The Raven King

Book Title: The Raven King

Author: Nora Sakavic

Series: All for the Game #2

Date Started: May 10th 2018

Date Completed: May 18th 2018

Genres: Contemporary, Mystery

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

Final Rating: Four stars

Review:

These are good'uns. I'm really glad that I was persuaded to pick these up for the first time, and I also hope they continue to get recognition. There's a cult following - and I think that's the perfect audience for this story - but a part of me wants everyone to notice them because they're damn good.

The structure of these books is always a little bit weird, and I really wish they had a proper conclusion. We tend to get a dramatic climax three quarters through and then other drama for the rest of the book that doesn't quite meet the height that's been established, so it almost feels like something else is being built up to - but then it just finishes. On the one hand I like the fact we get to see the consequences of the 'final battle', but at the same time I'm left feeling unsatisfied; there's an arc that's been restarted and cut off abruptly.

We also get a lot of info dumping in these books. I'm sure it's why big publishers haven't picked it up (what the hell else could it be, these books are gold), but I do catch myself still engaging with it. The difference between this and what you see in other stories that need to give the reader exposition is that it's useful and will come into play later in the plot. Sakavic is giving you the details you need to know to understand the weight of events when they happen, even if it is a lot at a time. And, as someone who isn't familiar with the US school system and its sports obsession, it's quite useful to understand what's actually happened. (Also, Exy is a fictional sport, right? Because I wouldn't have been able to tell if I hadn't googled it. It seems perfectly believable and Sakavic writes it with cool effortless confidence).

The stakes are very high considering this is a book about a group of outsiders playing a sports game. Now, call me a naïve Brit, but to me making this literally a life-and-death situation for the characters is impresive to say the least. And it's what makes this series so engaging. Maybe there are some points where it feels a little too dramatic for what's happening, but the people fit so perfectly into the world Sakavic has carved out for them that it works.

And when you come down to it, undeniable, the characters are what make this series. There's astounding depth to their relationships; no one is forgotten or glossed over; each and everyone one of them feel like a real person. That's what gives the All for the Game series its cult following. It's the best kind of character writing, really, because all the drama comes from interactions. And that's damn hard to do. The physical things they do create action, but the beating heart are the people that are performing those actions and why they're doing them. I could also talk about representation and how hard it is to write characters who are violent, hurtful, antisocial and still show them as human, but we'd be here for a century. You can read it to see for yourself.

I don't know what to expect from the last book in this series. As I've said, the conclusions to these books tend to be their weak spot, but there'll have to be a proper finish next time. I'm excited for it.