The Unkindness of Ravens — Abra Staffin-Wiebe

The oba is dead. Nobody wears the beaded crown. The Eight Great Houses are under attack ... and they are losing.

What's worse than being ignored by your god?

As the royal heir from House Crow, Anari is desperate to protect his people from a plague-driven war.

Without the blessing of his god, he doesn't have the magical power to compete in the succession battle for the crown of the oba. He is easy prey for the strongest heirs. To stay alive, he must be quick and clever.

When his plans go wrong, he does the unthinkable.

Worse is having your god owe you a favor. Particularly when he's a trickster.

Anari might not become the ruler of his people, but he has won his god's undivided attention. If he can survive what he's put in motion, he will have one chance to save them all. Fortunately, Anari has a few tricks up his own sleeve ...

Note: The Unkindness of Ravens is a novella. This is a fast-paced quick read.

Reviews

"I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! ... My heart was beating hard in my chest and I had tears in my eyes." - Goodreads reviewer

"Appealing especially to a wider, more diverse range of readers..." - Crafty Readership

"...the fast pace worked in its favor." - Goodreads reviewer

"...The Unkindness of Ravens is a lovely novella, and a compelling one. ... Anari's relationship with his near-brother Kaylin of the House of the Raven is complex and fraught, but also believably intimate and full of affection. Anari's struggle with his own prejudices once he's confronted with the Scorned is compelling, as is his arc of growth. In terms of world-building, Staffin-Wiebe's created a world full of magic, with tangible gods and tangible scents, sounds, details. It's a fascinating story..." - Tor.com review by Liz Bourke, Sleeps With Monsters