The Raven Scholar

Eternal Path Trilogy, Book 1

De: Antonia Hodgson

Narrado por: Daphne Kouma

From an electrifying new voice in epic fantasy comes The Raven Scholar, a masterfully woven and playfully inventive tale of imperial intrigue, cutthroat competition, and one scholar’s quest to uncover the truth.

Let us fly now to the empire of Orrun, where after twenty-four years of peace, Bersun the Brusque must end his reign. In the dizzying heat of mid-summer, seven contenders compete to replace him. They are exceptional warriors, thinkers, strategists—the best of the best.

Then one of them is murdered. We know who did it. We saw it happen. No one else did.

It falls to Neema Kraa, the emperor’s brilliant, idiosyncratic High Scholar, to find the killer before the trials end. To do so, she must untangle a web of deadly secrets that stretches back generations, all while competing against six warriors with their own dark histories and fierce ambitions. Neema believes she is alone. But we are here to help; all she has to do is let us in.

If she succeeds, she will win the throne. If she fails, death awaits her. But we won’t let that happen.

We are the Raven, and we are magnificent.

©2025 Antonia Hodgson (P)2025 Orbit

Reseñas de la Crítica

"The twists and turns of The Raven Scholar left me breathless. Antonia Hodgson drops us into an elaborately built, gorgeously realized world that I couldn't wait to see more of." —Emery Robin, author of The Stars Undying

"Engrossing and unputdownable...my favorite read of the year. A conflagration of court intrigue, religious folktale, and characters with deliciously murky motivations, The Raven Scholar is a pure delight. Fantasy readers will gobble this down and curse the skies that they don't have the sequel yet." —Bethany Jacobs, author of These Burning Stars

A good adventure tale.

I enjoyed this very much. It was an entirely different type of fantasy adventure tale. I had some difficulty in the beginning with the number of characters involved, their relationships and their names. But eventually, I got it and was able to settle into the story.

Soooo good!

Holy crap. I had no idea what to expect going into this, but this is truly one of the best book experiences I’ve had in YEARS. I love the author’s tone, humor, ability to flesh out the world and characters so well. If you’re looking for a fresh fantasy that doesn’t feel hollow or juvenile, this is it!

Epic story

Wonderful job by narrator distinguishing between the many characters. Highly enjoyed the story and look forward to the next one.

This book is truly MAGNIFICENT!!!

I was on the fence about spending my last credit. So glad I did! This book is in my top 3 all time favorites. If you enjoyed All the Murmuring Bones or Nettle and Bone then you will enjoy this book. I love the fairytale type books but not so much mystery, however this book made me enjoy it, lol. With over 700 titles in my Audible library and over 500 loans on Libby, it is not often that a book can surprise me with twists and turns. This one did! Some stuff I saw coming other things were a shock and I loved it! I cannot wait for the rest of this series and to see what else this author puts out. This book was a joy! Don’t hesitate just get it!

Amazing narration of immersion new world

4.5 overall-

The narrator is absolutely amazing and added tremendously to bringing this story to life. I loved how the effect they used for the Raven's voice.

This story was excellent. It had familiar concepts in it's set up which made it easy to get into, but also had a unique setting, cast, and belief/magic system that made it feel new and interesting. The characters were interesting and complex and the twists were well placed and kept me engaged.

I did struggle a bit in the beginning with the main character before the tournament started. I am not great with unlikeable main characters and she flirted with that line in the beginning, but she won me over as the tournament progressed and I grew to really enjoy her.

I couldn't put it down and can't wait for part 2. Highly recommend!

Great story and narration

The story grabs you from the start and the narrator does a magnificent job capturing the different characters. Looking forward to book two.

Intriguing epic fantasy

This book started out slow, but once I got into the flow of the writer’s style, I became deeply immersed in the world she created. I also found tgst listening to the audiobook while I read brought an added layer of understanding.

This is a chunky book, but it really needs to be, given the world-building and the deep character studies.

For me, this book was very reminiscent of many of the classics I read in junior and senior high school, most especially the Count of Monte Cristo - another book with an expansive cast of characters and a plot that runs deeply through several years and multiple layers of society - a book that is a particular favorite of mine for just those reasons.

The last 20 chapters were almost like whiplash as the depth of the various plot lines were exposed, and the machinations and motivations of so many supposed minor characters were revealed. I truly can’t wait to see where the author takes this series.

I highly recommend this book for fans of immersive fantasy that keeps them second guessing everything they think they know.

Tropes -
Epic fantasy
Political intrigue
Court politics
Oriental inspired mythology
Found family

One of the best of the year!!!!

This book is so so so excellent. I am truly so taken back by this author. There was so many twists and turns, and whiplash moments. I really loved this book and it kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time. I think this will be in the top fantasy books of the year! Excited for whats to come! I love sol so much.

Magnificent

A wonderful story about redemption and revenge, this novel stands out among the many great fantasy debuts in the last couple of years. The narration was also excellent. I will be buying book 2 as soon as it releases!

10/10!!! Amazing story! Amazing narration!

Absolutely loved the story, it truly had all the perfect ingredients for a fantasy book without all the info dumping that usually goes with it. Heartbreaking at times, I was hooked from the very beginning. Nima is a wonderfully crafted character, complex and beautifully nerdy. The narrator for this is fantastic! She did such a wonderful job at keeping me engaged I couldn’t stop listening to it. Almost sad when it ended. 10/10 recommend!!