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.

I’m still as obsessed with this series, as I was when reading book one – Foxhole Court. 4.5 stars The plot’s complexity has quadrupled. Every character has an agenda, and many characters have pasts that are buried so deeply under lies that each discovery only cements my belief that this series is phenomenally awesome. The author is a master storyteller, her way of spinning a fascinating as well as emotional tale is outstanding. Nothing in these books is predictable. Each new discovery is more outrages and in your face than the other. Throughout the first two books my jaw hit the floor countless times. The intricacies between the different plots are mind boggling. There are just some authors that are leap years ahead of others. And Nora Sakavic is one of them. This author and series deserves way more recognition than other hyped authors and series. When you get down to it, the entire series is one long book. Raven King started exactly where Foxhole Court ended. The team finally understands that only united they have a chance to win the final match. And seeing them growing closer, socializing and spending their free time together outside of the court is heart-warming. Because I love them all, I want them to get along. Neil, my favorite character’s journey has been heart wrenching, but I’m also so proud of him. He’s come such a long way, and his progress makes me cheer for him even more. His relationship with Andrew is as fascinating as it is mysterious. He has this unbelievable way with him, that none of the team can get even close to. Even though they constantly battle over truths, lies, and secrets, at the end they are just trying to understand the other person. It’s quite fascinating for me as well as for them, because they each are fascinated by one another. Raven King ended with two major arcs, and I can’t wait to read how these two arcs play into Neil and Andrew’s relationship. I’m not going to write much more, I just want to get back to reading The King’s Men. So all I can say is read this series, actually buy it. The first book is free on Amazon, the second and third only cost 99 cents each. That’s an incredible deal. Honestly it’s ridiculous. So one-click NOW!!!

The Raven King picks up right after the events of The Foxhole Court, with the team down one member and barely hanging by onto their place as a team. Seth’s death has sort of rallied them together, and they are learning to be a team that depends on each other. The underclassmen, still, however do not mingle much with the upperclassmen, and Neil, for all his talk of staying in his own lane, actually gets involved with it. A big character development for Neil in this book is him learning to trust others, to break the rules his mother had promised him to keep. Living Exy all the time with his teammates means he sort of gets used to having a family, and they are keen on protecting each other, despite whatever animosity they hold towards each other. What I love most about this series it that despite being a sports-themed book, and having actual sports scenes and the name being ‘All for the Game’, the story uses the sports as a backdrop and explores the issues of the characters. This second book provides backstories for many characters, and the Foxes’ pasts are revealed in all their painful glory. Neil is learning his teammates, but is also seeking out their pasts – whether out of his own curiosity or because he wants to understand them better. I will warn you, though, this book will hurt your heart in more ways than one, and also has some truly devastating scenes and developments, mentioning any of which could be spoiler-y. Suffice to say, the author does an admirable job of weaving those character stories into the narrative and fleshing them out into complex and gray characters. The Raven King title also means we actually meet the Ravens, the cult-ish team that Kevin used to belong to. And perhaps the best scene was when Neil savagely drags Riko at the banquet, despite knowing how dangerous it could be to him. The crime syndicate angle is further pursued in this book, and lets just it does not lead to anywhere good. On the bright side, Neil is done running and loyally sticks with the Foxes. That ending was terrifyingly brutal, however, and I am a bit nervous and anxious to read the next, for if it serves even more pain, I don’t know how I’ll deal. Since the first book, I had sort of loved these little misfits, but now I’m like – protect these small aggressive brats, please! This sequel was slower in pace than the first, but in terms of developments and action it delivered a greater punch. The villain, Riko, however feels more powerful than he ought to be; some instances seem out of his direct control but he was still able to orchestrate them. That makes it more scary to imagine what will come up in The King’s Men; I almost can’t wait to start with the next one.

I loved this book. Despite the fact that it's kinda thin on plot, it's interesting enough to keep you reading if you're a fan of the characters. The whole book kind of reads to me like a giant character study, so it's definitely something I'd recommend if you're big on stories that focus on telling real stories about real people rather than just lots of twists and turns and plot action. Having said that, there are quite a few twists and turns, more than a couple that I didn't remotely see coming (I'm usually good at picking things up but there isn't a predictable thing about the s*** that goes down in this one). I fell in love with the main character Neil from the get go to be honest, he's just such a kicked puppy. You'd think he's nice but he's actually not nice at all and kind of savage. He isn't your typical anti-hero and sometimes you'll find yourself trying to figure out whether he's self-destructive, stupid or a just a complete martyr. Andrew is easily my favorite character, even though I'm not sure how accurately his mental illness has been depicted. I'd hate for the author to use that as an excuse for all the bulls*** he puts people through, but you can't help but sympathise with him in this one. He does what he does out of a crazy protective streak and the medicine enhances that ache and anger. Plus I'm a sucker for gay romance and it's pretty obvious that Andrew and Neil feel something for each other, considering they've both been willing to put themselves in harm's way for the other. If I have one complaint it's that the villains are downright boring. (and I feel a tad racist considering most of the pure evil dudes in this one are Japanese mafia and most of the main characters are white). And even though they're psychotic and creepy, they're just so black-and-whitely evil that they aren't complex at all. I like my villians juicy and tempting, evil but not completely so. There is nothing redeemable about the villians in this book and they only exist to stand in the way of the Foxes. Despite this, I can forgive the author because she is already juggling a lot of characters and some really dark themes. It's very important to note about a dozen trigger warnings for abuse/graphic depictions of violence/rape/subtle homophobia etc. Personally, I don't have a lot of triggers, but it's just something you should be aware of before you read this. I'm going to go now and buy the final book immediately because this one left me hanging with my mouth wide open!

I love this book so much. The last couple pages had the best cliffhanger and got me so hyped for the next books. I truly love this series and how the characters are written.

The first book was wild. Book 2 was even wilder. The most problematic character became my favorite at the end of book 1. Then they did him so dirty in book 2. I was way too invested for my own good. I lack the words. Great read, though.

This is the sequel to The Foxhole Court, and I found it did not disappoint. It gets darker and more violent, including a rape that is important to the story but still brutal to deal with. In some ways, it's a classic "things hit rock bottom" at the end middle book of a trilogy, so expect to finish it wanting to pick up the next book right away (kind of like the end of the Empire Strikes Back). Sadly, at this point, the third book isn't out yet. :/ WHAT I LIKED ------------- - Sakavic continued building flawed and complex characters, nestling them further into my heart in a way that will keep them there for years to come. - Sakavic has a deft hand for action scenes - I could see the on-court scenes clearly in my head despite the fact Exy is a fictional sport. The off-court rough scenes were also, for better or worse, just as brilliantly visible in my mind's eye. - Backstories continue to unfold with the same pacing I enjoyed so much in the first book. Additional puzzle pieces were dropped into place at the perfect intervals to keep me reading when I should have been doing other things. WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ---------------- - The dialogue in this book isn't as quick and smart in the same way as book one. It definitely has plenty of those moments, but it also has far more instances where the dialogue feels a little more like an info dump than a conversation. If you liked the first book, and if you're prepared for the increased violence in this book, I definitely recommend it. If you haven't read the first book, start there, not here.