The third and final book in The Raventree Society Season trilogy must stand on its own and pay off the ten stories that came before in Season 1 and Season 2. Five segments comprise each Raventree novel, and each of the five is the length of a short novella. All fifteen episodes (as the book details them) across the three novels have a similar structure. They describe an encounter with a deadly spirit in different settings. They also move forward the overall narrative of a family targeted by an evil presence.
In Season One, the reader is introduced to the characters and world of Raventree. The author unfolds five thrilling encounters—each one unique and creepy. In Season Two, we start to learn why these things are happening to our main character, Kyle. Kyle starts to involve others to find a way out of the horrific events happening to him. Season Three starts with terror close to home, forcing Kyle to take his show on the road. Reasoning that ghosts lose power the further away they are from where they draw their energy, he travels to distant locations. The return of a favorite character from Season One, a last-ditch attempt at a way to save himself in New Orleans and Maine, and finally the last haunting encounter comprise this novel.
Again, Purrazzi instills the chills in each segment. The main adversary is more detailed in this collection, giving the antagonist a much larger presence. The one effective person on Kyle’s side is slowly losing leverage. The situation grows more and more desperate with each of the book’s mini-tales. Neither the reader nor Kyle have a clue of how to defeat the spirit at the end. This situation sets the states for a pulse-pounding climax.
Looking back on the entire series, the Raventree Series pulls off fifteen scary stories adeptly. The setup, the building of suspense, and the payoff work across all the tales. Purrazzi’s talent shines in each book.
Raventree as a trilogy is also a successful experiment. The author uses the unique structure to her advantage. Though the reader anticipates what’s coming in most of the stories, the segments still spin a compact horror experience. While all three books would benefit from a one more edit, the writing brings out little details in a prosaic way. For example, the description of Kyle’s figurative divorce of spirit and body in the episode of “Home,” or the depiction of the lingering evil in the last episode. Interesting characters, engaging settings, and a lot of entertainment is packed into each novel.
Does Raventree Season Three live up to its predecessors in terms of a solid horror novel? Yes. Does it bring the trilogy to a satisfactory ending? Again, yes. J.E. Purrazzi’s one-of-a-kind organization of horror novellas not only works, but sets Raventree apart from other ghost stories on the market.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H163HC2
Review of Season 1: Review of The Raventree Society Season One
Review of Season 2: Review of The Raventree Society Season Two