The Raven King (All for the Game Book 2)

I ran through The Foxhole Court... There was just something train-wreck (in a good way) fascinating about it. I mean, college-aged characters in a sport story dealing with an alternate-reality sport? So not for me. But the reviews hinted at a compelling story, and it was definitely a unique and worthy reading experience! But before going on to this book there was a break where I thought, do I really want to do this? This is a very dark tale... like you've fallen down a rabbit-hole into a world where a lot of madness makes sense, but it's at all pleasant. But heck... there's a huge fascination for Alice's crazy adventures, and those are far from safe and sane, right? This series is like that... Feels gritty and modern and real, but we're definitely not in Kansas any more! (And come on, The Wizard of OZ was plenty dark and freaky, too, and yet we all know it and sort of love it--darkness and creepiness and all.) I guess it's all about dealing with our demons, and we definitely get to work a lot of that out with the characters in this series! There's something about team sports, too. If you love the game and want to win and play your heart out more than life itself, then you know you need to rely on your team-mates and that there needs to be an amazing amount of synergy going on. You all need to be on the same page, even though you are all crazy humans who will never ever be CLOSE to being on the same page even if you want to be. So Neil... full of secrets and lies and having had to rely solely on himself to survive (even when he was younger and with his mother, she beat that into him)... He has this dichotomy where he's like that, and has team-mates with serious problems of their own, but he also truly wants to give all for the game. Unwittingly, he's drawn into the team and out of himself, ever so gradually. One person and clique at a time... Really, it's just utterly fascinating! This is a dark fantasy without any paranormal... a love story with no sex and love so far... filled with psychotic, violent characters and situations that seem to highlight the hints of humanity that are lurking between the cracks. If you are the least bit curious, try it!!!! ---This is a continuation of The Foxhole Court and must be read in order!!!!

This book sucked me in even more than the first book, The Foxhole Court. I reread The Raven King in physical form (after whizzing through the copy on my kindle) and tagged the hell out of it marking my favorite quotes and scenes. In The Raven King we get a more in depth look at the backstories of each of the Foxes. Learning about these characters leaves you thirsty for more. There are some very, very heavy themes in this book (see below for trigger warns, no spoilers though!). The Raven King starts off by delving into the backstory of the Cousins and specifically the story of the Minyard twins. Sakavic moves into Nicky’s family history and the story has you glued to the pages trying to piece everything together. You get much better insight into the characters as their histories are revealed. Neil also finds out the truth about his family and it is a shocker. I really appreciated the backstory into the relationship between Kevin and Andrew. I loved finding out about the history of the other Foxes along the way. Again, as with The Foxhole Court , I loved Sakavic’s dialogue, such as this scene with Neil and Andrew: “I’m remembering why I don’t like you.” “I’m surprised you forgot in the first place.” “Maybe I didn’t.” Neil pushed the phone Andrew’s way. “There has to be a better way.” “You could occasionally grow a spine,” Andrew suggested. “I know it’s a difficult concept for someone who’s need your reaction is to run away at the first sign of trouble, but try it sometime. You might actually like it.” “What I’d like is to put this phone through your teeth.” “See, that’s more entertaining. “I’m not here for your entertainment,” Neil said. “But, as expected, you are talented enough to multitask.” It bears repeating that I love her writing style and her descriptions: “Guilt with a relatively new emotion for Neil, something the Foxes were teaching him through prolonged exposure to them. Up until this point he’d felt it in uncomfortable, fleeting bursts. Now it was a fierce, all-consuming heat that made him want to cut his own stomach out. He didn’t know if he was going to puke or scream. Neither one was acceptable, so he clenched his teeth as hard as he could. Meeting Andrew’s eyes was almost impossible. Looking away would be unforgivable.” AHHHHHHHH! My heart. So many feels. Despite some very heavy content this book had me enthralled. I could not put it down, nor could I wait to start the final book, The King’s Men. The book takes you on a roller coaster of emotions, but I fully trust Sakavic to shepherd the way. Ultimately, this story is about about facing your past, learning to trust others, and building friendships. That being said though, this book should come with a boatload of trigger warnings: child abuse (mentioned), rape, murder, self harm (mentioned), and torture. So please beware, you can always pass over these sections, but they are heart-wrenching.

VALE CADA CENTAVO. Leitura deliciosa, com personagens apaixonantes e um enredo que você não consegue largar. Leia e agradeça quem recomendou. É isso. Só vêm.

Item arrived, all good,

I read basically the whole thing in two days and considering how little I actually read this month that should tell you everything. The Raven King really builds on the first book, delves deeper into the drama and does a great job of making you fall in love with all the characters. I would basically die for Nicky at this point ngl. There's some really hard hitting stuff in this one but god, it really pulls you in. And who'd a thunk I'd get SO invested in full play-by-play descriptions of a fictional sports game?? But it's so good! I almost wish I could actually watch a real game of Exy because I'm still not entirely sure I know what they're doing half the time. Finally I just wanna say, the Ravens? Are complete bonkers. Why they gotta be so dramatic for? I was honestly rolling my eyes so far back into my skull everytime they wore the same clothes and moved in sync and were just generally mental like the weird little Shining twins. Anyway, in the great words of Neil Josten, "I'm fine". 🥲 I can't wait to read the next one.

Glorius story

Fantastic sequel, some people say that the story is unrealistic and over dramatic but to me is the opposite. These characters, Andrew in particular, feel extremely real and they mean the world to me