The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson Review (⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ 4.5/5) – I Didn't Expect Those Twists! 🐦📚
Fantasy and I have a... complicated relationship. 😅
Sometimes I spend the first third of a fantasy novel wondering who everyone is, why there are twelve kingdoms, seventeen magical systems, and whether I'm supposed to have brought a notebook.
The Raven Scholar pleasantly surprised me.
Not only was it much easier to follow than most epic fantasy novels I've read, but the writing flowed so naturally that I found myself happily listening for hours. And then... BAM. Plot twist. Then another one. 🤯
The funny thing is, I didn't even realize this was the kind of fantasy that had shocking twists. I was just enjoying the political intrigue and the Trials, minding my own business... and Antonia Hodgson casually pulled the rug out from under me.
Needless to say, I'm invested now.
📖 Book Information
Title: The Raven Scholar
Author: Antonia Hodgson
Series: Eternal Path Trilogy (#1)
Genre: Fantasy • Epic Fantasy • Political Fantasy • Mystery
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5/5)
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
Violence
Murder
Death
Suicide
Torture
Political corruption
Betrayal
Discrimination/classism
Graphic injuries
War
Sexual content
🚨 Spoiler Warning 🚨
Everything below this point contains MAJOR spoilers, including the ending.
If you haven't read The Raven Scholar, turn around now!
Seriously.
Go.
I'll wait. 😄
🐦 What Is The Raven Scholar About?
The Empire of Orrun chooses its ruler through a series of dangerous Trials, with champions representing eight Guardian monasteries, each devoted to a different sacred animal.
Neema Kraa, a quiet scholar from the Raven monastery, has absolutely no intention of competing.
She's much happier reading books than risking death for a crown.
Unfortunately, murder has other plans.
After the Raven contender is mysteriously killed, Neema is forced into the competition while simultaneously investigating the murder. What begins as a political mystery slowly uncovers conspiracies, ancient gods, hidden identities, and a plot that threatens the entire empire.
❤️ My Thoughts
One of the biggest compliments I can give a fantasy novel is that I wasn't confused. 😂
That sounds like faint praise, but fantasy readers know exactly what I mean.
Some books throw fifty names at you before breakfast.
This one introduces its world at a pace that actually lets you absorb it. The world feels rich without becoming homework.
The writing is wonderfully smooth. I never felt like I had to force myself through dense exposition. Every chapter naturally led into the next, and before I knew it I'd listened to another hour.
I also loved that this book blends several genres together.
It's part epic fantasy.
It's part political intrigue.
It's part murder mystery.
Those elements worked really well together because Neema isn't simply trying to survive the Trials—she's also trying to figure out who murdered Gaida and why.
Then came the twists.
Oh.
The twists.
I genuinely didn't see them coming because I wasn't expecting this kind of story to have major twists. Every time I thought I understood where things were headed, the story quietly revealed another layer hiding underneath everything I'd already read.
By the end, I was already curious where this trilogy is going next.
🗡️ Full Plot Summary (Spoilers)
The Festival Begins
The Empire of Orrun chooses its emperor through the Festival, where champions from the eight Guardian monasteries compete in dangerous Trials.
Each monastery serves one of the eight mystical Guardian animals.
Among the competitors is Ruko Valit, whose family history is stained by rebellion.
Years earlier, Ruko's father Andren Valit led a failed uprising. During its aftermath, Ruko was forced to choose between saving his twin sister Yana or securing his own future within the prestigious Tiger monastery.
He chose ambition.
Yana was exiled into the deadly Dolrun Forest, while Neema Kraa, then a young Raven scholar, wrote the official order condemning her.
The decision haunted Neema for years and destroyed her relationship with Cain.
Neema Is Forced Into The Competition
Neema expects to observe the Festival as High Scholar.
Instead, the Raven contender Gaida Rack publicly humiliates her, costing Neema her position.
Soon afterward, Neema is secretly poisoned with Dragonscale oil, causing strange prophetic visions connected to the ancient Guardians.
The next morning Gaida is found murdered.
She has been stabbed with the sacred Blade of Peace, a weapon never meant to kill.
Because the Raven monastery suddenly has no representative, Neema is forced to replace Gaida in the Festival while simultaneously investigating the murder.
Talk about getting thrown into the deep end. 😅
🔍 The Murder Investigation
At first, everyone assumes Gaida was stabbed to death.
