In the Ravenous Dark

By: A.M. Strickland

Narrated by: Lauryn Allman

Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead, in this dark YA fantasy by A.M. Strickland, author of Beyond the Black Door, whom Richard Kadrey calls “a storyteller of both grace and power.”

In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them -and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception.

Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul.

Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart - if she doesn’t betray them first.

An Imprint Book

©2021 A.M. Strickland (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“An utterly mesmerizing story of romance and found family. Strickland builds a deliciously dark and wonderfully intricate world full of blood, magic, and monsters that I wanted to be lost in forever. “ (Emily A. Duncan, New York Times best-selling author of Wicked Saints)

“[A] feast of forbidden magics and deadly romances that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last bloody page. Deliciously dark and riveting, it will leave you hungry for more. Perfect for fans of Wicked Saints and Gideon the Ninth.” (Ashley Poston, national best-selling author of Geekerella)

"A deviously plotted tale of twisting complexity where diversity lives and breathes as naturally as a beating heart. It’s everything you could want in a dark fantasy." (Lisa Maxwell, New York Times best-selling author of The Last Magician)

I loved every bit

It was so good! I'll probably relisten. Hopefully the author has more to come, even if we get a whole new story. I love how this one was written. I was left gasping at the edge of my seat plenty of times and found myself falling in love and developing ties with characters along side the MC. I've noticed in some books the MC has to be dumb for the plot to continue but this one doesn't fall for that pitfall. The MC is clever and bold but also humble. If there was any criticism I'd have to give the book it might have been spending more time developing the romantic relationships but I can also see how that might have had a negative effect on pacing. Overall, though, I loved it!

Best narration of any audiobook I’ve listened to!

The narrator is so perfect, I wish every book I listened to was done by her. Nothing falls flat, or ever feels put on.

best book/narration combo I have hearn in a while!

amazing!!!! seriously it was hard to pause! the world building and use of descriptors were captivating

Poor Editing

There are quite a few editing errors that I do not believe are in the physical book.

Not really YA

It an ok read a bit slow in terms of events, with much of the action happening towards the end. In my opinion none of the love interests made sense to me. I felt like it was just thrown together to be inclusive. I would have loved some characters (Lydea) to have more of a story going for them.

AMAZING

From the first few minutes of this story I was instantly hooked by it's rich discription of this fantasy world and the magical blood lines in it. As queer non binary person I was thrilled to have an asexual non binary character to relate to. Trust me when I say you'll love this book. The characters will tug at your heart and make you invest in all of their personal stories.

Great surprise.

I downloaded this real quick. didn't even know what it was about. turns out I loved it .

Epic Dark Fantasy

I was sold off the summary alone. This book has everything I love in a dark fantasy; Magic, spirits, scheming, secrets, plotting. The pace is fast, things take off right at the beginning. For a stand alone, the world building is fantastic. Strickland does an excellent job keeping you engaged and on the edge of your seat. I also really liked that there is a lot diversity and representation. I haven’t come across another fantasy like this.

I would also consider this more an Upper YA book. Overall I really enjoyed this and would recommend if you’re looking for an epic dark fantasy.

Yes!

There's so much queer representation in this book! The story is good, but the characters are really what make this book so great. No slow start to the story either, just dive on in!

Great Story & Characters, Execution Needs Work

What I enjoyed:
The voice narration (the characters from the other prominent country have a Scottish/ Irish accent).
Main character is flawed, but so endearing with lots of attitude.
Magic very well depicted.
Queer, Non-binary, Asexual characters, and polyamery.
The mechanics of the world are complex.

Drawbacks:
Pacing gets more and more strained as the story progresses.
Some characters are a little too stereotypical.
Romance needs fleshed out/ more development.
Some plot points kinda just drop off without resolution.
Probably should have been edited down, or made into 2 books to give space for the reader.
Not enough stakes and too many punches pulled.

Overall I recommend. This fantasy had new creatures and takes that I haven't seen yet. But it will be more difficult to stay engaged towards the end. I really loved the way characters interacted with each other, and how queerness was depicted made me feel seen.