Raven’s Ladder by Jeffery Overstreet – Part of The Auralia Thread series
Rating: PG-13 for action and violence
Synopsis:
This is the third book in the Auralia Thread series. Most of the book is told from Cal-raven’s perspective. Cal-raven goes on a quest to find a new home for House Abascar. The refugees eventually arrive in House Bel Amica where things are not as good as they seem.
My Thoughts-
I am still pondering my thoughts on this book, but I’m going to try to lay it out for you. This one seemed to fall a little short after Cyndere’s Midnight which I really enjoyed. I think we had so many threads to follow that it got bogged down and did not flow as easily as the first two books did. It was still good and I liked it, but not a favorite of mine. Also a couple content issues with it that I’ll discuss later.
In this particular installment we get to see a little bit more from the mysterious Keeper, but in an odd sort of way. King Cal-Raven actually gets to see it, but it behaves differently then how he anticipated. I’m trying not to give spoilers but basically it shakes everything that Cal-Raven thought was true and I can honestly say now that I finished that last book, The Ale Boy’s Feast, that the author does not explain this particular aspect. Their belief in the Keeper is a little odd.
I should also mention that one of the pagan religions is in moon spirits and Seers. Throughout the book it is shown to be flawed and the Seers are shown to be evil.
Violence –
In this third installment we meet a new enemy which is the ground. It is this vine like thing is thorny and hurt a variety of characters. It tents to take people away never to be seen again. So throughout the book several minor characters vanish or or injured from the Feelers.
There is a new character introduced and he is an archer. Throughout the book he shoots several bad characters with arrows. A little later on a character witnesses a hand being chopped off. A character becomes a captive for a while.
At the end there is a drawn out underground battle as the prisoners try to escape. Several individuals die in their attempt. One character falls down a chasm.
Language – None
Innuendo –
Early on two characters contemplate marriage. One or two kisses between different characters.
One of the main characters visits an old flame who is married. They talk and she does drug him. (The main character recognized that this was not a wise choice). I did not care for this and thankfully nothing else happens.
Conclusion –
Overall I enjoyed how the characters embarked on a journey to find a new home. The characters had flaws and were relatable. It reminded me a bit of the Lord of the Rings in that we had many characters and got to see their trials. While there was some violence, it was toned back from the previous book. There was a little bit of innuendo that I wished could have been done differently. So while not perfect, I liked it. The series as a whole I would say is aimed at adults.
Conclusion –