‘The Ravening’ – Daniel Church (Angry Robot)

Page Count: 370 Pages

Before I kick things off, a big thank you to Angry Robot Books who sent me a copy of ‘The Ravening’ in return for a fair and honest review. I don’t normally request review copies these days, things being the way they are here, review copies really need to go where they stand the best chance of being read. I’d heard good things about Daniel Church though, see Alex and Matthew's reviews for ‘The Hollowing’, so I’ll be honest, I jumped at the chance to read ‘The Ravening’. It took me a little while to pick it up and I’m very glad that I did. Don’t be like me… When ‘The Ravening’ appears in your local bookshop (later on in September), get on it straight away.

Jenna lost her mother when she was girl, a terrifying moment on a dark woodland road. She’s been angry, defensive and self-reliant ever since. Until she meets Holly.

But just as life is beginning to offer some promise Jenna is ripped away, kidnapped by a bizarre cult in thrall to an ancient evil. There is a land of shadows behind the veil of our world and something there wants Jenna. It won’t stop until it has her.

Wow, what a read… I’ll be honest, it took me a while to get into ‘The Ravening’. There are very good reasons why Jenna is the way she is but the end result is a character who isn’t all that accessible and is difficult to journey with. And to be fair, that’s the whole point of the book really so I’m not going to complain too much ;o) Did Church do his job a little too well with Jenna? Maybe but stick with it, Jenna becomes a fascinating character who not only turns her vulnerability into strength but isn’t afraid to step outside her ‘comfort’ zone for the right person. She may be difficult to warm to, initially, but it didn’t take me too long to start cheering her on, Holly too.

And you can’t help but cheer them on as Church gradually reveals what Jenna in particular is up against, and why. I loved the way that Church did this by the way, giving his reader plenty of historical context but not telling you why... It all adds to the mystery and watching the pieces fall into place is a real joy. Properly creepy and sinister but a joy too, all at the same time. Church nails the pacing and isn’t afraid to throw a few ‘just when you thought it was over’ moments at you as well. In lesser hands, this would come across like a series of ‘end of level bosses’ but not here; everything happens for a reason and Church holds to that throughout. If Jenna meets a ‘big bad’, it’s not always because she’s come to the end of a level, far from it. I have to say, I was in awe of Jenna throughout a large chunk of the book; just watching her deal with all of this was one of the things that made ‘The Ravening’ such a compelling read.

Part thriller, part horror with a sprinkling of dark fantasy on the top; ‘The Ravening’ moves past all of these and swiftly becomes its very own deeply unsettling, dark read. There’s a note of optimism though that really makes it stand out. No matter what Jenna faces, her humanity is always an advantage over people and things that have lost theirs. There’s a lesson there that’s worth remembering.