Review: Ravenstoke by Augusta Blythe

Title: Ravenstoke
Author: Augusta Blythe
Publisher: self published
Publish Date: December 4, 2011
Genre: YA, paranormal
Pages: 164 (ebook)
Source: From author for review
Series: Universe Unbound #2
1. Winterborne (review)
2. Ravenstoke
3. The Yawning Void (expected pub unknown)

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

Synopsis:
In Winterborne, Loie and Mia's seventeenth birthdays brought more drama and surprises than they ever expected. Now, in Ravenstoke, they are adjusting to the aftermath and struggling to keep those newfound powers in check. When Andreas is called away to England under mysterious circumstances, a new guy is sent to Salcey Ridge in his place. Cian is smarmy and cocksure and Loie wants nothing more than to unleash a hellhound on him. Unfortunately, Cian isn't the only complication in their lives as the girls must also contend with the reappearance of Mr. Winterborne himself and Loie's most dreaded fear of all - a part in the school musical. Can the girls survive the rest of junior year unscathed?

From Goodreads

I enjoyed Ravenstoke much more than I did Winterborne. I had a big issue with Loie in the first because of her lack of confidence in herself and how she always felt that she was second best to Mia. But she is a stronger character in this second instalment of the Universe Unbound series, and it was great to see her coming into herself.

In Ravenstoke, Andreas is training Loie to control her newfound powers, and also teaching her about Universals and Ancients. When he leaves for England for an undetermined amount of time, Loie is concerned about her training. She’s not too impressed when she meets Cain (pronounced KEEN) and he takes over her training. On top of that, Mia signs them up for Drama club so they can take a trip with the group over to London to find Andreas. And the icing on the cake is that Mr. Winterborne wants to play a bigger role in Loie’s life, which only makes her more upset with him.

I really need to address the matter of Cain. I seriously love him. Even when I hated him or wasn’t sure about him, I still really loved him. And I think he and Loie are great for one another, mostly because she doesn’t take his bull and he puts up with her stubbornness. He was a great trainer, too, because he didn’t hold Loie back like Andreas seemed to. Regardless of what we learn about him, I still think his part in this story was so important for the growth of Loie as a character.

We got to visit more than just Salcey Ridge in this book. Loie and Mia jet off to London and then we also see some of the Welsh countryside, and we also get a glimpse at where Mr. Winterborne’s been hiding, in Sanctuary. I think it gave the story depth to see more than just their small town.

I wasn’t sure about reading Ravenstoke because I wasn’t crazy about Winterborne, but I’m really glad I read it. It really was better than the first. And I will definitely be looking forward to the next book, and getting more information about it!

Thanks to Augusta for the ebook review copy!