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Koen: Quills of the Raven's Nest
If you had to choose between love and the survival of your nation, what would you sacrifice?
Prince Koen the Gray, second-born of Emperor Vesper the Uniter, is desperately trying to secure Lucardia's future. Tasked with cementing a fragile truce with the Northlands' Circle of Eight, he must produce an heir with his Northling bride, Rachel of Thorne. But Koen is forced into a dangerous quest for a miracle when the Circle sabotages this peace by ensnaring him in love with a bride who cannot conceive.
Enticed by whispers that the Nyth Cigran—a secretive coven of witches rumored to wield forbidden powers of the flesh—may still live, Koen ventures into the treacherous Wastelands, far from the safety of Blackdown Castle. There, he meets Erikini, an orphan girl who can hear the dead and they become unlikely allies. Together, they discover that the witches' aid comes at a steep price, subjecting Koen to grueling trials that push him to his limits.
As Koen confronts the harsh realities of sacrifice and the painful truth that some must suffer for others to prosper, his journey evolves into a relentless battle for his soul—where compromise is impossible. His decisions will determine not only his destiny but also the future of the realm he is sworn to protect. In the end, he must face the ultimate question: how much is he willing to sacrifice for a son and heir?
Koen is the prequel to the author's Absolution of the Morning Star series.
Prince Koen the Gray, second-born of Emperor Vesper the Uniter, is desperately trying to secure Lucardia's future. Tasked with cementing a fragile truce with the Northlands' Circle of Eight, he must produce an heir with his Northling bride, Rachel of Thorne. But Koen is forced into a dangerous quest for a miracle when the Circle sabotages this peace by ensnaring him in love with a bride who cannot conceive.
Enticed by whispers that the Nyth Cigran—a secretive coven of witches rumored to wield forbidden powers of the flesh—may still live, Koen ventures into the treacherous Wastelands, far from the safety of Blackdown Castle. There, he meets Erikini, an orphan girl who can hear the dead and they become unlikely allies. Together, they discover that the witches' aid comes at a steep price, subjecting Koen to grueling trials that push him to his limits.
As Koen confronts the harsh realities of sacrifice and the painful truth that some must suffer for others to prosper, his journey evolves into a relentless battle for his soul—where compromise is impossible. His decisions will determine not only his destiny but also the future of the realm he is sworn to protect. In the end, he must face the ultimate question: how much is he willing to sacrifice for a son and heir?
Koen is the prequel to the author's Absolution of the Morning Star series.
501 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2024
About the author
Scott Austin Tirrell
26 books26 followersScott Austin Tirrell loves dark speculative fiction, conjuring isolated worlds where ancient mysteries, the raw power of nature, and the paranormal entwine. His work is steeped in the arcane, drawing from the forgotten corners of history and the unsettling grasp of the supernatural. With a style shaped by Clive Barker, Frank Herbert, and Joe Abercrombie, he crafts narratives that pull ordinary, flawed souls into the extraordinary, where reality frays, shadows lengthen, and the unknown whispers from the void. He has self-published eight books, with Koen set to come out in 2025 under Grendel Press. Residing in Boston with his wife, he draws inspiration from the region’s haunted past and spectral folklore. Scott invites readers to step beyond the veil and into his worlds, where every tale descends into the deeper, darker truths of the human condition.
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December 8, 2025
Koen, officially known as Koen the Gray, is the middle son of the Emperor. He is also the Emperor’s favorite. Having fought in the war of unification, all four sons are sent out into the country to retain hold of it. Koen having been sent to the far North and to marry Rachel, daughter of a former ruler in order to bring forth an heir and to settle the northern circle of eight under unified rule.
But Koen and his father have been tricked, for Rachel is barren. Koen, however, has deeply fallen in love with his bride and refuses to set her aside.
The world, however, is still full of darkness and those who follow the old ways rather than Yahweh, the one true god. One day a witch is brought before Koen who has been enticing away and eating local children. Koen orders her to be burned at the stake, but the witch offers him a bargain in order to escape the flames… if he rides farther north he will come upon another witch- one who can help him put a child in his wife’s belly. Koen agrees, but tricks the witch, having her hung rather than burned, and is cursed for his trickery.
And thus his journey into hell begins.
I don’t want to give anything away, as I am not sure what’s known in the story that follows (this is a prequel) but the ending does say that Koen never spoke of all that happened to him, and only he alone knew the final part of his journey which he never spoke aloud (with good reason), but I will say this…
I read it…. but I was internally screaming at both the character and the author the entire time. It’s pretty much nightmare fuel in parts and frustration in others. I’m not sure if the characters Koen comes across are in the future book/s, as it would make much more sense if they were, but let’s just say the story is Koen’s and his alone. Yes, we meet other people who come and go, but this is not their stories, so don’t go in expecting to know what happens to so-and-so who we met at this-or-that encounter because you won’t get that. Which is a shame, because some of them you really do want to know what comes after.
