Review by Teen Correspondent: Mary Elynne
Deliciously dark and full of magic, The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige, delivers a suspenseful, witchy read that is packed with plot twists and intrigue.
For her whole life, Scarlett Winter has known she’s a witch, and she’s been preparing to become the next president of Kappa Rho Nu, the most prestigious sorority at Westerly College. But the Kappa girls, known as The Ravens, aren’t just a sorority. They’re a cult of witches. And lately, strange things have been happening at the Kappa house, ever since a terrible accident that Scarlett has been trying to forget about. If anyone discovered her connection to that accident, everything she’s ever loved could disappear.
Vivi Devereaux has been moving around her whole life and starting college at Westerly seems like a chance to finally have a normal life, with friends, maybe even a boyfriend. But when she receives a bid from The Ravens, that life slips away in an instant. Because when Vivi is told she is a witch, like the rest of the Ravens, and is trained to control her magic, her entire life gets flipped upside down. Suddenly, she and her sisters have to work together to understand the wicked things that keep happening on campus and discover secrets that could tear them apart along the way.
The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige, is a wickedly witchy adventure full of mystery and secrets. The Ravens must stop the deadly power from destroying all witches. Initially icy and tense, Scarlett and Vivi’s relationship, as one seeks to become sorority president and the other is still learning to control her magic, grows stronger as together they search for who is behind the latest attack on The Ravens–a kidnapped sister. The magic system is fascinating, with different suits of magic–Cups, Pentacles, Wands, and Swords–each controlling a different element. Witches are each born with an affinity for a specific suit, but the strongest witches can master every element. The dark magic and college setting blend together perfectly to create a twisted story full of dark rituals and wicked magic.
Usually, I’m not a fan of contemporary fantasy, (mainly because I love to be immersed in fantastical worlds), but The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige, completely changed my idea of contemporary fantasy! I really did feel like I was in a different world, with illicit magical rituals, enchanted forests, and dark omens. And that prologue had me instantly hooked, with the mysterious clues that all connected at the end. I love mystery books where all the pieces fall into place at the end, and the plot twists at the end made it even more intriguing. Scarlet, Vivi, and all the other characters were unique and layered, which I appreciated.
I also liked the amount of representation within the cast of characters because that is such a crucial feature in YA literature, especially within the fantasy genre. I would absolutely recommend The Ravens to anyone who read and enjoyed the Serpent and Dove trilogy by Shelby Mahurin, which has a similar witchy element and represents bond between sisters in a coven. I’d also recommend it for those who enjoyed A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee, because the mixture of college sorority and witchiness is similar and just as magical. Also, if you liked The Ravens, get ready for the sequel, The Monarchs also by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige, in which Scarlett, Vivi, and the rest of The Ravens rely on the strength of their sisterhood to defeat a rival sorority and a new form of dark magic that threatens to destroy everything they love. The Monarchs was released January 2022.
If you enjoyed The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige, try these other witchy reads:
Sweet and Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley
A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee
The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin