What do you think?
Rate this book
The Wild Rites Saga #5
The Raven Thief
One call can change everything.
The war with the serpent priesthood is over, and as the dust settles, Emma’s seizing her happiness while she can – especially when it comes to the tall, dark and deadly serpent priest who risked everything to keep her safe and claim her for his own. Things with Alexi are complicated, and to make matters worse, the walking god is back: “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe how Emma feels about him.
They’ve got no idea just how complicated things are about to get when a call from Aunt Chase – who thinks Emma’s still back in LA, living her old, human life – sends Emma and her friends on an emergency trip to the UK, landing them right in the middle of an ancient feud between Emma’s beloved warrior Red Sun and the ruthless royal bear clans that shunned him. That would be enough to contend with, but there’s also a stealthier enemy watching the streets of London, and the ravens bow to no one, not even their destined savior.
Emma Chase is the Caller of the Blood, fated to command the power of all shapeshifter races and bound to many through magic and through love. She’s the miracle cure for the wasting illness claiming shapeshifter kind, and there’s a chance she might be the harbinger of the end of the world, not to mention the questionable status of her own humanity now her powers have fully awakened.
Aunt Chase can’t know the truth.
And rivals both old and new are closing in…
The war with the serpent priesthood is over, and as the dust settles, Emma’s seizing her happiness while she can – especially when it comes to the tall, dark and deadly serpent priest who risked everything to keep her safe and claim her for his own. Things with Alexi are complicated, and to make matters worse, the walking god is back: “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe how Emma feels about him.
They’ve got no idea just how complicated things are about to get when a call from Aunt Chase – who thinks Emma’s still back in LA, living her old, human life – sends Emma and her friends on an emergency trip to the UK, landing them right in the middle of an ancient feud between Emma’s beloved warrior Red Sun and the ruthless royal bear clans that shunned him. That would be enough to contend with, but there’s also a stealthier enemy watching the streets of London, and the ravens bow to no one, not even their destined savior.
Emma Chase is the Caller of the Blood, fated to command the power of all shapeshifter races and bound to many through magic and through love. She’s the miracle cure for the wasting illness claiming shapeshifter kind, and there’s a chance she might be the harbinger of the end of the world, not to mention the questionable status of her own humanity now her powers have fully awakened.
Aunt Chase can’t know the truth.
And rivals both old and new are closing in…
549 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 27, 2016
72 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Anna McIlwraith
9 books165 followersAnna McIlwraith is the author of the urban fantasy series Caller of the Blood and the upcoming paranormal romance series Wayward Heart. She’s addicted to the mysterious power of using words to walk between worlds, and there’s nowhere she’d rather be than travelling the dusty roads and dark kingdoms of the worlds of her books. Sadly, one can visit those territories but never stay, which is the only reason Anna gets any reading of her own done.
When not reading or writing, Anna spends the rest of her free time in this dimension arguing with her cats and preparing for the zombie apocalypse. She lives near the sea in Victoria, Australia, where the weather is only slightly less hellish, but the wildlife is a lot less deadly.
When not reading or writing, Anna spends the rest of her free time in this dimension arguing with her cats and preparing for the zombie apocalypse. She lives near the sea in Victoria, Australia, where the weather is only slightly less hellish, but the wildlife is a lot less deadly.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
November 18, 2019
I still completely dig this series, but this book kept rubbing me wrong in all sorts of ways and was my least favorite. Before I start listing the reasons of woe, I'll mark off some pluses:
I really liked the ravens. Their structure, the "captain", and the moments with that.
Seshua was around more without them going at each other's throats. They even had a dance.
We get a small Zach moment and a little bit of the kids.
At the end of the book Emma mentions maybe going back to the ranch - I liked them there, wish they would as a home base.
We get a resolution on a big-bad who did her completely wrong at the end of the third book.
Summer finally pops back up briefly - I like her and hope she sticks around.
Maybe not all is lost with a character previously thought dead and gone.
Now, the negatives....
SO. Much. ANGST. It's constant. It's every chapter. It's every relationship. It won't stop. It beat at me. It mixed in with every event, every relationship's good and bad moment, every plot point. Seriously stop. Too much angst with Telly, but not only that it's with Red Sun, Fern, Alexis.
I can't believe the author thought it was okay to have us wait five books for her to sleep with one of them, to have it done under duress at a magically induced orgy. Having people having to sleep with other people they wouldn't have chosen to otherwise feels too rape-like to me. I'm stunned the author thought this was okay, truly. Emma doesn't seem to care since she wanted Red Sun anyway and is happy it's finally happened when she didn't have her nerve before, but what about other people? *sighs* The forced orgy aside, it feels cheated to have the firsts be like that, not even in their control.
