Raven Winter by Susanna Bailey
Jan. 11th, 2026 10:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
She stared down, as fright-frozen as the creature she was holding …
Ever since Billie’s kind and nature-loving dad went to prison, her life has lost its shine. And now, Mam’s new boyfriend has moved in and home is full of sharp-glass silences. Billie’s never felt more alone.
Until one day she discovers an injured young raven and in nursing him back to life, Billie finds friendship, hope and a letter that might bring her one step closer to reuniting with Dad.
Shortly after Billie’s dad went to prison for theft, Billie’s mum made them move away from their cosy home with a garden on the other side of town to a poky flat in a tower block near the town centre. Billie’s mum said that they needed a fresh start away from where people knew what Dad had done but Billie hates their new place.
Partly, this is because like her dad, Billie loves nature and there’s precious little of that where they live now, although there is some woodland called Tanglewood near a playground a short way from their flat where Billie can see blackbirds, ravens and other creatures. Mainly though it’s because of Daniel, a man who her mum met 6 months ago but who’s all mean silences when he’s not shouting and who insists that everything has to be done his way. Billie sees how Daniel’s affected her mum, even if her mum can’t see it herself, and although Billie keeps urging her not to give up on her dad, who is due for release shortly, her mum insists that things are better this way.
In any event despite the move, everyone at Billie’s new school knows what her dad has done and tease her for it. Her old friends don’t bother contacting her any more and she feels lonely, only coming alive when she’s in Tanglewood.
It’s now December.
Billie knows that her dad is due to be released soon. She has a plan that she has to put on hold when she finds an injured young raven in Tanglewood. Keen to nurse the bird back to health, she knows she has to keep it secret from both her mum and especially Daniel, who she knows will hurt the bird if he finds it. But looking after the bird and keeping it secret leads to her making a new potential friend - Nell, who’s an outsider like her and who lives with her nan - while also uncovering secrets that her mum has been keeping, secrets that could lead to her reuniting with her dad …
Susanna Bailey’s richly written, moving standalone novel for readers aged 9+ follows a young girl living in an abusive household who finds hope nursing a sick raven. Bailey uses vivid description to convey Billie’s love of nature and her emotional response to living with a controlling, cruel man. It’s a sophisticated read but done in a way that readers will find easy to understand and I’d check out Bailey’s other books on the strength of it.
Bailey has a real eye and affinity for nature that shines through in this novel. The way in which she shows Billie’s love of nature, contrasting the openness and life of her old life in a house with the grey concrete of the town is well done, as is the way Billie’s memories of her dad and what he’s taught her about nature demonstrates how much she loves and misses him. I also enjoyed the way Bailey shows the friendship that forms between Billie and Bird - the fact that Billie is worried that she is doing wrong by taking him in but also too caring to leave him for cats or the elements to get. Bird has his own character - wild and still an animal - but curious and demanding and gradually devoted to Billie.
Mirroring the relationship between Billie and Bird is the relationship between Billie and her mum. I think that Bailey does a superb job of showing what it’s like to live in a household when you know that your mum’s partner is behaving badly and are desperate for your parent to see it but instead have to deal with them saying it’s all fine. Billie’s mum is at a low ebb, holding onto wanting a sense of normalcy and I think older readers will feel for and understand her situation - her husband has gone to jail for theft, she’s having to deal with the stigma of that while also looking after her daughter and she wants someone to care for her. Daniel is shown as a predator who has taken advantage of this to barge his way into their life, ultimately moving in with them and gradually forcing Billie’s mum to cater to his needs. Bailey makes a good decision in not putting Daniel on the page until quite late on so instead readers experience him through Billie’s memories and emotional response to him.
The third person point of view is well done and Bailey’s descriptions are rich and full. If I’m being picky then there were a couple of points, particularly when it comes to Billie’s inner emotions, where I kinda wanted things pared back a little but that’s a matter of personal taste. I’m also going to be churlish and say that even though we only see Billie’s dad through her eyes, he’s a little too romanticised for my taste and even though we’re told he admitted his guilt, it’s still overly excused and I wanted a little bit of grit in there, if only to explain why Billie’s mum was so keen to move away and move on. Finally, I would have happily had a few more scenes between Billie and Nell to show their developing friendship, if only to make the final quarter of the book more believable where Nell helps Billie in going to find her dad.
My criticisms aside, this is a sensitive and moving book and will be perfect for younger readers who are into nature. There’s also some very helpful links at the end to sites and associations who can help readers who recognise what’s happening in the book from their own lives.
The Verdict:
Susanna Bailey’s richly written, moving standalone novel for readers aged 9+ follows a young girl living in an abusive household who finds hope nursing a sick raven. Bailey uses vivid description to convey Billie’s love of nature and her emotional response to living with a controlling, cruel man. It’s a sophisticated read but done in a way that readers will find easy to understand and I’d check out Bailey’s other books on the strength of it.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
Ever since Billie’s kind and nature-loving dad went to prison, her life has lost its shine. And now, Mam’s new boyfriend has moved in and home is full of sharp-glass silences. Billie’s never felt more alone.
Until one day she discovers an injured young raven and in nursing him back to life, Billie finds friendship, hope and a letter that might bring her one step closer to reuniting with Dad.
Shortly after Billie’s dad went to prison for theft, Billie’s mum made them move away from their cosy home with a garden on the other side of town to a poky flat in a tower block near the town centre. Billie’s mum said that they needed a fresh start away from where people knew what Dad had done but Billie hates their new place.
Partly, this is because like her dad, Billie loves nature and there’s precious little of that where they live now, although there is some woodland called Tanglewood near a playground a short way from their flat where Billie can see blackbirds, ravens and other creatures. Mainly though it’s because of Daniel, a man who her mum met 6 months ago but who’s all mean silences when he’s not shouting and who insists that everything has to be done his way. Billie sees how Daniel’s affected her mum, even if her mum can’t see it herself, and although Billie keeps urging her not to give up on her dad, who is due for release shortly, her mum insists that things are better this way.
In any event despite the move, everyone at Billie’s new school knows what her dad has done and tease her for it. Her old friends don’t bother contacting her any more and she feels lonely, only coming alive when she’s in Tanglewood.
It’s now December.
Billie knows that her dad is due to be released soon. She has a plan that she has to put on hold when she finds an injured young raven in Tanglewood. Keen to nurse the bird back to health, she knows she has to keep it secret from both her mum and especially Daniel, who she knows will hurt the bird if he finds it. But looking after the bird and keeping it secret leads to her making a new potential friend - Nell, who’s an outsider like her and who lives with her nan - while also uncovering secrets that her mum has been keeping, secrets that could lead to her reuniting with her dad …
Susanna Bailey’s richly written, moving standalone novel for readers aged 9+ follows a young girl living in an abusive household who finds hope nursing a sick raven. Bailey uses vivid description to convey Billie’s love of nature and her emotional response to living with a controlling, cruel man. It’s a sophisticated read but done in a way that readers will find easy to understand and I’d check out Bailey’s other books on the strength of it.
Bailey has a real eye and affinity for nature that shines through in this novel. The way in which she shows Billie’s love of nature, contrasting the openness and life of her old life in a house with the grey concrete of the town is well done, as is the way Billie’s memories of her dad and what he’s taught her about nature demonstrates how much she loves and misses him. I also enjoyed the way Bailey shows the friendship that forms between Billie and Bird - the fact that Billie is worried that she is doing wrong by taking him in but also too caring to leave him for cats or the elements to get. Bird has his own character - wild and still an animal - but curious and demanding and gradually devoted to Billie.
Mirroring the relationship between Billie and Bird is the relationship between Billie and her mum. I think that Bailey does a superb job of showing what it’s like to live in a household when you know that your mum’s partner is behaving badly and are desperate for your parent to see it but instead have to deal with them saying it’s all fine. Billie’s mum is at a low ebb, holding onto wanting a sense of normalcy and I think older readers will feel for and understand her situation - her husband has gone to jail for theft, she’s having to deal with the stigma of that while also looking after her daughter and she wants someone to care for her. Daniel is shown as a predator who has taken advantage of this to barge his way into their life, ultimately moving in with them and gradually forcing Billie’s mum to cater to his needs. Bailey makes a good decision in not putting Daniel on the page until quite late on so instead readers experience him through Billie’s memories and emotional response to him.
The third person point of view is well done and Bailey’s descriptions are rich and full. If I’m being picky then there were a couple of points, particularly when it comes to Billie’s inner emotions, where I kinda wanted things pared back a little but that’s a matter of personal taste. I’m also going to be churlish and say that even though we only see Billie’s dad through her eyes, he’s a little too romanticised for my taste and even though we’re told he admitted his guilt, it’s still overly excused and I wanted a little bit of grit in there, if only to explain why Billie’s mum was so keen to move away and move on. Finally, I would have happily had a few more scenes between Billie and Nell to show their developing friendship, if only to make the final quarter of the book more believable where Nell helps Billie in going to find her dad.
My criticisms aside, this is a sensitive and moving book and will be perfect for younger readers who are into nature. There’s also some very helpful links at the end to sites and associations who can help readers who recognise what’s happening in the book from their own lives.
The Verdict:
Susanna Bailey’s richly written, moving standalone novel for readers aged 9+ follows a young girl living in an abusive household who finds hope nursing a sick raven. Bailey uses vivid description to convey Billie’s love of nature and her emotional response to living with a controlling, cruel man. It’s a sophisticated read but done in a way that readers will find easy to understand and I’d check out Bailey’s other books on the strength of it.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
