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Raven
Raven finds herself all alone in life until a chance encounter with a dangerous stranger sends her world spiralling out of control.
When she finds love will the dark secrets of her past come back to haunt her as friends and enemies become one and the and the same, danger lurks around every corner.
Raven is the first part in a two-part series.
When she finds love will the dark secrets of her past come back to haunt her as friends and enemies become one and the and the same, danger lurks around every corner.
Raven is the first part in a two-part series.
332 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 14, 2021
22 people are currently reading
1047 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 18, 2022
I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway.
I am sad to give a book one star, but I can't see any way around it. The description of the book was promising - a girl is alone in the world until a dangerous stranger changes everything. While this would probably be pretty predictable, I don't mind. I like a little predictability sometimes. But this relationship between innocent Raven and drug cartel leader Danny go from 0-60 in about a book week (there were few specific time references, so I'm guessing here). They meet, he woos her, she cuts him off, he shows up bloody, they get married. Ah, romance. Then, as luck would have it, Danny gets caught up in some bad business and police believe he is dead. Well, rather than wait for the DNA results, sweet innocent Raven makes a hit list of all of Danny's enemies and goes on a straight-up killing spree. Murdering gangsters left and right. But geez, Danny and his cronies hadn't been able to take these people out for years... look at Raven doing the impossible! And as fast as she fell in love with him and then turned into a cold-blooded killer, she forgot that his death was never confirmed and she falls in love with, get this - a cop. Do you see where this is going? The plot moved so fast yet took 332 pages to get to the end. I think the author could have nailed this is less than 200.
I was willing to give a rather generous 2 stars for the plot, but the writing was abysmal. I'm trying to be constructive in my criticism since I did receive this as a giveaway, so let me cite some specific examples.
Raven didn't know where to start, she was just about managing to scrape through her days.
She didn't know where to start because she would have to think how this all started...... (pg 47)
There were many instances where the writing was simply repetitive. A thorough reread by the author, editor, or really anyone else would catch these.
Also, too many times did the author use the ellipsis incorrectly. It is three dots, with occasions where it may be four if an additional dot is used as the period at the end of a sentence. This example used six, but others used more.
Raven spent the next few days getting back out in her veg patch there was still lots to do, also spending hours in the library, with a renewed book hit list. (pg 49)
Punctuation is very poorly used in this book if it is used at all. Misused and absent punctuation made the meaning of a sentence or paragraph so confusing that I had to reread passages repeatedly. The run-on sentences made it so difficult to read that I had to resort to skimming because reading every word did not make sense. My brain could put together more coherent thoughts that way.
Raven's arms reached back grasping the headboard tightly with her Parms (pg 76)
Raven still holding tightly onto the bed with one bad and Danny's hair with the other (pg 77)
These are other instances of much-needed editing and proofreading. Frequently, a word was replaced by another (here - Parms for palms, bad for hand). At times, I thought the author may have used speech-to-text software that didn't understand them. At others, I thought perhaps they are not a good speller, truly an acceptable trait, but then they didn't take the time to confirm their spellcheck suggestions.
Then there are the ongoing problems:
👉The author rarely used apostrophes to indicate possessive nouns.
👉"Un" was often used as a stand-alone word such as "un replied" (pg 279).
👉Incorrect uses of your/you're; their/they're/there; to/too
👉Draws instead of drawers. See pg 71 "opened the draws" and pg 145 "chest of draws", among others.
👉Tender hooks instead of tenterhooks, pg 111. Defiantly instead of definitely, pg 152 among others. Barley instead of barely, pg 167. Import instead of important, pg 168. Lent instead of leaned, pg 202. Begining instead of beginning, the title of Chapter 5. Must of instead of must have, pg 248. Peral's instead of perils, pg. 292. Knacked instead of naked, pg 314. Generally common errors and laziness in editing.
👉A repeated use of Liberian rather than librarian. This example is, in my eyes, completely unacceptable. A Liberian is a person from Liberia, a country in West Africa. A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library. Even when spoken correctly, the words do not sound the same.
It felt very much like the author completed the writing and hit publish without rereading any of it to make sure it was coherent or even grammatically correct. At first, I thought it might be cultural - the book is set in London, so maybe the author may reside there and has some different grammar rules. I cannot confirm though. But ultimately, there is negligence and selfishness on the author's part. To show respect to their readers, they should take the time to proofread and edit their work. If grammar, usage, and mechanics are not their strong suit, it is their responsibility to find someone who will help, whether a knowledgeable friend or a professional editor. Writing a book does not mean it needs to be put out into the world as-is, even in the world of self-publishing. Editing and proofreading are required steps in the writing process.
One final note... the book description says that "Raven is the first part in a two-part sequel to Iris". This implies a book called Iris was previously written. Then the author decided it needed a sequel but is writing it in two parts - so perhaps a trilogy. No. Raven is the first book in a two-part series. Iris is the name of the second part. Please edit that one.
I am sad to give a book one star, but I can't see any way around it. The description of the book was promising - a girl is alone in the world until a dangerous stranger changes everything. While this would probably be pretty predictable, I don't mind. I like a little predictability sometimes. But this relationship between innocent Raven and drug cartel leader Danny go from 0-60 in about a book week (there were few specific time references, so I'm guessing here). They meet, he woos her, she cuts him off, he shows up bloody, they get married. Ah, romance. Then, as luck would have it, Danny gets caught up in some bad business and police believe he is dead. Well, rather than wait for the DNA results, sweet innocent Raven makes a hit list of all of Danny's enemies and goes on a straight-up killing spree. Murdering gangsters left and right. But geez, Danny and his cronies hadn't been able to take these people out for years... look at Raven doing the impossible! And as fast as she fell in love with him and then turned into a cold-blooded killer, she forgot that his death was never confirmed and she falls in love with, get this - a cop. Do you see where this is going? The plot moved so fast yet took 332 pages to get to the end. I think the author could have nailed this is less than 200.
