Clarion Call

Ravensong #2

by Cayla Fay

Neve faces her vengeful cousin, the leader of the legions of hell, forcing her to decide where her loyalties truly lie in this thrilling sequel to Ravensong that’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Celtic mythology.

Neve and her sisters failed in protecting the mortal world against the legions of hell when the Veil they had spent their lives guarding split and the vengeful cousin they forgot ever existed, Aodh, managed to slip through. Dangerous and bitter, Aodh is on a mission to free the rest of their family still trapped behind the veil and set them loose on the mortal world.

Still injured from her last battle, Neve is not only working to track Aodh, but also trying to navigate painful memories that keep rising to the surface. Memories of her past lifetimes protecting the Gate…and of her first life, before she and her sisters scrubbed it from their minds. More questions arise when a new family member reveals themself, someone Neve and her sisters have been missing. Someone who might just be able to save them all.

Neve must face the sins of her past while navigating the dangers of the present. The more she remembers, the more it seems like everything she was raised to believe was a lie, and the fallout might decimate everything she has worked so hard to build in the present, including her relationship with Alexandria.

Caught between humanity and divinity, the past and the present, Neve must try to strike a balance between the warring forces both within and without, because if she doesn’t, it might not just be her relationship at stake, but the whole world.

Genres: Fantasy, Lesbian, Young Adult, Mythology, LGBT, Queer, Urban Fantasy

348 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2025

About the author

Cayla (they/she) is a coastal New England local, D&D enthusiast, and believer in the power of black lipstick. They have a J.D from Suffolk University and B.A from Fordham University. When not writing, she spends her days walking her shih tzu, Charlie, listening to way too many podcasts, and exploring the defiantly tangled streets of Boston.

Cayla is the author of RAVENSONG—the first in a YA contemporary fantasy duology with Northeastern Gothic vibes—out in Spring 2023 from Simon & Schuster BFYR.

Reviews

[Eliza]

I know I said I wasn’t going to read the second book but this cover is everything ( this might be my downfall)

[Jacy Heidorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited for this book because I loved the first one so much but ended up being a bit disappointed. The main reasons being:

-I found it very repetitive and the ending, despite having a good plot twist, was fairly anticlimactic. The last few pages tied everything up so briefly I was a bit thrown.
-The first chapter really seemed like it should have been the last chapter of Ravensong. It felt stilted and seemed very out of place with the rest of the book.
- *Spoiler* Maybe I just missed something, but I finished reading the book and still had no idea why Bay and Mercy ran into the Gate. Which is a large chunk of the plot from the get-go. So albeit to say I was pretty confused the whole book.

That said, I still enjoyed the series and this book had me giggling throughout, rooting for Neve and Alexandria, and the plot twist at the end was great...it just couldn't top Ravensong for me (which was hands down a 5-star read).

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

i enjoyed the first one more and this one had a bit of an anti-climatic ending but it was still a really good book and i love neve and alexandria

[Dilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

man fuck this shit. i almost cried like 10 separate times. the ending was perfection. thank you cayla fay

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

bravo les lesbiennes!!!

[Morgan Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

man i don't even know what to think

it's interesting because it's almost like the second half of this book is better than the first. it also felt... rushed in some parts. also i literally didn't know this was coming out at all. no press no promotions it's been radio silence which is so unfair to the author. i loved the first book so so insanely much and it just felt like this book didn't have the support it needed to be a sequel. idk if that makes sense.

i STILL loved this book and so grateful it even came out. i missed mercy and bay and i felt like Alexandria was barely here almost. Aodh's character was a pleasant surprise.i don't know! i wish this could have been a trilogy.

[Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

It was fine, kind of boring. Felt like it could have been combined with book one for a longer book. The ending was also anticlimactic. It almost felt like they weren’t sure if they wanted to make it a series or have a sequel series after this, so they built up a big bad and added the very obvious “plot twist” as a way out of doing that. It’s also sad that they completely sidelined a bunch of characters, especially the human friends as well as the cousin.

Also I really did not care for the audiobook narration, especially when she did the whisper/soft “scream”. Rolled my eyes every single time.

all in all I just expected more. And it may be my fault for not reading right after the first book (thanks Libby) but idk just a little disappointed.

[Rhyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Queer rep: lesbian/bi/pan? Main character is a queer immortal goddess and dating a mortal woman

—
I really enjoyed the series. I’m not usually one for mythology and stories that revolve around them, but this was a good story. It was well written and easy to follow. I actually binge read the series, so I don’t remember specifically what happened in this book versus the entire story together, I just remember that it was enjoyable.

[Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

Content warnings: violence, blood, gore, manipulation.

Rep: Cis white lesbian MC, cis white lesbian love interest. Lesbian side characters, POC side characters, nonbinary side character.

I loved this as much as the first. I was hooked from the start and was so happy with how this entire book played out. I'll definitely be revisiting this world again.

[Logan (loganslovelylibrary) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very inventive and unique duology! This review is for both books since I listened to them back to back (in one sitting lol). I enjoyed the first book - the setup was excellent and I liked the main character as well as her family/side characters. I wasn't as into the love interest though, and I wasn't a fan of how they solved their issues and communicated. And the ending fell flat to me which was unfortunate as the series had a lot of potential. So overall I'd give book one 4 stars, book two 3 stars, and the duology a 3.5 overall.

🌈Queer rep: FF main relationship, queer female main character. Queer female love interest, secondary FF couple.

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

All in all, a very good sequel that hit all the high notes I wanted the sequel to entail! There were some parts that really had me glued. I read most of this book in one sitting, unable to put it down.

Some parts felt a little clunky and unnatural but I would overall recommend this duology, especially to the young queer teen in your life.

[Scarlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of a letdown after LOVING the first book. Neve is very in her head the entire book—her grappling with her emotions seems very base and repetitive—and nothing really furthers the plot until about 2/3 of the way through. I listened on 2x speed for more than half the book (which I never do) to make it through the boring parts.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

i didn't like this as much as i liked the first book, but i still really liked it. i have a lot of love for this series and will def be reading whatever cayla fay releases next. i never have much to say about sequels, but i give this a big thumbs up

[leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5!!
I really enjoyed the book but it took me quite a while to finish reading and I honestly preferred the first one
But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this was a really good book. I really liked Aodh, he had interesting character development!! ◡̈

[Elena Meneses · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muchas de las cosas que me gustaron del primer libro me faltaron en este. Se introducen, además, nuevos personajes que me enredaron mucho más la historia, pero aun así la disfruté. Sigo amando a Neve y a Alexandria y su romance, y también me gustó el final.

[vivianarose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t think this is a very popular opinion but actually I enjoyed this second book more than the first! The twists were really good and I felt so much more interested in this, likely because I already knew the characters and it felt like it moved much faster.

[Sabi.Nhe · Rating 5 out of 5]

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book, no notes, loved it! A great sequel to a great first book!

[sunrise · Rating 3 out of 5]

lowkey confused by the ending

[Kiki Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it but will definitely forget about the major plot points within the next few days, but loved the characters

[Kate (monstrouslybookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, helped me get out of a reading slump.

[♡Annika♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catching up reviews since I’ve been inactive: You know it’s a good book when you cry about twenty times.