Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Book Review: The Raven Scholar (The Eternal Path #1) by Antonia Hodgson (Fantasy)

The Raven Scholar (The Eternal Path #1)
Antonia Hodgson
Hachette Australia
15 April 2025
656
eBook - PDF
Fantasy
ARC via NetGalley

She might win the throne. She might destroy an empire. Either way, it begins with murder.

After twenty-four years on the throne, it is time for Bersun the Brusque, emperor of Orrun, to bring his reign to an end. In the dizzying heat of mid-summer, seven contenders will compete to replace him.

Trained at rival monasteries, each contender is inspired by a sacred animal - Fox, Raven, Tiger, Ox, Bear, Monkey, and Hound. An eighth - the Dragon proxy - will be revealed only once the trials have begun. Eight exceptional warriors, thinkers, strategists - the best of the best.

Then one of them is murdered.

It falls to the brilliant but idiosyncratic Neema Kraa to investigate. But as she hunts for a killer, darker forces are gathering.

If Neema succeeds, she could win the throne - whether she wants it or not. But if she fails, she will sentence herself to death - and set in motion a sequence of events that could doom the empire . . .


The Raven Scholar was a book that took me by surprise. I had expected to like it (otherwise I wouldn't have requested the ARC), but I ended up loving it. The first half of the book, I was already enjoying it, then everything exploded and I was completely hooked. The story combines death games with political intrigue and god-like creatures. I loved the narrative voice with its wry humour; sometimes I was even laughing out loud as I read the lines (I'm looking at you, Sol), and the world building was nicely handled. The pacing began a bit slowly but soon took off, and the ending left me eager for more, so I can't wait for book two to see how the story will continue. At over 650 pages, it's a pretty long read, but it never felt like a drag, even with the slower pacing in the first half. If you enjoyed the narrative style of the Nevernight series, this book will be right up your alley. Also recommended for fans of epic fantasy who are looking for reads that aren't romance focused. I am giving it 5 stars.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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