I don't like Emma as much now. She was oddly growing diva for the first portion of the book, and other times she's randomly bitchy. She kept getting on my nerves. Since she's the main character, that doesn't help.
I still love Fern as my favorite but the author is so focused on Alexi (who is the main in this book and there all the time) that it seems their bond is in a way stronger now than Ferns, which is crushing to me. He joins in on their private conversations even. I wanted her to have alone time with characters but she was interrupted the entire book by having too many people around all the time. Seriously, it's claustrophobic. I want her to have special times and magic with her characters, not have to share everything constantly and hear the other character's thoughts of everything with her relationships. It's hard to explain but was cloying.
We get she's powerful, we don't need her to have to say it every few chapters. On the other hand, she continues getting hurt, faint, weak from nausea, and now has a new serious side effect of doing something with the bears at the end of the book that will cause more angst concern in the future. *sighs*
This one also has one of the weakest plot wise. A few things happen but they are kind of on the sidelines to....well, angst relationships. I hope the next book has more Fern by himself and their bond strong again, more of the others by themselves in their own scenes with Emma without so much angst, not having to put in every politically correct thing in one book just to have it in there,
and Emma not acting like everything's about her all the time. We shall see! Since I enjoyed the series so much so far despite this last book, I'll be there with bells on when the next one arrives. It's been since 2016 so hopefully it's soon.
I really liked the ravens. Their structure, the "captain", and the moments with that.
Seshua was around more without them going at each other's throats. They even had a dance.
We get a small Zach moment and a little bit of the kids.
At the end of the book Emma mentions maybe going back to the ranch - I liked them there, wish they would as a home base.
We get a resolution on a big-bad who did her completely wrong at the end of the third book.
Summer finally pops back up briefly - I like her and hope she sticks around.
Maybe not all is lost with a character previously thought dead and gone.
Now, the negatives....
SO. Much. ANGST. It's constant. It's every chapter. It's every relationship. It won't stop. It beat at me. It mixed in with every event, every relationship's good and bad moment, every plot point. Seriously stop. Too much angst with Telly, but not only that it's with Red Sun, Fern, Alexis.
I can't believe the author thought it was okay to have us wait five books for her to sleep with one of them, to have it done under duress at a magically induced orgy. Having people having to sleep with other people they wouldn't have chosen to otherwise feels too rape-like to me. I'm stunned the author thought this was okay, truly. Emma doesn't seem to care since she wanted Red Sun anyway and is happy it's finally happened when she didn't have her nerve before, but what about other people? *sighs* The forced orgy aside, it feels cheated to have the firsts be like that, not even in their control.
I don't like Emma as much now. She was oddly growing diva for the first portion of the book, and other times she's randomly bitchy. She kept getting on my nerves. Since she's the main character, that doesn't help.
I still love Fern as my favorite but the author is so focused on Alexi (who is the main in this book and there all the time) that it seems their bond is in a way stronger now than Ferns, which is crushing to me. He joins in on their private conversations even. I wanted her to have alone time with characters but she was interrupted the entire book by having too many people around all the time. Seriously, it's claustrophobic. I want her to have special times and magic with her characters, not have to share everything constantly and hear the other character's thoughts of everything with her relationships. It's hard to explain but was cloying.
We get she's powerful, we don't need her to have to say it every few chapters. On the other hand, she continues getting hurt, faint, weak from nausea, and now has a new serious side effect of doing something with the bears at the end of the book that will cause more angst concern in the future. *sighs*
This one also has one of the weakest plot wise. A few things happen but they are kind of on the sidelines to....well, angst relationships. I hope the next book has more Fern by himself and their bond strong again, more of the others by themselves in their own scenes with Emma without so much angst, not having to put in every politically correct thing in one book just to have it in there,
and Emma not acting like everything's about her all the time. We shall see! Since I enjoyed the series so much so far despite this last book, I'll be there with bells on when the next one arrives. It's been since 2016 so hopefully it's soon.
September 15, 2018
Buddy read with RHR. Well I kind of went on a super binge and didn't wait for anyone else but its not my fault OK I wasn't able to stop after 3!
Book 1; ★★★★★
Book 2; ★★★★
Book 3; ★★★★★
Book 4; ★★★★★
I'll make this kind of my series review and try really hard not to include any spoilers.
I learned something about myself while reading this series. I'm not good at binge reading series. I almost gave it after book2 but I'm so glad I stuck with it, I do get bored of the same thing quite quickly so it says a lot about this series that it kept me reading.
