“History, faded to myth and then forgotten, can be lost. But the power remains, steeped into the stone like blood. Do not ask if that power is good or evil. Ask who plans to draw it out and use it.”

On an island sits eight palaces each dedicated to the Guardians – the Raven, the Fox, the Bear, the Ox, the Tiger, the Monkey, the Hound and the Dragon. The best of the best are tested, chosen and trained to live in the palace and Guardian of their choice adopting their way of life. Yet an emperor must rule over all. In the Empire of Orrun every twenty four years an emperor must end their reign and a new one must be chosen. For Bersun the Brusk his time is over and now he must oversee seven contenders, one from each Guardian palace, as they compete to win his throne. However, before the Trials have even begun one of the contenders is murdered. It falls to the emperor’s High Scholar, from the Raven palace, Neema Kraa, to uncover the culprit. Her investigation leads her down some twisted and dangerous paths, and her time is limited as she is also chosen to compete with the other contenders. She thinks she’s all alone, but she is not. They are watching and they are coming.

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson is the author’s fantasy debut and its of epic proportions. With scrupulous writing, well developed characters and a puzzle box of a plot, this is a book which completely swept me away.

I immediately fell in love with the narrative voice which Hodgson cleverly executed throughout. Predominantly we are given an omniscient third person narration as we are mostly shown a perspective from Neema, who serves as our main protagonist, but we are not limited to her thoughts and feelings alone. Occasionally our perspective switches to a broader second person narration where we are able to look down on the world of Orrun and have our gaze directed to any particular character of interest. I believe it’s the perfect style for this novel because omniscient is a godlike narration, and second person has an almost theatrical quality to it and it creates a more rounded view of the events unfolding. A second person narration also allows for a frame story device as the narrator also includes stories of past events to help bring further insight. I realise some readers may find this kind of narration confusing as we dip in and out of different characters’ minds, or they may find that it doesn’t allow for great character depth in the way first person would, yet for me personally I feel it such a merit and served to keep me utterly hooked. 

“And look, here it is, the Imperial Temple of the Eight. No time to linger among its white towers and parapets, no time to admire its stained-glass windows, its intricately carved entrance. Briefly, our shadow ripples over the golden dome, and we are gone.”

Another merit which I must touch upon is Hodgson’s extensive and wonderfully detailed worldbuilding. The concept of having a society split into separate palaces, factions, houses, and groups is not a new one in the fantasy/dystopian genre, in fact it was a very common trope at one point in novels such as Divergent and Red Rising. However, what sets The Raven Scholar apart is the way that each of the eight Guardian palaces determine the personality traits and roles their contingents play and although the society is split they actually work together to help the empire run efficiently. For example the Fox is the Guardian of Transitions and therefore their contingents are spies and assassins because of a fox’s slyness and stealth. The Ox, attuned to their land, are the engineers and gardeners, the Hounds are guards and so on. These animal traits are so ingrained into each member that they seep into every way of their life and instantly become recognisable in our characters. I thought this was so smartly done. Of course there is some rivalry within the Trials for who is to be the next emperor, but that is a given. Especially when we have the actual Guardians themselves in the Hidden Realm and their prophecy. Hodgson certainly gives us a lot to keep us engaged with!

What I also loved about this novel is how seamlessly connected and layered everything is. There is an event which takes place at the beginning, one involving twins Yana and Ruko, and afterwards the narrative switches to eight years later. That one single event is the catalyst for so much of what occurs next, it has its roots sewn into many of our characters, it affects the choices they made/make, it links to the murder mystery and it opens up so many hidden, dangerous secrets. Hodgson makes everything significant, makes every small line count and every character she introduces has a purpose, yet they are all distinct, making the large cast here never feel overwhelming. There are perhaps too many characters to discuss in detail and also it would be kind of spoilery so I’ll just mention a few. Neema, of course, was the character I understood, liked and sympathised with the most. She is neurodivergent, astute, and being a Raven, she’s bookish and intelligent. These traits however, and the fact that Neema comes from a poor background, doesn’t win her much favour with many of her peers and so she’s extremely lonely. On the flip side we have her childhood friend Cain, who being a Fox, is cheeky, chaotic, comedic and strangely charming. I loved Cain so much, but also, for a long while, questioned if I should. Then there’s Ruko, who I suppose you could view as a villain. Being a Tiger he is rather fierce, solitary and threatening, but the more I learnt of him, the less I felt he was a villain. In fact every character in this book has a morally grey side which is what makes them all feel so rounded. You see how each Guardian palace shapes our characters, how connected they are? We do have an animal companion or two as well, one of which is Sol and he is magnificent but that’s all I’ll say.

“’Life is a game without any rules, played by masters, played by fools,’”

At times The Raven Scholar is brutal with its action scenes and jaw dropping twists but it is also deeply a novel about love, in all its forms. Hodgson’s inventive blend of dark academia, epic fantasy and murder mystery is an absolute triumph and I cannot wait for more.

ARC provided by Kate At  Hodderscape in exchange for an honest review — Thank you for the copy! All quotes used are taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

The Raven Scholar is out now – you can order your copy HERE!