bergren, you would most likely be completely okay with how it’s handled in this book.)<br /><br />I like Selene a lot more in this book. She’s more confident and well-spoken. I actually wasn’t a fan of seeing Lady Ragna having doubts…I kind of just wanted her to always be evil? That’s probably terrible to say, but her doubting her goals makes her feel wishy-washy, which she was <i>not</i> that way at all in the prior books. However, I was very satisfied by the ending. <br /><br />This fantasy trilogy has been a journey and I’m glad that I finally read it and can mark it off of my TBR. It definitely had its good points and not-so-good points in my eyes, but overall, I can see why so many love it. Older girl who are big fantasy fans would probably enjoy this series the most. <br /><br />See y’all on Friday with a new review! <br /> <br /><br /><br />*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

VIDEO REVIEW HERE: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://youtu.be/9R5mZ51P-Vc">https://youtu.be/9R5mZ51P-Vc</a><br /><br />This book made me break my own rule.<br /><br />I confess that a quarter of a way in I HAD to flip to the end to make sure it would have certain character(s) alive and well.<br /><br />Not only that, but even with knowing a tiny piece of the ending, I caught myself praying everyone would make it.<br /><br />…<br /><br />*Praying.*<br /><br />If that does not say how intense and engaging this story was, then neither what I have to share about the book will either. LOL!<br /><br />It's been a very long time since I have done either, and this book continued to surprise me in so many ways. <br /><br />I LOVED the story as a whole. It was everything I wanted in an epic trilogy. (Like were talking I had internal music playing with scenes and breaking out in goosebumps with scenes. #sogood) Fighting, overcoming, growing, and a few other spoiler things that I refuse to mention becaue one must read it to enjoy it.<br /><br />However, on a deeper level, Selene's words and Damien's struggle pierced me where I found myself having to put the book down and process how much I needed it. No matter how hard sometimes life might be, Jesus is ALWAYS with us. Even in the darkness, His Light shines and burns in our hearts. <br /><br />And letting go doesn’t mean forgetting. &lt;3<br /><br />Damien has always been my favorite because he is beyond relatable and it was no exception in Cry of the Raven, but Selene has also become a favorite too. I loved this incredible couple and how they encouraged and loved one another. It was beautiful and fiction needs more of this.<br /><br />There is soooo much more I could say about this story, but I will say that though I really struggled liking Selene in book one, this series will be a series I hold close. I have been deeply encouraged by it and for the first time, I put a sticky note in a book because it was so profound. <br /><br />In summary, Cry of the Raven is so so so good!<br /><br />Highly recommend to Christian fantasy readers who love a blend of action and romance and epicness!

<b>5 STARS!! </b><br><br>What a Fabulous Ending to a Beautiful Series!! <br><br>Busse had me at book 1 ... and 2 but then 3. Wow. Its like each book got deeper and deeper into my soul. Asking the hard questions and making me think. Each book got better and better. <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1558311903ra/27542502.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Selene and Damien both grew so much. Especially Selene! In the first two she had to count on Damien for a lot because she was learning about the light and didnt know much but their growth was so amazing and shows how a healthy marriage should operate and I just adored that. Like can we please just get more wholesome books like these? <br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1630103810i/31842173.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Beautiful Right... BRB going Cry happy tears. <br><br>Anyway... The war between light and dark was upon them and Damien and Selene had to go in different directions for a little while. They had their own battles to face and things to settle. I loved that even apart they became a powerful weapon to fight in the battle against the darkness. There were so many elements that felt real - even though this was a medieval world. The way they treated people around them and wow if we could get some people in power like these two what a beautiful world we would live in. <br><br>This next part may or may not be a spoiler so proceed with caution :P<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1630105545ra/31842232.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>My favorite part of this entire series was the ending and how instead of killing a certain character, (dont wanna spoil it) - they let them live and brought them over to the light and it was just so different than most books. Usually (this particular character) would have been killed or put in prison because of all of the terrible things they had done. But instead they were offered redemption and a chance to "see" something different. I just LOVED that! <br><br>Maybe its your cup of tea- and maybe not, I recommend it but you decide! Go read it...

