We at THP love following along with a book series as it releases! Last year, we got to review The Robin on the Oak Throne by K.A. Linde, the second in her romantasy series, The Oak and Holly Cycle. And now, we have the pleasure of reviewing the third book, The Raven at the Ash Door.
The Raven at the Ash Door picks up shortly after the end of book two, as Kierse and Graves set out to find the Stone of Fal. This ancient artifact has the power to determine the true leader and, more importantly, break powerful bonds and curses.
With plenty of ups and downs and one of the most heart-wrenching cliffhanger ending we’ve ever read, The Raven at the Ash Door really put us through the wringer. Here are three reasons why you’ll love it as much as we did!
Book Overview: The Raven At The Ash Door
Content warnings: death, murder, combat, graphic violence, torture, gore, serious injury, sex, forced captivity, kidnapping, grief, drug and alcohol use, addiction, weapons, guns, vomiting, gang violence, mentions of abuse, mental health, hospitalization, genocide, colonization, and assault (Please read at your discretion!)
Summary: Kierse McKenna’s magic is bound to a man she hates—one who has spent lifetimes fighting the man she loves.
To end this binding, Graves—her winter god, her monster—will stop at nothing. He discovers that the only hope of freeing Kierse is to locate a stone relic of legend, rumored to lift any curse.
The only problem? The stone has been missing for a century.
And the Oak King is on their trail.
Now Kierse is trapped at the heart of a centuries-long battle while the rest of the world comes unraveled. The Fae Killer is hunting. The peace with monsters is fracturing. And as the very rules of their myth start to shift, escaping the Oak King’s hold may demand more than stolen artifacts and clever heists.
For Kierse and Graves, it may mean risking the only thing they have left to lose.
Team Holly
One of our favorite things about The Raven at the Ash Door is the reunion of Team Holly. The gang gets back together for another epic heist, one that requires all hands on deck against even more powerful opponents. It gives us some much-needed comic relief from the heaviness of Kierse’s situation. From her best friends, Gen and Ethan, to Graves’s most trusted allies and apprentices, Laz, Schwartz, and Walter, each member of Team Holly plays an important role in retrieving the sacred Stone of Fal. Their team even has the support of the Druids’ leader Niamh and the vampire princess Lyra.
Kierse’s Inner Turmoil
Beware of the intense angst in The Raven at the Ash Door. Following the end of The Robin on the Oak Throne, Kierse is trapped in a soulmate bond with the Oak King, Lorcan. Yet she loves Graves, the Holly King, with everything she has. She doesn’t hesitate to choose him over and over, fighting the fated connection and looking for ways to break the bond. But her Fae powers ultimately lie with Lorcan, who has the ability to share or withhold them at will. Kierse and Lorcan can communicate telepathically, which saves her life on more than one occasion in this book. Sooner or later, even she can’t deny having feelings for the Oak King, despite how hard she tries.
The Fight Is Far From Over
Though we originally thought of The Oak and Holly Cycle as a trilogy, the end of book three has announced the continuation of the series with books four and five! Thank goodness for that, because we would’ve been devastated if we couldn’t find out what happens next. With a new bond being forged at the end, it’s tough to see how Kierse will get herself out of this promise. But we know Graves is far from accepting defeat, especially not after everything the pair went through in The Raven at the Ash Door. We have our predictions, but we’ll hold off on sharing them until the next installment.
From the inner turmoil and angst to an unbelievable ending, K.A. Linde has no qualms about breaking readers’ hearts with The Raven at the Ash Door, and we’re totally on board.
The Raven at the Ash Door by K.A. Linde is on sale now, and you can order a copy of it here!
Have you had the chance to read K.A. Linde’s new book, The Raven at the Ash Door? What do you think of the latest installment in The Oak and Holly Cycle series? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
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