The Raven King

This book sucked me in even more than the first book, The Foxhole Court. I reread The Raven King in physical form (after whizzing through the copy on my kindle) and tagged the hell out of it marking my favorite quotes and scenes. In The Raven King we get a more in depth look at the backstories of each of the Foxes. Learning about these characters leaves you thirsty for more. There are some very, very heavy themes in this book (see below for trigger warns, no spoilers though!). The Raven King starts off by delving into the backstory of the Cousins and specifically the story of the Minyard twins. Sakavic moves into Nicky’s family history and the story has you glued to the pages trying to piece everything together. You get much better insight into the characters as their histories are revealed. Neil also finds out the truth about his family and it is a shocker. I really appreciated the backstory into the relationship between Kevin and Andrew. I loved finding out about the history of the other Foxes along the way. Again, as with The Foxhole Court , I loved Sakavic’s dialogue, such as this scene with Neil and Andrew: “I’m remembering why I don’t like you.” “I’m surprised you forgot in the first place.” “Maybe I didn’t.” Neil pushed the phone Andrew’s way. “There has to be a better way.” “You could occasionally grow a spine,” Andrew suggested. “I know it’s a difficult concept for someone who’s need your reaction is to run away at the first sign of trouble, but try it sometime. You might actually like it.” “What I’d like is to put this phone through your teeth.” “See, that’s more entertaining. “I’m not here for your entertainment,” Neil said. “But, as expected, you are talented enough to multitask.” It bears repeating that I love her writing style and her descriptions: “Guilt with a relatively new emotion for Neil, something the Foxes were teaching him through prolonged exposure to them. Up until this point he’d felt it in uncomfortable, fleeting bursts. Now it was a fierce, all-consuming heat that made him want to cut his own stomach out. He didn’t know if he was going to puke or scream. Neither one was acceptable, so he clenched his teeth as hard as he could. Meeting Andrew’s eyes was almost impossible. Looking away would be unforgivable.” AHHHHHHHH! My heart. So many feels. Despite some very heavy content this book had me enthralled. I could not put it down, nor could I wait to start the final book, The King’s Men. The book takes you on a roller coaster of emotions, but I fully trust Sakavic to shepherd the way. Ultimately, this story is about about facing your past, learning to trust others, and building friendships. That being said though, this book should come with a boatload of trigger warnings: child abuse (mentioned), rape, murder, self harm (mentioned), and torture. So please beware, you can always pass over these sections, but they are heart-wrenching.

This FREAKING book, this freaking SERIES. Like, WHAT THE HECK???!?! This is another review where I cannot say and probably will never say that I will recommend this series to anyone. Its one of those series that is only for those who like it. It is not for everyone and it can sometimes be considered trashy and hot garbage. But yall, ITS MY HOT GARBAGE😂😭. I am OBSESSED with this story and these characters. They are all that I have been thinking about and this book literally tore at my heart. There is just so much that happened in this book and I am excited yet scared for the next one. One thing that I will say about this book is that the character development is SPOT ON. The progression of how these characters slowly become a family and care about one another is honestly very good and telling because even when the plot can be considered chaotic and hot garbage, these characters outshine all of that and actually make you care about them in ways you never thought you would. I am already dreading reaching the end of this series yall, but this book definitely brought this story back for me and pushed me into a new direction of liking it that I did not expect. I have already bought fan art and hopefully will have dust covers (fingers crossed) just because I have been loving this series that freaking much. Please please PLEASE check TW for this series, there are so many and it is super important to check before going into the series.

I’m still as obsessed with this series, as I was when reading book one – Foxhole Court. 4.5 stars The plot’s complexity has quadrupled. Every character has an agenda, and many characters have pasts that are buried so deeply under lies that each discovery only cements my belief that this series is phenomenally awesome. The author is a master storyteller, her way of spinning a fascinating as well as emotional tale is outstanding. Nothing in these books is predictable. Each new discovery is more outrages and in your face than the other. Throughout the first two books my jaw hit the floor countless times. The intricacies between the different plots are mind boggling. There are just some authors that are leap years ahead of others. And Nora Sakavic is one of them. This author and series deserves way more recognition than other hyped authors and series. When you get down to it, the entire series is one long book. Raven King started exactly where Foxhole Court ended. The team finally understands that only united they have a chance to win the final match. And seeing them growing closer, socializing and spending their free time together outside of the court is heart-warming. Because I love them all, I want them to get along. Neil, my favorite character’s journey has been heart wrenching, but I’m also so proud of him. He’s come such a long way, and his progress makes me cheer for him even more. His relationship with Andrew is as fascinating as it is mysterious. He has this unbelievable way with him, that none of the team can get even close to. Even though they constantly battle over truths, lies, and secrets, at the end they are just trying to understand the other person. It’s quite fascinating for me as well as for them, because they each are fascinated by one another. Raven King ended with two major arcs, and I can’t wait to read how these two arcs play into Neil and Andrew’s relationship. I’m not going to write much more, I just want to get back to reading The King’s Men. So all I can say is read this series, actually buy it. The first book is free on Amazon, the second and third only cost 99 cents each. That’s an incredible deal. Honestly it’s ridiculous. So one-click NOW!!!

