The Raven King Paperback – March 31, 2016

The Raven King is book two of the 'All for the Game' series, which means you can't start here, go back to 'The Foxhole Court' if you haven't read that one.The second book is even better than the first one, and in this one, the relationships between the characters evolve even more. Not only between our trio and the monsters, but between the whole team.Neil is oblivious to everything around him, but he is the glue that keeps that whole team together. He found his place in that family, and he doesn't even have a clue. The same can be said about him and Andrew, but I don't really want to get too deep into this topic cuz it's nicer to discover it by yourself.The depths of this story are scary sometimes, and the stories and scars each and every one of these characters have are... not pretty.The found family in this series is absolutely spectacular, and they just started to find each other, so to speak. Each and every one of them has its place, and it's not random at all.This one is heavier than the first one, more secrets, more pain, and just more of everything bad... but so, so worth it.I am absolutely in love with the world, the story, the game, the characters. I'm in love with everything that has to do with this book/series.Onto the next one, cuz I have 0 patience to wait, but at the same time, I am absolutely NOT ready to finish it. Wish me luck.

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!!!!

I’m still as obsessed with this series, as I was when reading book one – Foxhole Court.4.5 starsThe 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!!!