I was willing to give a rather generous 2 stars for the plot, but the writing was abysmal. I'm trying to be constructive in my criticism since I did receive this as a giveaway, so let me cite some specific examples.
Raven didn't know where to start, she was just about managing to scrape through her days.
She didn't know where to start because she would have to think how this all started...... (pg 47)
There were many instances where the writing was simply repetitive. A thorough reread by the author, editor, or really anyone else would catch these.
Also, too many times did the author use the ellipsis incorrectly. It is three dots, with occasions where it may be four if an additional dot is used as the period at the end of a sentence. This example used six, but others used more.
Raven spent the next few days getting back out in her veg patch there was still lots to do, also spending hours in the library, with a renewed book hit list. (pg 49)
Punctuation is very poorly used in this book if it is used at all. Misused and absent punctuation made the meaning of a sentence or paragraph so confusing that I had to reread passages repeatedly. The run-on sentences made it so difficult to read that I had to resort to skimming because reading every word did not make sense. My brain could put together more coherent thoughts that way.
Raven's arms reached back grasping the headboard tightly with her Parms (pg 76)
Raven still holding tightly onto the bed with one bad and Danny's hair with the other (pg 77)
These are other instances of much-needed editing and proofreading. Frequently, a word was replaced by another (here - Parms for palms, bad for hand). At times, I thought the author may have used speech-to-text software that didn't understand them. At others, I thought perhaps they are not a good speller, truly an acceptable trait, but then they didn't take the time to confirm their spellcheck suggestions.
Then there are the ongoing problems:
👉The author rarely used apostrophes to indicate possessive nouns.
👉"Un" was often used as a stand-alone word such as "un replied" (pg 279).
👉Incorrect uses of your/you're; their/they're/there; to/too
👉Draws instead of drawers. See pg 71 "opened the draws" and pg 145 "chest of draws", among others.
👉Tender hooks instead of tenterhooks, pg 111. Defiantly instead of definitely, pg 152 among others. Barley instead of barely, pg 167. Import instead of important, pg 168. Lent instead of leaned, pg 202. Begining instead of beginning, the title of Chapter 5. Must of instead of must have, pg 248. Peral's instead of perils, pg. 292. Knacked instead of naked, pg 314. Generally common errors and laziness in editing.
👉A repeated use of Liberian rather than librarian. This example is, in my eyes, completely unacceptable. A Liberian is a person from Liberia, a country in West Africa. A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library. Even when spoken correctly, the words do not sound the same.
It felt very much like the author completed the writing and hit publish without rereading any of it to make sure it was coherent or even grammatically correct. At first, I thought it might be cultural - the book is set in London, so maybe the author may reside there and has some different grammar rules. I cannot confirm though. But ultimately, there is negligence and selfishness on the author's part. To show respect to their readers, they should take the time to proofread and edit their work. If grammar, usage, and mechanics are not their strong suit, it is their responsibility to find someone who will help, whether a knowledgeable friend or a professional editor. Writing a book does not mean it needs to be put out into the world as-is, even in the world of self-publishing. Editing and proofreading are required steps in the writing process.
One final note... the book description says that "Raven is the first part in a two-part sequel to Iris". This implies a book called Iris was previously written. Then the author decided it needed a sequel but is writing it in two parts - so perhaps a trilogy. No. Raven is the first book in a two-part series. Iris is the name of the second part. Please edit that one.
April 20, 2022
This book and storyline have a lot of potential but it needs a very good editor. The punctuation was severely lacking which made it a very difficult read. The character development went off on a wild tangent quickly, she went from one extreme to another which was hard to believe but when the book ended I wasn't ready for it to end. The plot was good just so hard to read due to the lack of editing.
April 30, 2022
Really enjoyed this series, made for an interesting fast paced read with lots of twists and turns.
June 5, 2022
This one kept me captivated from the moment I started it. Now I have to find the sequel as it left me hanging for sure. I need to know what happens.
October 22, 2022
I received this as a Goodreads Giveaway. Unfortunately it is filled with many, many grammatical errors. Raven goes through a complete change in character which is hard to reconcile. The one believable relationship is Raven and Felton’s, who is her bodyguard. Disappointing.
February 10, 2024
I only gave 1 star as I really struggled reading the book. Theres a great storyline so I couldn’t fault that but the author hasn’t used a proofreader. I couldn’t get past all the grammar, punctuations and spellings that were incorrect. I had to re-read a few sections till it read right. It’s a shame as I say it’s got a great storyline. I am reading Iris and sadly it’s the same for that book too. Author overused words and names too. The book was long and probably could have been shortened to 200 pages. Sorry.
September 17, 2024
So this book was a good story which I read in a day it has great characters and a good plot however there is so many spelling mistakes and grammar issues in this book and the second book at times it felt like someone very young had wrote it the book was split in to 7 chapters but omg they was so long the book was over 300 pages so imagine how long the chapters are however If you can get past that I'd recommend giving this a go 3.5🌟 for me at a push like I said I enjoyed it but there was also a lot wrong.
October 28, 2022
I got this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. While I enjoyed the plot, I found the characters quite unbelievable. My biggest problem was trying to read it. The punctuation and the grammatical errors were so extensive that it made it difficult to understand. Did anybody bother to check this book before it was put out to the readers? The book has potential, but somebody, please, fix the errors!!
March 10, 2024
great story line
Lots of twists and turns kept me wanting to read more.
Couldn’t wait to read the second book to find out what happened
Lots of twists and turns kept me wanting to read more.
Couldn’t wait to read the second book to find out what happened
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews