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Ember & Thorn: A Raven & Sparrow Novel
The ash has been falling their entire lives.
At Stella’s Academy, nobody questions it anymore. It drifts through the courtyards, settles on the windowsills, coats the stones of the oldest corridors. The teachers plan around it. The students carry it like something ordinary.
Like something that has always been there.
It has.
And somewhere beyond the sealed places, something ancient is remembering how to want.
Raven and Sparrow are still finding their footing—
as sisters,
as the girls who wore identical pendants for years without understanding why,
as two people learning what it means to have finally found each other.
In Room 314, something has changed.
Two children arrived without warning—impossibly young, impossibly certain about the people they belong to. They did not come by accident.
They chose.
And what they are is older than the Academy itself.
The kettle pours for seven now.
The room has learned all their names.
But beyond the nexus, beyond the Void, beyond the oldest dark—
something is moving again.
Patient.
Listening.
Already inside the walls.
It does not come directly. It never has.
It sends something smaller first.
Quieter.
Something that waits in the baseboards, the corridors, the dark beneath infirmary beds.
Something that knows their names.
All of them.
The ash has been falling their entire lives.
Now they’re starting to ask why.
Ember & Thorn is the second book in the Raven & Sparrow Saga—a dark academy fantasy of found family, quiet power, and the cost of staying when the thing outside has learned how to knock.
At Stella’s Academy, nobody questions it anymore. It drifts through the courtyards, settles on the windowsills, coats the stones of the oldest corridors. The teachers plan around it. The students carry it like something ordinary.
Like something that has always been there.
It has.
And somewhere beyond the sealed places, something ancient is remembering how to want.
Raven and Sparrow are still finding their footing—
as sisters,
as the girls who wore identical pendants for years without understanding why,
as two people learning what it means to have finally found each other.
In Room 314, something has changed.
Two children arrived without warning—impossibly young, impossibly certain about the people they belong to. They did not come by accident.
They chose.
And what they are is older than the Academy itself.
The kettle pours for seven now.
The room has learned all their names.
But beyond the nexus, beyond the Void, beyond the oldest dark—
something is moving again.
Patient.
Listening.
Already inside the walls.
It does not come directly. It never has.
It sends something smaller first.
Quieter.
Something that waits in the baseboards, the corridors, the dark beneath infirmary beds.
Something that knows their names.
All of them.
The ash has been falling their entire lives.
Now they’re starting to ask why.
Ember & Thorn is the second book in the Raven & Sparrow Saga—a dark academy fantasy of found family, quiet power, and the cost of staying when the thing outside has learned how to knock.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 26, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy
This is a very interesting book. I haven't read the first one, but recieved this book for free, so I decided to read it. But it's hard to understand without having read the first book.
The writing is very different from standard books. It is very stilted and is written from the point of view of various characters, including the floor. Each chapter is 3-5 pages long on my Kindle. I had a hard time following the storyline since I didn't know the background, but what I understood is that there are 6-7 various kids at a school in room 314. They live/stay in that room and the room has sentience. A baby and a toddler arrive and stay in that room as well. Each kid has some sort of power and the adults come and talk to them sometimes. The adults seem confused by the circumstances, but the kids are just accepting of them.
There are a couple characters that I couldn't figure out whether they were adults or students. They visit the room, but don't live there. There are also 2 kids who are sick and unresponsive who are in the infirmary, but are considered part of the 8 in room 314.
There is also something cold that is considered bad or evil that is affecting the school building.
I would not recommend this book unless you read the 1st book.
The writing is very different from standard books. It is very stilted and is written from the point of view of various characters, including the floor. Each chapter is 3-5 pages long on my Kindle. I had a hard time following the storyline since I didn't know the background, but what I understood is that there are 6-7 various kids at a school in room 314. They live/stay in that room and the room has sentience. A baby and a toddler arrive and stay in that room as well. Each kid has some sort of power and the adults come and talk to them sometimes. The adults seem confused by the circumstances, but the kids are just accepting of them.
There are a couple characters that I couldn't figure out whether they were adults or students. They visit the room, but don't live there. There are also 2 kids who are sick and unresponsive who are in the infirmary, but are considered part of the 8 in room 314.
There is also something cold that is considered bad or evil that is affecting the school building.
I would not recommend this book unless you read the 1st book.
June 28, 2026
The atmosphere in Ember & Thorn by MW Newson is unmatched, the way the ash is constantly falling over Stella’s Academy is so eerie, and the book does such a great job of making an "ordinary" setting feel totally unsettling. What really hooked me, though, were the characters. Raven and Sparrow are such a compelling duo. Watching their relationship as sisters and figuring out their own identities while all this supernatural chaos is unfolding is so well written, they’re just really easy to root for, even when things get intense. I was constantly racing through chapters, desperate to know what was lurking in the shadows and what that ancient, patient darkness was actually planning. It’s one of those rare sequels that feels just as fresh and thrilling as the first one. It’s got that perfect blend of character driven heart and "what is going to happen next" suspense. If you love stories about found family, creepy academy vibes, and ancient secrets that refuse to stay buried, you’ll love this.
Review of advance copy
I would highly suggest anyone that is interested in reading this book to read the first one in the series. From the description I was not aware that I would need to read the first book to understand what was going on in this one. There were multiple confusing moments while I was reading the book and I would have to go back and reread the sections. This is also why I rated it a 4 star and not 5 stars. I think if the author would have taken some time and provided a prologue or summary in the beginning it may have helped understand the characters and the atmosphere.
Review of advance copy
Received a free copy before it went live and it’s amazing.
M. W. Newson delivers a breathless, high-stakes sequel in Ember & Thorn. Picking up from the magical chaos of Ash & Hollow, this second installment shows Stella’s Academy deeper into danger. The tension between the evolving magic system and the dark, looming threats keeps the pacing sharp, while the character development shines as old secrets unravel. It’s a compelling, atmospheric expansion of the Raven & Sparrow world that fantasy fans won't want to put down.
M. W. Newson delivers a breathless, high-stakes sequel in Ember & Thorn. Picking up from the magical chaos of Ash & Hollow, this second installment shows Stella’s Academy deeper into danger. The tension between the evolving magic system and the dark, looming threats keeps the pacing sharp, while the character development shines as old secrets unravel. It’s a compelling, atmospheric expansion of the Raven & Sparrow world that fantasy fans won't want to put down.
Review of advance copy
Ashes, Secrets, and Something Watching
This book really gave me good creepy dark-academy vibes from start to finish. I loved the mystery environment with the ash, all of the found family moments, and the chilling feeling of not knowing what was lurking in the shadows. The story slowly builds tension while making you care about the characters. If you enjoy fantasy with secrets, magic, and a good haunting ambience, this sequel is definitely worth reading.
This book really gave me good creepy dark-academy vibes from start to finish. I loved the mystery environment with the ash, all of the found family moments, and the chilling feeling of not knowing what was lurking in the shadows. The story slowly builds tension while making you care about the characters. If you enjoy fantasy with secrets, magic, and a good haunting ambience, this sequel is definitely worth reading.
June 27, 2026
I did not read the 1st book, as this book was given to me for free. I feel as if I had read the first book, I would have had more of a back story and understood it better. The writing style was difficult to read as it was not a style I'd ever encountered. It seems like the points of view were always changing, even including the point of view of the floor in room 314.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews