Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove is a fascinating YA tale full of political intrigue in an ancient Indian-inspired world with magic, monsters, and mayhem!

This is the first book I’ve read by Rati Mehrotra. The premise made me want to pick it up, and the twists kept me from putting it down. The culture and lore is really interesting, and the main character is wonderfully fierce!

I struggled with mixed feelings of “too much” yet “not enough” happening when it came to the world building and certain aspects of the plot. There’s a lot to take in — political schemes and betrayals, battles, a magical system and mythical creatures, etc. — but none of it was hashed out fully enough in this book, in my opinion. I feel like this could have easily been made into a duology, allowing for things to be filled out more completely while not overwhelming readers with information overload.

Overall, I did enjoy Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove and do recommend it, especially for YA readers who enjoy political intrigue and their fantasy books to be infused with different cultures.

*Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book. This did not affect my opinion or the content of my review.