I have recently completed reading the full Raven series starting with the 'Chronicles of' and the 'Legends of' sets. The Chronicles of the Raven consists of the following books: Dawnthief, Noonshade, and Nightchild. The Legends of the Raven consists of: Elfsorrow, Shadowheart, and Demonstorm.

The stories follow a group of merceneries around their home of Balaia where they are undertake many jobs and tasks to keep their world at peace, and protect their friends, family, and sometimes even their enemies. It is a story based around trust, magic, war, dimensional travel, acceptance of the unknown, and dealing with the unexpected.

There is a real sense of belonging and a closeness within the friendships of The Raven that is quite magical to read - to see how strong bonds of friendship and relationships can be. It also shows that fundamentally it is of the utmost importance, even after survival of your own self, that you have a bond such as this in your life to cling to.

Throughout all six of the books, the story does not just follow a pattern of 'this will happen next'. It is in no way predictable, and there are many twists, turns and shocks along the way. The story is powerfully written, including a dry, witty sense of humour; sex; and the most bloody battles.