Cry of the Raven

By: Morgan L. Busse

Narrated by: Jaimee Draper

Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Lady Selene Ravenwood has come into her full power as a dreamwalker just as the war with the Dominia Empire begins. Working with the other Great Houses, Selene and Damien use their gifts to secure the borders and save those devastated by the war. But conflict, betrayal, and hatred begin to spread between the Great Houses, destroying their unity as the empire burns a path across their lands. At the same time, Damien Maris starts to lose his ability to raise the waters, leaving the lands vulnerable to the empire's attacks.

The only one who can unite the houses and restore her husband's power is Selene Ravenwood. But it will require that she open her heart to those who have hurt her and let go of her past, despite the one who hunts her and will do anything to stop her power.

Will Selene survive? Or is she destined to fall like the dreamwalkers before her?

©2020 Morgan L. Busse (P)2020 Oasis Audio

Why does it have to end?

Oh my word! This was such a heart-stopping, whirlwind of a ride. I just want the story to continue. I could read about these characters forever.

Such a good trlogy

This book held my attention. Great job with both the writing and the performance. I look forward to reading or rather hearing more of your works. Thanks for putting g it on audiobook.

A Fitting End to the Series

There was much more drama in the third and final book in the Ravenwood Saga by Morgan Busse. The stakes were at their highest with the entirety of the lands of the Seven Great Houses on the line versus the Dominica Empire and its traitorous allies.

I appreciated how the stories and character development of Selene and Damien progressed. I also liked the developments — and twists — of the other houses. The conclusions were well-handled.

Throughout the series, the voice acting and narration of Jaimee Draper has been superb. It was very emotive and kept me both intrigued and entertained.

If I could give one critique to the author, it is that I wish the religion and presence of The Light could have also included Christ or the Son of Light, essentially the purpose and importance of Jesus.

That said, Busse did reverence and praise God. She did a wonderful job showing God’s love, mercy, inspiration and redemptive power. This was a positive and ultimately encouraging series. Recommended.

Literal perfection

I absolutely love this series but this book might be favorite of the three books
I recommend this series to everyone

The Final Battle and Exciting Conclusion

In some ways the trilogy is really 1 novel, 1 story. But each of the 3 books is clearly its best own part. Like 3 distinct movements in a single symphony. The first book is dark with odes to Edgar Allen Poe though there is light that breaks through. It is set in a gloomy land focused on nightmares, broken minds, political machinations, and assassination plots. It introduces the world, the characters, and the looming threat.

The second book is filled with hope, light, and romance; though darkness looms in the background. A romantic interlude for the series. Set in a shining coast where characters fall in love, our protagonist goes through a significant spiritual journey, and the table is set for the final confrontation with the enemy.

The 3rd book is an epic conflict, the thrilling conclusion. Good and evil finally confront each other head on. The final battle. War.

I thought Cry of the Raven was an exciting and satisfying conclusion to the story. The excitement of the 7 houses battling the Dominia Empire kept me engaged throughout. I enjoyed encountering the worlds of the houses that had yet to be explored. Interesting questions of war and death are wrestled with. Our characters go through a journey that, of course, leads to a happy ending.

I would recommend this series to all fantasy lovers.

Good conclusion

I really enjoyed this trilogy. The story is creative and captivating. I o my chose 4 stars because there are definitely parts that I felt dragged a bit, overall it was a great read and I would recommend it!

Excellent series!

This is an excellent series, a very well written story of light vs darkness, personal growth, and romance. The characters are realistic, the magic/gifts unique, and it kept me reading well past my bedtime.

The series is clean in language and without sex. There’s some heated kissing, but it’s tasteful… and oh what a beautiful love story :-)

Highly recommended!

Sweet story

The book is definitely geared towards females. It is fantasy but also a romance. The magic system is not completely explained or consistent, but it definitely is steeped in Christian terminology and meaning. It was particularly touching when Seline comforts others, especially those who were dying or grieving. More than once in the series, I found myself identifying with the characters' own feelings and trials. I often thought that the author knew my own thoughts in some ways. I have had sleep paralysis which made me absolutely terrified to fall asleep. I identified with Seline and Damien in almost an uncanny way. The book made me feel heard and understood. I am grateful to the author for this.

Readers should know that the book is not explicit in romantic scenes, but there is definitely enough sensuality to let the adults in the room understand what was going on. Seline's relationships are a central theme in the story. Much of her healing is accomplished through the relationships she shares with her mother, sister, husband, and others. This is really where the author excels.

This particular book, Cry of the Raven, was filled with dialogue by characters with very strong personalities. Dialogue takes place both internally and beween characters. This is unfortunate because the author does not use voice in dialogue well, and the reader was not at all a good character actor for the personailities in the book. The reader was overly dramatic, whiny, and much too soft for the hardness that the characters were supposed to portray. Neither the author nor reader seemed to understand how to consistently voice the personality in word or intonation. Certain characters were supposed to be evil but often just ended up sounding silly. In spite of this, the narrator has a pleasant sounding voice in general. This made her performance good enough that I did purchase the entire series; however, the narration of this book annoyed me the most of all the books in this series.

The author often retells certain parts of the story to prolong dramatic moments. This makes the book tediously slow at times. Sometimes the magical system and fantasy world is a little too obviously "Christian." This is not really a problem because it is more a matter of personal preference than weakness on the part of the author. Others might enjoy the clear symbolism while I prefer more subtlety.

In all, I liked the series and own both Kindle and Audible versions. I appreciate most the author's understanding of pain. nightmares, forgiveness, death, separation, and betrayal. I have never read a series that made a hero out of a comforter. Good job, Ms. Busse.