Book Review: The Raven by Jonathan Janz
This book will be released September 8, 2020 by Flame Tree Press
What kind of monster will you meet next?
Despite owning a legitimate stack of Jonathan Janz novels, I had yet to read him prior to The Raven (with the exception of an old short story he did early on in his career). This one was receiving a lot of early buzz, which led me to requesting an ARC for review before they were even ready. As the months passed, more excitement built around the novel, and now I know why - Janz has created a wonderfully diverse (yet familiar) world of monsters here. Its post-apocalyptic setting not only screams dark fantasy, it provides a vivid backdrop that (surprisingly) brought to mind The Lord of the Rings.
Your basic plot here is that Dez (later receiving the moniker of the Raven) is on a journey to find his stolen love. Some six months have passed since their group was attacked, and Dez is finally on the right track in finding the man responsible for the mass kidnapping. He’s a powerful figure with a big reputation, known best for selling people to vampires.
I found this novel to be a lot of fun. The writing is skilled, yet easy; as such, The Raven flows with ease. It’s the kind of novel you could read in a day if you had the free time, because the excitement and discovery is there to keep you turning the pages (thinking, just one more chapter, just one more chapter). What’s curious for this reader is that I don’t generally like werewolves, vampires, or any of those overused monsters - and yet, none of that bothered me in this story. Not only did it not bother me, I genuinely enjoyed the monsters used here. For me, that’s a testament to Janz’s abilities.
Now is usually when I point out things I disliked. The thing is I don’t really have any complaints with The Raven worth mentioning. I will say I wish I had known this was just the first book to a series; but seeing as I loved it, that’s not an issue. It just means I can be excited with the promise of a sequel.
Clearly, I recommend this title. You get a lot of monsters and action with this one, so fans of horror, suspense, adventure, and fantasy should definitely pick up this one as soon as possible.
Review by Aiden Merchant
Twitter - AidenMerchant89
I received a paperback copy of this novel from the publisher, Flame Tree Press, for review consideration.
