The Raven Scholar

by Antonia Hodgson

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Epic fantasy meets murder mystery in this inventive and mystic tale. With sprawling world-building, fierce competition, ample twists and surprises, funny banter and a hint of romance, this is highly recommended for fans of authors like R. F. Kuang and Leigh Bardugo.

“A labyrinth of a book—vast and intricate, full of fiendish twists and clever traps—with a deeply human heart at its center. It's thrilling, romantic, often tragic, and always funny; I'm obsessed.” —Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House

The Raven Scholar is a masterfully woven tale of imperial intrigue from an electrifying new voice in epic fantasy—in a stunning edition featuring French flaps and silver foiled cover effects! 

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.

★ "Sharply written and intricately plotted. A masterclass in storytelling!" —Ann Leckie, Hugo Award-winning author of Ancillary Justice 

★ "Fiendishly charming and clever, this is a book you absolutely must devour." —Tasha Suri, World Fantasy Award-winning author of The Jasmine Throne

★ "The Raven Scholar is as clever as its namesake—each beloved character, each twist and each turn, is a shiny new gift. It is magnificent." —C. L. Clark, author of The Unbroken 

★ "Epic fantasy at its finest—fiendish political intrigue, the ultimate trial for the throne and a shocking crime at the center. Simply glorious!" —Georgia Summers, author of The City of Stardust

★ "Engrossing and unputdownable...my favorite read of the year. A conflagration of court intrigue, religious folktale, and characters with deliciously murky motivations, The Raven Scholar is a pure delight." —Bethany Jacobs, Philip K. Dick Award-winning author of These Burning Stars 
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316577229
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	04/15/2025
Series:	Eternal Path Trilogy , #1
Pages:	672
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Antonia Hodgson is a freelance editor, and author of the bestselling Thomas Hawkins historical crime series. Her first novel, The Devil in the Marshalsea, won the CWA Historical Dagger Award and was shortlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year. She lives in Kent, England, where she has been visited by a fox and a raven, and a tiger in the form of her neighbour’s ginger cat. No dragons as yet.  

Editorial Reviews

Sharply written and intricately plotted, The Raven Scholar is a masterclass in storytelling. I can’t recommend it enough!”—Ann Leckie, Hugo Award-winning author of Ancillary Justice

“The Raven Scholar is a labyrinth of a book—vast and intricate, full of fiendish twists and clever traps—with a deeply human heart at its center. It's thrilling, romantic, often tragic, and always funny; I'm obsessed.” —Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House

"The Raven Scholar is an immersive and enthralling epic fantasy. Fiendishly charming and clever, this is a book you absolutely must devour. I can't believe how much I loved it!" —Tasha Suri, World Fantasy Award-winning author of The Jasmine Throne

"Writing a really good epic fantasy is hard to do. But with The Raven Scholar, Antonia Hodgson makes it look like a breeze. This tale of murder, tragedy and familial betrayal is firing on all cylinders. It's too smart for its own good – layering multiple mysteries with characters who defy their own archetypes. The year may still be young but, so far, The Raven Scholar feels like the 2025 fantasy novel to beat."—NPR

“The Raven Scholar is as clever as its namesake—each beloved character, each twist and each turn, is a shiny new gift. It is magnificent.”—C. L. Clark, author of The Unbroken

"The Raven Scholar is epic fantasy at its finest: fiendish political intrigue, the ultimate trial for the throne and a shocking crime at the centre. Every character plays friend, suspect and threat–and you’ll be turning the pages at midnight to unmask them. I can’t wait to devour the sequel. Simply glorious!" —Georgia Summers, Sunday Times bestselling author of The City of Stardust

"With an intricate plot and obsession-worthy characters, The Raven Scholar subverts tropes to create a thrilling, fun, and shocking mystery."—Tessa Gratton, New York Times bestselling author

"Engrossing and unputdownable...my favorite read of the year. A conflagration of court intrigue, religious folktale, and characters with deliciously murky motivations, The Raven Scholar is a pure delight. Fantasy readers will gobble this down and curse the skies that they don't have the sequel yet." —Bethany Jacobs, Philip K. Dick Award-winning author of These Burning Stars

"Twisty and clever!" —Claire North, author of Ithaca

"The Raven Scholar is magnificently immersive, and a real master-class in world building. It's evocative and fun. A smooth-read, and yet a deep-dive. I’m looking forward to reading more from Hodgson in the future!”

—Marina Lostetter, author of The Helm of Midnight

“This is how epic fantasy should be done. I adored every page: it was so meticulously plotted, so carefully built, so funny, and the characters! I could spend seven thousand pages with them.”—Genoveva Dimova, author of Foul Days

"The twists and turns of The Raven Scholar left me breathless. Antonia Hodgson drops us into an elaborately built, gorgeously realized world that I couldn't wait to see more of." —Emery Robin, author of The Stars Undying

"The Raven Scholar is a genuine fantasy masterpiece. Cut-throat courtly politics with a central mystery so twisty you might sprain something. Deliriously entertaining, periodically vicious, clever as hell and, best of all, funny. Buy now and thank me later." —Grace Curtis, author of Floating Hotel

 "With tremendous world-building, a cast of carefully drawn characters, and an engaging plot exploring new riffs on a popular theme whilst nodding to the author’s mystery fiction heritage, The Raven Scholar resoundingly hits all the right beats. Epic fantasy at its finest." —Vaseem Khan, author of the Malabar House series

"Hodgson’s attention to detail makes the worldbuilding vivid; and her subtle, playful prose enriches the ingeniously constructed narrative. This impressive display of versatility marks Hodgson as an exciting new voice in fantasy." —Publishers Weekly

"The deceptions, intricate twists, and the occasional Raven as a point-of-view character make this a page-turner that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next book in the Eternal Path Trilogy."—Booklist

"Propulsive, compelling, engrossing, cleverly plotted, devastating, and also, yes, quite fun." —Reactor Magazine

"Hodgson skillfully blends epic fantasy, murder mystery, and a tournament arc into one compelling tale... This is an epic as clever and magnificent as its mythic namesake. A must-buy for all fantasy collections."
 —Library Journal

"Perfect books don’t really exist as a general rule, but, wow, 
does this one come close... It’s a triumph."
 —Paste Magazine

"Hodgson’s world-building is masterful…When I finished, it felt like I’d finally found the new sweeping fantasy series I’ve been waiting years for."
 —Polygon

"The Raven Scholar was an absolute delight to read…One of the best I’ve read in years."—Lightspeed

From the Publisher