The main reason for this was the massive question mark over the harem. The whole series had me on edge, deciding who was in and who was out! Like
Ok he is in for sure
no wait...he's not
nope now I don't like him
and now I want those two
Only one male... who happens to share a name with a household plant and features heavily in my nightmares...had me tripping over myself praying it would finally happen....and I can't spoil it by answering that question. Sorry
There was a lot of mixed emotions over several of the male leads, and those aren't resolved yet. Its very very slow burn. But you know the journey is worth it
This quote pretty much sums the plot arc in most of the books
“What the hell do you want me to do,” she snapped. “I don’t want to do this, but I can do it.” He gave a low cough, all jaguar, and turned away. Not with fury but disgust. “Have it your way, Emma,” he said. “You always do, even when it destroys you.”
Emma the poor thing is way to self sacrificial, any problem anywhere, she's out to fix it with no regard for her own safety. Oh she pretends to care and allows bodyguards and stuff but when it comes down to it she does whatever the hell she wants. That did annoy me by the end because you know it was gonna lead to trouble. Frustrating
Not sure why in book 5 the author needed to have every person either gay, bisexual, asexual, transgender....? I think we got the point there it was a bit overkill
But wow what a series. Every emotion was felt. Binge read. Lost a few weeks off my life. Neglected family and household chores. ... Epic
Now if we could just find out when book 6 will be released...given this one was out in 2016 it's not looking like it will be anytime soon
Book 1; ★★★★★
Book 2; ★★★★
Book 3; ★★★★★
Book 4; ★★★★★
I'll make this kind of my series review and try really hard not to include any spoilers.
I learned something about myself while reading this series. I'm not good at binge reading series. I almost gave it after book2 but I'm so glad I stuck with it, I do get bored of the same thing quite quickly so it says a lot about this series that it kept me reading.
The main reason for this was the massive question mark over the harem. The whole series had me on edge, deciding who was in and who was out! Like
Ok he is in for sure
no wait...he's not
nope now I don't like him
and now I want those two
Only one male... who happens to share a name with a household plant and features heavily in my nightmares...had me tripping over myself praying it would finally happen....and I can't spoil it by answering that question. Sorry
There was a lot of mixed emotions over several of the male leads, and those aren't resolved yet. Its very very slow burn. But you know the journey is worth it
This quote pretty much sums the plot arc in most of the books
“What the hell do you want me to do,” she snapped. “I don’t want to do this, but I can do it.” He gave a low cough, all jaguar, and turned away. Not with fury but disgust. “Have it your way, Emma,” he said. “You always do, even when it destroys you.”
Emma the poor thing is way to self sacrificial, any problem anywhere, she's out to fix it with no regard for her own safety. Oh she pretends to care and allows bodyguards and stuff but when it comes down to it she does whatever the hell she wants. That did annoy me by the end because you know it was gonna lead to trouble. Frustrating
Not sure why in book 5 the author needed to have every person either gay, bisexual, asexual, transgender....? I think we got the point there it was a bit overkill
But wow what a series. Every emotion was felt. Binge read. Lost a few weeks off my life. Neglected family and household chores. ... Epic
Now if we could just find out when book 6 will be released...given this one was out in 2016 it's not looking like it will be anytime soon
February 26, 2022
Well, that answers a few questions! But wait! I have more!
The Raven Thief saw a lot of action! Fighting action, talking action, sexy times action, and even downtime action movie nights.
I gotta say, I like the Raven crew. I love how Anna doesn't shy away from same sex relationships, Rain asking to use she and hers pronouns, and of course Capt Jerome being Ace. Really good stuff.
Also, love how Emma is handling her loss of the foot. She's being a champ about it.
Now for the guys... Oh Telly, how I love this crazy character! And now Summer wants to find him a human female. I don't really think she will let that happen. I think she has always been harsh with him, forgiving others for less, etc. O get her arguements, I do, but I still am going to hold out hope for him to get in the harem. Why? Alexi, Telly, Emma. Yep, that would be good times indeed.
Now, Emma realizes she has feelings for Fern so she locked them down. Guess she can unlock them now that he is in molt and tell him!
Red Sun, I still don't know what to expect with him. He seems to convenient because of his curse and all that. I don't feel as connected to him.
Seshua seems to be coming around like he did when making sure Rain got her pronouns without any issues. But sometimes, he's just all alpha nonnegotiable. Still think its gonna happen maybe.
Summer where do you fit in with our misfits? Or maybe that is the point. You don't. But stay cus they need your brand of crazy unless you plan to screw them over.
They better not let Alan go!
And Ms. Anna please write faster. If you need someone to beta read or ARC for you, I'm your girl!
The Raven Thief saw a lot of action! Fighting action, talking action, sexy times action, and even downtime action movie nights.
I gotta say, I like the Raven crew. I love how Anna doesn't shy away from same sex relationships, Rain asking to use she and hers pronouns, and of course Capt Jerome being Ace. Really good stuff.
Also, love how Emma is handling her loss of the foot. She's being a champ about it.
Now for the guys... Oh Telly, how I love this crazy character! And now Summer wants to find him a human female. I don't really think she will let that happen. I think she has always been harsh with him, forgiving others for less, etc. O get her arguements, I do, but I still am going to hold out hope for him to get in the harem. Why? Alexi, Telly, Emma. Yep, that would be good times indeed.
Now, Emma realizes she has feelings for Fern so she locked them down. Guess she can unlock them now that he is in molt and tell him!
Red Sun, I still don't know what to expect with him. He seems to convenient because of his curse and all that. I don't feel as connected to him.
Seshua seems to be coming around like he did when making sure Rain got her pronouns without any issues. But sometimes, he's just all alpha nonnegotiable. Still think its gonna happen maybe.
Summer where do you fit in with our misfits? Or maybe that is the point. You don't. But stay cus they need your brand of crazy unless you plan to screw them over.
They better not let Alan go!
And Ms. Anna please write faster. If you need someone to beta read or ARC for you, I'm your girl!
October 30, 2023
Review because I don't know if I ever reviewed this book series when I read it initially, perhaps over a year ago. Having just re-read it, it's all fresh in mind. This review is for the whole series.
First of all, Anna McIlwraith's world building and character development is second to none. I have never read an UF (RH-lite...) with such quality writing--its up *there* in my book with Karen Marie Moening's Fever Series, and that is saying a lot. Some thoughts on the characters:
Emma Chase is equal parts plucky and ballsy and soft and squishy. It makes her character very approachable--more "human" and less a caricature of a UF heroine. I appreciate that she doesn't go all goo-goo when a hot guy comes around (even if she does, indeed acknowledge all the shifters around her tend to go very naked and are insanely hot). She has guts. There are a few self-sacrificial moments that got on my nerves throughout the series, but it was woven into the fabric of her character, which made it less annoying. One of the marks of good character development is if you take a snapshot of the character at the beginning and end of the book, series, whatever, and ask, "has this character grown? Would their reaction to such-and-such person or event be the same as page 1 of the book?" In Emma's case, she grew, changed, stretched, and was continuously broken and reformed as a person throughout the series. I can't say enough how much I love this character.
Telly: Beautiful and agonizingly stupid. I mean, REALLY. He is a gazillion years old and selfish and more than a little unhinged. I loved this character as well, and just want so much more for him. I am really hoping future books bring his redemption.
Alexi: Clearly Alexi took a page from the Barrons play book. I can't quite put this character into words, but lets just say, he is everything you want in a romantic MC. EVEN if you don't like snakes, you'll like Alexi. Cold yet passionate. Ruthless yet gentle. Controlling yet supportive. I know, I'm talking in opposites, but he's all these things in the right kind of way.
Red Sun: Red kind of sneaks up on you. At first you think he's going to be a side character, but then he roars right into the plot and doesn't go anywhere. And somewhere in the third book you realize there's more to this character...that he's important to the plot...to Emma. To me, Red's character on the *inside* was the least clear (thoughts, motivations, hopes/dreams), perhaps because he spent the least amount of time in dialogue with Emma.
FERN: FERN FERN FERN FERN. I am obsessed with Fern. I clearly saved the best for last. I've never read another bond like his and Emma's. At first, it's terrible for her. Violating and inconvenient but dammit, it's impossible to hate Fern for what he did. To read Fern is to love Fern. Like Alexi, it's hard to describe him as a character. He's still got so many secrets and I am so excited to find out what's going to happen to him in the coming books. Out of all the characters, I am the most anxious for Fern and Telly to get sorted with Emma.
The plot: The one critique I have about the overall plot (the thing that's linking all the books together) is that it's not entirely clear where this ship is headed. All the individual books hold up and there are a few loose ends that have the potential to be bigger shitstorms if Anna McIlwraith writes them as such. For example, . I am curious (but trusting the author) how she will tie these strings up in the coming book or two.
The driver of this series is the characters and their development. Yes, there is a prophesy. And loads of action and suspense...but this about Emma and her guys and her growing her supernatural family. There's a lot of dialogue. The romance is EXTREMELY slow-burn. Like, (author says this outright) not till the 4th-5th book slow. SLOW SLOW SLOW. You have to be okay with both these things if you're gonna enjoy these books. Clearly, I am a masochist because I want more more more more.
At this moment, McIlwraith has said she's "still working on" the sixth book, but who knows when that will get published. She hasn't given up yet, so I'm hopeful this year will bring a new installment!
