Loved, loved, loved it. The characters were quirky, and the storyline kept me guessing. This was a truly magical read.

I can see lots of attempts at diversity with a queer side couple (very side), mention of androgynous people and various other POC characters but honestly this falls flat for me.

The main characters are hmmm. Vivi is pretty damp and doesn’t have much personality at all. Whereas Scarlet is very interesting but the main character who is black has to be a massive bitch to the poor lil new white girl? Why? Why does she have to be a bitch for no reason like j don’t get it. And why does her boyfriend have to dump her like I really don’t see why this has to happen other than it’s gonna turn out to be part of a curse or something but overall it just felt ick that all the bad stuff was happening to the black woman and the white girl was coming in to save her and take her boyfriend. Like couldnt they just be friends and get along instead and face the issue together? Halfway through I have lost interest so dnf @ 56%

I was so excited about this book and highly anticipating it. However, I ended up dnfing it 50 pages in. Unfortunately it just wasn't working for me and I've still not really figured out why properly. Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of the earc.

well written, good plot, i enjoyed it would read again i really like the author

This book had potential but I didn't connect with it. The main character was really annoying to me and I just found it all a little trope=y. The whole bitchy mean girl thing just leaves me a bit cold these days.

Review not posted anywhere else.

Loved the sound of this one. It was a very unique idea with the witched being hidden in plain sight masked as a soriety group. Unfortunately though the story didn't pull me in like I was hoping it would and I found myself not really caring about what was going on

The blurb sounded so interesting.

My main issues with this YA/NA tale of college student witches is that the writing is very simplistic and the main characters are fleshed out, while the secondary characters are mere props.

I loved the idea of a coven hidden within a sorority as it combines witchcraft with academia which sounds like my perfect read. This was a fun introduction and I look forward to the sequel.

Characters – 6/10
The Ravens follow two perspectives, Scarlet, a junior at university, and Vivi, a freshman. Scarlet really annoyed me in the beginning. She preached “sisterhood” but continued to treat other girls (especially Vivi) like trash. She does go through some character development at the end of the book and I liked her a lot more after that. Vivi wasn’t a bad character. I really enjoyed her perspective.

I didn’t like any of the relationships in this book. Everyone falls in and out of love so quickly that it didn’t feel realistic for me. The side characters could have also used some work, they were mostly interchangeable to me.

Atmosphere – 8/10
A spooky witchy story set at a university sorority? Sign me up. It reminded me so much of my own university experience, so nostalgia does play a role. But I just really enjoyed this setting. I listened to the audiobook of this one and some scenes really creeped me out. The narrator did an amazing job of scaring me. Overall the atmosphere is just really well done.

Writing – 7/10
I can’t complain about the writing. It was really solid and I felt like Scarlet and Vivi had distinct voices. I wish there was some more character and relationship building, but hopefully, we get that in the sequel.

Plot – 7/10
This was a fun story. It’s nothing too serious, but not all stories have to be serious. The Ravens was creepy and fun and it made me long for university life. (Minus the creepy stuff). I enjoyed the plot twist and the end of the book. It was set up really well and paid off well.

Intrigue – 6/10
As I mentioned before, the way Scarlet treats Vivi and other girls was just not it. It wasn’t a believable conflict to me and just annoyed me. I could understand the behaviour if she was maybe 16, but she’s at least 21. It just seemed so petty and childish. I do wish this book leaned more into the NA setting. It could have been the perfect crossover book, but more on NA in a later post.

Logic – 8/10
The magic system was not bad. It’s well developed and makes sense in the story. We could have delved into Vivi’s powers a bit, but maybe that will be more developed in the sequel.

Enjoyment – 8/10
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I like the setting, I enjoyed the sorority life and the nostalgia. If you’re looking for a fun read with some creepy elements, give this book a go.

while I did enjoy this book, it lacked a bit of excitement for me. The synopsis was great but the execution just wasn't there for me.

Do you like:
✨Witches?
✨school settings?
✨secret societies?
Then you should pick up a copy of The Ravens because it has all of that and more!

Personally I really enjoyed this book. Witches and school settings are two of my favorite things so I had high expectations, and this book definitely did not disappoint!
I really enjoyed the myster aspects as well as the sisterhood vibes and the whole coven masquerading as a sorority was awesome!
All in all I gave this book 4.5 stars and I recommend it to witch and magic fans!

The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige is a young adult paranormal fantasy that is the first book in a new series. The story is told from the dual point of view of two of the sorority sisters of Kappa Rho Nu Scarlett Winters and Vivi Deveraux.

Scarlett Winters is a legacy in the elite Kappa Rho Nu at Westerly College. Scarlett expects that this year as a Raven she will become the Sorority President as those in her family before her and plans to let nothing stand in her way.

Vivi Deveraux is a freshman at Westerly College and new to the whole college experience. Vivi never expected anyone at the most exclusive sorority on campus to take notice of her so she is shocked when she receives an invite to pledge. What Vivi also doesn’t expect is to find that the sorority is actually made up of witches and she herself has powers.

This book was a great read! it was a little slow in the beginning but once the witchy stuff started happening it became a more bearable pace. This book is aimed at more beginner young adult readers as it does contain quite common tropes which would appeal to a younger audience.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book.

Mixing up colleage experience with witchcraft is something that I never have read before and not expected it to go that good along. It had it's low moments, but it still is a very nice read.

Rating - 2.5/5

I was really excited to read The Ravens after hearing glowing reviews from readers I trust. Unfortunately this book was just not for me.

I think what disconnected me for the story was the American Greek system. I never had any experiences with sororities and will never have these experiences. It was confusing to read about and I felt like I couldn’t immerse myself in the story.

I also think that we are not given enough time to get to know Vivi before she joins Kappa. From the few pages we get from her perspective, she didn’t seem like someone who would join a sorority so I was quite confused when she just goes along with everything so easily. I would have loved to see more uncontrolled bursts of magic before she joined Kappa (or before Kappa got involved).

The storyline itself was quite interesting and kept me reading. I was intrigued by the mystery and loved the reveal at the end. I do think that the dual perspective and the writing let this book down quite a bit. I feel like the book should have been told solely from Vivi’s perspective. Reading from Scarlett’s perspective gave too much about the magical world away. I also think that the book is too dialogue heavy. The authors are telling me and not showing me what’s going on and I got bored by all the talking.

My biggest pet peeve about this book is the boy drama. I don’t usually say this but this book could have done without the romance elements, especially the “steal your man” storyline. It felt so unnecessary to include and I feel like the bonds of sisterhood would have been more emphasised if there were no boys involved. I also feel like the relationship between Vivi and Mason was non-existent. They were throwing around the idea of love after only interacting a handful of times on the page. It wasn’t believable at all.

I do think that a lot of people would enjoy this book. It’s fast paced, action-packed and has a great mystery at the centre with some interesting magic thrown in. I just don’t think this book was for me.

A story about a sorority and sisterhood and witchcraft was what drew me into The Ravens. It sounded absolutely amazing. Now, I cannot say that these reasons remain at the top of my list (at least in this order) after the reading process.

Here's my personal scoop on this book - the magic system was interesting, the pace of the book was high and the entertainment levels were up there. Had it not been for me working full time, I would have completed this book quicker than I did. It was immersive and engaging, a bit of a mystery to discover the 'sinister forces' in play.

However, there was a lack of focus on the sorority itself. Most of the girls were there in name only, and barely scraped the pages. You only ever knew Vivi and Scarlett and what went through their minds, which does leave everyone else feel unimportant despite how often it is said that they are most powerful together. Also, the relationships.... I don't really know - the best I can say is weak? I did feel bad for one relationship, however out of the blue it came to exist (although it was a very early prediction that it would happen).

In spite of my issues, tho, the entertainment value of The Ravens does lend a hand to the rating being what it is.

Kappa Rho Nu sorority isn't like the others, and the girls are dying to meet you. For Vivi Deveraux, the chance to be a Raven is a stepping stone to a better life with better connections and all the notoriety she could ever want. Oh, and the chance to be a witch. Scarlett Winters, daughter of a legacy, has a lot to live up to and is determined to stand out from the shadow of her mother's past. Just so long as no-one looks too deeply into her own. Together the girls will do anything to oushine the other, even if blood is involved.

Vivi and Scarlett were good, well developed characters who complimented each other well. Scarlett is ambitious and ruthless compared to Vivi's burgeoning awakening to her powers and awkwardness. Yes, she was the weaker of the two, and Scarlett's story does outshine hers but I thought overall there was a good balance and a strong character arc. The other characters were all pretty bland in comparison however, and very interchangeable - especially the guys. The romance elements could have been eliminated entirely to be honest, as I didn't think they served much to the plot.

Speaking of the plot, it's a little all of the place and rather predictable. There's a lot of exposition at the beginning, which lessens the pacing and felt a bit clunky - however, this obviously lessens as we go through the story. There's a murder mystery plot of sorts too, which felt a bit similar to every other YA plot (with added witches) and I guessed the ending pretty early on. The witch theme is also severaly underused in my opinion. The writing style also feels quite 'young', given that the women are suppose to be in college and again it just felt a bit clunky and out of rhythm.

Interesting premise, but the main characters just weren't entertaining enough to hold up an insubstantial plot.

I started reading 'The Ravens' a while ago and got about 35% into it before I put it down because I was not really enjoying it. I decided to pick the book back up and give it another go from where I left it previously. However, I still did not enjoy it despite finishing the book.

I think this book just did not keep me interested and I found myself bored and wanting to do anything other than read it, which is disappointing as I really wanted to love it as the concept sounded like something I would really enjoying reading as it is about witches, sororities and set on a college campus with a mystery mixed in there. However, I just could not find myself liking any of the characters or the overall story.

However, I am sure a lot of people will like this more than I did and this was simply not a book for me.

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for providing me with an advance copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Witches? TICK! Sorority girls? TICK! Darkness, decadence and excellent writing? TICK TICK TICK! The Ravens is a truly excellent read for those that like Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Discovery of Witches, and the rising genre in the fiction world, Dark Academia.

An excellent and gripping story that kept me hooked.
Great world building, interesting and fleshed out characters, good storytelling.
I want to read other books by these authors.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

An immensely fun read. I read this in a day and really enjoyed it. It was so much fun to see college age YA. I love sorority stories and witch stories so the two combined were a big hell yes! for me. The plot was really interesting - just a tad bit predictable as the story got going. The two different view points - one new pledge with a dodgy past and one legacy girl looking to be the new sorority president. Both hiding things. Secrets start unravelling pretty quickly. Before long everyone has to come together to figure out what's happening. There was a wonderful bond of friendship and sisterhood. And an interesting slow burn potential romance for the legacy girl who finds herself working with a sorority hating geeky dude for help solving some of the mysteries. And for a sorority story it was actually pleasing to see the new girls coming in weren't tormented during Hell Week. I'm really looking forward to the next volume in this series.