Kalyn Josephson

After their mother's death when the Illucian empire invaded, Princess Anthia and her sister Princess Caliza start a rebellion to bring back the magical elemental crows that were taken from her people.

The Storm Crow

Nina Verhaaff 

For a debut novel this is really great. This is my first time reading a high fantasy book it was hard to get into but when I started to understand a couple things I really enjoyed reading it. I would definitely read more high fantasy books after this. I just need to get into the world building. 
There are some LGBT characters in this book you read about them a handful of times. The main character is great and there is a little love triangle going on. But the relationship building with the second love interest is not really a thing. The story itself was great and enjoyed reading about it and because more interesting with the chapters. Can’t wait to read the sequel.

Me costó engancharme a este libro, más que nada porque pienso que la historia no ha sido aprovechada y bien explotada del todo. La trama que se plantea es muy original, y fue lo que en un principio me llamó a la atención, pero mientras iba leyendo, algunas situaciones se tornaban aburridas, otras tantas vacías, y en otras me faltaba más desarrollo. No obstante, los personajes me parecieron muy bonitos, aunque también me faltó desarrollo por su parte. No soy muy fan de la relación amorosa surgida, no me convence aun. Pero me encanta la amistad de Kiva y Anthia. El tema de los cuervos no lo había leído en ningún otro libro por lo que me pareció fantástico. Ojala que en el segundo libro las cosas mejoren en cuanto al desarrollo de la historia y los personajes. Que haya más acción en la que los cuervos tengan un verdadero protagonismo.

Estefany 

Lacy W

Find this review and others like it at https://aravenclawlibraryx.wordpress.com

tw: description of burning flesh, grief, parental death, use of word whore, self mutilation in the name of prayer, undiagnosed PTSD, severe depression and grief

If you do read this book, make sure to go to the end as there is a chapter dedicated to explaining the different crows, what they do and how they came to be. It’s very helpful and informative. 

Yes, are you looking for your next favorite book? Do you want accurate depictions of depression and PTSD? Do you want a cool concept of crows and a unique magic system relating to said crows? Then look no further than this book. I guarantee you that this will be your next favorite book and if it’s not, I give you permission to yell at me. But don’t yell too loud, I’m fragile. 

I adored this book in case you couldn’t tell. The depression representation was spot on to the point where it hurt to read at times. It permeated the pages of the book. You could feel Thia’s depression all the time. Even during the happy moments, it never truly went away. Because that’s what depression does. It never truly goes away. You have to fight every single day just to function. And that’s what happened with Thia. Sure, she had some good days but she had to fight for those good days. And I know what that is like. 

Anthia, or Thia, was a complex but enjoyable character. I appreciated the first person POV. It helped to really understand her and you really get immersed with her depression and her feelings. It’s a bit rough to read at some times, because her grief and depression is so strong at times. It takes so much out of her and you feel for her. She did frustrate me at times because she did act a little childish but I couldn’t blame her. She was grieving. And grief makes you act in ways you normally wouldn’t. 

Some other positive aspects of this book are the positive female friendships. There is no jealousy between Thia and Kiva. They are always there for each other but respect boundaries. Because you can always be there for your friends but at the same time, you have to make sure that you are in a good state of mind too. There was also LGBTQIA+ representation. It was sprinkled throughout the book, which I appreciated. 

Overall, this was a great book. I enjoyed the plot with the crows but I wish we had more time with them to fully see what they were capable of. Thia explained the different types of crows and what they did but it would have been fun to experience them. Overall, though, I’m happy and so in love with this book. I can’t wait to get my hands on the second book.

menna

things i liked about this book: 

• had a villain queen
• the romance is cute
• the crows and the magic was very interesting 
• actually showing a MC dealing with depression and grief
• resyries is the cutest ever

this feels like a lot of ya fantasy but i think it was done very nicely and in a good way and i really enjoyed it

A deep & creative young adult fantasy about a princess struggling with depression in the wake of her kingdom’s collapse, where her only hope is to hatch a magical crow egg and restore her kingdom’s power before a rival queen conquers them!

Tenderly and authentically portrays a main character undergoing swings of depression.

Liz Griffin

A deep & creative young adult fantasy about a princess struggling with depression in the wake of her kingdom’s collapse, where her only hope is to hatch a magical crow egg and restore her kingdom’s power before a rival queen conquers them!

Tenderly and authentically portrays a main character undergoing swings of depression.

Need book 2, stat!

Amazing story and this story was so amazing.

Andreea

Ilona Labská 

This book didn't make much of an impact on me. I was curious, the annotation sounded good, but the book left me unsatisfied. The plot was easy and somehow predictable. Anyway, the authors writing style was easy to read. And I finished the book in a day or two.

