Morgan Busse: Cry of the Raven

By Kelly Bridgewater

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?

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

The thing I love the most is the cover of Cry of the Raven. It reminds me so much of a Tolkien cover. That is what I thought of the first time I saw this cover almost six months ago. Cry of the Raven is the huge climactic moment in the three book series. Lots of tension and fighting. Learning to know what is worth fighting for. Learning to trust and love others. This story was wonderfully written with enough fantasy to capture the imagination. It is nice that all three are now published because I think I should go back and read them all one after another to grasp the complete storyline. That is usually my issue when it comes to fantasy. If they aren't all available at the same time, then, as a reader, I forgot certain elements of the past stories when I return to the stories. Not that there is really anything to do about this. I know with the publishing schedules; it is hard for a publishing company to publish all three at once. Overall, Cry of the Raven is truly unique story that reminded me a lot of Tolkien's mythology. If readers enjoy Tolkien, then they might want to try Busse's stories.

I received a complimentary copy of Cry of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase Cry of the Raven

Morgan L. Busse: Flight of the Raven

By Kelly Bridgewater

Selene Ravenwood, once the heir to House Ravenwood, is now an exile. On the run and free of her family's destiny, Selene hopes to find the real reason her family was given the gift of dreamwalking. But first she must adapt to her new life as wife to Lord Damien Maris, the man she was originally assigned to kill.

While adjusting to her marriage and her home in the north, her power over dreams begins to grow. As the strongest dreamwalker to exist in ages, her expanding power attracts not only nightmares but the attention of the Dark Lady herself.

With a war looming on the horizon and a wicked being after her gift, Selene is faced with a choice: embrace the Dark Lady's offer, or search out the one who gave her the gift of dreamwalking. One path offers power, the other offers freedom. But time is running out, and soon her choice will be made for her.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Flight of the Raven by Morgan Busse is number two in the fantasy series entitled The Ravenwood Saga. I read the first book a while ago, but I had a hard time remembering what I read. I believe, and this series proved it, that fantasy novels need to be read one right after another. The stories are usually pretty linear, and flow naturally, but it is hard to process what happened before if it has been a while since reading. I do enjoy how Busse allowed the heroine Selene to be interested in searching for the truth about the Light and going against what her families legacy currently is. She is discovering more about what really makes world tick, and I enjoy her curiosity. The series is building toward its climactic moment, and I can't wait to see how this plays out. As for the plot in this series, it really is about Selene finding herself and learning to love, but the big action I hope will play out in the final book. Overall, Flight of the Raven is an enticing read filled with memorable characters and a overarching threat, begging to explode like the water surrounding the kingdom.

I received a complimentary copy of Flight of the Raven by Morgan Busse from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

Morgan L. Busse is a writer by day and a mother by night. She's the author of the epic fantasy Follower of the Word series and the award-winning steampunk series, The Soul Chronicles. Mark of the Raven is her latest fantasy novel from Bethany House. During her spare time she enjoys playing games, taking long walks, and dreaming about her next novel.

*Visit her blog at www.morganlbusse.com

*Follow Morgan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/morganlbusseauthor  (Taken from Amazon.)

Morgan L. Busse: Mark of the Raven

By Kelly Bridgewater

Lady Selene is the heir to the Great House of Ravenwood and the secret family gift of dreamwalking. As a dreamwalker, she can enter a person's dreams and manipulate their greatest fears or desires. For the last hundred years, the Ravenwood women have used their gift of dreaming for hire to gather information or to assassinate.

As she discovers her family's dark secret, Selene is torn between upholding her family's legacy--a legacy that supports her people--or seeking the true reason behind her family's gift.

Her dilemma comes to a head when she is tasked with assassinating the one man who can bring peace to the nations, but who will also bring about the downfall of her own house.

One path holds glory and power, and will solidify her position as Lady of Ravenwood. The other path holds shame and execution. Which will she choose? And is she willing to pay the price for the path chosen?

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I have heard a number of good things about Morgan Busse's writings, but I haven't gotten around to reading any of her novels yet. Mark of the Raven was my first attempt at her fantasy novel. I enjoy Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and Harry Potter, so fantasy can be handled well and enjoyed. Mark of the Raven had a hint of Potter with the seven houses and the word Raven, but the similarities end there. Busse goes into a completely different direction. A direction that I actually enjoyed. I really enjoyed how she created Selene as a character who had a heart and wanted more of out of her life than the gift she was supposed to use. She saw the evil in it and choose a different path, even though she knew it would upset her family. Damien carries around some heavy burdens and promises to bring light to the world he lives in. The plot does have moments where nothing really happens but watching Selene use her gifts, so it became repeatable at times, but the plot moves along at a nice pace, sweeping me along for the ride. Overall, Mark of the Raven by Morgan Busse is a different fantasy novel with sweeping and wounded characters. The novel ended on a cliff-hanger, and I anxiously await to see what happens next.  Fans of Patrick Carr might enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of Mark of the Raven by Morgan Busse from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

From Amazon

About the Author:

Morgan L. Busse is a writer by day and a mother by night. She's the author of the epic fantasy Follower of the Word series and the award-winning steampunk series, The Soul Chronicles. Her debut novel, Daughter of Light, was a Christy and Carol Award finalist. Mark of the Raven, a new fantasy series, releases Fall of 2018 from Bethany House. During her spare time she enjoys playing games, taking long walks, and dreaming about her next novel. Visit her blog at www.morganlbusse.com. (Taken from Amazon.)