anastasia
Written on Jan 26, 2023
This was so good.. I can't even right now.
RTC
The first book in Kalyn Josephson's "must-read" (Adrienne Young) Storm Crow duology, a YA fantasy series that follows a fallen princess who ignites a rebellion, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo and And I Darken.
Princess Thia was born to be a crow rider―a warrior. In her kingdom of Rhodaire, magical elemental crows keep the city running. But when the Illucian empire invades, they kill all the crows in a horrible fire that also robs Thia of her mother and mentor.
Then Thia's sister, Caliza, becomes the new queen of Rhodaire, she is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the Illucian heir in an effort to save her people. Prince Ericen is rude and cruel and Thia can't imagine traveling into the heart of an enemy city after so much has been taken from her.
But before she leaves, she finds a crow egg in the rubble of the rookery. Deep in the heart of Ilucia she must hatch the last crow, hold her own against the crown prince, and ignite a rebellion to take back what is hers.
- ISBN10 1492672939
- ISBN13 9781492672937
- Publish Date 9 August 2019
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Sourcebooks Fire
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 368
- Language English
Reviews
This was so good.. I can't even right now.
RTC
thepunktheory
Written on Aug 6, 2020
I don't know why it took me so long to finally pick up The Storm Crow. 'Cause once I'd gotten started I couldn't stop.
The world and the concept we get here are rather cool. A country where just about every branch of the economy hinges of a certain type of crow. I only wished we would have gotten a bit more info on the different types of crows. Sometimes I got a little confused and had difficulties imagining things as intended.
Nevertheless, I found this to be a thrilling read. But let me warn you. This novel basically sets the stage for the second installment. So, although there is some stuff going on here, we don't get a rounded story by any means.
The only good thing about waiting so long to pick it up is that the second part is already out and I could continue reading straight away.
Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing! The story isn't dragging on in any way. The pacing is good and never felt bored. It's just the right length to set things up without being too long for what it wants to achieve.
However, I know many people get annoyed by books like this, so I wanted to throw a little warning out there.
While the story is pretty cool, I found it a little far fetched. Not the world-building, but the plan the main character hatches. When it first came up in the novel I had my doubts as to whether this really makes sense and even after an entire book I am not fully convinced. This takes a bit away from the story as a whole, but it was still an enjoyable read.
Kat @ Novels & Waffles
Written on Jan 19, 2020
Things I Liked:
-I'll always and forever be a complete sucker for the arranged marriage trope.
-The depression representation was EVERYTHING. I've often wondered why mental illness is not talked about more in the fantasy genre, and it meant so much to me to see it realistically portrayed in this book.
-Ericen is a multifaceted character who has a lot of potential, and I desperately wish we got to learn a bit more about him. Also, the way his character embodies cycles of violence and the learned need for revenge offers an important narrative.
-A solid writing style with beautiful, well-crafted imagery. There were some particularly witty banter scenes, and the author did a good job creating engaging dialogue.
-ELEMENTAL CROWS. SO COOL.
Things I Liked...Less:
-ELEMENTAL CROWS. SO COOL. BUT WE HARDLY SEE THEM AT ALL. This was a disappointment considering I was all ready for that How to Train Your Dragon vibe and for lots of magical, death-defying flights through the air. Additionally, I'm still unsure how exactly the crows and their magic work, and I would've liked to learn more about that.
-The plot is slow and deliberate, mainly revolving around political machinations, rather than tense action scenes. I didn't mind this so much, but others might.
-Overall, it's rather predictable. Much of the plot follows familiar YA Fantasy beats that I've seen executed many times before, and it doesn't necessarily twist them into anything extraordinary or new.
bgsbooks18
Written on Sep 29, 2019
kalventure
Written on Jul 13, 2019
Join Lauren and I as we co-host the Books and Tea Discord Book Club's readalong in June 2020!
Words cannot express how much I loved this book. I loved this book so much that I bought a finished copy when I was only 10% into my eARC.
You can read my full review on my blog!Here are my thoughts in bullet points:
- The depression rep means the world to me.
- Amazing sibling relationship.
- Great female friendship!
- lgbqiap+ rep (f/f and m/m) - it's casually gay
- Fast-paced and engaging writing. I really connected with the writing style -- very descriptive, I felt like I was there in the room.
- Features political machinations, racial tensions, lush worldbuilding with glimpses of culture for each of the areas that are woven into the narrative without ever feeling like an infodump. There is also an origin myth included, which was so wonderful.
- I only wish I understood the magic a bit more and that crows were described visually at the start of the book.
- I loved the nuance with comments like "feathers in my stomach" to root everything in their belief system and the importance of the crows to Rhodaire.
