The Raven Heir, by Stephanie Burgis | Book Review


Book Review of The Raven Heir
The Children’s Book Review

The Raven Heir: Book Cover

Written by Stephanie Burgis

Ages 10-14 | 224 Pages

Publisher: Bloomsbury | ISBN-13: 9781547606375

What to Expect: Family, politics, magic, social responsibility.

The Raven Heir is the perfect blend of exciting fantasy adventure and social justice commentary.

Confined her whole life to a lonely castle in the middle of an enchanted forest, Cordelia is sick of being indoors, sick of the rules, and sick of her triplets. Everything changes, however, when two armies turn up at the castle gates, insisting that one of the three siblings take up the Raven Crown as the rightful sovereign of Corvenne. Their mother’s magic can no longer protect them from the warring dukes who want to make one of them a puppet king or queen – the question is, which one? As she races to find the answers she needs to protect her family, Cordelia will uncover uncomfortable truths – about her mother, herself, and what it really means to be a leader.

Cordelia and her siblings are realistic, relatable characters, and readers will sympathize with their struggle to balance personal needs and desires with broader social responsibilities and their endless sibling bickering. The Kingdom of Corvenne is richly detailed, offering readers a mirror where they can question the injustices they see in the real world. At the same time, the narrative delivers everything you need for a good fantasy novel, from an enchanted crown to shapeshifting princesses.

Stephanie Burgis’ The Raven Heir is an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

Stephanie Burgis: Author Headshot

About the Author

Stephanie Burgis is a dual citizen of the US and the UK and lives in South Wales (land of dragons) with her husband,

Stephanie Burgis grew up in America but now lives in Wales with her husband (fellow writer Patrick Samphire), their two young sons, and their extremely vocal tabby cat. In between those two points, she spent time playing in orchestras, studying music history in Vienna, and editing the website of an opera company in Leeds.

She writes fun, funny MG fantasy adventures for kids and wildly romantic historical fantasy novels for adults.

You can keep up with her new releases, read exclusive short stories and get sneak peeks at upcoming works by visiting https://www.stephanieburgis.com/.

The Raven Heir was reviewed by Dr. Jen Harrison. Discover more books like The Raven Heir by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Fantasy, Middle Grade Books, Social Justice, and Triplets.

How You Support The Children’s Book Review

We may receive a small commission from purchases made via the links on this page. If you discover a book or product of interest on this page and use the links provided to make a purchase, you will help support our mission to ‘Grow Readers.’ Your support means we can keep delivering quality content that’s available to all. Thank you!

May 31, 2022 at 08:49PM Dr. Jen Harrison