First of all, Anna McIlwraith's world building and character development is second to none. I have never read an UF (RH-lite...) with such quality writing--its up *there* in my book with Karen Marie Moening's Fever Series, and that is saying a lot. Some thoughts on the characters:
Emma Chase is equal parts plucky and ballsy and soft and squishy. It makes her character very approachable--more "human" and less a caricature of a UF heroine. I appreciate that she doesn't go all goo-goo when a hot guy comes around (even if she does, indeed acknowledge all the shifters around her tend to go very naked and are insanely hot). She has guts. There are a few self-sacrificial moments that got on my nerves throughout the series, but it was woven into the fabric of her character, which made it less annoying. One of the marks of good character development is if you take a snapshot of the character at the beginning and end of the book, series, whatever, and ask, "has this character grown? Would their reaction to such-and-such person or event be the same as page 1 of the book?" In Emma's case, she grew, changed, stretched, and was continuously broken and reformed as a person throughout the series. I can't say enough how much I love this character.
Telly: Beautiful and agonizingly stupid. I mean, REALLY. He is a gazillion years old and selfish and more than a little unhinged. I loved this character as well, and just want so much more for him. I am really hoping future books bring his redemption.
Alexi: Clearly Alexi took a page from the Barrons play book. I can't quite put this character into words, but lets just say, he is everything you want in a romantic MC. EVEN if you don't like snakes, you'll like Alexi. Cold yet passionate. Ruthless yet gentle. Controlling yet supportive. I know, I'm talking in opposites, but he's all these things in the right kind of way.
Red Sun: Red kind of sneaks up on you. At first you think he's going to be a side character, but then he roars right into the plot and doesn't go anywhere. And somewhere in the third book you realize there's more to this character...that he's important to the plot...to Emma. To me, Red's character on the *inside* was the least clear (thoughts, motivations, hopes/dreams), perhaps because he spent the least amount of time in dialogue with Emma.
FERN: FERN FERN FERN FERN. I am obsessed with Fern. I clearly saved the best for last. I've never read another bond like his and Emma's. At first, it's terrible for her. Violating and inconvenient but dammit, it's impossible to hate Fern for what he did. To read Fern is to love Fern. Like Alexi, it's hard to describe him as a character. He's still got so many secrets and I am so excited to find out what's going to happen to him in the coming books. Out of all the characters, I am the most anxious for Fern and Telly to get sorted with Emma.
The plot: The one critique I have about the overall plot (the thing that's linking all the books together) is that it's not entirely clear where this ship is headed. All the individual books hold up and there are a few loose ends that have the potential to be bigger shitstorms if Anna McIlwraith writes them as such. For example, . I am curious (but trusting the author) how she will tie these strings up in the coming book or two.
The driver of this series is the characters and their development. Yes, there is a prophesy. And loads of action and suspense...but this about Emma and her guys and her growing her supernatural family. There's a lot of dialogue. The romance is EXTREMELY slow-burn. Like, (author says this outright) not till the 4th-5th book slow. SLOW SLOW SLOW. You have to be okay with both these things if you're gonna enjoy these books. Clearly, I am a masochist because I want more more more more.
At this moment, McIlwraith has said she's "still working on" the sixth book, but who knows when that will get published. She hasn't given up yet, so I'm hopeful this year will bring a new installment!
December 19, 2016
This was a really nice urban fantasy series based around shapeshifter clans and a unique human (the caller of the blood) who could heal them and was necessary for them to thrive. It has plenty of plot arcs, is well written with strong characterization and emotional depth. I was really enjoying the series.
And then came this book.
It's a coming out party with gay, lesbian, bi, trans and asexual characters appearing in the plot. This together with a couple explicit sex scenes, a mass orgy and (maybe) a threesome. I've nothing against any of the above in its proper place but I can't really see the relevance to the story or the characters. It feels more like the author just read a couple Laurell K Hamilton books and suddenly decided to set the scene for a switch to full on erotica in the next installment. I'm reading these books as an urban fantasy fan and the direction of travel is at best paranormal romance(s) so that fires a torpedo into the series for me.
Disappointed.
And then came this book.
It's a coming out party with gay, lesbian, bi, trans and asexual characters appearing in the plot. This together with a couple explicit sex scenes, a mass orgy and (maybe) a threesome. I've nothing against any of the above in its proper place but I can't really see the relevance to the story or the characters. It feels more like the author just read a couple Laurell K Hamilton books and suddenly decided to set the scene for a switch to full on erotica in the next installment. I'm reading these books as an urban fantasy fan and the direction of travel is at best paranormal romance(s) so that fires a torpedo into the series for me.
Disappointed.
March 24, 2018
I loved the newly introduced raven shifters - great character additions! Though I do wish one had become a love interest. Ah well :/
Lots of goodies here...and bacchanalia! That's new... And let's see... a trip to faery... more darkness... and welcome back Walking God! Maybe...
