The Seventh Raven, written by David Elliott and illustrated by Rovina Cai, is a young adult novel in verse. Elliott crafted a retelling of a lesser-known Brothers Grimm fairytale, The Seven Ravens. This modern retelling explores April’s journey to save her brothers from a foul fate as their father, in a fit of rage, cursed them to live out their lives as ravens. As the sole poet of this work, Elliott uses a wide variety of poetic forms to create the narrative. The book includes valuable back matter, featuring an author's note with information on the poetic forms assigned to each character as well as how and why Elliott chose them.
The tone of the novel is somber and existential. There is no set rhyme scheme or meter throughout the novel in verse, as the style of the poetry changes with the point of view of the characters. For example, poems from Robyn's perspective are written in two forms: the rondeau, a French form of fifteen lines in which the opening phrase of the first line repeats at lines nine and fifteen, and the English sonnet popularized by Shakespeare. The changing poetic styles and meters create strong voices in the characters and organically introduce sophisticated poetic forms to teens.
While The Seventh Raven is a modern retelling of a fairytale, it still maintains an old-world feeling. This archaic atmosphere, enhanced by Cai's illustrations, is created through anaphora in the narrative poems that feels like a medieval chant driving the story forward: “and the air is a blade/ and the girl is the stone/ on which it is sharpened/ polished and honed/ and snowflakes like pebbles/ the sting as they pelt/ and nothing will give, and nothing will melt.” Paradox, parallelism, and sensory imagery draw the reader into a dark fantasy world where words breathed in anger become reality. Parallelism is used to create rhythm and emphasize a point: "there are no boys / he has no sons,” and "what's said is said / what's done is done." This structure is used to emphasize the finality of the father’s poor choices made out of anger. By rephrasing the same devastating fact (no boys / no sons), the absence feels even larger and more absolute.
Auditory imagery encourages readers to hear Robyn’s life as a raven, as Elliott's word choice, "clamor,” “cacophony,” and “humming,” forces the reader to mentally play the soundtrack of a bustling forest. Alliteration creates its own music throughout the novel: “I consider calming/ music and sweetest harmony the low/ and moving plainsong of the sacred streams, /the a cappella carol of the trees,” adding to the musical quality of Robyn’s voice. Juxtaposition and paradox run through the novel as April leaves her home and discovers the world is not so black and white: “every traveler I meet is a story/ of anguish and joy, rancor and grace,” and describes the betrayed queen with confusion: “she is both old and young, plain and fair.” This existential uncertainty is further highlighted in the untitled narrative poem as April ventures to find a way to save her brothers.
Excerpt:
And hope is a country
Whose shoreline recedes
And hope is a garden
Blooming with weeds
Hope is a journey
Into the night
No guiding star
No comforting light
And hope is a paradox
Cousin to dread
And hope is cool water
And hope is warm bread
Hope is a burden
Unwieldy its load
And hope is a stranger
She meets on the road
To introduce this poem to students, I would embrace the social-emotional connection. Before reading the poem, ask the students, “Is hope always hopeful?” After reading this excerpt aloud, I would start a discussion about the relationship between hope and fear. I would define paradox and introduce how it occurs as the poem claims that hope and dread are "cousins." I would then ask, “Why do you think the poet connected these two opposite emotions? Do you agree that you can't have deep hope without also having a little bit of dread?”
Teens will enjoy The Seventh Raven due to the relatable coming-of-age themes as well as the elements of the immensely popular dark fantasy genre. Themes of sacrifice, family, belonging, and regret run through The Seventh Raven as the father regrets his curse, and the daughter must sacrifice for her brothers. Many young adult readers will love the fantasy aspects paired with the existential battles the characters must face. Overall, this novel in verse is great for poetry-loving teens who will enjoy the varied forms, and for those who enjoy fairytale retellings like Cinder by Marissa Meyer or Disney’s A Twisted Tale Anthology.
Elliott, D. (2021). The seventh raven (R. Cai, Illus.). Clarion Books. 978-0358252115
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