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Alisa Hope Wagner

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Book Review: Mark of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse

June 1, 2019 By alisahopewagner 2 Comments

 

Mark of the Raven, the first book in the Ravenwood Saga by Morgan L. Busse, is a hauntingly brilliant tale that woos the reader into the ominous mountain gloom of House Ravenwood until hope finally illuminates the cold castle walls.

The start of the story is beautifully written with excellent world building and intricate relational details that create a world that, honestly, was almost too oppressive for me to bear. Sibling rivalry and a demonized mother painted a foreboding picture of hoplessness and despair. However, a subtle light of hope permeates in chapter 8, which gave me the courage to read on.

“This is someone’s reality,” I reminded myself. “And to rise above the worldview we’ve been given by family and circumstance may be one of the most difficult leaps of faith we take in the natural world.”

A verse repeated in my mind as the story ignited my own struggle to rise above the corrupted version of myself that I’ve been given to claim the design God has created for me.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1.5 NIV).

The light shines the brightest in the midst of darkness. Busse has skillfully penned a supernatural fantasy that sucks the reader into a dark vortex of calculating despair, and when all hope vanishes in the night, a Light penetrates the darkness, shattering the entrapment of expectation with hopes of a newer, freer future. Chapter 34-39 are pure bliss to read because the darkness makes the Light that much sweeter.

The saga doesn’t end there. There are still kingdoms to unite, an empire to fight, love to discover and a mother to deal with. The story continues in book 2 of the Ravenwood Saga, Flight of the Raven.

Mark of the Raven is a 2019 Selah Award Winner for Speculative Fiction and a finalist for the Realm Makers Alliance Award. The winner will be announced July 2019 Realm Makers Conference. Readers can vote until June 4th Here!

 

You can find Morgan Busse on her social media, including her website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon and Instagram.

 

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Christian Writing Tagged With: Flight of the Raven, Mark of the Raven, Morgan Busse

Alisa’s Blog

Persistence that Ignites Faith

Why Jesus – Day 36 Today’s Devotional: Don’t let feelings of doubt, insecurity or unworthiness deter you from claiming God’s promises for your life. God is faithful and good. We just need to see Him as He really is and rest all of our faith on Him! “She replied, ‘That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are […]

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Our Promises

Why Jesus – Day 34 Today’s Devotional: God gives you promises and allows them to look barren, so He can ignite and build the faith within you. Don’t give up on God’s promises for your life. Stand firm on His Word! For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;     break forth and […]

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True and Lasting Peace

Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always] (Colossians 3:15 Amp). Many of us don’t know […]

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Small Things

Why Jesus – Day 38 Today’s Devotional: Doing the small things in life are just as valuable as doing the big things if God has called us to do them. If our motive is to stay obedient to God, we will do everything unto the Lord! “Has the potter no right over the clay, to […]

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Dead Last: A Chance to Catch Up

I joined a team to run the Beach to Bay, a six-person marathon run in Corpus Christi, Texas. Each person ran a distance of 3 miles to 5 miles. There were six legs of the run, and I was the first leg, which was on the beach–thus the name “Beach to Bay.” There were 8,000 […]

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Walking Through Quick Sand

 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6.9 NKJV). There are some seasons that literally every day feels like walking through quicksand. Waking up is difficult. Working is difficult. Thinking is difficult. Doing daily tasks is difficult. And not […]

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Finding Freedom from Familiar Spirits

A familiar spirit or otherwise known as a familiar stronghold is a way of thinking that does not line up with God’s Word. People do not recognize that their thinking is wrong because they are accustomed to it. Mainly, they were raised with parent(s) or in an atmosphere that normalized this incorrect thinking. Therefore, their […]

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MY QUIET TIME PART 4: FAITH SOAKING SEASON 2 EPISODE 4

Finally, we are at the fourth and final part of my quiet time, which includes Bible Reading, Meditating on His Word, Listening to the Holy Spirit and Speaking in Tongues. First, I Read the Bible.  I usually start my Bible reading with a devotional written by a Christian writer whom I trust. I love reading […]

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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  2. Vishal Koshti says

    February 25, 2021 at 1:57 am

    Looks like an interesting read to add in my list.

    Reply

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