YA Book Review:
Night of the Raven,
Dawn of the Dove
Night of the raven,
Dawn of the dove
by rati mehrotra
Young Adult Fiction | Fantasy
Published by Wednesday Books
October 18, 2022
352 pages
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synopsis
Katyani’s role in the kingdom of Chandela has always been clear: becoming an advisor and protector of the crown prince, Ayan, when he ascends to the throne. Bound to the Queen of Chandela through a forbidden soul bond that saved her when she was a child, Katyani has grown up in the royal family and become the best guardswoman the Garuda has ever seen.
But when a series of assassination attempts threatens the royals, Katyani is shipped off to the gurukul of the famous Acharya Mahavir as an escort to Ayan and his cousin, Bhairav, to protect them as they hone the skills needed to be the next leaders of the kingdom. Nothing could annoy Katyani more than being stuck in a monastic school in the middle of a forest, except her run-ins with Daksh, the Acharya’s son, who can’t stop going on about the rules and whose gaze makes her feel like he can see into her soul.
But when Katyani and the princes are hurriedly summoned back to Chandela before their training is complete, tragedy strikes and Katyani is torn from the only life she has ever known. Alone and betrayed in a land infested by monsters, Katyani must find answers from her past to save all she loves and forge her own destiny. Bonds can be broken, but debts must be repaid.
She would not cry in front of this man who had torn her world apart. She would wait for an opportunity and kill him.
review
Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove is a fascinating YA tale full of political intrigue in an ancient Indian-inspired world with magic, monsters, and mayhem!
This is the first book I’ve read by Rati Mehrotra. The premise made me want to pick it up, and the twists kept me from putting it down. The culture and lore is really interesting, and the main character is wonderfully fierce!
I struggled with mixed feelings of “too much” yet “not enough” happening when it came to the world building and certain aspects of the plot. There’s a lot to take in — political schemes and betrayals, battles, a magical system and mythical creatures, etc. — but none of it was hashed out fully enough in this book, in my opinion. I feel like this could have easily been made into a duology, allowing for things to be filled out more completely while not overwhelming readers with information overload.
Overall, I did enjoy Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove and do recommend it, especially for YA readers who enjoy political intrigue and their fantasy books to be infused with different cultures.
*Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book. This did not affect my opinion or the content of my review.
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