The Last Raven: An Urban Fantasy Thriller cover art

The Last Raven: An Urban Fantasy Thriller

Riftborn, Book 1

Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can-listen catalogue of 15K+ audiobooks and podcasts
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Last Raven: An Urban Fantasy Thriller

By: Steve McHugh
Narrated by: Matthew Wolf
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

The peace between the rift and humanity has always been tenuous. It’s up to the Guilds to protect it, removing whomever—or whatever—poses a threat, whether human or rift-fused.

Lucas Rurik used to be part of the Raven Guild. That is, until someone murdered all of its members—except for him.

That was seven years ago. Now, Lucas keeps to himself, avoiding getting too close to anyone lest they become targets themselves. But when one of his oldest friends at the Rift-Crime Unit calls upon him for help with a case that’s already taken down people who mean a lot to him, Lucas can’t resist stepping back into the fray.

Something is killing FBI and RCU agents alike—something unlike anything Lucas has ever seen before, on Earth or in the Rift. Even more concerning, the gruesome assaults seem to be linked to Dr. Callie Mitchell, a depraved and disturbed individual who treats the rift-fused like her own personal lab rats.

And when someone Lucas thought he could trust turns on him, he realizes these killings aren’t just the random attacks of some terrifying new kind of fiend. They’re connected to whoever killed off his Guild all those years ago—and that’s something Lucas just can’t let lie...

Lucas is a riftborn fighter bent on vengeance in this thrilling urban fantasy/detective noir series from the bestselling author of the Hellequin Chronicles.

©2022 Steve McHugh (P)2022 Podium Audio
Crime Thrillers Fantasy Fiction Thriller Thriller & Suspense Crime Paranormal Exciting Suspense

Critic reviews

"McHugh’s pithy prose energizes the narrative, even when there’s no superpower on display, and builds intrigue with gradual reveals of Lucas’ rift-derived skills and backstory. This slick introductory supernatural tale will leave readers eager for a sequel." —Kirkus Reviews

"The Last Raven has the appeal of a great action movie. There is a nice mystery, a compelling lead, strong support, and enough adrenaline to leave you with a pleasant high afterward. . . . Eagerly looking forward to the next installment." —The Cosmic Circus

"If you have a friend who loves both speculative fiction novels and thrillers, this is the perfect gift." —Medium, "10 Chilling Books for Mystery/Thriller Lovers This Winter"

All stars
Most relevant
The usual quality I’ve come to expect from Mr McHugh. The world building was interesting and the characters engaging with something a bit different to the usual mages and wild talents mix in Urban fantasy. This first book works well as a set up for the rest of the series. If I have one criticism it’s the naming of makes and models of items such as cars, watches and guns (though maybe that’s just a personal bugbear - it’s certainly not uncommon in UF). It took a little while to get used to the narrator but he did a fine job.

Good stuff as always

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Another brilliant book from an amazingly talented author, who can whisk you away into fantastic places and place you in the middle of the action.
Bravo Mr McHugh, Bravo

Fantastic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

It took me a while to get into but now I have I am looking forward to the next one .

Hooked but not right away

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Why, oh why, can writers only use a couple of descriptors for talking? She said, he said, they said. It gets very boring. Other than that a good story, but a bit gory for me. I am sure many others will enjoy it.

Good story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

When I read the first Hellequin novel (Crimes Against Magic) I wasn't 100% sold on it. Many books later, I was sad when I found out there would be no more from Nate.

My feelings on this one are similar, but as a huge fan of Steve's work, I can feel this will be a big one too. There were parts of this that I struggled to follow, and I may need to reread it at some point before the next one. I alternated between audiobook and ebook for this which may have played a part in that, due to the narrator sounding almost exactly like the person who voices the Just Eat adverts - he's not a bad narrator, but my mind kept wandering to food :S

There is a good mix of characters in this book, some with powers, and some without. There feels like a lot of similarity between this book and the Hellequin series; for large sections, it does just feel like a continuation of that series. Personally, I see that as a good thing, but if you're looking for something completely different, this probably isn't it right now.

Overall, I believe this series will develop into something as amazing as the Hellaquin series; there is a lot to like from this book, and a lot to look forward to. Can't wait.

Also, on a side note to the reviewer who believes this book (and all recent from the same author) is full of gay/lesbian characters: in a world where people are still not accepted by all for being the person they want to be, I'm sure knowing that there are people shouting that it's okay to be gay provides at least some much-needed and much-deserved self-worth. Try to remember that not everything you read or watch on the telly is aimed solely at yourself.

The Start of Something Good

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews