Raven Unveiled

With <i> <b>Raven Unveiled</b> </i>, Grace Draven brings readers an epic fantasy romance that has adventure, danger, romance, and suspense. In this third book in the Fallen Empire series, she features Siora and Gharek. Siora was born with the ability to see and speak to ghosts. A predator is growing in power as it consumes the souls of the dead, and the ghosts need her help. She’s also on the run from an assassin. Gharek of Cabast was once the empress’s assassin. However, he is now a wanted fugitive. He’s pursuing Siora for personal reasons. Will Siora be able to defeat the ghost devouring entity? What will happen when Gharek and Siora meet?<br /><br />Siora is barely tolerated by others even when they seek her out. She is kind, strong, and willing to help others even when it endangers her own life. She’s a character that readers will want to succeed in life. Gharek is fearsome, fascinating, cold, and calculating; except when it comes to his daughter. He places her safety, well-being, and protection above everything else. Both characters are dynamic and grow as the story progresses. Each transforms as events unfold. However, I didn’t fully buy into Gharek’s transformation. It seemed to happen too quickly. His actions were hard to accept. The minor characters are developed adequately for their roles. While less dynamic, they provide the support or conflict needed to keep readers interested in them. The author did a great job of weaving characters’ backstories into the tale without doing a data dump.<br /><br />The story is well written with a deeply involved plot and vibrant characters. It’s well plotted and descriptive, but the pace slowed at times. The conflicts moved the story forward with some unexpected twists. The world-building is okay and the enemies-to-lovers romance trope almost worked. However, I wanted a little more of an ending. An epilogue would have helped. This action-packed novel features hatred, vengeance, forgiveness, power, redemption, respect, ghosts, evil entities, and more.<br /><br />Overall, this fantasy is gripping, heart-breaking, and thought-provoking. The high stakes and smooth writing made it a page turner. While it’s the first novel I have read by this author, I believe it would have been even better if I had read the first two books in the series first. I believe they would have provided more details on the world’s view on magic and the state of its politics. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.<br /><br />Berkley Publishing Group – Ace and Grace Draven provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for November 08, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.<br /><br />----------------------------------------------<br />My 3.44 rounded to 3 stars review will be coming soon.

Somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars - For me, the romance in this one just didn't come together; it was too angsty and too much hate for me to fully buy the transition to love. Just not my trope combo. That said, I did really enjoy the fantasy world element! The whole "shade talker" magic Siora had was really interesting and it's been cool to see the process of an empire falling apart. I also like the morally grey part of Gharek outside of the context of him being a romantic lead

I decided at page 3 that I’d forgotten almost everything from the prior book beyond it was the story of a Dragon and a healer. I know that because I didn’t remember Siora or Gharek the empresses Cat’s Paw. I also forgot about his unarmed daughter or that Siora helped said Dragon and thereby betrayed Gharek. But the good news is that even though I’d forgotten about 80% of the previous story it didn’t matter and I got caught up enough quickly. That is the thing that sucks about waiting at least a year between books and not having enough time for a refresher. That said this time it probably worked to my benefit as I didn’t remember how much I didn’t like Gharek going into this story.<br /><br />I enjoy Grace Draven books. They have been a great blend of Fantasy and Romance making them some of my favorite Romantasy books. That said this probably was the weakest romance of the series to date. Siora betrayed her employer and the child she had become nursemaid to. She helped save the Dragon in the previous book knowing what it would cost her. Gharek is prepared to hunt Siora to the end of the world and back again because she didn’t just leave him, but also left his child who mourned her leaving like a child losing a parent. He will make sure he bring Siora in front of his daughter to apologize.<br /><br />In the middle of capturing each other it seems they are in turn captured and now the former Cat’s Paw has a quest to go on and a future emperor to assist if he wants to keep his daughter safe, even if his life may be forfeit after. Siora will do anything to protect the child she left behind, even if it is to make sure to help the man she betrayed in hopes of some kind of forgiveness, even if cannot erase the choices she made.<br /><br />I like the worldbuilding in this a lot. It is really amazing how the world is portrayed and the city of Midrigar was phenomenal. The city is cursed and there is an evil that is eating all of the spirits of the dead it can find. Siora who can speak to the dead and might be able to do more than that is the only hope of destroying this entity and saving the spirits of loved ones lost to her. She will need Gharek to trust her and protect her if she is to come out of this cursed city alive.<br /><br />I’m glad I’d forgotten how much I hated Gharek from the first books. I might not have enjoyed him as the hero. Still after a few stumbles he became more of the hero the reader wanted him to be and the hero Siora needed. Siora however was so easy to love. She has had little in this world to protect her and she has done what she can for those who need protection. I really liked how sincere and pure she felt.<br /><br />Overall the weakest love story of the series but still well worth reading.<br />

I dearly love Grace Draven, her fantasy worlds are so rich and immersive and this third book in the series was no different. Another enemies to lovers, which Grace does so well, although it did feel a bit too much enemies for a bit too long. <br /><br />However this pair was so charismatic and interesting, both in terms of their role in the plot and world and within their complicated relationship. Loved the hunt for the hero's daughter and also loved how dark he was. Morally grey, almost black IMO. <br /><br />This leaned heavier on the fantasy elements than romance but I didn't mind because the fantasy was so well built. <br /><br />I received an ARC for review.

Nice romantic fantasy story, part of the fallen empire series. I like the author’s straightforward style and delicate writing.<br /><br /><br /><i> His question gave her pause. Such a scenario had never before presented itself to her, and until now, it had been easy to take a stand when there was no scenario. Harder now to hold that line when someone she loved was in danger, and she struggled with the grim reality of compromise when needs must conflicted with morality. </i>

This series hasn't been a great ride for me. I did enjoy book one, and rounded up on my feelings because of my love for the author, but the sequel ended up with the same rating this finale (I assume it's the finale..) is getting. Not a great progression.<br /><br />In some ways, this one was better (at least from my vague recollection; I truly remember nothing concrete about the books that came before, but vague plot impressions, little to nothing about the characters) but in many ways it was equally lackluster. In a positive vein, I enjoyed how the book opened up, one character on the run from the other, assuming he's after her to kill her. He's definitely after her but the vengeance he's after is less murdery despite his initial inclination. Eventually everything gets derailed and they have to band together for reasons involving a side quest and it's through this bonding time they start to unpack their baggage and connect.<br /><br />Or so the author wants us to believe. Because this romance? Hard to buy into. In fact, I want my money back because while I could maybe get on board with them being friends, I don't accept anything more. The moment these two started to lean into that, I started checking out of the story. That isn't to say it was four star material up until that point but it was better without the forced romance element.<br /><br />I will repeat my moaning about how sad I am that I can't shout about the author's trade published works from the rooftops. Because all I can do is recommend some of the indie works that came before. This series just had none of the magic, none of the excitement, I've loved from her before. But having said that, her latest indie, a continuation of one of my favourite series, wasn't a win either, so. I'm at a loss.<br /><br />I will probably read on in this series if there's more to come (#Completionist) but I hope it's done. I would of course be interested in whatever else is to come from her but my expectations will definitely be a smidge lowered.<br /><br />** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **<br /><br />---<br /><br />This review can also be found at <a href="https://atakefromtwocities.home.blog/2022/11/07/raven-unveiled-by-grace-draven/" rel="nofollow noopener">A Take From Two Cities</a>.

He seeks revenge on the woman who betrayed him, but the battle over a fragmented empire and a powerful darkness rising to devour both living and dead force him to accept as ally the mysterious woman he hates. Returning to the Fallen Empire world for this particular story has been a high anticipation for me and I was not disappointed.<br /><br />Raven Unveiled is the third of the strongly connected Fallen Empire series and finishes off a story arc that began in the previous book.<br /><br />Gharek, the dead empress’ former assassin and cat’s paw, is the most hunted man in the former empire right now, but this doesn’t stop him from tracking down the woman who betrayed him and, worse, his little daughter, Estred. His need for revenge blinds him to his surroundings and he ends up nearly trapped in a dark shadow’s claws and does get captured by a former general of the empire set on wresting the remaining pieces of the empire from those who currently hold it as well as his desire to kill Gharek for what happened to his brother. <br /><br />Siora saves Gharek’s life from a darkness that wanted to devour him and then faces down a powerful, ruthless general on Gharek’s behalf. Her shade magic helps her see and hear ghosts and she refuses to believe there is more to it. Her motive for standing by Gharek bewilder him, but she is determined to save him from himself- all for the sake of Estred his daughter. Or, so she tells him.<br /><br />Raven Unveiled jumped in right after the previous book, Dragon Unleashed, left off. It has been a bit but, Grace Draven did a good job of recapping while current action scenes kept the plot driving forward. The background is the fallout that takes place after the empress is killed. I felt the chill of the ghostly realm and the gritty moments of danger between the phantom darkness coming after Siora, Gharek and the others, the brute force of the army camp, and the suspense of them trying to keep from being caught on the streets of the city since Gharek has a bounty on his head.<br /><br />Siora is an enigma in the other books and starts out that way in this book even with her getting to share the narration with Gharek. She wields a magic that allows her to see and talk with ghosts. She is adamant that she is not a necromancer- they enslave the dead. And, she is just as determined to make Gharek understand that what he saw as betrayal was her taking action for his and Estred’s benefit. She adores his daughter and sees something in him that is redeemable. I loved her pluck and her humility, but also her will of iron that stands quietly strong when in the company of men who would crush her.<br /><br />Gharek did atrocious things and I was glad the author didn’t try to sugarcoat or excuse him. This is a villain turned anti-hero at best. He is paying the price for his ruthless acts as he falls into the hands of people he wronged and must depend on their being better than he to let him live- at least live long enough to see his daughter protected. I liked getting his background and seeing him slowly let his need for revenge go and his attempts to be a better man for Estred- and Siora. The romance was slow to come and rightly so as Gharek has a long, hard journey out of the dark and along the path of love.<br /><br />I have no idea if this is the last book or if there will be more Fallen Empire, but this was a story I wanted and it was satisfactory. Fantasy is not a genre I reach for very often, but this series captivated me from the start and drew me into the author’s writing and the Fallen Empire world. I highly recommend this book/series to those who enjoy Fantasy Romance.<br /><br />I rec’d an eARC of the book through NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.<br /><br />My full review will post at Books of My Heart on Nov 8th.