Just gets better n better :)
Lots of goodies here...and bacchanalia! That's new... And let's see... a trip to faery... more darkness... and welcome back Walking God! Maybe...
Just gets better n better :)
July 28, 2022
Ends on a huge cliffhanger, and 6 years later still waiting for the next book. Not cool.
November 30, 2016
Devouring this series!
I am so invested in these characters! Ugh, I just want to slap some of them upside the head for being stubborn(usually Emma when it comes to her love life), feel sad for them when it seems like the hits just keep coming and they feel so helpless, and then heave a gusty sigh of relief when they make it through yet another insane situation! I hate spoilers in reviews, so I'm not gonna do the same, but I can tell you, u will want to seriously smack some sense into Emma when she does something in relation to Fern. I know I did, poor spiderling just wants to love her, I just know it! I get her being uncertain of the whole polyamorous concept, but damn girl, when u have multiple men wanting to love u and being ok w not being the only Man U love, why fight it so damn hard?! Lucky B*tch is all I can say about that...
I am so invested in these characters! Ugh, I just want to slap some of them upside the head for being stubborn(usually Emma when it comes to her love life), feel sad for them when it seems like the hits just keep coming and they feel so helpless, and then heave a gusty sigh of relief when they make it through yet another insane situation! I hate spoilers in reviews, so I'm not gonna do the same, but I can tell you, u will want to seriously smack some sense into Emma when she does something in relation to Fern. I know I did, poor spiderling just wants to love her, I just know it! I get her being uncertain of the whole polyamorous concept, but damn girl, when u have multiple men wanting to love u and being ok w not being the only Man U love, why fight it so damn hard?! Lucky B*tch is all I can say about that...
January 1, 2017
I have no words
These books start the same with the long drawn out relationship drama. Emma has a lot to learn and yet she doesn't seem to be learning. I really don't know what to say because this was disappointing. I know more about everyone's sexual orientation than what the point of this book was. There was a lot of complicated storylines and hardly any solutions. I felt with Telly we were going in a circle and at times I disliked Emma because of it. She is a hypocrite and a coward. I don't know what will happen in the next book however I'm sure there is going to be more relationship issues.
These books start the same with the long drawn out relationship drama. Emma has a lot to learn and yet she doesn't seem to be learning. I really don't know what to say because this was disappointing. I know more about everyone's sexual orientation than what the point of this book was. There was a lot of complicated storylines and hardly any solutions. I felt with Telly we were going in a circle and at times I disliked Emma because of it. She is a hypocrite and a coward. I don't know what will happen in the next book however I'm sure there is going to be more relationship issues.
April 9, 2019
I feel like I ran a marathon and am disappointed rather than satisfied at the end. Still giving this a 3, but it’s the weakest of the series and left me feeling down when we finally got to the big hoorah! This book has wayyy to much going on and jumps from one plot, to another scene with virtually no downtime or breathing room. Basically it felt incredibly long but rushed at the same time. Still, I’ll eagerly await the next installment.
February 11, 2020
Loved it.
I loved this book. I really like Emma, she is confident and bad@ss and witty and smart and fierce and loyal! The story is amazing. I love where it is going. I can't wait for the next one. Team Alexi and Fern and Red Sun.
I loved this book. I really like Emma, she is confident and bad@ss and witty and smart and fierce and loyal! The story is amazing. I love where it is going. I can't wait for the next one. Team Alexi and Fern and Red Sun.
April 10, 2017
Ok there are spoilers here!!! So the previous books had me crying, well with happened in Russia and then other stuff. I read other posts to try and get a few spoilers...yes I know I am evil lol, so I knew some of the things that was going to happen but not much. I did see many people complaining about that this was a "coming out of the closet book" and that they knew more about random people's sexual orientation than the story line.... I do have to agree a bit. The fact that the wasting illness slows fertility to a mere drip, alone says logically being trans, gay, lesbian, or asexual would not be logical at all because due to the fact that many of them are ruled by their beasts, for the most part, self preservation almost always wins. So it's not logical for that many in such a small group to be that many different sexual orientations, I understand that Ms. McIlwraith was more than likely wanting to show her support for the community and add a bit of everything in, and I do respect that. But if you look at it logically it just doesn't make sense for that many people in such a small group to not be of the sexual orientation that is required for mating and creating more of their species. Also it isn't very logical due to the fact that you encounter almost all sexual orientations in a rather small group, statistically speaking those odds are rather low, and well it all just made me feel like it was being forced in there to make it known that the Author was supporting the community and also getting her frustrations out of how horrible society tends to treat those that have different sexual orientations, that is ok as well but as I said I felt like it was forced and she was grasping at straws to try and count all of the sexual orientations. The polygamy part....jk it wasn't bad at all. I am against polygamy for myself due to insecurities and brainwashing of society, but I truly believe that some people are lucky enough to be in love and loved by more than one person. I don't think it was forced to much, as a Southern gal I can really understand how much she would struggle internally with fighting her feelings because society tells you it's not ok, although she is very stubborn and there are times when I want to slap her. Ok anyways this book was amazing....I finished the entire series in 3 days.....I am a very sleepy girl right now lol. I would highly recommend this series to many people. Can not wait for the next book, but I will wait patiently because I understand that with surgery you have to take time to get better and get back on a schedule.
