Book Review: The Ravening by Daniel Church

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Ravening by Daniel Church

Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Genre: Horror

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Angry Robot (September 24, 2024)

Length: 400 pages

Author Information: Website | Twitter

I first heard of Daniel Church when I picked up The Hollows a couple years ago, a book which turned out to be a delightfully claustrophobic chiller that’s equal parts terrifying and entertaining. As such, I was very excited to check out The Ravening, his latest psychological horror. However, despite my high hopes, something about it just didn’t fully click. While the story had its moments, as well as some genuinely cool ideas, it still never quite reached its full potential.

That said, one thing The Ravening does right is its killer prologue. The novel opens at night on a desolate stretch of forest road where fifteen-year-old Jenna and her mother are stranded after their car breaks down. While checking the engine for the problem, Jenna’s mother is suddenly and violently snatched away by some monstrous thing in the darkness, leaving behind nothing but the echoes of the woman’s screams. Her daughter, helpless to intervene, witnesses the entire incident and is left traumatized and filled with guilt.

This event would go on to shape the rest of Jenna’s life, casting a long shadow over her adulthood. No one believes what she saw that night, leading to years of ridicule from her peers as well as nasty rumors surrounding her mother’s disappearance. Struggling to cope with the psychological trauma, Jenna found herself unable to move forward or to find her sense of self. Things went from bad to worse following her father’s death, as connecting to other people became more difficult. And finally, of course, there was her fear of the forest, where her mother was swallowed up by the darkness all those years ago.

Yet, just as things in her life were starting to settle with a new girlfriend and a tiny sense of stability, Jenna’s world is rocked again when she finds out she is pregnant by the controlling ex-boyfriend she recently broke up with. Besides being unexpected, this pregnancy is also far from ordinary. Certain parties tied to ancient legends and sinister forces have taken an interest in Jenna and they’re willing to use her for their own purposes, going as far as to hold her captive and cut her off from the outside world.

An intriguing mystery? Check. Supernatural forces at play? Check. Moody, claustrophobic atmosphere? Check. The Ravening delivers on many of the characteristics of a great horror novel, and certainly the first few chapters do a good job setting the stage for a story filled with tension and dread. There was the gripping prologue, and the historical background provided which ties in a legend related to the Knights Templar to boot. The first half of the book had me completely hooked.

So, where did things start to go off track? Personally, I feel it was shortly after Jenna finds herself trapped in the bizarre prison created by her captors. For me, this was when the plot hit its peak before unraveling, becoming more scattered, moving away from its focus on survival, and turning into a repetitive, confusing tangle. The more answers we got, the less impressed I became with the mystery, with the antagonists revealed to be rather shallow, uncomplicated villains with their stereotypical dime-store motives. The Templar legend angle could also have been better leveraged, as I thought the concept behind the otherworldly monster warranted far greater depth than simply serving as another standard creature feature.

In terms of characters, Jenna’s long history of emotional scarring and the impact it had on her relationships felt undeveloped and overly simplified. Church seems to fare better when it comes to writing ensemble casts as he did in The Hollows, but when it comes down to a single protagonist—particular a female lead, in this case—he gives the impression of being out of his depth. There’s a sense of this uncertainty in Jenna’s relationship with her girlfriend Holly, where the supposed strength of their bond doesn’t really come through. You can also catch it sometimes in the stilted logic of Jenna’s inner dialogue and the things she says.

Pros: Daniel Church excels at creating an eerie and oppressive atmosphere, particularly through his use of supernatural elements. The Templar myth angle was also an interesting addition, as was the concept of the monster. Cons: The story lost a lot of its momentum as the mystery dissipated and the plot grew more convoluted. There was also the occasional lack of character depth. Overall, The Ravening is an ambitious entry to the horror genre, though I feel it is weaker than his previous novel, The Hollows. Pacing and character development issues aside though, readers who enjoy paranormal horror exploring psychological trauma and survival may find it worthwhile.