Parents' Guide to

The Raven's Tale

By Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Gripping, dark exploration of famous writer's teen years.

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A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 1 parent review

age 14+

Forevermore regretting the time watsed on this.

I wasted my time reading this book hoping it would go somewhere. It didn't. The historical trivia of the book will not surprise true Poe fans. Nothing new. The story is terrible, and makes no sense. SPOILER: The "plot" centers on Poe's Muse who is kind of a demon, but not. Sort of a ghost, but not. A little human, but not. Another muse appears out of nowhere and then disappears altogether. The Ravens Tale is a lot of pretty words- almost as if the author was trying to channel Poe himself which is a fools errand. But she is not Poe, and never will be. Also- overuse of the words forevermore and nevermore and evermore as though she thinks she's being clever. She's not. Don't waste your time. Just read a Poe biography instead.

This title has:

Educational value

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Fantasy fans who love the dark side will enjoy this chilling exploration of teen Edgar Allan Poe as he struggles with who he is and what inspires him, however macabre it may be. The Raven's Tale is pretty macabre, for sure. Readers who already know and love Poe's work will enjoy this spine-tingling look at what he may have been like before the fame. And those who aren't already familiar with Poe will be intrigued and no doubt spooked by this introduction to one of the horror genre's true masters.

Romance, friendship, family conflicts, and more come into play, too. Lenore, the physical manifestation of Poe's dark muse, is an intriguing way of providing some female perspective on events, and she also provides an effective counterpoint to Poe's development as an artist. Occasionally things slow down or drag out a bit too long for a life story when the outcome is already well known, but things pick up again soon enough. It's thoroughly steeped in the gruesome and the macabre, so squeamish or sensitive readers beware.

Book Details

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