Mark of the Raven
Lady Selene is the
heir to the Great House of Ravenwood and the secret family gift of
dreamwalking. As a dreamwalker, she can enter a person's dreams and
manipulate their greatest fears or desires. For the last hundred years,
the Ravenwood women have used their gift of dreaming for hire to gather
information or to assassinate.
As she discovers her family's dark
secret, Selene is torn between upholding her family's legacy--a legacy
that supports her people--or seeking the true reason behind her family's
gift.
Her dilemma comes to a head when she is tasked with
assassinating the one man who can bring peace to the nations, but who
will also bring about the downfall of her own house.
One path
holds glory and power, and will solidify her position as Lady of
Ravenwood. The other path holds shame and execution. Which will she
choose? And is she willing to pay the price for the path chosen?
My Review: 6.5/10
This is a stretch from the genres I usually frequent- fantasy with a gothic feel and religious themes. I enjoyed the story, though I wouldn't recommend reading it before bed.
Initially I thought, I don't know why she's beating herself up; they're only nightmares, it's not like she's actually doing the things in the dreams. Then I thought about some nightmares I've had that caused lingering anguish and the fact that the damage from emotional and mental abuse can oftentimes last longer than physical abuse. And that's what is repeatedly happening in these dreams- mental and emotional abuse. So now I get it.
I enjoyed the world that was built and am intrigued by the mystery. And I like what I've read so far about the religious themes, good vs evil, etc. I'm invested. I want to uncover the history, see this world put back together, families and friendships restored, and I want to see the gifts working the way they were intended.
It felt like Selene and Amara needn't have the animosity between them if Selene made an effort to reach out or show affection, etc. And I wish that Selene was a bit more determined to find a new way rather than give in to feeling trapped and just go along with things. But I think she has potential.
Looking forward to the next book!
