When the Beast Ravens [Hardcover]

E. Rose Sabin (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

The thrilling conclusion to the award-winning fantasy trilogy that began with A School for Sorcery...
As Gray Becq is about to discover, there are fates worse than death. It has been a full year since his escape from the Dire Realm. A year since a fellow student--having used his powers of sorcery to league himself with dark forces--betrayed him. Locked him away in a world beyond time, a world of unspeakable evil and unbearable tortures. Had it not been for Tria Tesserell and her extraordinary powers, he surely would have died. Now he almost wishes he had.
For no sooner has Becq adjusted himself to the familiar surroundings of The Lesley Simonton School for the Magically Gifted than a series of horrible accidents occur. Suspicion falls on Gray. Could he have brought a demon back with him from the Dire Realm? To find the truth, Gray will have to confront the most powerful demon he has ever faced: the demon that lies within.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-The trilogy that began with A School for Sorcery (2002) and continued in A Perilous Power (2004, both Tor) sloshes to a roiling, melodramatic conclusion in this book. Gray Becq, who was trapped in the infernal Dire Realm in the first book, has returned to the Lesley Simonton School for the Magically Gifted, but he cannot shake the terror he has experienced. Soon after the new school year starts, a student is brutally attacked and nearly killed, and suspicion falls on moody, irritable Gray. Could he have brought back a demon from the Dire Realm? Fellow student Rehanne, who loves him, can't believe he's guilty, and she searches for the culprit. More students are assaulted, several die, and it grows clear that still others are hiding secrets that may reveal the killer's identity. This book will appeal to many Harry Potter fans; spells fly, and readers watch young men and women grapple with new powers they're discovering in the midst of crisis. However, Sabin lacks J. K. Rowling's ability to make one truly care about her student magicians, as well as her sense of humor. As a whole, this trilogy doesn't hang together well; there's no central character and no grand design to the story line. Diana Wynne Jones's witty "Chrestomanci" books (HarperCollins) are better choices for those building fantasy collections.-Walter Minkel, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The riveting conclusion of Sabin's unconventionally published fantasy trilogy (the earliest-set book, A Perilous Power (2003), was published after its chronological successor) turns to the school year succeeding the one that A School for Sorcery (2002) chronicled. The pace is fast and furious as messy murders occur on campus. Tria's manipulative former roommate, Lina, who has the talent to shape-shift into a panther, is suspected, and so is Oryon, who turned to the dark side in School, and Gray Becq, who still hasn't recovered from the horrors of betrayal by Oryon and captivity in the Dire Realm, and who possibly brought a demon back with him. Suspicions blossom throughout the school for the magically gifted as faculty and students try to get to the bottom of the mystery. Can the students unite to uncover the culprit and defeat the demons that have entered from the Dire Realm? Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (December 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765308584
• ISBN-13: 978-0765308580
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,204,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

E. Rose Sabin lives with her two dogs, Juliet and Kira, in Pinellas County, Florida, where she was reared and where for many years she taught Spanish, first in middle school and later on the junior college level. Her teaching career provided the inspiration for her first published book, A School for Sorcery. A life-long lover of books and reading, she now devotes her time very happily to writing fantasy and science fiction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars When the plot unravels, January 13, 2006

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When the Beast Ravens (Hardcover)

E. Rose Sabin's fantasy trilogy spins to a fast-paced, unsatisfying finale in "When the Beast Ravens." It starts with a suspenseful murder mystery and some serious personal issues, but unravels in the final chapter, as if Sabin had gotten sick of the story.

It's been two years since Gray Becq was kidnapped and enspelled in the Dire Realms. He returns to the Lesley Simonton School for the Magically Gifted, but can't shake his paranoia and fear. And then odd things happen: wands and talismans go missing, and rooms are ripped up. Then a student is near-fatally attacked.

As more students die and the mystery deepens, Gray gets more moody and erratic, and even has lapses in memory. Did he bring a demon back from the Dire Realms? To find the answer -- and the murderer -- Gray must team up with the two powerful young Gifted who almost destroyed the school two years ago...

Though there are a few references to the prequel, this book mainly stems from "A School for Sorcery," a sort of wizard-high-school book. Sabin's writing has improved greatly, and this is tighter, tenser story with plenty of potential. But the ending just sort of putters to a stop.

The first nine-tenths of the book are exceptional. Sabin spins together fantasy -- demons, spells and shapeshifters -- with a compelling murder mystery. Additionally, panther-girl Lina gets captured and interrogated by some nasty police who hate the Gifted. Some truly great storylines, especially Gray being forced to trust and care for his nemesis Oryon, and some of them blossom over the course of the book.

Unfortunately, the solid storyline unravels by the end. After some truly touching, moving scenes, we're treated to a silly trial scene that includes the dead accusing their murderer. All I could think of was "bring out your dead." The final pages seem tacked on, and Gray's final decision seems completely out of the blue.

If "When the Beast Ravens" is the end of E. Rose Sabin's trilogy, then it shouldn't be one. Starts strong, continues strong, and finishes very, very weakly. Here's hoping that Gray's story isn't over yet.

5.0 out of 5 stars delightful trilogy for Harry Potter fans, January 6, 2005

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Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When the Beast Ravens (Hardcover)

After being taken by the dire women into their dimension, he was tortured and changed into a beast. Gray Becq is no longer enamored with the Lesley Simonton School for the Magically Gifted though he returns there following his summer vacation. He quickly gets into a fight with two of the people who summoned the creatures from the Dire Realms.

Not long after somebody steals artifacts from the students and a demon enters this world. The Headmistress believes that Gray's return from the Dire Realm allowed the demon to enter this dimension. The concern is that they have no spell to send the demon home to the Dire Realm. The students are guarded with seemingly unbreakable spells, but someone manages to do the impossible. Everyone concludes that a killer is bringing in demons from the Dire Realm and using them to break the safety spells. Gray discovers that he hasthe power to travel through different timelines and dimensions. His former enemies join forces with him to battle their common foes and send the demons back to the hell where they belong.

This is the final book of a delightful trilogy that ties up the loose ends from A SCHOOL FOR SORCERY and A PERILOUS POWER, which obviously means reading the previous novels first. The climax is awesome as the students put aside their jealousies to forge a team knowing this is the only chance, remote as that is, to defeat the overwhelming adversaries. Fans of Harry Potter will enjoy this fine series especially this terrific conclusion.

Harriet Klausner