Several characters left me scratching my head and wondering why they were even included in the storyline at all. We also have an author here who skips over the boring bits- the hundreds of miles in-between are just ignored and we find ourselves suddenly at the new location weeks later. The biggest time jump being fourteen months! That one, I admit, bothered me the most because we are told what happened in the meantime in an info dump, but it doesn’t go into the details I wanted because characters wind up with new perspectives that we are basically forced to just accept.
Which sucks because I am very much a character-invested reader.
The end, for me, wraps up far too quickly and in summary, rather than allowing us to witness it all first-hand, and I couldn’t help but feeling bad for this character… he’s literally been to hell and barely held himself together to make it back and then we get a brief summary of what’s left of his life. I wanted to scream and rail for this guy… well, if I had been able to care more for him as a character. Koen, despite his arduous journey, never fully becomes someone I came to care about.
It says something that I want more of Wendell and his crew or to know where Erikini goes now that her story splits from Koen’s and see if it continues with his youngest sibling or if she makes her way on her own.
But then, I guess, that’s the point of prequels, isn’t it? To get readers like me to try the other books and see if there are answers there.
I’m just not sure that I want to that much.
Wonderfully descriptive writing, and the author has a splendid way of pulling the reader in, but this world is so bleak and it’s really out of my usual box….because, again, I am character driven and Koen is the only character we’re allowed to really know. His quest is fixed on his wife and no one else, so all of these characters just fall off to the wayside once they are no longer useful to Koen’s objective. Not always out of cruelty, either, though some are treated rather like trash.
Maybe after I think on it for a bit I’ll be interested to know what comes in this kingdom’s future. Right now I am mourning all that came before and what was sacrificed along the way.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
But Koen and his father have been tricked, for Rachel is barren. Koen, however, has deeply fallen in love with his bride and refuses to set her aside.
The world, however, is still full of darkness and those who follow the old ways rather than Yahweh, the one true god. One day a witch is brought before Koen who has been enticing away and eating local children. Koen orders her to be burned at the stake, but the witch offers him a bargain in order to escape the flames… if he rides farther north he will come upon another witch- one who can help him put a child in his wife’s belly. Koen agrees, but tricks the witch, having her hung rather than burned, and is cursed for his trickery.
And thus his journey into hell begins.
I don’t want to give anything away, as I am not sure what’s known in the story that follows (this is a prequel) but the ending does say that Koen never spoke of all that happened to him, and only he alone knew the final part of his journey which he never spoke aloud (with good reason), but I will say this…
I read it…. but I was internally screaming at both the character and the author the entire time. It’s pretty much nightmare fuel in parts and frustration in others. I’m not sure if the characters Koen comes across are in the future book/s, as it would make much more sense if they were, but let’s just say the story is Koen’s and his alone. Yes, we meet other people who come and go, but this is not their stories, so don’t go in expecting to know what happens to so-and-so who we met at this-or-that encounter because you won’t get that. Which is a shame, because some of them you really do want to know what comes after.
Several characters left me scratching my head and wondering why they were even included in the storyline at all. We also have an author here who skips over the boring bits- the hundreds of miles in-between are just ignored and we find ourselves suddenly at the new location weeks later. The biggest time jump being fourteen months! That one, I admit, bothered me the most because we are told what happened in the meantime in an info dump, but it doesn’t go into the details I wanted because characters wind up with new perspectives that we are basically forced to just accept.
Which sucks because I am very much a character-invested reader.
The end, for me, wraps up far too quickly and in summary, rather than allowing us to witness it all first-hand, and I couldn’t help but feeling bad for this character… he’s literally been to hell and barely held himself together to make it back and then we get a brief summary of what’s left of his life. I wanted to scream and rail for this guy… well, if I had been able to care more for him as a character. Koen, despite his arduous journey, never fully becomes someone I came to care about.
It says something that I want more of Wendell and his crew or to know where Erikini goes now that her story splits from Koen’s and see if it continues with his youngest sibling or if she makes her way on her own.
But then, I guess, that’s the point of prequels, isn’t it? To get readers like me to try the other books and see if there are answers there.
I’m just not sure that I want to that much.
Wonderfully descriptive writing, and the author has a splendid way of pulling the reader in, but this world is so bleak and it’s really out of my usual box….because, again, I am character driven and Koen is the only character we’re allowed to really know. His quest is fixed on his wife and no one else, so all of these characters just fall off to the wayside once they are no longer useful to Koen’s objective. Not always out of cruelty, either, though some are treated rather like trash.
Maybe after I think on it for a bit I’ll be interested to know what comes in this kingdom’s future. Right now I am mourning all that came before and what was sacrificed along the way.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 of 1 review