- The narrative touches on cycles of violence and vengeance carrying on through generations.
nightingalereads
Written on Jul 13, 2019
Amber (The Literary Phoenix)
Written on Jun 12, 2019
I am absolute trash for a good high fantasy.
The Storm Crow is built in an incredible world… and really, you can always tell when the world building is going to be awesome in high fantasy, because there are appendices. Throughout the course of The Storm Crow, we’re introduced to half-a-dozen different kingdoms, each with unique histories and climates. If this already sounds intense, fear not! This is not Tolkien-esque and we don’t delve into the art and culture and royal genealogies. The world is developed enough to be fascinating, but it has room to grow as the series continues.
They tell you if you want to be a writer, you should grab the reader in your first paragraph and YES Kalyn Josephson does that beautifully. The opening scene ignites all the senses and wraps the reader up immediately. The first chapter really makes you love Rhodaire. Even in the first few chapters, I sound that as a reader, I was invested emotionally in what happened to this kingdom. Forget Anthia – I was interested in the whole culture.
And with that said, this is a book that isn’t afraid to break you heart. Kalyn Josephson rushes out of the gate with this debut, never panders to her readers, and as a result she weaves a beautiful, rich, diverse story. I flew through it so fast that when I finished, I was upset there wasn’t more. Which was a huge problem, because this is a NetGalley ARC and technically, this book isn’t even out yet…let alone sequels.
Princess Anthia is full of emotions. She’s a fierce, strong female lead as is so much in fashion these days, but she’s also quirky and kind. She eats desserts unapologetically, and if Kalyn Josephson wants to reveal the recipe for the famous orange cakes, I’m all in. But Thia isn’t just another trope in a longline of copycat heroines – she’s also raw and struggling in the best ways. She’s clumsy and makes mistakes. Honestly, the closest character I can compare her to is Odessa from Reign of the Fallen. Even then, they’re not the same… but I feel like they’d understand each other, you know?
A warning to those stepping into The Storm Crow with high expectations for magic and action – the cover oversells that aspect of the book (at least the magic… also the cover is glorious). The Storm Crow serves to set up the rest of the series – it’s like a game of chess, where we have to wait for all the pieces to move into place because the real game can begin. There’s minimal magic and action here, and most the sparring is verbal… but… you know that hum in the air when a thunderstorm is coming and you feel completely alive? That’s the feeling throughout the entire book. It’s okay that not a lot is happening right now because you can feel the build up.
Some other things I really liked?
- Queen Razel is a Maleficent-class villain. Everything about her screams dangerous. So good.
- The love story wasn’t intrusive. It was present, and felt a little extraneous, BUT it never took away from the real plot, which I appreciated.
- The sibling and found sibling relationships made me happy.
- I really cannot impress enough how WELL Kalyn Josephson uses all the senses to rope you into the book. It’s done so so well. Very few authors master this, in my opinion, and she’s just killer.
- There are a lot of little things hinted throughout the book that made me second guess how I perceived the characters. Not an unreliable narrator, per se, but enough to keep me guessing in the best way.
There needs to be more rep for depression, especially in fantasy, and I loved seeing it here.
The Storm Crow is going to be a book I’ll have to reread, because there’s layers beyond what I inhaled in these two sittings. This book was absolutely fantastic. If you liked the aesthetics of Spin the Dawn or Children of Blood and Bone, you’ll like this one. If it’s not on your TBR, it should be.
tweetybugshouse
Written on Jun 1, 2019
The story centers around Rhodaire where the crows are they are literally wiped out by the Illucian empire who wants to control everything. All that our main character loves is thrown into to complete chaos and she is driven into a deep depression.
From the last few books i read i have really enjoyed how the authors are making the characters even more human. I read ones where the characters have immense fears such as fire, characters with fear crippling an anxiety, and now depression. I feel this a great step in to making books even more relatable to those who pick them up. I know we usually read to escape our problems but i think that having characters with real life issue also give the readers hope. Hope that they to can over come and achieve something great with their lives.
I not quite sure how i feel about the romance part of the story i thinking i not at all on board with the prince she being forced to marry. He does seem like he wants a better life for his kingdom and for Thia kingdom as well. Much more then his mother but he really hard to pin point if he being all that truthful. I thinking i really like the geek turned rebel he at least from what we know wants something better and he really helps Thia right up tell the end of the book. Romances are hard cause the author clearly is trying to direct towards a certain relationship.
I was able to guess ahead of time on some of the twists and much prefer when the twists shock me. I am excited that the secret of hatching the crows eggs has been figured out and that we for sure will see more crow magic in the next book. If you read Crown of Feathers and enjoyed this is definitely the next book you should pick up to read. It will give you the same excitement and pleasure. Storm Crows is due out July 9, 2019.