August 30, 2022
While I have loved the characters and the world so far, this book was my least favorite. I do expect some support of polyamory and bisexuality in my romance/reverse-harem novels, but this book was rather excessive by bringing in trans and ace characters and hammering it on the reader with no real link to the overall plot other than a cursory reasoning why it was brought up and that the FMC Emmalina/Emma supported their identity choices, and no one should question it if they wanted to remain with the group.
We finally got our intimate scenes as hinted in the introduction of the first book, but honestly, they were a bit of a letdown for me. One was , and the other intimate scene The book was called The Raven Thief, but the first raven didn't show up until 36% into the novel, we didn't even find out that the ravens were thieves until 78% into the novel, and the one thing we knew that the ravens had stolen was The bear and fae plot took up way more of the novel than the ravens did, and after Emma had her journey to the , the bears were totally forgotten and we never found out why and how someone got stuck in the fae realm and managed to survive for so long.
Lastly, there was so. much. relationship. angst. I think it took up way too much of the story and kept rehashing Emma's same issues with polyamory and the ability to love more than a single person at once.
I look forward for the release of the next book and learn more about the histories of all the characters, but I hope it will not so be blatant with a political agenda.
We finally got our intimate scenes as hinted in the introduction of the first book, but honestly, they were a bit of a letdown for me. One was , and the other intimate scene The book was called The Raven Thief, but the first raven didn't show up until 36% into the novel, we didn't even find out that the ravens were thieves until 78% into the novel, and the one thing we knew that the ravens had stolen was The bear and fae plot took up way more of the novel than the ravens did, and after Emma had her journey to the , the bears were totally forgotten and we never found out why and how someone got stuck in the fae realm and managed to survive for so long.
Lastly, there was so. much. relationship. angst. I think it took up way too much of the story and kept rehashing Emma's same issues with polyamory and the ability to love more than a single person at once.
I look forward for the release of the next book and learn more about the histories of all the characters, but I hope it will not so be blatant with a political agenda.
April 29, 2017
This series feeds my 1-click addiction, and I love it and want the next book now.This is urban fantasy, an adventure with lots of action and angst. I also find it very frustrating - too many times important conversations start, and get interrupted. If only they talked, perhaps they could resolve issues. But no, they hide the truth, even though they can read each others minds - how does that work? This book took series from romantic hints to full on poly-amorous reverse harem. Books are HFN, Hs are gods, shapeshifters, vamps, old, almost immortal and h is a young human with a strong sense of honour and morality. As a result, her decisions while moral, cost her and the Hs. She gets hurt time after time, they see it but I don't believe they have the capacity to understand the depth of her emotional pain. She tries hard not to feel jealous, pushes through physical pain, missing body parts, infertility, lost dreams and their anger. I love it, I don't always like it.
March 1, 2018
Love it! I read this book in a day. I couldn't put it down! I read a review that said the author had an agenda and was pushing her views on the reader. This was based on the number of LGBTQ characters, there are a lot, and the fact that Emma can't seem to pick who she loves. I'm a huge fan of Laurell K. Hamilton and Anna McIlwraith reminds me of her to a lesser extent. There is not a lot of sex in these stories, just a lot of inner dialog about love. If you are a fan of LKH, then I recommend these books!
September 27, 2018
So like many other readers, I had issues with this book. I love RH books. LOOOOOVE them. But I need all the men to be focused on the main girl and only the main girl. I don't like that her like number 1 dude was with another guy... and I honestly don't know who the author plans on having in her harem but they all slept with other people in this book. I know magic was involved blah blah I still don't like it.
June 1, 2017
So good... But I tell ya Emma really hit a nerve with her indecisiveness of her feels for Red Sun, Fern, Telly and Sesuha. My goodness I really hope she get a grip by the next installment of the Wild Rites geesh. Anyway this book series is really a damn good read!
June 29, 2017
A little to much homosexuality being shoved in this book.
I like this series and like most books now a days there are some homosexuality mentioned but this particular book really shoved it at you. I hope I settles down in the next book.
I like this series and like most books now a days there are some homosexuality mentioned but this particular book really shoved it at you. I hope I settles down in the next book.
October 2, 2016
Sooooooo good!
So finally all the foreplay comes to a head and hoo boy it's worth it! Can't wait to see where the next book takes us...
