Review – The Raven Scholar (Eternal Path Trilogy, Book 1) by Antonia Jodgson (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: April 15, 2025
ASIN: B0DC696XNV
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Eternal Path Trilogy
Source: Borrowed ebook from library
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Let us fly now to the empire of Orrun, where after twenty-four years of peace, the reign of Bersun the Brusque has come to an end. In the dizzying heat of midsummer, seven exceptional warriors, thinkers, strategists compete to replace him.

When one of them is murdered, it falls to Neema Kraa, the emperor’s brilliant, idiosyncratic High Scholar, to find the killer and fight for the throne. Neema believes she is alone. But we are here to help; all she has to do is let us in.

If she succeeds, we will win an empire. If she fails, death awaits her. But we won’t let that happen.

We are the Raven, and we are magnificent..”

Series Info/Source: This is the 1st book in the Eternal Path Trilogy. I borrowed this on ebook from my library.

Thoughts: This book is very well written and does an amazing job on both world-building and having complex characters. The writing flowed well and it was easy (if not quick) to read.

The Emperor Bersun is at the end of his reign, and the traditional contest for a new emperor is about to start. The story primarily follows Neema Kraa, High Scholar to the Emperor and part of the Raven clam. Neema is not well liked because of an action she performed early in her career that led her to becoming High Scholar. She is looking forward to retiring and being able to pursue her old research. Neema’s plans for a quiet future are interrupted when the Raven’s candidate for Emperor turns up murdered, and Neema is assigned the task of finding the killer. In addition, Neema has been nominated as the new Raven candidate and is forced to fight for the throne in her spare time.

This story jumps around between multiple POVs. The main POV we hear from is that of Neema, but some of the POVs are from the eight gods supporting this world. In particular, we hear from Raven who are doing their best to navigate the situation into one that will both benefit Raven and hopefully save the realm from further harm.

This is incredibly well written with a complex world, history, and mythos. The characters all have a lot of depth as well. There are very few characters that I would consider “good” in this story. Most of the characters are a bit morally gray and have done things that aren’t very admirable; even when they have the greater good in mind. So if you are looking for a story about heroes, this is not that story.

The story ends up being a combination mystery and political strategy. Neema is doing all she can to solve the mystery of the original Raven candidate’s death. In investing this mysterious death, she starts to stumble upon other strange things that put into question everything she knows about the current emperor.

This was a long read and took me awhile to get through. I rarely have the patience anymore to stick with a complex epic fantasy like this, however, I really enjoyed this story quite a bit. This is a unique epic fantasy that really feels like a classic. The story flows well and is easy to engage in, the characters are complex and easy to sympathize with despite their gray morality, and the mystery keeps you guessing. I am eager to see what happens in book 2.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this. The world-building is top notch with a well thought out world and a complex history and mythos. The characters are also complex, a bit gray in their moral decisions, and strangely engaging. The plot and story are well done, engaging, and keep the reader guessing. If you are looking for an excellent mystery driven epic fantasy, I would highly recommend. I look forward to reading the second book in the series when it releases.