The Broken Raven (Shadow Skye, Book Two)

By Author / Illustrator

Joseph Elliott

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Walker Books Ltd

ISBN

9781406385878

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

07-01-2021

Synopsis

The extraordinary second book in the epic Shadow Skye trilogy.

In a world of shadows, hope can be found...

Agatha and Jaime have rescued their clan and returned home to Skye as heroes. But when Agatha uncovers a threat to their people, she unwittingly releases a terrible power that could kill every living thing on the island. Jaime must race to Scotia to hunt an ancient blood magic, which may be their only chance of survival.

Meanwhile, Sigrid, a Norvegian girl with an unusual gift, journeys to the court of Ingland where a dangerous alliance is forming - one that will soon turn its vengeful eyes to Skye. Sigrid will have to risk everything if she and the people of Skye are to survive the gathering shadows...

Cover illustration by Violet Tobacco.

Praise for the Shadow Skye trilogy:

\"Thrilling, strange and brutally involving.\" Guardian

\"A story fantasy-loving young readers may not even know they've been waiting for.\" New York Times

\"A gripping story and a dark one.\" Wall Street Journal

\"An absolute cracker. Electrifying.\" Belfast Telegraph

\"A proper barnstormer.\" SFX

\"A wild, thrilling and sometimes dark fantasy adventure.\" The Week Junior

\"The chill barren setting of Scotia provides rich terrain for an unsettling wildness.\" Irish Times

\"Packs a real punch with its high-level suspense.\" BookTrust

\"Rich in atmosphere while dripping with grisly violence ... A fresh and exciting debut.\" Kirkus

\"A gripping, brutal adventure that completely swept me away.\" Emma Carroll, author of The Somerset Tsunami

\"Agatha is that rare thing in fiction: a truly original hero, one for all of us. What a great book!\" Ian Irvine, author of The Three Worlds Cycle

\"A thrilling adventure in a beautifully imagined world. I defy you not to want to follow Agatha to the end of the known world.\" Frank Cottrell-Boyce, author of Millions

\"A brave new voice in fantasy fiction.\" Sally Green, author of Half Bad

\"I could hardly turn the pages fast enough.\" Holly Jackson, author of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

\"Darkly beautiful, original and brimming with hope and compassion.\" Kesia Lupo, author of We Are Blood and Thunder

\"A sublimely plotted, windswept adventure.\" Cerrie Burnell, author of The Girl with the Shark's Teeth

\"A triumph.\" Katy a Balen, author of The Space We're In

\"One of the freshest, most exciting fantasies I've ever read.\" Sarah Ann Juckes, author of Outside

\"The fandom I've been waiting for. Forget Gryffindor, Dauntless, and House Stark... I want to be a Hawk.\" Aisha Bushby, author of A Pocketful of Stars

Reviews

And the adventure continues... The author has come up with another amazing plot that continues the adventure of Agatha and Jamie, which will keep the reader totally engaged to the very last page.

At the end of book one The Good Hawk, our two heroes returned home to Skye after rescuing their clan, however, things do not go smoothly. Agatha accidentally releases the limb-ripping shadows that could kill everyone, not just in her enclave but on the whole island. In order to help save his people once again, Jamie is sent back to Scotia to help find an ancient blood magic that may be their only chance of survival.

The author has also introduced another character, Sigrid. She is a strong-willed girl with an unusual gift of a photographic memory. Due to her circumstances, she finds herself in the possession of important information that means the death of the people on Skye. Will she risk everything in order to warn them of the impending attack?

Once again the story is told through the three main characters POV's, although they read as nearly three separate journeys but their paths do eventually merge for the unexpected dramatic ending!

The Broken Raven has 375 pages that are once again filled with a cast of weird and wonderful characters that the reader can engage with which are totally suitable for the 10+ reader. However, I must give a little warning here as there are some gruesome and chilling moments, which thankfully are not done in too much depth but may still be unsuitable for the sensitive reader.

The story would also be great for book clubs and intervention groups, teacher reading aloud to primary or younger secondary, as the story is pacy and engaging. I am now looking forward to the third book in this series as I can't wait to go on another adventure with the existing characters and the new addition, Sigrid.

384 pages / Ages 10+ / Reviewed by Linda Brown, school librarian