Raven Darling has always had a dream of traveling around the world. A few days after her college graduation, she announced she was leaving in three days for a year-long adventure. This story begins three years later, as she is still traveling and now has arrived in Tokyo. Her desire to learn Japanese was strong and her plan to stay in the city for three months made it a viable goal. Upon her arrival at the near-empty hostel, she received a message from her ex-fiance, Ian, who lived in London. Although filled with mixed emotions, she forged ahead with her plans to study the language, make new friends and enjoy her time in the large city. In The Adventures of Raven Darling: Lessons Learned in Tokyo, written by Lára Dawn Michelsen, Raven’s problems multiply as she makes some misguided decisions.

This book is a quick read and engages the reader from the first page to the last. It illustrates the challenges for young people who decide to have a traveling adventure. The emotional side of Raven’s dream is varied and rich in detail, as she makes decisions damaging to her lifelong friendships back home, walking away from an engagement and making temporary relationships. There are many other characters in the story, including her family members, her ex-fiance and new friends, of both sexes, found in Tokyo. Each character is well described and can easily be pictured by the reader. Author Lára Dawn Michelsen has written an interesting novel in The Adventures of Raven Darling: Lessons Learned in Tokyo – an intriguing read.