So finally all the foreplay comes to a head and hoo boy it's worth it! Can't wait to see where the next book takes us...
June 12, 2017
aggh.... I want Emma and Fern!!!
January 17, 2020
I am happy that I didn't give up with the previous book. This one was much better, even thoush there was a lot less action.
Most people's problem is the angst and true, there is maybe a little too much of it, but I like that she doesn't just accepts that she can have a real harem, but she feels like she has to be faithful to the one she chosen. It shows she actually has a moral compass. It's a different matter if everyone can live with it.
It doesn't feel like anything is actually resolved by the end, but it seems like the problems are just getting worse and worse. I am curious how the end of the world will be brought around.
Unfortunately it seems that the author got bored with the series.
Most people's problem is the angst and true, there is maybe a little too much of it, but I like that she doesn't just accepts that she can have a real harem, but she feels like she has to be faithful to the one she chosen. It shows she actually has a moral compass. It's a different matter if everyone can live with it.
It doesn't feel like anything is actually resolved by the end, but it seems like the problems are just getting worse and worse. I am curious how the end of the world will be brought around.
Unfortunately it seems that the author got bored with the series.
March 10, 2018
This series is incredible. It's so different from anything I've read before and I absolutely devoured the five available books in a week. This book didn't disappoint me and I'm desperate for the next in the series, though I have to say I'm going to be upset if Telly and Fern don't end up having a relationship with her by the end of the series, lol. Fern is my favorite and I just can't imagine Telly being with anyone else. Agh!
If you're looking for a paranormal RH that's completely different than anything else, you have to read this series!
If you're looking for a paranormal RH that's completely different than anything else, you have to read this series!
May 7, 2018
Noooooooooooooooo! I am crying inside because book 6 is not out yet. What an incredible story. Anna is a phenomenal author, whose work I am so glad I came across. I cannot wait to read more of her work. Very well written, unbelievable characters, and an incredible story that I hope can go on for a long time yet.
Love, love, love this book. I highly recommend it to everyone who likes Urban Fantasy.
Love, love, love this book. I highly recommend it to everyone who likes Urban Fantasy.
January 20, 2021
The Raven Thief
This series has been a wild ride. Loved it, all the books! Please don't leave us not knowing!!!! Your characters were wonderful. I loved your brave, strong, and caring characters. They became friends as I when from book to book. I love books and reading and this series has went to my heart. I will be worried about them until your next book. Well worth the time and money to read the series
This series has been a wild ride. Loved it, all the books! Please don't leave us not knowing!!!! Your characters were wonderful. I loved your brave, strong, and caring characters. They became friends as I when from book to book. I love books and reading and this series has went to my heart. I will be worried about them until your next book. Well worth the time and money to read the series
February 11, 2019
Love it need more Now
I need more. I want relationship with fern to grow. I look forward to what craziness happens next. Emma is my shero. She is so human in a nonhuman situation and handling it all like a boss. Happy she seems to finally be giving in to her feelings for red. Not sure how I feel about the Telly situation. Just feels odd. Anyway can’t wait for more.
I need more. I want relationship with fern to grow. I look forward to what craziness happens next. Emma is my shero. She is so human in a nonhuman situation and handling it all like a boss. Happy she seems to finally be giving in to her feelings for red. Not sure how I feel about the Telly situation. Just feels odd. Anyway can’t wait for more.
January 31, 2024
A lot of things happened in this book that I didn’t like and thought was unnecessary. I also got tired of Emma being so against being with multiple people when she knows she’s in love with multiple and has Alexis blessing. Hoping the next book ends well because I feel like I’m burnt out binge reading this series.
June 11, 2017
Love this series
Yes. I want to know if Fern and Emma will mate. I hope it changes the dynamics between her and the rest of her men. Then I would love to see her mated and in a relationship with Red, Fern, Alex, and Telly. Can't wait to read more!
Yes. I want to know if Fern and Emma will mate. I hope it changes the dynamics between her and the rest of her men. Then I would love to see her mated and in a relationship with Red, Fern, Alex, and Telly. Can't wait to read more!
June 12, 2017
Too much
I love every character so much, well apart from Alan! The bond between them all is so intense and breathtaking that even though so much trauma goes on, it's kind of okay. Love thIs series and waiting impatiently for the next instalment
I love every character so much, well apart from Alan! The bond between them all is so intense and breathtaking that even though so much trauma goes on, it's kind of okay. Love thIs series and waiting impatiently for the next instalment
October 15, 2017
i have really enjoyed the story these books tell. and i gave all the others 5 stars. this book how ever has long detailed sex parts that i skipped over. i would have like it better with out them. that will not however keep me from reading the next book when ever it comes out.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews