I am Raven

I jumped at the chance to have a review copy of this book from NetGalley as I had enjoyed the first book - I am Wolf - so much. Also I needed to know what happened next to Coll, Brann, Rijeka, Fillian and not forgetting Kevin!
It was a pleasure to return to this superbly described world of giant mechanical yet sentient constructs and their crews. Just as exciting as I am Wolf, this book takes us further in to the backstory of Brann of Raven; answering questions but also provoking new ones. More about their world is revealed and the story is expanded to encompass the High Constructs of this land. The sci-fi elements were tantalisingly disclosed and brought to mind many classic elements from books and screen.
I don’t want to give any spoilers but suffice to say that within this book there is action, battles, friendship, discoveries, lots to be revealed and it will leave you wanting more! Luckily there will be more… I am Dragon! We only have to wait.

Having loved I Am Wolf, I was really looking forward to this one and I was not disappointed. All the action and character building from Wolf is fed into the second book, and then some. The superb world building that happened in the first book was built upon and enhanced. In addition, the character development continued apace. Whilst Wolf focussed mainly of Coll. In I am Raven we delve deeper into to the character of Brann, and also Reika. There are some unexpected twists and turns as the Cub construct and crew continue to search for answers … and find more problems.
The theme of emotions (specifically fear) is explored in depth here as is a common theme in a lot of Chisholm’s books, technology “gone wrong”.
The book is very fast paced and an excellent read. I am already looking forward to book 3.

Having seemingly defeated Dragon, the crew of Cub are plunged deeper into the mysteries that emerged in the first book. Why has Dragon become so powerful? What has happened to the Raven crew?

It was a treat to revisit the world of Coll, Brann, Reika and Fillan. I loved I Am Wolf and its sequel was every bit as good. Chisholm's world building is always impeccable (Orion Lost is my sci-fi gateway book of choice to recommend to students) and I Am Raven is no exception. More backstory is revealed, giving the reader an insight into how the world of the constructs came to be. I cannot wait for We Are Dragon. Highly recommended.

Instantly readable. Despite the complexity of the world created, this is hugely gripping. I came to it having not read I Am Wolf and was inspired to go back to read this title to appreciate the back story even more than that offered here. I would recommend reading the series in order, however, as I think it is easier to appreciate the mysteries building with this approach. There is a Mortal Engines quality to this but I found it even better with greater connection to characters. Some profound questions emerge too, perfect for the classroom and the book group,

I thought this was absolutely brilliant - 5*

I only read I Am Wolf a couple of weeks ago but really enjoyed it and was looking forward to continuing the series. I was therefore delighted when I saw that NetGalley and Nosy Crow were offering eARCs of the next book.

Personally, I enjoyed this book more than the first as there was more worldbuilding and it answered some of the questions and dealt with theories I had after reading I Am Wolf. There are still a fair few battles but there was more of a focus on internal than external struggle in this book. However, if it was the action which appealed to you in I Am Wolf, there is still plenty of that in I Am Raven.

I loved getting to know more about Brann and Rieka, as well as the newly introduced characters, Constructs and their territories. The reveal about the origins of the Constructs was wonderfully done, especially the deft touches like the differences between Kevin the Ant and his ancestors.

The reveal of the antagonist was really interesting. I had predicted some of what was revealed but it also went in a slightly different direction to what I was expecting. Although. looking back now. I can see the clues were there.

The pacing was good and, as with I Am Wolf, I raced through the book. It did become apparent that not everything would be dealt with in this book as there weren't enough pages left. However I was relieved to see that the third book, We Are Dragon, is already titled. Now just to wait patiently for it's release . . .