The Raven Scholar cover art

The Raven Scholar

Eternal Path Trilogy, Book 1

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The Raven Scholar

Written by: Antonia Hodgson
Narrated by: Daphne Kouma
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About this listen

From an electrifying new voice in epic fantasy comes The Raven Scholar, a masterfully woven and playfully inventive tale of imperial intrigue, cutthroat competition, and one scholar’s quest to uncover the truth.

Let us fly now to the empire of Orrun, where after twenty-four years of peace, Bersun the Brusque must end his reign. In the dizzying heat of mid-summer, seven contenders compete to replace him. They are exceptional warriors, thinkers, strategists—the best of the best.

Then one of them is murdered. We know who did it. We saw it happen. No one else did.

It falls to Neema Kraa, the emperor’s brilliant, idiosyncratic High Scholar, to find the killer before the trials end. To do so, she must untangle a web of deadly secrets that stretches back generations, all while competing against six warriors with their own dark histories and fierce ambitions. Neema believes she is alone. But we are here to help; all she has to do is let us in.

If she succeeds, she will win the throne. If she fails, death awaits her. But we won’t let that happen.

We are the Raven, and we are magnificent.

©2025 Antonia Hodgson (P)2025 Orbit
Action & Adventure Dark Fantasy Epic Fantasy

What the critics say

"The twists and turns of The Raven Scholar left me breathless. Antonia Hodgson drops us into an elaborately built, gorgeously realized world that I couldn't wait to see more of." —Emery Robin, author of The Stars Undying
"Engrossing and unputdownable...my favorite read of the year. A conflagration of court intrigue, religious folktale, and characters with deliciously murky motivations, The Raven Scholar is a pure delight. Fantasy readers will gobble this down and curse the skies that they don't have the sequel yet." —Bethany Jacobs, author of These Burning Stars
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I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this audiobook. It’s rare for a book this long not to flag at some point but it never did. I was captivated the whole time and the narrator did a phenomenal job of bringing it to life. I hope the rest of the series is as good.

Outstanding

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Thoroughly enjoyed this novel which had me hooked from the beginning. The narration was just wonderful.

Excellent story, perfectly narrated.

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What a wonderful and refreshing tale! A beloved Raven steals the show with his comedic timing along with a mad Fox! Such a delightful story with endearing well developed characters and some truly evil villains!
An incredible performance to boot!

Wonderful!!

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Beautifully written and read and really interesting, I’ve never been more on the edge of my seat!!

Amazing Narration, Amazing Writing and Prose, Absolutely Magnificent on all accounts!!

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One of the best fantasy novels I’ve had the pleasure of reading/listening to. Excellent storytelling, fun and engaging writing, and an incredible narrator. Wish I could listen to it for the first time again. 10/10!!

Fantastic!!

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The story was absorbing, reached depths of sorrow and also managed to bring humor to the mix.

The performance was riviting and absorbing! Excellently executed, and I hope to hear more from her. Excellent story that had me in it's clutches throughout its entirety.

The Raven Scholar - fantastic story

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There was never a dull moment in this book. Every character tugged at my heart. Praise to the underdog!

superb story telling.

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This story has a lot of potential but it reads like the editor gave up after the first chapter. Unfortunately the author writes like a child guessing at how adults live. The main character is defined as being hyper intelligent (they are the high scholar) but never exhibit it. Good narration, very distinct voices.

Not engaging

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