In the Ravenous Dark

Title: In the Ravenous Dark
Author: A.M. Strickland
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Year: May 2021

Pages: 390
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Reading Time: 1 - 5 Apr
Binding: NetGalley arc
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★☆☆

Blurb:

 A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead, in this dark fantasy by A.M. Strickland, author of Beyond the Black Door.
 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 palace 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 can control Rovan, body and 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 . . .

Review:

 Thank you firstly to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an early copy of this book.

 If you're looking for a queer fantasy full of action and magic, look no further. I simply don't think I've ever read a book with representation like this and I enjoyed finally seeing exactly how this can be written in to a fantasy setting. As I've always thought, words like pansexual and nonbinary don't often exist in a fantasy setting unless you're bringing in very modern language. Yet Strickland managed to explain the circumstances without crossing that line and the language in explaining it was all so simple. The conversations flowed so easily, a real breath of fresh air which makes you wish it was this easy in real life. It's made clear that there isn't complete acceptance in this world but other than a few mentions here and there it's not problematic to the plot and so isn't given much space to become a problem, just as it should be!

 Having said that, a quick few content warnings that I can quickly recall: blood manipulation, gore, death, referenced suicide, forced marriage, threats of rape, alcohol usage and some thinly veiled sex. It's definitely an upper range YA book but can you really expect a fantasy around people called 'bloodmages' to be anything other than that?

 We open on a rather explosive chapter which I very much enjoyed as a part of setting the scene before jumping in to the main setting a few years later. We're reading in first person from the perspective of Rovan and that allows you to immerse in her emotions and thoughts wonderfully. There's a rush of feelings through the whirlwind of action in the beginning of the book. We get a chance to catch our breath in the middle as Rovan attempts to understand her new surroundings which inevitably goes a little . . . wrong. Then we're straight back to that action and I absolutely tore up those last hundred pages!

 Let's talk about our characters. Rovan is a fiery woman, obviously traumatised after witnessing her father's death but also strained by her efforts to remain undiscovered among people that would fear her for her power. I can understand how much she wishes to escape and have the drive of someone so constantly wronged. It years worth of resentment that we see unleashed over the course of this book.

 Japha is so lovely, such a beautiful soul that was so pleasant to read. One thing I enjoyed about having their pronouns was realising that I haven't seen they/them pronouns being used very widely yet. I had a slight confusion sometimes thinking I was reading about multiple people and hope I get to meet more nonbinary characters so I can get used to it. Loved their humour and glamour. Just loved them.

 I struggle to speak about much of the other characters because they all felt a bit shallow. They didn't go much further past their initial introduction and so I didn't get a deep feeling for any of them which is a little bit of a shame. We certainly have a whole host of strong females to root for, they also follow a goddess so even the light swearing is female empowering. It would probably be too much if there wasn't some gender enforcing and forced child bearing going on (awful but mostly mentioned rather than seen in the book).

 The setting is lovely despite us seeing relatively little of the world. We don't need to see any more Strickland balances a lovely level of description in to the plot to help you picture the world. The magic system is wonderful and interpreted differently across the people. There is a pressing need across the world giving weight to the actions of our characters and a whole world to explore which is a want I can always relate to.

 So why did I end up with only three stars? Well, past the great idea and action when I thought more deeply in to some elements of the book I just felt they were a little shallow. As I mentioned with the characters, I didn't feel much in the way of personalities coming through which is sometimes a sacrifice with constant action furthering the plot. One of our first verbal fights around a lot of the banter results in body shaming which for me is just a no, no matter how little. There's also a whole lot hinging on love when all I really saw was lust. There was no real development of feelings especially within such a short time frame, it just starting getting called that after a few kisses.

 Next point is likely to be controversial and very subject to opinion. I myself am a part of the LGBTQ+ community but felt there was some small issue here. Lots of representation in the characters as they were introduced, great. I did get to a point half way or so though the book where another character was revealed as LGBTQ+ and I just rolled my eyes. Everything up until that point had felt quite organic and then, for me, that was just too fit in. We ultimately end up with straight people as the antagonists and cheaters which isn't great. Not something a lot of people are likely to notice but once you do doesn't exactly leave a great taste in your mouth. 

 Having said this, it's not something that can't be smoothed over by a less detailed reader and I'm sure there will be many people that love this book as they look for some older range YA fantasy. I know I'm still likely to look out for Strickland's future books!