Editorial Content for Raven
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Reviewer (text)
Lyndsay Faye, who is a huge admirer of Edgar Allan Poe, has produced a gothic horror tale that pays homage to the master via a character named Raven, whose surname is Allan.
RAVEN reads like a cross between Poe and Dickens with a story set in the 1800s and a young female protagonist with a penchant for the supernatural who endures a difficult childhood while exploring her craft and the notion that she very well may be a witch. If you are not already sold on this novel, which is simply ideal for the Halloween season, then you just need to dive in and find yourself lost in the fast-paced action that is Raven’s life. Upon the untimely death of her mother, who was a famous actress, Raven is passed around among various relatives before settling in at the home of her aunt.
"Moldavia Manor holds many secrets beyond those I have mentioned, and that drives the final part of this story to glorious heights of gothic horror that will have fans cheering and begging for more."
Each chapter features a chilling and ominous Poe quote and properly sets the tone for what is to come. Raven is first featured in a prologue where she talks about her death…or, more to the point, her murder. She also discusses the ephemeral afterlife she refers to as the Other Land, a place where she can only dream. As we dive into the narrative, we follow Raven through the formative years of her life, which is spurred to action by her mother’s passing and the relationship she forms with the house staff, who she did not realize were actually slaves who belonged to Aunt Berenice. Raven Helen Allan is a classic gothic figure masterfully crafted by Faye and is a pleasure to spend time with.
Raven is driven to figure out who the mysterious David Faucette is, as her dying mother implored her to find him. Aunt Berenice brushes this off, which only makes matters worse when Raven uncovers correspondence from Faucette sent to her that her aunt intercepted and kept from her for fear of losing her. I will keep Faucette’s identity a secret so nothing is spoiled. Raven’s closest friend and confidante is Pym, short for Pygmalion, the daughter of the slave family working for her aunt. Once Raven eventually reveals her aunt’s treachery, she accepts a long-term job opportunity that takes her away from them all.
This opens the door to the second half of the novel, which is set at the castle-like residence known as Moldavia Manor. It is here where Raven will be the full-time keeper of a dying girl named Lenore Legrand (which is another great gothic name). She lives with the lord of the manor, her older cousin Trevanion, who spends much of his time behind closed doors working on top-secret projects. Without giving away too much, Raven’s nosiness once again gets the best of her, and she discovers that Trevanion is focused on creating an elixir of life that will grant eternal existence for anyone who imbibes it.
Moldavia Manor holds many secrets beyond those I have mentioned, and that drives the final part of this story to glorious heights of gothic horror that will have fans cheering and begging for more. Lyndsay Faye recently wrote a terrific article for CrimeReads, “The Brotherhood of Edgar Allan Poe, Shakespeare, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Fiction Must Pay for Its Crimes.” If you take this as a key that potentially unlocks the door to the hidden plot she had in mind when penning RAVEN, then you truly will be able to admire what she has accomplished with this fantastically complex gothic treat.
Teaser
After an itinerant childhood spent first with her mother’s traveling theater troupe and then being passed around from relative to relative, Raven Helen Allan is relieved to finally settle down with Aunt Berenice in her Baltimore townhouse. But when the household is threatened with financial ruin, she must set out to earn her own living. Taking a job as a paid companion, Raven arrives at the crumbling Moldavia Manor. Her charge is a delicate young invalid named Lenore Legrand, who haunts the Gothic structure like a phantom. Living with them is Lenore’s devoted older cousin, Trevanion, who shares Raven’s interest in the occult and devotes his days to searching ancient texts for an Elixir of Life that might cure his cousin. Raven finds herself inexorably drawn to both cousins, as well as to the secrets hidden in the shadows of Moldavia Manor.
Promo
After an itinerant childhood spent first with her mother’s traveling theater troupe and then being passed around from relative to relative, Raven Helen Allan is relieved to finally settle down with Aunt Berenice in her Baltimore townhouse. But when the household is threatened with financial ruin, she must set out to earn her own living. Taking a job as a paid companion, Raven arrives at the crumbling Moldavia Manor. Her charge is a delicate young invalid named Lenore Legrand, who haunts the Gothic structure like a phantom. Living with them is Lenore’s devoted older cousin, Trevanion, who shares Raven’s interest in the occult and devotes his days to searching ancient texts for an Elixir of Life that might cure his cousin. Raven finds herself inexorably drawn to both cousins, as well as to the secrets hidden in the shadows of Moldavia Manor.
About the Book
An orphaned young woman in antebellum Maryland is pulled into a maelstrom of passion, pain and occult power in this Gothic homage to the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe.
I died a fortnight ago this coming Thursday. It was a terrifically unpleasant experience—being murdered, I mean to say.
Raven Helen Allan has always been haunted by witchcraft. Since the death of her beloved mother, she has soothed herself by speaking words into spells --- a proclivity enhanced by time spent with her aunt’s library of occult books. She also finds a self-destructive solace in transmuting the pain in her heart onto her flesh.
After an itinerant childhood spent first with her mother’s traveling theater troupe and then being passed around from relative to relative, Raven is relieved to finally settle down with Aunt Berenice in her Baltimore townhouse --- even if her aunt spends most evenings in a laudanum haze. There she finds a long-sought sense of belonging with the family of enslaved workers in her aunt’s household, especially the brilliantly odd youngest daughter Pym. Raven’s infatuation with her friend only grows more intimate as the girls become women together. But when the household is threatened with financial ruin, Raven must set out to earn her own living.
Taking a job as a paid companion, Raven arrives at the crumbling Moldavia Manor. Her charge is a delicate young invalid named Lenore Legrand, who haunts the Gothic structure like a phantom. Living with them is Lenore’s devoted older cousin, Trevanion, who shares Raven’s interest in the occult and devotes his days to searching ancient texts for an Elixir of Life that might cure his cousin. Raven finds herself inexorably drawn to both cousins, as well as to the secrets hidden in the shadows of Moldavia Manor. Will she find the answers she seeks in Trevanion’s alchemical texts? What is the meaning of glowing green light emitted from the tower windows? And is Raven truly narrating this story from beyond the grave. If so, who murdered her?
Gothic and atmospheric, RAVEN is an aching tale of loss, freedom, death and resurrection by the celebrated author of JANE STEELE and DUST AND SHADOW.
Audiobook available, read by EJ Lavery
