Ravenmaster: Book One in the Paranormal Defense series

by Alexandra Diane, Nhan Du (Editor)

In the heart of bustling London, Maggie is haunted, literally. Surrounded by the dead, she’s learned to live among phantoms, but nothing prepares her for the ghost of Anne Boleyn, who appears to her at the Tower of London. With Anne as her guide, Maggie uncovers a hidden royal lineage that could change everything.
As eerie encounters intensify with a chilling run-in with a phantom in the Underground. Maggie finds comfort in the unexpected presence of her longtime crush, Liam. Together, they’re swept into a whirlwind of dark secrets and supernatural peril.
From spectral whispers to a harrowing journey through the Tower of London, Maggie and Liam face sinister creatures, demonic forces, a mysterious minotaur, and a murder of ominous ravens. Teaming up with the Tower's ghosts, Maggie performs a protective spell, but must confront the true cost of her connection to the spirit world.
With her feelings for Liam deepening and her own past unraveling, Maggie is pushed to the edge. In a climactic showdown, they summon ancient powers to battle the minotaur in a fiery confrontation that threatens to consume them all. Will Maggie’s resilience be enough to survive the blaze and the secrets it threatens to reveal?

Genres: Paranormal

126 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 31, 2020

About the author

From as young as I can remember I've been telling stories. At first it would drive my mother insane, thinking I was lying, but soon it was obvious that I was creating fanatical tales not trying to fool her.



As a creative writer one thing has always remained constant; creating strong, bad ass female characters as well as focusing on how important a stable and supportive partnership is.



​I've been told my background of theater and as a video editor comes through through my writing. My blog and short stories blend my deep fascination of world religions, fantasy, and history to construct modern fairy tales hinging on the mystical while remaining grounded in realism.

Reviews

[Nicole Shabrou · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storyline was marvelous and with more expansion this novella could have been an amazing book. The characters were interesting and dynamic, however the story was a bit stunted and rushed.

I liked the historical reference and the ability to jump between genres, but I would have loved more fleshing out in all areas.

Maggie and Liam were interesting. Her career as a Ravensmaster was something I never knew about, and their love story could have been further explored.

In all I enjoyed the novella but would have loved more. Just so much more!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RW5QPD7

[Carol Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ebook was a novella, shorter than a full book would be, weighing in at 126 pages. It was a light but enjoyable read as Maggie saw a variety of ghosts and had her first real “date” in London with the handsome Liam. The humor was fun. It was part romance tale, mixed with goblins and ravens, religious incantations, and supernatural demon-slaying. The church scene was disturbing to me…maybe because it occurred in a church, but also from what happened there in general—creepy!

The dialogue throughout was nicely snarky and full of innuendo, although the suggestiveness went a bit far for my tastes in a couple places. I also could’ve done without the F-words; there were quite a few during the last major battle scene, which actually lessened their effect. The story was somewhat wrapped up in the end, leaving some plot for the sequel. The blue-toned cover with the raven is awesome and very striking.

[Adam Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this story. While short, it was able to blend elements of modern sci-fi/fantasy, traditional myth, and real history from the Elizabethan era of England itself. The story itself was also able to jump boundaries, being light romance, fantasy, and modern fiction. The reader is dropped into the on going life the main character, and is less of a true origin story, and more of a resolution to the end of their mundane life, and entry into the paranormal world. This wrap up involves realizing a long standing romance, and addressing some emotional issues the MC has struggled with their entire life.

This story won’t take too long to finish, but is a fun ride from the beginning.

[Julie Pulie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

I don't usually write reviews. I enjoyed this book, liked the premise, and the characters. It was a quick read (and I think it could have benefited from fleshing out and slowing some of the frantic pacing). A little more build up before things went manic- the church scene was a bit all over the show and hard to follow. I was not a huge fan of the ending, but I still enjoyed it overall and I think the writer has a good vocabulary, writes banter well, and has good sense of humor.

I have deleted and stopped reading 4 books in the last two days that were just not good. So the fact that I have read it in full- in about a day- and enjoyed it is a big deal. 3 stars mean that there is room for improvement but I dig it. I am looking forward to what she will bring out for the second book (and I hope to see more of the ravens)

[Alex Shute · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Loved It

I went from not liking this book so much to absolutely loving it. The subject matter that was chosen, I think, was a good choice and makes the paranormal aspect even more interesting. I would definitely recommend this book to all paranormal fans.

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and fun read. I found myself giggling more than once and absolutely giddy with the historical aspect. The whole cast of characters are a riot, especially Henry. I couldn’t put it down once I started, I just had to get to the end!

[Courtney Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and new!

This book was something very different from other paranormal stuff I've read and I really got into the creative world/storyline. A fast and enjoyable read.

[Tamea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Read

Highly enjoyed the character's in this book, can't wait to read the next book in this series to find out how their new life as agents go.

[Alexandra Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall 4/5 I liked the plot, characters and the theme. It’s a good quick read (I read 95% of it on a 2.5 hr flight) It was a little hard to keep track of what was going on because it did feel like it jumped ahead a lot/moved too fast so it was hard to grasp where I was or why things where happening.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

My cousin wrote this book! I don't usually read this genre, but I really enjoyed this novella!

[Lisa Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended by a family friend of the author; she shared parts of her story & as a former amateur writer I definitely want to support local, self published authors.
Ravenmaster is a riotous mess of paranormal fun! The concept blends elements of modern sci-fi lore (X-files & Mandalorian receive off the cuff mentions) with Gothic novel tropes all set at Christmas time in London.
Diane clearly loves her characters but a bit more refining of some of the scenes would have helped flesh the story out a little more.
The story finishes strong & I will definitely look to read the second novel in this series!