wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow ( )

Loved this book as we begin to find out more about the history of Ravenwood and the other houses. Very intriguing events as the story continues in this book. ( )

This novel is book two in the Ravenwood Saga trilogy. I never say much about books beyond book one because I don't want to spoil anything.

Selene, married to Damien, discovers herself in this novel. Because her family has been--let's say evil--for many generations, people hesitantly begin to accept that Selene may be different. She begins to question how everyone got their gifts and what their purposes are supposed to be. With Damien's help and their choice to be honest with each other, Selene is able to find who she wants to be and how to be that person. Her powers also grow, making her one of the most powerful houses.

Good must still prepare to fight the darkness. No one wants war except the people who choose darkness/evil. Selene's mother continues to manipulate to gain power, using Selene's sister, Amara. The Dark Lady hasn't forgotten about Selene and also wants her power. Selene is battling for herself, for the Light, and for her family. She wants to save her sisters. Damien gives her encouragement and allows her to find her own path without demanding or requiring her to be anything but who she chooses to be.

A battle brews and will be book three. I love the relationship between Selene and Damien because it's honest and respectful. It may be pollyanna of me, but I wish all of us adults could act in such a manner. I like that the plot isn't based on characters lying or misinforming each other. Love for each other and all people forms the backbone of the novel--and sometimes, we must battle against temptations to stay true to goodness. ( )

This book and the previous in the series, The Mark Of The Raven are both amazing and I Love them!
The characters are great, their development and the romance - and I usually am not big on romance, slow burn. The inner turmoil and fight with good and bad choices was fantastic. Well developed, great story and plot and everything. I can’t wait to read the next book or maybe reread the first two again.
This series is reminding me so much of Muirwood series by Jeff Wheeler that I LOVE so much!
If you haven’t checked this out, Get on it! You don’t want to miss these fab books! ( )

Acquired Book By: I received a complimentary copy of “Flight of the Raven” direct from the publisher Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Stepping through the sequel of Mark of the Raven within seconds of the final paragraph being read felt as if Busse had planned how this series would evolve forward long before each installment was finalised. The exchange between the two novels is like the passing of a torch - where the light flickered low in one novel the strength of the second was re-igniting it to carry you forward towards where this new revelation was leading us to go next - Lady Selene and Lord Damien were now united together. Theirs was an alliance neither of them foresaw but it became a necessity once Selene recognised something within her own soul she knew she could not walk away from irregardless of her mother's wrath once the truth would become known.

If I felt Lady Ravenwood was crafty and able to connive her way into a reality of her choosing, I daresay no one would discredit Amara! She felt like the sleeper in the story to me - the one character you would never quite understand until she was ready to step into the foreground of her own evolving story-line. As Flight of the Raven resumes their lives, it is Amara whose innate intuition is guiding her towards the hidden truths of her family's lineage. It is a hope of my own that once she unravels what her sister Selene already knows - perhaps there is still hope for Ravenwood under her (future) guidance - unless of course, the darkness that runs through her family's bloodline corrupts her chances to supersede her mother's influence. Then, Busse will make a strong case for how sisters who have the same birthright must choose their own destiny outside of the will of their influencers; even if they take the road meant for them to embrace or if they turn away from it - at some point, Amara will have to choose for herself just as Selene had to do.

Damien surprised me - more than once between the first half of this story and now the second - his character isn't easy to get a read on as he holds a lot of himself close to the barriers he puts against the world. Yet, whenever he does share a bit of himself, what you can see within him is a soulful whispering of earnest truthfulness. He adheres more to the ancient ways - where there was more of an empathsis on spirituality (though it remains unnamed) and less on the actions of man against a higher influence - thereby, Damien is held accountable differently than others in this world. His soul is purer than most - as evidenced through what Selene observed as a Dreamer but it is more than that - it is how he holds himself accountable vs how others take agency for their own lives. For Damien is a soulful thinker as much as he is a leader who chooses how best to lay his conscience against the rights of his people. He doesn't want to lead out of fear and oppression (something from the playbook of Lady Ravenwood) but equally, he doesn't want to overrule his lands in such a way as the truer freedom of individual free will is compromised. In essence, Damien is one of the more complex characters Busse has created and one of my favourites to find.

