Raven [Hardcover]

Allison van Diepen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2009

Zin dances with fire in every step, speaks in a honey-sweet voice, and sees with eyes that can peer into your soul. Nicole's friendship with him is the only thing that saves her from the boredom of school and the turmoil of her family life. It's no wonder she is madly in love with him. But she can't understand why he keeps her at a distance, even though she can feel his soul reaching out for hers.

Zin is like no man Nicole has ever met, and he carries with him a very old secret. When Nicole uncovers the truth, her love may be the only thing that can save him from it.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up—Nicole, a high school senior, falls in love with Zin the first time she sees him dance at a New York City club. But Zin is keeping a terrible secret, one that won't allow him to love her, or any mortal, for he is a Jiang Shi, one of a select few who have survived for centuries by absorbing the souls of the dying. So now Nicole must decide whether to be turned or to live out her mortal life. But immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be. And even the Jiang Shi have enemies. The romantic tension builds steadily as Nic's soulful relationship with Zin gains momentum and she is confronted with the startling realities of his existence. Peppered with sometimes strong language and vivid descriptions of the moves performed by the Toprocks (the break-dancing group to which she and Zin both belong), Nic's narration is believable, honest, and riveting. This darkly compelling read will find a niche with teens who like their fantasy well seasoned with the gritty reality of life, from the glitzy flash of the club scene to the darker, crueler side of survival on the streets.—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK
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About the Author

Allison van Diepen is a teacher in Ottawa, Canada. She is the author of Street Pharm, Snitch, and Raven, all published with Simon Pulse. Visit her at www.allisonvandiepen.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416978992
• ISBN-13: 978-1416978992
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #824,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystic Marvelous, February 17, 2009

By 

Sora Hikaru "Michelle" (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raven (Hardcover)

Nicole has been in love with Zin since the first time she saw him dance. There is something about him that pulls her deeper and deeper into his soul. It's in the way he moves, the way he talks and the way he can be everything without saying anything at all. He is the one who makes her feel safe and normal when her life is anything but. When her addict brother causes trouble, Zin eases her pain. He has even inspired her to do some dancing of her own. As close as they are, they have only been friends. This is fine with Nicole because she needs to be near him and it is obvious that Zin needs to be near her. Zin believes in Nicole. Nicole loves Zin.

Sometimes, things that seem too good to be true, truly are. There has always been something that keeps Zin from completely giving himself to Nicole. When she gets a job in the nightclub where Zin works, she will learn that there is a dark secret that binds the other employees together. Nicole will find out about Zin's past and discover that it goes back much farther than she expected. The burden of this secret is dangerous but it brings them together. They will have to decide if their love and passion are more important than the consequences of eternity or if maybe, they are one and the same.

Raven is one of those books that you don't quite know what to expect from, but it will leave you breathless. The story is dark, mesmerizing, mystical and romantic. You will feel an attachment to each character, no matter how small a part they play. This is one book I will remember, evermore.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Read, February 10, 2009

By 

Shelly (Delaware, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raven (Hardcover)

I was very pleased with "Raven". I didn't really know what to expect from this new release by Diepen, but when I picked up "Raven" and started reading I was instantly sucked into the world of Nicole.

The author did an excellent job of weaving together elements of urban life, fantasy, family, and love. Nicole is a teenager whose passion is break dancing with her friends. She lives in the city and frequents a club called Evermore where one of her break dancing buddies, and long time crush, Zin works. At home things are a bit stressful. Nicole's brother, John, has become addicted to drugs and it's tearing her family apart. He still calls home to demand money from his parents, and Nicole blames him for the destruction of her home life. When Nicole starts to work at Evermore with Zin on the weekends she starts to make some discoveries that change her perspective on the world.

I was so happy to read through such a fun well written adventure. The romance plot is done very well, and I love that the reader can really see why these characters are interested in each other. I have never known much about break dancing, but Diepen writes about it in a way that anyone can understand and enjoy. There were definitely moments of suspense and surprise. Basically this book had all of the elements you look for in a young adult paranormal urban fantasy novel. Kick back, relax, and have fun.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Paranormal Romeo and Juliet could have been better (Some spoilers), May 24, 2009

By 

Leah "book fanatic/ film enthusiast" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raven (Hardcover)

I enjoy YA fiction even though I'm in my mid-twenties, but there were times when I had to put this book down and remind myself to be patient with Nicole's, the narrator, thoughts and feelings. Yet there were also times when I found myself reminiscing about my life as a teenager, which now seems hundreds of years gone. Author Allison van Diepen does a remarkable job of capturing the emotions and fears of a girl who's home life is anything but pleasant and her deep feelings for her best friend who's more then he seems.

Nicole has been in love with Zin for a few years. He's her escape when she wants to be away from her troubled home and thoughts of her druggie brother. She gets in to break dancing because of him and even gets a job at the bar where he works.

I will focus on the parts which struck me. First, I liked the choppy writing style. It goes well with modern teenagers' ways of telling stories (when they want to) and reads like chunks of a diary, the parts she wants you to read. The only thing that bothered me was that Nicole would tell the reader, "I was starting to get freaked out" or "I was really bummed." I wanted to see these parts, her fear and her disappointment, rather than be told she was.

The relationship between Nicole and her best friend/love Zin wasn't very realistic. I liked the fact that he helped her out of her turmoil by introducing her to dancing, but I didn't see the fire Nicole would always mention was between them. They were good as friends only. Also, her other friends and her co-workers were very one dimensional. The head of the club, Carlo, felt like one of those overly mysterious villains from the old noir films, always lurking in the shadows and speaking in cryptic messages.

When Zin finally confesses his secret, that he is in fact an immortal who stays alive by consuming souls, Nicole wants to cut off all contact with him, but through a series of events she finds herself interacting with him again and her infatuation grows. She is in awe that he "helps people" and begins to think that if she joins him they can be together forever. This is where Nicole began to remind me of Bella Swan from "Twilight," who is my most un-favorite character ever written. But instead of diving head first into her decision, Nicole actually takes the time to reason the pros and cons of what it means to become what Zin is. Smart girl. Of course she believes that she wants to stay with Zin forever, but what if she falls out of love with him? Forever is a very long time to be with someone.

The descriptions of dancing, of which Nicole is an enthusiast, are fun but you have to know the steps to be able to picture them. And they never explained what happened with her parents after her brother left.

But this story is a decent read in spite of the shortcomings. I like the fact that Nicole takes the time to come up with her theories on immortality even though she forgives Carlo for saving her brother even though she said no. She also matures when she realizes that she has been using Zin as a crutch to escape her life instead of facing her problems head on.

Not a strong story; it had some good ideas but didn't live up to its potential.