Brandyn

** spoiler alert **
           For a debut novel, I feel that Josephson did a great job! I love that most of the main characters are female, and that they are strong. The female empowerment in this book was refreshing to read about in a YA novel. Some of the writing was a little weak, but since it is a debut novel, I’m sure the author will get better with time. One thing I did not enjoy, though, was how quick Thia and Caylus’s relationship progressed. I love their relationship, but I felt that they did not know each other too well before they kissed. However, I look forward to reading the next book and future books by this author!

Age range 12+ A thrilling new fantasy debut that is Eragon meets And I Darken, and follows a fallen princess as she tries to bring back the magical elemental crows that were taken from her people. In Rhodaire, magical, elemental Crows are part of every aspect of life. Until the Illucian empire invades and destroys all the crows. That terrible night has thrown Princess Ana into a deep depression. Her sister Caliza is busy running the kingdom, but all Ana can do is think of what she has lost and how she will never be a Crow Rider. When Caliza is forced to agree to a marriage between Ana and the crown prince of Illucia, Ana decides to act. After stumbling upon a hidden Crow egg, she and her sister devise a plan to start a rebellion. 'The Storm Crow is everything we love about YA fantasy, with anenchanting world and original magic that keeps the story fresh. Clashingkingdoms, thrilling action, and an imperfect heroine make this book amust-read. This soaring debut was a delight.' -- Adrienne Young, New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep 'The Storm Crow is a fantastic debut. Written with both power and charm, it showcasessome of my favorite world building ever in a YA fantasy, and has nuanced,wonderful characters and relationships. Dragon fans should get ready for theirnext favorite creature. I loved this.' -- Jessica Cluess, author of A Shadow Bright and Burning

june

The plot seemed really good at first but after some time, I didn't really feel a connection with any of these characters

Livia

The fact that I read this in one day... yes this is a quick and fun read.

I hate being that person, but I am growing tired of seeing the main character falling for someone they literally just met and, like, say that it's LOVE in a goddamn week. And I feel bad for Ericen and the way Thia treats him, but he's also a jerk at times sooooo... not completely sold on his "brooding, cocky, charming that hides the trauma and dark past underneath". The romance completely has the biggest impact on why I lower my rating.

The plot is also very slow. It's more building on the next book, which I hope has more action and planning and not just Thia's thought process because, goddamn, she's infuriating as hell. I know she has PTSD and depression, and it can't just be taken lightly, but the girl didn't so much as try asking for help. And when she does talk about it, it's with someone that she barely knew but she has "strong feelings about". 

Also also, I grew tired of main characters that's more prone to being emotional and acts on feelings. Like, yes honey we get you're mad about everything, but for goodness sake stop being petty and reacts on it. And the way everyone make it looks like being logical and thinking things through sounds like a cold way and romanticize acting on feelings and being irrational as something rare and bold and inspiring, it's just no.

My absolute favorite part of this book is the friendship between Thia and Kiva. Like, YESSS WE NEED MORE GIRLS' FRIENDSHIP THAT ISN'T OVERSHADOWED BY THE ROMANCE AND IS PURE AND DOESN'T TURN INTO LOVERS. Their loyalty towards each other and the amount of support they show is amazing. I could just honestly, just scrap the fucking romance between the main character and her supposedly love interest(because, let's face it, it's lacking and forced af) and just focus more on this beautiful friendship.

Eloise

I LOVED THIS BOOK! The Storm Crow is an amazing fantasy story. The characters were thoroughly engaging and the romance was so cute. Kalyn Josephson's beautiful writing had me completely enthralled in the story. The Storm Crow focuses on living with mental illness, friendship, family and romance. 

Anthia is one of my favourite characters, she goes through so much throughout the story. Her battle with depression and anxiety I found extremely relatable. I loved seeing her connection with certain characters, and the strong friendship between Anthia and Kiva. Ericen was such an interesting character, his growth throughout the story was great to see and I loved the banter between him and Anthia. I'm so excited for the sequel, and to see more from these wonderful characters.

Overall, I highly recommend reading The Storm Crow if you are looking for a great fantasy with amazing characters and magical crows.

Alexa Jade

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

the depression rep >>>

Toni Turner

3.5
I really enjoyed this. I loved watching Thia’s journey battling her depression and her relationship with her sister and her friend (whose name I do not know how to spell because I listened to the audiobook and she isn’t in the synopsis BUT she was great and also a LESBIAN!! So..relatable haha)
I liked the politics and the crow magic and the bickering. Also the queen is very fucking evil which I loved because it was so scary and frustrating sometimes wondering what she might do next.

