Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle

Starred review from August 18, 2014
Adult author Hagen (The Laments) makes his children's debut with a fantasy adventure touched with whimsy, satire, and the quirky love of urban fauna that characterizes New Yorkers. Gabriel Finley's parents are absent, having disappeared in separate mysterious incidents that his guardian, Aunt Jaz, refuses to discuss. But she does pass along his father's diary, which outlines how Adam Finley became the amicus, or human interlocutor, of a raven named Baldasarre. There's also the matter of Adam's creepy brother, Gabriel's uncle Corax, who likewise disappeared, leaving behind a portrait to loom over Gabriel as he seeks to solve the riddles, literal and figurative, set by ravens, uncle, and missing parents. With an unlikely crew of mismatched Brooklyn schoolmates, Gabriel takes up the mantle of the ancient, bittersweet relationship between humans and ravens in order to untangle the even more twisted relationships between human and human. Though familiar tropes abound, Hagen's sensibility is uniqueâthe desk-wrangling scene is not to be missed. There's a hint of sequels to come, but this quest is more than satisfying on its own. Ages 9â12.

August 15, 2014
Aunt Jaz has always evaded Gabriel's questions about his father's disappearance and won't discuss Uncle Corax (whose unpleasant, bird-of-prey visage hangs among the family portraits in their Brooklyn mansion); then shortly before Gabriel's 12th birthday, she gives him his father's childhood notebook, which reveals the magical bond between humans and ravens. Simultaneously, Paladin, a raven chick being raised by his mother nearby, learns that Gabriel's family, like his own, possesses the rare ability to communicate across species and that when a human and raven form a close amicus bond, the two can join together in one body, human or raven. Paladin's mother explains how riddles-funny ones, especially-which ravens love, protect them from their ancient enemies, valravens, avian ghouls whose inability to appreciate riddles gives them away. The first valraven, Huginn, born a raven like his brother, Muninn, sought immortality from a cursed, magical torc that promised him eternal life if he consumed the flesh of his dead amicus. Now Valravens seek the torc again while Gabriel and Paladin-supported and hindered by a cast of quirky characters, male and female, human and avian-vow to stop them and rescue Gabriel's father from the underground city of Aviopolis. Hagen's first children's book, flavored with Norse mythology, is brimful of antic energy and inventive flair, like the best middle-grade fantasies; readers, like baby birds, will devour it and clamor for future installments. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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Starred review from September 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-Gabriel Finley loves riddles. His father taught him one every day; every day, that is, until he disappeared. For three years Gabriel's father has been missing and his father's somewhat dotty but loving sister is taking care of Gabriel. Ravens also love riddles. They use riddles to distinguish themselves from valravens-evil birds who never laugh, who eat human flesh, and who turned humankind away from friendship with ravens. On Gabriel's 12th birthday, his aunt gives him his father's diary and he discovers that his father was an amicus, someone who could merge with a raven and fly through the sky. He also discovers that his father's older brother, Corax, was also an amicus who turned evil and disappeared. Soon after, Gabriel rescues a baby raven and discovers that he, too, is an amicus. The raven, Paladin, tells Gabriel that they must find an object called a torc, which can grant any wish, before Gabriel's Uncle Corax does. The titular character, along with Paladin; Septimus, a former inmate who knows his father; and three school friends, sets out to rescue of his father and, in essence, save the world. Hagen has crafted a tale that contains riddles, magic, courage, loyalty, and compassion in a way that is sure to engage readers. Gabriel inhabits a dark world where friendship is the guiding light and differences are respected and valued. This is a great read for fantasy lovers who have worn out their copies of "Harry Potter." The ending suggests that more is to come, and more will be welcome.-Kathy Kirchoefer, Henderson County Public Library, NC

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2014
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Gabriel Finley has lived in his Brooklyn brownstone with his aunt since his father disappeared several years earlier. His mother has been gone since he was a baby. The thing he enjoys most is solving riddles, unaware that this skill will be essential when it comes to finding his father. Adult novelist Hagen offers a first-rate fantasy for middle-grade readers that pulls elements from other great stories. Like Harry Potter, Gabriel must use all his wits to secure two magical objects from a dark lord, his evil uncle Corax, who is part human, part raven. Like Lyra in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, Gabriel has a daemon, the young raven Paladin, with whom his life is intertwined. And like Reynie in Trenton Lee Stewart's Mysterious Benedict Society books, Gabriel surrounds himself with a group of offbeat friends who each have their own problems to solve. Yet this story, told from several points of view, is fresh: full of ravens, riddles, and the ongoing urge to make things right in a world where much has gone wrong. Though the narrative is a bit choppy in places, the characters carry the day, with their humor and strength. Humor is, in fact, one of the book's selling points, often in the form of the characters' witty repartee. Middle-graders looking for a soaring fantasy that's not too hard, not too easy, will find this just right.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2015
When Gabriel adopts an orphaned raven, Paladin, he discovers the secret powers that connect them. He and new friend Abby start to unpack the riddles that haunt his past, involving Gabriel's uncle Corax and the subterranean city Aviolopis where evil half-dead ravens rule. The world-building and narrative tension are solid, fairly fresh, and rich, forgiving the obvious plot and slightly cardboard characters.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2014
Gabriel has lived with his aunt Jaz in Brooklyn ever since his father mysteriously disappeared, years ago. When he adopts an orphaned raven named Paladin and discovers the secret powers that connect them, he and his cunning new friend Abby start to unpack the strange riddles that haunt his past, involving his uncle Corax and the subterranean city Aviolopis where evil half-dead ravens rule. Hagen's first book for children has all the tried-and-true tricks -- owls, magical furniture, sidekicks, two-dimensional adults who are variously annoying, evil, or ineffectual, and lots of riddles and secret passages -- and the world-building and narrative tension are solid, fairly fresh, and rich enough to please the sophisticated middle-grade reader. This reader will also likely forgive the obvious plot and slightly cardboard characters, indicative of an author for adults trying to pitch to a young audience and lobbing a little too low. The riddles and puzzlelike structure of the story redeem its shortcomings and make this a book likely to be talked about and passed along. nina lindsay

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)