The Raven was a fantastic novel that kept me hooked at every turn! Sylvain Reynard made a wonderfully addictive novel I would suggest to anyone who loves fantasy, supernatural, romance and action/adventure!

The Raven follows a young girl named Raven and a hero and interest in her life: a vampire prince. At first the novel appears to be some form of YA novel, but it is very dark and twisted. I see this novel as more of a New Adult or older novel, but is still just as intriguing as many YA novels.

The novel proves to be a new take on vampire novels, at least in my eyes. A young girl who is a spitting image of someone William (our vampire prince) used to know, who affected him greatly, is saved by the vampire and suddenly feels very different. Instead of being a vampire like what happens in most novels, the girl has lost some of her memory and must struggle to remember what happened. With the help of William she discovers some of her memories and reveals some of her troubling past.

Together, the pair are an interesting and perfect set of characters. They both have very distinct personalities that are not your typical novel characters. They have obvious flaws and are not afraid of them.

I really appreciated this novel. With the many references to art, the interesting characters and a unique plot, this novel is one of the best I've ever read!

Three out of five stars! I'd recommend this book to everyone!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. ( )

It's like Interview with the Vampire retold in the most lifeless soporific way possible. Bleh ( )

It's like Interview with the Vampire retold in the most lifeless soporific way possible. Bleh ( )

Thank you to the publisher and goodreads for a free copy!

I guess I'll start with what I liked, which is how Raven was portrayed at the start of the book. I mean, she's not thin, she's got a limp and a cane she jokingly refers to as her boyfriend, and she doesn't focus much on her appearance. Aka, the sort of character I'd like to see more of in fiction.

Unfortunately, I wasn't as enamoured of the rest of the book. There was this weird thing with her appearance changing and going back again (that somehow her acquaintances accept as the result of a crash diet). There are sexual assault-related scenes and comments that just felt unnecessary.

And the whole vampyre thing had a disturbing, predatory edge. Yeah, I know, I know, humans are prey. But there were some creepy things going on, like describing humans as pets or as vintages, things just to be controlled and/or consumed. For a horror novel? That's great. But for a romance? Yeah, no, that's a messed-up dynamic that just doesn't do it for me.

Still, it's better-written (and a lot less creepy than) certain popular books I could name. I appreciate that. I just don't... get the romantic appeal of the whole vampire thing. ( )

This is an intriguing read in the vampire genre. It feels like a mix of the old school with imperfect characters and the newer with obsessive attraction. A female lead who isn't a beauty queen and also has a physical disability is definitely different from most that I read, and I liked it. I'm very interested to see where the series goes. ( )