This truly is an underrated book. The concept of a rare group of people having the ability to do incredible things with ravens is very similar to His Dark Materials, where in that world everyone has their own animal companions. It also can be compared to Harry Potter, where Gabriel is trying to make sure two objects are not given to the antagonist, Corax. I am absolutely confused as to why no one has talked about this series. It is a hidden gem of a book, and you HAVE to read it.