Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle

3.25 Stars
An appropriate book for middle-grades readers who like quests, riddles, and birds. It's light-hearted and has an intriguing plot, but sometimes the story drags. The characters are of a typical, hodgepodge variety, but satisfactory and familiar. The book may appeal to girls and boys since the main group of characters includes both sexes. Lots of potential and ends with the possibility of a sequel.

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"Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle" is a clever, engaging read. It's well written and has a very unique premise. That being said, I was disturbed by the raven "cannibalism" as it were - it just grossed me out. (Maybe my imagination is too vivid?)

I was also struck by how little we are told about Abby's family. Gabriel, Somes, and Pamela and their family units (such as they are) all have fairly significant presences in the book - but there's nothing until the end on Abby ... and her "two moms". (Which also was not something I was expecting; I actually flipped through the rest of the book to see if I'd overlooked it.) The author has a prerogative to write any family type he wants, but I was sad he chose to go that direction for her show more (though maybe it's good that element was only a blip compared to the rest of the plot).

I received a free copy of the book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own. show less

Gabriel's mother disappeared when he was very young, and his father disappeared three years ago. And then there's his uncle Corax, who disappeared years before Gabriel was even born. That's a lot of disappearances for one family! But despite all of those mysterious disappearances, Gabriel lives a pretty normal life in his Aunt Jasmine's brownstone in Brooklyn. One day Gabriel asks his Aunt Jaz to tell him more about his father's disappearance -- a request he's made many times before -- and this time, she complies by giving him a small book. It is, in fact, his father's diary, and through it Gabriel learns many fantastical facts about his family, riddles, ravens, a valuable object, and a dangerous enemy. Gabriel is about to embark on the show more greatest adventure of his life . . . and it all starts when he rescues an orphaned baby raven named Paladin.

I've seen this book pitched as the next Harry Potter. Well, it's not that, but it is an enjoyable read that will appeal to the same fan base. If anything, I'd say it's the next Gregor the Overlander. I'll probably continue reading the series, and I'll certainly recommend it to fans of juvenile fantasy. show less

Gabriel Finley is a near orphan...his mother is presumed dead and his father has been missing for three years. He lives with his dad's sister, who assures Gabriel his father will return eventually, but otherwise, gives him very little information. As Gabriel nears the age of 12, lots of things begin to happen at once. He learns more about his grandfather, uncle, and father, and their special relationship with ravens.

It seems that long ago, ravens and humans communicated freely. In more recent times, his grandfather and his sons each had particular ravens that they had formed close bonds with and could communicate telepathically. They even had the ability to share one another's physical body from time to time, meaning that they could show more protect one another when they were in the presence of an enemy of either humans or ravens.

Early in the story, Gabriel rescues a young raven named Paladin. Gabriel discovers that not all ravens are of good character. Some have become valravens, meaning they eat human or raven flesh. The valravens are immortal and serve the demon master of the Bird World, located far below the city where Gabriel lives. Gabriel and Paladin soon discover that they can understand one another's thoughts. Paladin shares lore from the raven world that sheds light on what might have happened to Gabriel's father and his uncle.

Gabriel remembers his father and how much he emphasized analyzing riddles for hidden meanings. Turns out riddles are the key to distinguishing ravens and valravens, and Gabriel has learned the lessons well. The author George Hagen uses riddles and puns which I think should appeal to the middle school reader, not to mention the reluctant reader, many of whom should enjoy working out the riddle before reading what the solution is.

Gabriel, some of his school friends and Paladin have a grand though somewhat scary adventure in pursuit of his missing father. Not every adult in the story is reliable, in fact, several are trying to outsmart Gabriel and take the treasure that Gabriel must use to rescue his father. But as the riddles have predicted, if Gabriel makes unselfish choices, he will be able to rescue his father....but those choices are not easy to make.

I received an ebook from Netgalley and recommend the book for middle school readers and others who will enjoy this fast-paced magical fantasy. show less

What a delightfully fun book! Filled with adventure, legends, evil vs. good, villains, quests and young heroes, this book is a great read for both guys and gals.

Gabriel Finley's world was a normal human world just like yours and mine (almost). There was really nothing extraordinary about it at all (that he knew of). Gabriel lived with his Aunt Jasmine in a classic old brownstone house in Brooklyn. It had belonged to his grandparents and was filled with odd-looking furniture and pictures of odd-looking ancestors, including a creepy picture of his Uncle Corax. Gabriel didn't remember his mother because she disappeared when he was very little. But he remembered his father very well. He had only gone missing three years ago, leaving behind show more a mysterious note Gabriel's Aunt Jaz had found. He and his friends walked to school every day. Gabriel wasn't exactly hero material. He was even bullied once in awhile at school. He had no special talents except for one...he loved riddles. It was something he had in common with his father, who always said riddles were good for the mind.