Will post my review as soon as I finish this High Fantasy ~ Billion Brilliant Stars ~ in a couple days <br />??⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‼️November 8, 2022‼️<br>ME:<br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1649043563ra/32768987.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br>I need it! I need it NOW!

A story of redemption, sacrifice, second chances, and love, Raven Unveiled follows Gharek and Siora, enemies turned allies, in a quest to retrieve an ancient artifact and protect Gharek’s daughter.<br /><br />The story begins while Gharek is hunting Siora for betraying him and his daughter. Determined to find her and drag her back to his daughter so Siora can apologize and ask for forgiveness, Gharek ends up becoming Siora’s ally. Theirs is a complicated partnership, as there are so many unspoken and unresolved things between them, but they work together well. Their begrudging partnership slowly turns into more as they begin to realize that their feelings for each other are deeper than either ever realized.<br /><br />I liked both Gharek’s and Siora’s character arcs. They are unique and layered characters who go on major emotional and physical journeys throughout the story. Gharek was brutal and violent, but there’s more to him than being the cat’s paw. He is a loving and devoted father, a warrior, and a survivor. Gharek’s story is so intriguing, and I loved his path to redemption. As the cat’s paw, Gharek was forced to do unspeakable and violent acts at the behest of the Empress. He doesn’t justify his action, and he shows a lot of remorse for what he’s done. Much of what he did was to protect his daughter. The love that Gharek has for his daughter is without measure, and he shows time and again how far he’s willing to go to protect her. She is the one good thing in his life.<br /><br />Siora is a survivor too, and she’s kind and caring. It was interesting to see Gharek and Siora face past betrayals, explore a new tentative truce, and slowly begin to trust each other. I was also really intrigued by Siora’s abilities, much of which she has yet to acknowledge and explore. It was fascinating to see her embrace her powers more. She can do some amazing things, especially as her powers grow and change throughout the story.<br /><br />The plot and world-building are immersive, and there’s a ton of suspense and intrigue as Siora first tries to elude Gharek and eventually ends up kidnapped with him and working with him to save his daughter. Their journey is dangerous and deadly, and they encounter more than one enemy who wishes them dead. Even though I didn’t read the other books in the series, I was easily pulled into these treacherous worlds with unimaginable dangers and deadly supernatural beings. At the start, I found it a little bit tough to follow because I didn’t know the backstory, but it is explained and referenced enough that you get the main ideas pretty quickly.<br /><br />Many secondary characters are interesting too, especially the ones who were connected to Gharek and Siora’s initial conflict. I was also interested in Gharek and Siora’s captor. He was mysterious and intriguing, and I was curious about his motives. A couple of other characters I loved were of the spectral sort. They both showed how strong family bonds can be in this life and beyond. These relationships, as well as Zharek’s relationship with his daughter, highlight the strength of familial love and ties.<br /><br />This was an entertaining epic fantasy with dynamically developed characters, vivid world-building, unique fantasy elements, and tons of suspense and action. I’m thankful to for Berkley Books for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.