We finally get to observe what all her training was preparing her for in the hidden recesses of Rook Castle - Selene measures herself a warrior and rightly so, given her natural talent for combat - however, this was a side of herself Damien had not realised was such a strong gift - or as strong, as the one she inherited by birthright. It was lovely to see him and his companions find something out about Selene that they never would have felt were possible - as part of their key issues now lay with the distrust they had of her and how they were meant to reconcile that ill will before they reached the place Damien called 'home'. For each of them were walking their own bout of stressful worriment over where their trust can lie and where their concerns were a valid forbearance over would was still yet to come.

In a world where dreams and nightmares rule the hearts of those who inhabit an upturnt balance between Houses, it is not a wonderment to me that Selene and Damien were equally having trouble finding their footing with each other. She afeared the reasons why he joined her in marriage and likewise he was afraid of the repercussions of the union not just in regards to how she would view him but how his kingdom would view them together. It was a tricky slope to slide as alliances and allegiances ruled the hour as did the conspiracies which were about to shake more than one tree!

It is such an evocative piece of Fantasy - the quest Selene has embarked on is not for the faint of heart nor is it for a woman who is unsure of herself, for Selene has a strength even she doesn't realise she bears within her soul. It is the journey of her soul and the awakening the prophecy foretold which sets everything into motion but its the rippling effects of this moment in her life which she isn't quite aware of which will alter her own family's course in the future. I was hugged so closely into this story - from Mark of the Raven to Flight of the Raven I can almost suspect what Cry of the Raven will involve.

These stories are unputdownable due to the grace and mercy Busse has infused inside their core - it truly is a remarkable adventure towards self-identity with a renewal of faith and spirituality overtures of gracing your imagination with a world bent towards the darkness but with a fierceness of self-directed resilience to overcome what cannot be readily explained but simply must be believed. It is the kind of series you get happily lost inside - your emotions are boiling over and you fear that one of the characters you cherish most to see grow further in the series could be placed in harm's way only to have your fears dashed by another circumstance which not only blindsides your heart but that of the characters you've come to rally alongside!

Busse has truly given me a reason to love this kind of Fantasy - of seeking out a multi-layered series wherein the quest to find oneself is anchoured against the quest to find the truth which can only be found within the Light. For it is the Light which is most important and it is only found within the strength of the soul who seeks it.

I was truly swept up inside the vision Busse had for her world - this is a world built on honour and duty - where each of the family Houses are indebted to owning the legacies of their individual powers but also, in keeping in step with ancient wisdom. Of course, this many generations into the world those wise acknowledgements of the past are a bit more clouded over by personal aspirations, the tentacles of greed and the distrusting factors of subterfuge which seek to destroy a lot of the goodness inside this world.

Evenso, what Busse excells at creating is a world where you can feel comfortable visiting - there isn't anything to shock you here - only things which seek to endeavour you to think, ponder and muse about the overlays of how this world and our world share quite a heap in common in regards to sociological observations and the patterns of society in general. There is a familiarity of this world even though nothing of it is immediately recognisable - Busse has created the world to embody a lot of what you want to seek out of a Fantasy novel of this scale. She has definitive heroes and heroines but also, lesser known reasons why some of the people in her world are choosing to act and behave opposite of their chosen legacies. She has given a strong will of freedom for her characters to remain resolute in their resolve to decide their own fates even if the influences against them are nearly to the oppressive stage wherein they might buckle from outside impressions thrust against them. It is a world of different factions and conspiracies but at the core is a world attempting to do right by its past as it remains on shakier ground in the present.

// This is a quotation of my full review originally shared via jorielovesastory.com