I loved this book. Despite the fact that it's kinda thin on plot, it's interesting enough to keep you reading if you're a fan of the characters. The whole book kind of reads to me like a giant character study, so it's definitely something I'd recommend if you're big on stories that focus on telling real stories about real people rather than just lots of twists and turns and plot action. Having said that, there are quite a few twists and turns, more than a couple that I didn't remotely see coming (I'm usually good at picking things up but there isn't a predictable thing about the s*** that goes down in this one). I fell in love with the main character Neil from the get go to be honest, he's just such a kicked puppy. You'd think he's nice but he's actually not nice at all and kind of savage. He isn't your typical anti-hero and sometimes you'll find yourself trying to figure out whether he's self-destructive, stupid or a just a complete martyr. Andrew is easily my favorite character, even though I'm not sure how accurately his mental illness has been depicted. I'd hate for the author to use that as an excuse for all the bulls*** he puts people through, but you can't help but sympathise with him in this one. He does what he does out of a crazy protective streak and the medicine enhances that ache and anger. Plus I'm a sucker for gay romance and it's pretty obvious that Andrew and Neil feel something for each other, considering they've both been willing to put themselves in harm's way for the other. If I have one complaint it's that the villains are downright boring. (and I feel a tad racist considering most of the pure evil dudes in this one are Japanese mafia and most of the main characters are white). And even though they're psychotic and creepy, they're just so black-and-whitely evil that they aren't complex at all. I like my villians juicy and tempting, evil but not completely so. There is nothing redeemable about the villians in this book and they only exist to stand in the way of the Foxes. Despite this, I can forgive the author because she is already juggling a lot of characters and some really dark themes. It's very important to note about a dozen trigger warnings for abuse/graphic depictions of violence/rape/subtle homophobia etc. Personally, I don't have a lot of triggers, but it's just something you should be aware of before you read this. I'm going to go now and buy the final book immediately because this one left me hanging with my mouth wide open!

The Raven King is book two of the 'All for the Game' series, which means you can't start here, go back to 'The Foxhole Court' if you haven't read that one. The second book is even better than the first one, and in this one, the relationships between the characters evolve even more. Not only between our trio and the monsters, but between the whole team. Neil is oblivious to everything around him, but he is the glue that keeps that whole team together. He found his place in that family, and he doesn't even have a clue. The same can be said about him and Andrew, but I don't really want to get too deep into this topic cuz it's nicer to discover it by yourself. The depths of this story are scary sometimes, and the stories and scars each and every one of these characters have are... not pretty. The found family in this series is absolutely spectacular, and they just started to find each other, so to speak. Each and every one of them has its place, and it's not random at all. This one is heavier than the first one, more secrets, more pain, and just more of everything bad... but so, so worth it. I am absolutely in love with the world, the story, the game, the characters. I'm in love with everything that has to do with this book/series. Onto the next one, cuz I have 0 patience to wait, but at the same time, I am absolutely NOT ready to finish it. Wish me luck.

