Blogtour “The Raven Heir” (The Raven Crown #1) by Stephanie Burgis

The Raven Heir by Stephanie Burgis
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing on 05-08-2021
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General, Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic, Juvenile Fiction / Family / Siblings, Juvenile Fiction / Family / General
Pages: 272

Cordelia and her triplets Rosalind and Giles have lived safely in the castle at the centre of the forest all their lives, protected by the spells their mother has woven. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is when she turns into a dragonfly or a blackbird and can fly beyond the great stone walls. But then one day the outside world comes to them. Two rival dukes and their soldiers have come for the triplets – because whoever is the eldest is the heir to the throne.

But their mother knows that since the Raven Crown was broken, no one has been able to rule the kingdom of Corvenne and live, and she will not give up any of her children to that death sentence. When she refuses to reveal which child is the eldest, she is taken prisoner, and Cordelia and her brother and sister find themselves on the run in a dangerous new world. And as they set out across Corvenne to rescue their mother, Cordelia begins to see that there is a deep magic at work, driving her towards a destiny that could tear her family apart, take away her freedom forever or, just maybe, heal a kingdom devastated by a war that has raged for generations.

Hello, my darlings!

Welcome to another booktour post! I was really happy to be approved for this tour hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours and was so psyched to read this. Don’t forget to look at the other posts too!

A set of magical triplets, two warring dynasties, and a broken crown waiting for its rightful owner…

Deep within an enchanted forest lies a castle where a set of triplets and their sorceress mother have lived for years — safe from the decades-long war for the Raven Throne that rages in the kingdom beyond. Cordelia, one of the triplets, has the power to become any animal with just a thought, and she yearns to discover more about the world outside her castle.

But one day, the world comes to her, when the eldest of the triplets becomes the newest heir to the throne. Knowing that being named heir means certain death, Cordelia’s mother hid the truth about which child is the eldest when she hid them in the forest. When her family is captured, it’s up to Cordelia to use her powers to keep her siblings hidden and discover the truth about the Raven Heir — before it’s too late.

A thrilling new fantasy full of magic, adventure, and the power of family.

I have seen the cover and read the synopsis of this book before and even put it on my wishlist for further reference, so it’s clear that I jumped on the opportunity to read this book as part of a booktour.

I have to admit, I was cutting it rather close this time. I just finished the book mere hours before this will go online and I’m certainly a bit in a hurry writing this. Fortunately for me though, this book is an extremely fast read. The pacing of “The Raven Heir” is excellent and it made it easy for me to slip in and race through it and still enjoy myself thoroughly.

At the beginning, I felt a bit of a mix of intrigue and annoyance. I loved the setting and was curious about the life the characters were living there. What was their pasttime? Who were these people? What’s up with the magic?
Cordelia wasn’t my favourite person at the beginning. There was something about her that rubbed me wrong, like her inability to believe that her mother would make rules with a purpose and not just to annoy her. Or to believe her older brother. (However, that might just be the oldest sister in me talking.) I did understand the fundamentals of the character though. Cordelia’s need to be free stems from the wild magic inside her, and I liked that the author stayed so true to those instincts Cordelia carried inside her. Cordelia is very emotional but rather bad at expressing those feelings to other people which makes for some interesting dynamics.
Her triplet siblings, Giles and Rosalind, were the same, in a way. Unapologetically sticking to the things they love. Even their magic manifested in a certain way that was very fitting for them.

The story is carried by secrets and riddles. After the siege on the triplets home and after their mother and brother were captured, Cordelia and her siblings have to flee into the forest. They are hunted and betrayed and have to figure out a way to find and save their mother. There is so much to discover, so many secrets to uncover on the triplet’s way to protect their family and to – more or less – bring a kingdom to its knees.
There is also so much magic. I loved it. I was so psyched every time magic was happening and to see in what different ways it manifested itself. The shapeshifting, Giles’ music, Rosalind’s strench, Connal’s natural magic…it was just so exciting.

All in all, I had great fun. The pacing was excellent and I just flew through the pages. There was magic and secrets and danger and sibling bonds and I enjoyed it very much.

My rating:

Have you read this book yet? Did I entice you to try?

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