The Broken Raven

October 2, 2020

Gr 6 Up-Picking up where The Good Hawk left off, Agatha, Jaime, and Clann-a-Tuath find themselves cohabiting unhappily in a different Skye Island clan's enclave, their hosts becoming less gracious by the day. After a heated meeting of the elders, Agatha notices a familiar necklace on the chest of a host-clan elder...the same necklace the Scotian Queen Nathara had used to trap the unnatural sg�ilean, shadow beings created to protect her royal family and all their subjects. Agatha concocts a clever plan to steal the necklace and get rid of it, but a struggle occurs and the amulet shatters, releasing the deadly sg�ilean, who are no longer bound to preserve Scotian life. Jaime rushes off to find the man who created the sg�ilean in the hopes that he can help stop the unkillable shadows. Meanwhile, Sigrid, a young demhain girl, becomes the eyes for the evil Konge Grimr who enslaved the Skye Island clans in the last book. She sails with him to Ingland, where King Edmund talks the blinded king into joining Ingland in a war against Scotia. The story weaves together slowly, then snowballs toward an ending that will leave readers begging for Book Three. Though the characters from Scotia, Norveg, and Ingland are seemingly all white, LGBTQ and neurodiverse main characters create a strong, diverse cast. VERDICT This trilogy would go over well with fans of Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races. The first book is required to be able to follow the plot of the second. Didn't buy the first book? Now's the time to grab both.-Abby Bussen, Muskego P.L., WI

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2020
The sequel to The Good Hawk (2020) sends characters both familiar and new into the wider world surrounding its fantasy version of medieval Skye. Agatha and Jaime have returned triumphantly after rescuing their clan from slavery. But their enclave is still held by enemies, and those in their current refuge want them gone. After Agatha accidentally unleashes the deadly sg�ilean, Jaime is sent back to Scotia to seek magical assistance while Agatha defiantly warns a rival clan. Meanwhile, young Sigrid is sold to the cruel Norvegian monarch who is busy scheming with the eldritch Inglish king. All three suspenseful plotlines are deftly interwoven, giving each alternating narrator a distinctive voice: fierce, proud, impatient Agatha, with her disabilities that cause some to treat her cruelly and her uncanny rapport with animals; careful, depressed Jaime, prone to both panic attacks and reluctant flashes of bravery; and earthy, brash Sigrid, gifted with an eidetic memory and unexpected compassion. Major and minor characters alike are fully rounded; Jaime in particular struggles with his newfound fascination for dark magic and a same-sex attraction that is not accepted in his culture. The worldbuilding is rich, integrating various magical systems into the landscapes and cultures of diverse countries and clans. The narrative gallops along, with hefty doses of humor, tenderness, and violence, until the storylines meet on a final page that will leave readers desperate for more. A superlative middle volume, adding depth and scope without sacrificing clarity or theme. (Fantasy. 12-18)

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