It was one of those normal days where Gabriel was trying to get more information about his father's disappearance from his Aunt Jaz when she finally relented and gave him his father's diary, called the Book of Ravens. Reading it was an eye opener because it related an experience his father had when he was Gabriel's age. Unknown to most humans of the day, ravens and humans had a history together. At one time, they were close friends. They spoke together as equals. Ravens sang lullabies to their friends' babies and accompanied their amicus everywhere. They even went to war and served as look-outs.

But then something horrible happened to change the camaraderie to fear. It started with one bad raven who recruited other ravens to the same evil fate he suffered through temptations to become like him. Since then, there have been two types of ravens, the good ones and the evil ones. The evil ravens, called valravens were doomed to eternal torment and inner coldness, unable to die. To tell them apart, ravens would ask a strange raven a riddle. If the unknown raven laughed, he was accepted. Valravens never laughed. Their world was miserable, dark and humorless.

Most of what he read didn't seem real to Gabriel until one day a raven chick asked him a riddle and he answered it. Then its next cryptic statement brought to focus all he learned in this father's diary, "Corax must not find the torc." It seemed the young bird, Paladin, Gabriel and his friends were destined for a long and dangerous adventure.

As a parent, an elementary teacher, a tutor, and a special education teacher, I know this would be a book that would appeal to most boys and girls and young teens. It begins with humorous adventures as we become acquainted with Gabriel, Abby, Pamela and Soams. Then the story moves more into the fantasy arena when the young people begin to interact with ravens and those who befriend the ravens. Finally, we catch a glimpse of a grander scheme--the quest to keep a valuable and deadly item, the torc, out of the hands of Evil, and the rescue of Gabriel's father. The story moves from light and entertaining to more serious and intense activity. There is darkness, but never despair and hopelessness. The story moves along at a quick pace, and tension intensifies in the final third of the book. I would recommend this adventure for fourth graders up to young adults, although I enjoyed it myself. The caveat I have to mention is that the valravens are referred to as ghouls and they do participate in some ghoulish behavior. This may disturb more sensitive readers. However, there is no crude or lude language, no swearing or major moral complications. It is a great epic adventure.

In fact, Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle is a book with potential, in my opinion, to become a classic piece of literature. Not only does it read like a classic, I believe this book would make a wonderful children's cartoon movie. In its sweeping epic theme, we find the time-honored clash between good and evil, opportunities for young heroes to rise up and save the world, and a classic scary villain. There are world shattering stakes involved and lots of adventure, magic, and character building events. All the right elements are present. The scope of the story reminds me of the movie, "The Legend of the Guardians." I think this tale could become a similar type of movie.

By the way the latter part of the book discussed issues between Gabriel and his father, it seems to me that there will be more books to follow this one in a series. If that's true, I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from NetGalley, on behalf of Random House Children's Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” show less

George Hagen does a masterful job of writing an interesting story while integrating riddles into this action packed middle-grade work of fiction. Designed to appeal to readers who enjoy wordplay and word puzzles, this book does a great job of keeping the reader's interest in the characters and plot as Gabriel seeks to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance.

An example of one cleverly written passage includes the Chasm of Doubt which the children must cross in order to rescue Gabriel's father. Each child is plagued by a unique set of doubts and must figure out how to overcome these in order to make it successfully across the chasm. The book is full of great wordplay and lessons for children of all ages.

Gabriel Finley loves riddles because of his father. Ever since his dad went missing, Gabriel has lived with his aunt, but wishes for his dad to return. For his twelfth birthday, he receives his father's childhood journal. In it, Gabriel learns about the connection some humans have with ravens. He's amazed by what he reads, and discovers this relationship runs in his family. A baby raven, named Paladin, becomes Gabriel's amicus (like a familiar). Together they must embark on a journey to rescue Gabriel's father from the evil Corax and the valravens (cruel birds) that have him locked away. In order to save his father, an old and dangerous treasure called a torc must be located. This leads them to meet some interesting companions, who show more windup joining the quest. They'll have to find an entrance to an underground city and answer riddles to pass a gatekeeper. Will the group be able to answer the riddles or will their words fail? Is Gabriel's father still alive? Can the Corax be defeated on his turf? You'll have to read the book to find out!

I read Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle by George Hagen because I love trying to solve riddles, so the title pulled me in. The book includes a lot of riddles, so make sure you put on your thinking cap. Gabriel is a kind character who treats others fairly. I really liked his friend, Abby, and his Amicus, Paladin. I thought it was interesting to read a book with characters that had such a strong connection to ravens. I worried throughout the book, because Gabriel seemed to be very trusting of others, even when they hadn't proven themselves worthy. This story will appeal to people who enjoy fantasy, plus a little danger. A great read for those in fourth grade and up! The book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, so thank goodness the second book is out. I look forward to reading it (I just hope it doesn't end on a cliffhanger too). show less