I ran through The Foxhole Court... There was just something train-wreck (in a good way) fascinating about it. I mean, college-aged characters in a sport story dealing with an alternate-reality sport? So not for me. But the reviews hinted at a compelling story, and it was definitely a unique and worthy reading experience! But before going on to this book there was a break where I thought, do I really want to do this? This is a very dark tale... like you've fallen down a rabbit-hole into a world where a lot of madness makes sense, but it's at all pleasant. But heck... there's a huge fascination for Alice's crazy adventures, and those are far from safe and sane, right? This series is like that... Feels gritty and modern and real, but we're definitely not in Kansas any more! (And come on, The Wizard of OZ was plenty dark and freaky, too, and yet we all know it and sort of love it--darkness and creepiness and all.) I guess it's all about dealing with our demons, and we definitely get to work a lot of that out with the characters in this series! There's something about team sports, too. If you love the game and want to win and play your heart out more than life itself, then you know you need to rely on your team-mates and that there needs to be an amazing amount of synergy going on. You all need to be on the same page, even though you are all crazy humans who will never ever be CLOSE to being on the same page even if you want to be. So Neil... full of secrets and lies and having had to rely solely on himself to survive (even when he was younger and with his mother, she beat that into him)... He has this dichotomy where he's like that, and has team-mates with serious problems of their own, but he also truly wants to give all for the game. Unwittingly, he's drawn into the team and out of himself, ever so gradually. One person and clique at a time... Really, it's just utterly fascinating! This is a dark fantasy without any paranormal... a love story with no sex and love so far... filled with psychotic, violent characters and situations that seem to highlight the hints of humanity that are lurking between the cracks. If you are the least bit curious, try it!!!! ---This is a continuation of The Foxhole Court and must be read in order!!!!

I love how the story slowly evolves, revealing what is happening. It's unique, not cookie-cutter, and raw. If only more readers would be willing to discover books similar to this.

This book was in one word AMAZING! The first book in the series, the foxhole court, was a bit vague and the story was a little bit weird because I am not familiar with exy. But this book made up for all what the first book was lacking! You had a better plot, the characters got more dimensions and the ending left me with a hole where my heart used to be. This whole book left me as an emotional wreck. I’m still crying and writing this review. What I really like about this book is that it deals with real problems in the world. Abuse, rape, self-harm, addiction and violence. But this book doesn’t bring it as you usual sad story. This book gives you hope. You don’t need a perfect life, if you aren’t normal who cares and you don’t need to be okay all the time. Do you need to be perfect to live a happy life? No, all you need is a loving family and not a family by blood but a family by heart. In this book, we see Neil breaking down his walls and let his family in, this book shows what it feels like to love people. It shows that loving can be hard, it shows that loving can have a price. His character becomes so much better. You see that it is hard for him to change but he tries. And that is what matters most. Most of the side characters where very one dimensional in the first book, they only existed to set the story. But in this book we got to see their lives and their feelings. It made the story realer. You see that not everyone is who they appear to be. And you don’t know what made them this way. You see how the relations between the characters grow stronger and they become closer and closer. When you’re planning to read this book the only advice I can give is have the sequel ready (you won’t regret it) Because the ending of this book is amazing, sad and happy at the same time and you’ll need answers.

Une merveille, je ne sais pas comment je pourrais passer à une autre série après avoir lu cette masterpiece.

Acho que entre os 3 esse é o livro que li mais rápido. Ele me prendeu bastante e eu me via cada vez mais curiosa sobre o passado de cada um dos personagens. Nesse livro me apaixonei ainda mais pelo Neil, realmente amei a forma como ele foi escrito e toda sua personalidade. Por mais que eu ame esse livro tenho que dizer que 2 capítulos foram extremamente pesados pra mim e por mais que não seja um gatilho pra mim especificamente, me senti muito mal com a situação. Então reforço mais uma vez que procurem os gatilhos do livro antes de começarem a lê-lo. É nesse livro que as coisas realmente começam a acontecer e isso me deixou vidrada na história. Foi mais uma leitura que gostei bastante de fazer e estou dando 5 estrelas!

Item arrived, all good,

I read basically the whole thing in two days and considering how little I actually read this month that should tell you everything. The Raven King really builds on the first book, delves deeper into the drama and does a great job of making you fall in love with all the characters. I would basically die for Nicky at this point ngl. There's some really hard hitting stuff in this one but god, it really pulls you in. And who'd a thunk I'd get SO invested in full play-by-play descriptions of a fictional sports game?? But it's so good! I almost wish I could actually watch a real game of Exy because I'm still not entirely sure I know what they're doing half the time. Finally I just wanna say, the Ravens? Are complete bonkers. Why they gotta be so dramatic for? I was honestly rolling my eyes so far back into my skull everytime they wore the same clothes and moved in sync and were just generally mental like the weird little Shining twins. Anyway, in the great words of Neil Josten, "I'm fine". 🥲 I can't wait to read the next one.

Glorius story