The Raven Scholar Audiobook By Antonia Hodgson cover art

The Raven Scholar

Eternal Path Trilogy, Book 1

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The Raven Scholar

By: Antonia Hodgson
Narrated by: Daphne Kouma
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From an electrifying new voice in epic fantasy comes The Raven Scholar, a masterfully woven and playfully inventive tale of imperial intrigue, cutthroat competition, and one scholar’s quest to uncover the truth.

Let us fly now to the empire of Orrun, where after twenty-four years of peace, Bersun the Brusque must end his reign. In the dizzying heat of mid-summer, seven contenders compete to replace him. They are exceptional warriors, thinkers, strategists—the best of the best.

Then one of them is murdered. We know who did it. We saw it happen. No one else did.

It falls to Neema Kraa, the emperor’s brilliant, idiosyncratic High Scholar, to find the killer before the trials end. To do so, she must untangle a web of deadly secrets that stretches back generations, all while competing against six warriors with their own dark histories and fierce ambitions. Neema believes she is alone. But we are here to help; all she has to do is let us in.

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

We are the Raven, and we are magnificent.

©2025 Antonia Hodgson (P)2025 Orbit Action & Adventure Epic Fantasy
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Critic reviews

"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
"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, author of These Burning Stars
Unpredictable Twists • Complex Characters • Exceptional Voice Acting • Rich Worldbuilding • Engaging Plot

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Really enjoyed the narrator. The story was unique and well-paced. I look forward to the next one!

Excellent narration, riveting story

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A great fantasy novel with good characters and a plot that keeps you guessing to the end.

A terrific ploy with many twists and turns

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I like the people created. And the writing that did it. The narrator did a good job.

Good good job Antonia, Hodgson and Daphne Kouma

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The Raven Scholar is one of the best new books I've read in years. It has everything: politics, conspiracy, magic, tragedy, and a giant nerd of a main character, together with clever, polished, compelling writing. It is intense and entertaining, and even as an audiobook, this is not a book to have in the background during your morning drive; it is a book that demands focus. It was an enormous disappointment to discover that this was the first book in a series...and that the book had just come out. I'm going to be obsessively checking the progress of the next element of the series.

And speaking of it being an audiobook...wow. The voice acting on this piece is amazing. On top of generally excellent narration, Daphne Kouma also voices to some very unusual characters, and does it with aplomb.

I cannot recommend this book, and this audiobook, strongly enough. 6/5 stars.

Amazing story, extraordinary performance

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Great story, nicely unpredictable. Many unexpected twists and turns. I also love this reader's voice, I think I would enjoy anything she reads.

many twists, entertaining

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This is a great start to a series. I usually like to reserve judgment about a series until it's concluded, because I think it's important that there's and intelligent overarching plot.

This book had excellent pacing, interesting characters, and it was quite unpredictable. I'll definitely be coming back for the sequel.

Creative, surprising, captivating.

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I was on the fence about spending my last credit. So glad I did! This book is in my top 3 all time favorites. If you enjoyed All the Murmuring Bones or Nettle and Bone then you will enjoy this book. I love the fairytale type books but not so much mystery, however this book made me enjoy it, lol. With over 700 titles in my Audible library and over 500 loans on Libby, it is not often that a book can surprise me with twists and turns. This one did! Some stuff I saw coming other things were a shock and I loved it! I cannot wait for the rest of this series and to see what else this author puts out. This book was a joy! Don’t hesitate just get it!

This book is truly MAGNIFICENT!!!

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Loved the story and the narrating . Narrator gave personality to each character without over exaggeration. Can’t wait for book 2

Unique lore and great story telling

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Let me tell you something: I downloaded this book on a whim, something to listen to while I did some crafts. I began listening to it at 10pm. I listened to it nonstop for FIFTEEN HOURS. I had to take a sick day at work because of it! The story is so captivating I just did not want to put it down.

The characters have depth, with even the “villains” having full desires, needs, and emotions. It has got murder mystery, themed trials and combat, intrigue, class tensions, myths, a fun unique “narrator” voice.

And the audio performance is incredible. I don’t know if I would have loved it as much as I did if I had read it on paper. At first I was unsure but I was in love with an hour or so.

Is it a perfect book? No, it’s got tropes (mostly about classism, loner scholars, bullying, “against the odds” competitions). But it is captivating and still feels fresh. It also has a good balance of friendships and antagonism.

I wish the ending was a bit more “tied up” as it’s clearly setting up for sequels, but I’m mostly wishing I hadn’t started listening until all the books were published.

Stunning narration, captivating story

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one of the most enjoyable listens in a while. great characters in an vibrant world with excellent narration. easy to get lost in this story.

addicting - hard to put down

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