Neema eventually discovers something much stranger.
Gaida actually died from poison.
Someone stabbed her after she was already dead.
Why?
Because killing someone with the sacred Blade of Peace guarantees an enormous investigation. Whoever staged the crime wanted everyone looking very closely at Gaida's death.
Neema eventually learns that Havoc Arbell-Ranor, the Monkey contender, poisoned Gaida after she uncovered information that threatened Emperor Bersun.
The stabbing, however, was done by someone else entirely.
🐦 The Raven Appears
Throughout the Trials, Neema repeatedly encounters the Raven Guardian.
The Raven delivers an impossible warning.
If Ruko becomes emperor, the world will end.
The Guardian even asks Neema to kill him.
Neema refuses.
Instead, she allows a tiny fragment of the Raven to live inside her.
She affectionately names this fragment Sol, and Sol becomes one of my favorite additions to the story. 🐦
Neema later discovers that Cain unknowingly carries a fragment of the Fox Guardian inside him as well.
😱 Benna's Secret
One of the biggest revelations involves Neema's servant, Benna.
Years earlier, Benna befriended the exiled Yana.
Yana wasn't plotting revenge against Ruko.
She actually wanted to stop him from becoming the ruthless ruler their father had always wanted.
Following Yana's instructions, Benna:
poisoned Neema with Dragonscale oil
stole Ruko's ceremonial blade
discovered Gaida had already died from poison
stabbed Gaida's corpse with the stolen blade to guarantee an investigation
So while Benna technically staged the murder scene...
She wasn't Gaida's killer.
👑 The Emperor Isn't The Emperor
This was the twist that completely caught me off guard.
Neema first suspects the emperor isn't really Bersun.
Instead, she believes Bersun's brother Gedrun has been impersonating him.
That's only half the truth.
The real mastermind is supposedly dead rebel Andren Valit.
Years ago, Andren secretly murdered Bersun.
Since then, he has manipulated Gedrun into serving as the public face of the throne while Andren secretly ruled the empire from the shadows.
Everything happening during the Festival has been engineered to place his own bloodline permanently in power.
Now that is playing the long game.
🐉 The Final Trial
Eventually only three competitors remain:
Neema
Cain
Ruko
During the Dragon Trial, competitors experience visions of possible futures.
Cain withdraws.
Ruko is declared the winner after seeing himself crowned emperor.
Except...
Winning the Festival was exactly what Andren wanted all along.
😨 The Ending Explained
At the celebration following Ruko's victory, Andren finally reveals himself.
Using forbidden magic called the Soul Stealer, he tears away part of Ruko's soul and literally takes on his son's appearance.
Poor Ruko loses both the throne and his own face.
Andren plans to rule openly while disguised as his son, ensuring his dynasty continues.
He then summons all eight Guardian beings and imprisons them inside magical paintings.
Only small fragments survive.
Neema still carries Sol, while a fragment of the Dragon survives through Yasila.
Meanwhile, Andren begins eliminating anyone who might oppose him.
The imperial island erupts into chaos.
The Fox monastery is destroyed.
Many people are killed.
Cain briefly regains control over himself when the Fox is forced from his body during the ritual.
Together with Neema and fellow contender Tala, they desperately fight their way toward the Mirror Bridge.
Even High Commander Vabras briefly helps them while possessed by the Fox.
Their escape becomes impossible.
Their only option?
Jump.
Into the sea.
Thankfully Tala and the surviving Fox abbot rescue them by boat.
As the novel ends, Andren controls the empire, the Guardians are imprisoned, Ruko has lost part of his soul, and Neema escapes carrying the last surviving fragment of the Raven.
The story closes with Neema, Cain, and their allies sailing away, determined to someday overthrow the new tyrant.
The war has only just begun.
🤔 Final Thoughts
I had a really good time with this one.
For someone who doesn't always click with epic fantasy, The Raven Scholar felt refreshingly approachable. The world-building never overwhelmed me, the mystery kept me engaged, and those twists genuinely surprised me.
By the end I wasn't just satisfied—I was curious. I want to know what happens next, and that's exactly what you want from the first book in a trilogy.
Definitely one I'll be continuing.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5/5)
📚 If You Enjoyed The Raven Scholar, Try These
The Will of the Many by James Islington
The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Empire of the Wolf series by Richard Swan
Have you read The Raven Scholar? Did you see any of those twists coming? 🐦📖🙂
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