<i>(Review--and pictures!--originally posted here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://thepagedreamer.wordpress.com/2020/02/07/cry-raven-morgan-busse/">https://thepagedreamer.wordpress.com/...</a> )</i> <br /><br />Aaaahh! This book was so amazing! A new favorite, and an epic, suspenseful conclusion to the Ravenwood Saga! I loved it so, so much! I’ll try to keep this review spoiler free. ;)<br /><br />I’ve loved each book in this trilogy, and each one has gotten even better than the last—difficult to imagine, since they’ve all been top favorites. CRY OF THE RAVEN was my most-anticipated read of the year, and wraps up the series, and totally delivers! IT. WAS. INCREDIBLE.<br /><br />New twists and secrets come to light and there’s SO MUCH EPICNESS and it’s all on such a grand scale. I was blown away. The inspiring journey of these beloved characters, in this amazing world, with so many things that I love and have been excited to see since I first started the series, has just been so thrilling to experience! It makes me so happy! I’m sitting here grinning, trying to come up with words to do justice to this delightful book.<br /><br />I absolutely love the characters, and how real their stories are, with their struggles, relationships, and growth. It’s been amazing following Selene through these books and seeing where she is now (I love her character so much, and even cosplayed as her at a writers conference last year!). Damien is my favorite, and he has quite a story in this one too! He is just the best. I love them together as well and seeing how their relationship plays out! All the love for these two! Reading their adventures and seeing the end has been so rewarding and I will love them forever. ^_^<br /><br />So many of the side characters are favorites of mine too—and everyone is so real that they practically step off the page! I especially liked to see more of Caiaphas, Lord Leo and his brother, Lady Bryren and Reidin (who are EPIC!), and other characters like Taegis, Karl, and wise Renlar, who is new but awesome. Meeting new characters and delving deeper into ones we had met previously and seeing how they change was one of my favorite things!<br /><br />I also love the worldbuilding! Aaahh! Definitely one of my favorite fantasy worlds. The powers/gifts, and all the different cultures and places we get to visit. I was so excited to get to see more of this world! *beaming* I stepped right through the page into this fascinating place—so happy to return one last time, and sad when it was over. I’m going to miss these books! *hugs them forever* But it was such an epic and satisfying conclusion that it’s also hard to be anything other than elated. :D<br /><br />I love the writing, too—how it’s not sparse by any means, but at the same time there’s nothing “extra” and it shows just exactly the right things, everything important that we need to know, drawing you right into the action and emotion. It felt so clean, well-written, and masterfully crafted together, with inspiring words in there as well. The spiritual journeys, redemption, and healing, and parts about the Light, were very well done.<br /><br />Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to fangirl about more of my absolute favorite things, besides the characters and world, because there is SO much to love about this book. Apologies for any incoherency, but aaaahhhh! CRY OF THE RAVEN had so many amazing things that I adored!<br /><br />+ Firstly, seeing more of the wyverns! (Yesss! I was totally hoping for that!)<br />+ I also absolutely loved how the dreamwalking was an even bigger part of this one and how it fit into the plot! (No spoilers, but aaahh!)<br />+ In the previous books, we’ve seen Selene’s dreamwalking gift and Damien’s water-manipulation gift, but only briefly touched on the other gifts in this world, so I was SO EXCITED to finally learn more about and get to see some of other Great Houses’ gifts in action a bit! (*muffled shrieking*) <br />+ ALSO! A couple of things about the ending were my absolute favorite! No spoilers, but you’ll know when you read the end. ;) (And the scene with the flower!! My heart! Aaahh! I don’t even know why I loved it so much but I ADORED THAT PART and it makes me smile and tear up. ^_^)<br /><br />MARK OF THE RAVEN and FLIGHT OF THE RAVEN have been building up to this one and it’s everything I ever wanted! Nearly everything that I hoped to see was brought to light, and so many things that were good surprises, too! It was the perfect ending to this trilogy which I absolutely adore. I wholeheartedly recommend this series! If you are a fantasy fan, you need it in your life!<br /><br /><i>(I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a review. All opinions are my own.)</i>

What an amazing finish to the trilogy! There was so much action and intense battle scenes. It had me on the edge of my seat. Love this series so much! Well done!

oh don't mind me i'll just be randomly sobbing in a corner until february 2020 finally arrives

The trilogy concludes and I am at peace. I think there is room for more story to this world, but this was a satisfying way to end the series.