Format: Hardcover, 400 pages
Release Date: November 3, 2020
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
From New York Times best-selling authors Kass Morgan and
Danielle Paige comes a thrilling, dark contemporary fantasy about a
prestigious sorority of witches and two girls caught up in its world of
sinister magic and betrayals.
At first glance, the sisters of
ultra-exclusive Kappa Rho Nu—the Ravens—seem like typical sorority
girls. Ambitious, beautiful, and smart, they’re the most powerful girls
on Westerly College’s Savannah, Georgia, campus.
But the Ravens aren’t just regular sorority girls. They’re witches.
Scarlett
Winter has always known she’s a witch—and she’s determined to be the
sorority’s president, just like her mother and sister before her. But if
a painful secret from her past ever comes to light, she could lose
absolutely everything . . .
Vivi Devereaux has no idea she’s a
witch and she’s never lived in one place long enough to make a friend.
So when she gets a coveted bid to pledge the Ravens, she vows to do
whatever it takes to be part of the magical sisterhood. The only thing
standing in her way is Scarlett, who doesn’t think Vivi is Ravens
material.
But when a dark power rises on campus, the girls will
have to put their rivalry aside to save their fellow sisters. Someone
has discovered the Ravens’ secret. And that someone will do anything to
see these witches burn . . .
The Ravens is the first
installment in co-authors Kass Morgan (the 100 series) and Danielle Page’s
(Dorothy Must Die series) Raven series. This is a contemporary fantasy series
about a sorority of witches called Kappa Rho Nu (Ravens). It is told
in two different perspectives. One belonging to Westerly College freshman
Vivian (Vivi) Devereaux, and the other to Westerly College Junior Scarlett
Winter. For Vivi, this is her chance to break away from what she believes is a
paranoid mother who has premonitions of darkness that seems to be calling for
Vivi.
After years of
picking up and moving from city to city and changes schools in the middle of a
school year without any real explanation, Vivi is given a scholarship to attend
Westerly College which is in Savannah, Georgia. Vivi does not want to be like
her mother Daphne who she believes defrauds people with her tarot card reading;
she wants to redefine herself in a way that feels true to herself. Vivi wants
to stop running and settle down and enjoy the next 4 years of college and just
maybe, find some friends in the process. Vivi had no idea that she was a witch
until she attends a party at Kappa Rho Nu and lights a sparkler which is an
indication that she’s a witch.
In this world, every
witch is born of their own magic. Cups = Water, Swords = Air, Pentacles = Earth,
and Wands = Fire. Each sign is aligned with a suit of Tarot Cards. Vivi’s
arrival on campus ends up with her choice to attend a Kappa Rho Nu party where
they are looking for new members, one girl per suit. After Vivi is told that
she’s a pentacle, she must also go through initiation games, aka Hell Week to become
a full pledge member of the coven. As usual, there is the usual hanky panky
that comes with rushing for a sorority.
Scarlett is a Junior at
Westerly College and part of the Kappa Rho Nu coven. Her mother was a Raven,
her sister was a Raven, and now she is working towards becoming the next
President of the sorority which just happens to be a major coven of witches. Scarlett
struggles to escape from the shadow of her family’s legacy and live under the
pressure of being a Winter. Scarlett’s isn’t one of my favorites in this story
due to her treatment and resentment of Vivi and the fact that she couldn’t see
what was happening right in front of her own eyes. After Vivi and 4 others are
offered a chance at initiation, Scarlett ends up being Big Sister to Vivi who
she despises because there’s really nothing of her background that would
inspire anyone’s confidence that she’d be a good witch and sister.
In the middle of all
the shenanigans, they must contend with a missing sister, a vengeful former sister,
someone threatening to expose them all, as well as boyfriend games and
exploration. On top of everything, Vivi discovers a few secrets about her own
mother that she’s been keeping secrets and reasons why she is always on the run
and moving at the drop of a hat. We also learn that Vivi isn’t someone to be
trifled with. She may be one of the most powerful Pentacle witches in a
generation. But it also makes her a target for villainous sisters and those who
want to use her to get what they want.
By the end of the story, I was kind of hoping that Scarlett would find her own happiness that she’s apparently lost on the way to attempting to become the Raven’s President. I think that if the Ravens are supposed to exemplify in personality, pedigree, intelligence, and sophistication, there is an exceptionally long road to get there from those who are introduced in this story. Recently, I’ve been having issues with authors focusing on the color of the persons skin instead of who the character is. IE, white girl, or that girl with the dark skin. You get my point. I honestly though that with this being 2020 we could finally get away with caring what skin color a person is, but I guess not.
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Excerpt
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