Book Review :: In the Ravenous Dark by A.M Strickland

In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland
ISBN: 1529370477
Published by Hachette NZ, Hodder & Stoughton
on 18 May 2021
Genres: Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 390
Source: Hachette Publishing NZ
Find at Hachette NZ
Goodreads

POWER NEVER DIES...AND NEITHER DOES DESIRW.

In Thanopolis, magic is rare - and closely controlled. Those blessed, or cursed, with power are kept under constant guard, assigned to undead spirits who watch their every move.

Ever since her father died to save her from this fate, Rovan has kept her magic a closely guarded secret - until an accident exposes her powers for the world to see, and her tenuous freedom comes crashing to an end.

Brought to the royal place against her will, and thrust into a maelstrom of intrigue and deception, Rovan is drawn to two people she cannot fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling and rebellious princess struggling against her own destiny, and Ivrilos, the handsome, powerful spirit she has been bound to, who ca control Rovan body ad soul.

Together, they uncover a terrible secret that could destroy everyone in Thanopolis - the living and the dead. To save them, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and the undead spirit vying for her heart - if she doesn't betray them first...

Last updated on 13 February 2023

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase with one of these links, I recieve a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the full Affiliate Policy.

My thoughts on In the Ravenous Dark

In the Ravenous Dark was hard to write a synopsis for. I tried, I really did, but the Goodreads description above does a far better job at explaining what this book is about than I did.

So we’re going to need to leave it at that.

I enjoyed this book, for the most part. It was nice to get into a magical fantasy, that was also Greek-Roman-Classical-esque, in my sea of romance and general fiction that I had been reading.

The world that Strickland has created is intricate and well thought out. The layers upon layers of magical detail are woven well into the main storyline and the ‘present’ when we’re reading the story. The idea of two sort of planes, if you like, the living and the dead world, and the way they merge and come together was very creative and I really enjoyed reading the way that Strickland tied the two together.

The magic system in In the Ravenous Dark was very cool. Magic is passed down bloodlines, and it allows the user to manipulate living things, or things that have lived. The power comes in the form of red tattoos which cover the body in thin lines, but in order for that magic to be passed down, the next-in-line must kill the previous users. And considering that’s passed down family lines … that’s a horrifically harsh power to have.

The characters in this book were a mix of me. I liked some of them and hated otherwise. Rovan as the main character was great at the beginning but as soon as she got to the palace (early on, I might add) I sort of lost interest in her. Which is a bit rough, as she’s the main character and the book is told from her perspective.

Some of the story really captivated me, and some of it I wanted to rush through because I got a bit sick of it. It was a real mix of love-and-meh for me and that’s why I’ve given it a 3-stars, which, on Goodreads is ‘I liked it’. And I did. But I probably wouldn’t read it again and nor would I pick up a sequel if there were one.

It is a stand-alone and while I love a good stand-alone, and given all that I’ve said prior to this sentence, I think this could have actually worked better as at least a duology. I think there were aspects of the novel that could have been fleshed out a little bit more, and characters that we could have learnt more about or would have been developed further. A duology would have allowed the space to do that.

But! Don’t let my ‘meh’ review put you off! If you’re a fan of queer fantasy set in a Grecco-Roman-esque world, where blood and death magic run through the cities and there’s a bit of an enemies-to-lovers trope as well as a long-lost-family trope intertwined… then In the Ravenous Dark might be the book for you!

Have you read In the Ravenous Dark by A.M Strickland? What did you think? 

---

Thank you to Hachette Publishing NZ who provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. This does not affect my review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.