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The Raven Scholar

the masterfully woven and breathtaking epic adult fantasy of cutthroat competition and imperial deceit

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The Raven Scholar

By: Antonia Hodgson
Narrated by: Daphne Kouma
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About this listen

 She might win the throne. She might destroy an empire. Either way, it begins with murder.

After twenty-four years on the throne, it is time for Bersun the Brusque, emperor of Orrun, to bring his reign to an end. In the dizzying heat of mid-summer, seven contenders will compete to replace him.

Trained at rival monasteries, each contender is inspired by a sacred animal - Fox, Raven, Tiger, Ox, Bear, Monkey, and Hound. An eighth - the Dragon proxy - will be revealed only once the trials have begun. Eight exceptional warriors, thinkers, strategists - the best of the best.

Then one of them is murdered.

It falls to the brilliant but idiosyncratic Neema Kraa to investigate. But as she hunts for a killer, darker forces are gathering.

If Neema succeeds, she could win the throne - whether she wants it or not. But if she fails, she will sentence herself to death - and set in motion a sequence of events that could doom the empire . . .©2024 Antonia Hodgson Dark Fantasy Fantasy Fiction

Critic Reviews

The Raven Scholar is a labyrinth of a book - vast and intricate, full of fiendish twists and clever traps - with a deeply human heart at its centre. It's thrilling, romantic, often tragic, and always funny; I'm obsessed
The Raven Scholar is epic fantasy at its finest: fiendish political intrigue, the ultimate trial for the throne and a shocking crime at the centre. Every character plays friend, suspect and threat - and you'll be turning the pages at midnight to unmask them. I can't wait to devour the sequel. Simply glorious!
The Raven Scholar is an immersive and enthralling epic fantasy. Fiendishly charming and clever, this is a book you absolutely must devour
From the first page of The Raven Scholar, you know you're in the hands of a master storyteller. This book is a pitch-perfect blend of everything I love about fantasy - an expertly realised world, ferocious prose and characters who will steal your heart. I will be bereft until the sequel
This is epic fantasy at its very best. It's difficult to put into words how much I loved this book: Hodgson's immaculate prose manages to be equal parts charming and devastating, delivering a gut punch of a novel. The Raven Scholar is a masterclass in craft and tension
Twisty and clever
An absolute delight, with all the political intrigue and worldbuilding of an epic fantasy with a dash of murder mystery. A book that will break any reading slump!
The Raven Scholar is that rare book that stays with you whether you're reading it or not. More than gripping, it's deeply involving as wheels turn, secrets are revealed and fierce, beautiful, brilliant Neema battles through to the end
The twists and turns of The Raven Scholar left me breathless. Antonia Hodgson drops us into an elaborately built, gorgeously realized world that I couldn't wait to see more of
A conflagration of court intrigue, religious folktale, and characters with deliciously murky motivations, The Raven Scholaris a pure delight. Fantasy readers will gobble this down and curse the skies that they don't have the sequel yet
The Raven Scholar is as clever as its namesake - each beloved character, each twist and each turn, is a shiny new gift. It is magnificent
Sharply written and intricately plotted, The Raven Scholar is a masterclass in storytelling. I can't recommend it enough!
This is how epic fantasy should be done. I adored every page: it was so meticulously plotted, so carefully built, so funny, and the characters! I could spend seven thousand pages with them
An astonishing feat of world building, at once expansive and intimate, propulsive and ingenious, I feel sure The Raven Scholar will take the world of fantasy by storm. Antonia Hodgson is a master story-teller and here she is at the pinnacle of her game. What a delight to know that this is the first of series
All stars
Most relevant
Literally 10/10 all the way through, a breath of fresh air in originality and story and twists and the best characters, and absolutely insane narrator too!!

Narrator and characters

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Fantastic reader!!!!! Fantastic story!!! Love every minute of it, the way she managed to make every character have their own sound and accent. Great a narration

Amazing experience

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what a wonderful tale- bit of a slow start but I can't wait to see where this goes.

absolutely enjoyable

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I went into this novel thinking it would be for a younger audience but was pleasantly surprised. What a brilliant read. Definitely the type of book you just want to snuggle up for the day and devour. The characters are captivating and the story is enthralling - was sad to get to the last page of this one. Eager to check out more of Antonia Hodgen’s work. Bring on the next instalment

Thoroughly enjoyable!

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My favourite read of 2025 so far. While it took me a little bit to get hooked, I went on to devour this book in 3 days. I never saw the plot twists coming, I loved the characters, and it frequently made me laugh out loud. The whole thing was just delightful and I can’t wait to dive into this world again with the next books

Magnificent 🐦‍⬛

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