The Raven carried me through a particularly rough case of COVID. My fever was so high, a blood vessel burst in my sinus cavity. I gazed at my blood-spattered reflection and thought, “Being a vampyre sure would be gnarly. Still, I wish the Prince were real! He’d save me from this mess.”

You see, not only was I tired of shuffling around the house with COVID, I’ve daydreamed about what it might be like to wake up thin and beautiful, as main character Raven does in this novel. I see myself in Raven; I know her struggles with low self-worth. Yet despite her insecurities, Raven is a strong character, fully-formed, with a heart of gold. She defends a homeless man from three assailants, who then corner her in an alleyway and nearly beat her to death. William, the vampyre Prince of Florence, saves Raven’s life, by administering a transfusion of ancient vampyre blood. This transfusion slims her body and heals her injured leg. Some readers might struggle with her transformation—viewing it as the kind of wish fulfillment that contributes to low self-esteem in women and girls—but it’s temporary, and Raven declines a second transfusion. It is her scrappy nature, her selflessness, and her sense of justice that truly makes her shine. Though William does find her eyes and her body beautiful, which lifts my heart. I want more smart romance novels in which the hero genuinely worships the plus-sized heroine’s form, instead of learning to look past it.

William is unsure and a little clueless about human women. I think it’s cute he asks Raven, “Will you watch [The Godfather and Casablanca] with me?”, as though he’s afraid she might say no. The book ends on an ominous note of old Hollywood horror: William is a creature of the night, and he gives Raven a gift that chills her to the bone. I want a Happily Ever After for this couple, but is it even possible? William isn’t sure he can love, and Raven suffers from complex PTSD and pushes him away.

(I should note the Machiavellian vampyre politics in this book make for an excellent story. I’d also recommend the book for anyone who watches shows like Fake or Fortune and wishes they could become an art restorer. The Raven is a fascinating glimpse into the world of museums and art theft. I only focus on William and Raven in my review because I’m a sap and adore both characters. My heart twists when William says, “If I were capable of loving anyone, it would be you.”)

Edit, 2023: I just finished listening to the incredible audiobook. I’ve realized I conflated the end of The Raven with the beginning of The Shadow. (In my defense: COVID.) I’ve never been an audiobook girl, but I couldn’t wait to end each day listening to The Raven. I picked up on so much that escaped my notice during my Nook read: how Raven is Psyche and Beauty, how William is Cupid and The Beast, how the villa is The Beast’s castle. (Complete with a library!) When Raven sneaks down the stairs and into William’s art room, it hit me how much she’s like Belle. I appreciate that a plus-sized, disabled woman is an incarnation of (outer and inner) Beauty. I identify with Raven more than any other heroine.

And on that note, I’m beyond psyched for The Prince’s cameo in Passionflix’s adaptation of Gabriel’s Redemption, Part II!