Bunny's Reviews: Jemma and the Raven Review Spotlight

Jemma and the Raven is on tour this week! Be sure to check it out and add it to your TBR!

Jemma and the Raven is the first book in this fantasy series by B.D. Reeves. In this YA Epic fantasy you are going to entire a unique world that will grab you from the beginning. This book will keep you page-turning to the very end as Jemma goes on a quest for answers.

From the beginning, the author immediately draws you into this book with young Jemma scouring the cliffs that are near the place that she calls home. She dreams of a better tomorrow for not just herself, but her Raven friend, Edgar. She's an orphan questing for riches to buy herself a place on a ship to find a new and better home. What she finds on those cliffs is something she doesn't expect, but more than willing to take full advantage of.

I have to admit, reading about her stealing so brazenly from this place she has found had me wanting on a level for her to be caught. Am I wrong for that? LOL! Honestly, it would have made for an interesting storyline to see how she'd have gotten out of the situation. As it is, she has a pretty close call, but with the introduction of a pursuer, the author ups the anty on what is going to happen to young Jemma.

Of course, pay attention to what is going on in this castle she comes across. There is something at work in there that is going to impact not just Jemma but everyone she knows.

This story is truly fascinating and kept me coming back for more. Jemma is an engaging character, and reading as she tries to piece together everything that she is learning and realizing adds to this story's compelling elements. You feel for her as you learn that she was abandoned as a child. But the more you learn the more you question - was she actually abandoned or did something else happen to her parents?

Hoping for more from these characters in the future? Well, the good news is that there will be more from this author about Jemma and her Raven scribe, Edgar. This book absolutely reads like there will be more to come, so it's nice to know that there will be more. I'm looking forward to more of Jemma's adventures in the future.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to the author, B.D. Reeves, and R&R Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book. I look forward to what comes next.

Jemma and the Raven

Publication Date: August 26th, 2023

Genre: YA Epic Fantasy

A girl. A raven. A luminous adventure.

To everyone else, Jemma is nothing but a Wharf-thief. She scavenges for tokens in the wrestling dens and parades along the market lanes with a raven, Edgar, on her shoulder.

But she and Edgar have a secret. In a land where memories fade into the Shadows without the love of a Keeper, they scour the ruins of ancient memory palaces, searching for treasure that will buy them a passage to the great city of Adocentyn.

When Jemma steals a map and a golden blade, she sets in motion a chain of events that will tie her destiny to the survival of all who live in the light of Memory.

Can Jemma defeat the darkness she has unleashed, without losing herself? And who is the voice she hears, guiding her along the way? I am with you. Follow the lights.

Jemma and the Raven is a massive feat of storytelling, a work of fabulous imagination, a fantasy inspired by historical realities. It will convey its readers on an epic journey that will both captivate and exhilarate them. ARNOLD ZABLE, storyteller and novelist. Author of The Watermill, Sea of Many Returns and Cafe Scheherazade.

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About the Author

B. D. Reeves is a Melbourne-based writer who loves to explore hybrid forms in literature. His books combine philosophical, historical and fantastical ideas with magical elements and calls to adventure. His debut YA fantasy novel, Jemma and the Raven, began with a fascination with memory palaces and the Renaissance belief that lands and other realms could be created from memories. He is currently working on the next instalment, along with two other stand-alone novels.

As the child of a diplomat, B. D. Reeves learned the joys of travel from an early age. He once camped in an old shepherd’s hut on a remote Greek island where he discovered the remnants of ancient frescos, the secrets of bees, and the friendship of a goat who followed him wherever he went. He has since adored the concept of animals in fiction.

His eclectic interests have led him to study far and wide. He has completed a Philosophy degree from the Australian National University (ANU), a Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing from RMIT, and a Masters in Educational Research at the University of Melbourne. In 2020 he received the Frieda Cohen award for best research thesis. In 2021 he was shortlisted for the New Philosopher fiction writing awards.

When he is not reading, writing and dreaming, B. D. Reeves teaches philosophy and literature, conducts educational research, and is currently completing his PhD at the University of Melbourne.

A creative at heart, during the lockdowns in Melbourne he rediscovered a long-lost guitar and began writing and producing songs – putting out his first single Liar in December 2020. His EP Contradictions will be released this year.

He lives with his family, two cats (Augustus and Tiberius), and beloved dog, Juno.

B.D. Reeves