***SPOILERS BELOW***




I think what didn’t work for me was the romance. Which is fine. I’ve not read a “love triangle” like this...in a long time. and it felt like whiplash kind of? I was getting on board with her and the prince finding a way to come together despite the odds and then the second boy is introduced and they have a sweet relationship but I think I was already expecting the angsty relationship versus the wholesome one. I appreciate the dynamics now though, their friendships is already getting interesting and I’m excited to see what path Ari goes down in book two!

Sheila Goicea

I received a copy of this book via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.

This is my second time reading The Storm Crow. I read it last year (2019) before the publication but never got around to writing a review. Ignoring my tardiness, I was glad that my thoughts on this book remained the same as when I originally read it. 

All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication. 

Content Warning: Depression, Death, Arranged Marriage, possible PTSD
"That is how you became a pawn in the great game. Pawns are funny things that they sometimes decide so much.
And yet most often are simply wasted.”
The Storm Crow is a story about toxic, power-hungry leadership versus the power of the meek. After the Illucians laid waste to Rhodaire and its beloved crows, sisters Caliza and Anthia must decide the best way to sustain their ruined nation. The loss of their father and mother, the king and queen of Rhodaire, also thrusts them into an unexpected position of responsibility. While Caliza is more conditioned to leading, Anthia (Thia) takes the loss of her parents and Rhodaire's crows heavily. The crows were not only companions but also bolstered the nation's workings, from farming to defense and security. 

Thia doesn't immediately realize that her inability to face what happened was due to a deep depression. Unable to get out of bed or leave her room for months elicited rumors to spread. When her fiance-to-be arrives from Illucia, he even criticizes her for being "the princess that never leaves her room."
There had been good days.
Good days, but never easy ones. Even now, some days were more manageable than others. Some hours, some seconds, I could handle, and the next, I wanted to let the world swallow me up. There were days where I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, couldn’t think.
I’d been depressed. I still was.
Once she realized the truth, Thia began on a journey of healing. From losing her parents, stability, and the allied crows, Thia's mission is to garner support from neighboring nations to band together and fight against Illucia after she finds one remaining Storm Crow egg. Thia travels back behind enemy lines with her closest friend and bodyguard Kiva to become acquainted with her fiance Ericen and the Illucian Queen Razel. 

Not long after she arrives, Thia looks for the answers on how to hatch the egg as a distraction from her impending arranged nuptials. A marriage for political purposes doesn't tamp down Thia's distaste for the Illucians, but Ericen begins to have an effect on her. She also discovers that even though she is staying with her nation's adversaries, there are allies nearby.
Illucia had taken everything from me, and I’d given up. They’d taken everything from the Jin princess too, and if the rumors were true, she’d organized a rebellion in response. Not to mention to have known about the engagement, she either had spies in our castles or Illucia’s.
When Thia meets Caylus, the possibility to hatch the crow egg multiplies, which opens the door for revenge against Illucia. (These two represent the meek mentioned in my opening statement.)

Brimming with complex characters, each with their own struggle really drives the tide of the storyline. The tug-of-war between Rhodaire and Illucia, and Thia and Ericen definitely tug the reader into the plot. While I appreciated what each character offers, they do not negate the overall lack of world-building throughout this initial installment. This realm hardly indicates it to be tropical as the synopsis points out, and gives very little detail of the surroundings and nothing more than a brief backstory of what could be compelling lore of the Saints--the first crow riders. I still am looking forward to what will happen in the next and final installment in this duology and curious to see how these characters will end up.

Vulgarity: Minimal.
Sexual content: Minimal.
Violence: Moderate.

My Rating: ★★★

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"Clashing kingdoms, thrilling action, and an imperfect heroine make this book a must-read."--ADRIENNE YOUNG, New York Timesbestselling author of Sky in the Deepand The Girl the Sea Gave Back Eragonmeets And I Darkenin this thrilling new fantasy debut that follows a fallen princess as she ignites a rebellion to bring back the magical elemental crows that were taken from her people. Thia was born to be a crow rider. In her kingdom of Rhodaire, magical elemental crows are what keeps the city running. For her entire life Thia has known she will hatch a crow, train, and become a rider--a warrior. But when the Illucian empire invades in a calculated attack, they kill all the crows and destroy the eggs in a horrible fire that also robs Thia of her mother and mentor. When her 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. "Dragon fans should get ready for their next favorite creature. I loved this."--JESSICA CLUESS, author of A Shadow Bright and Burning Indigo's best YA books of 2019 B&N's best YA books of July 2019 Goodread's most popular 2019 debuts

Samantha Stone

"'𝙄 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙩.'"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Storm Crow follows the princess of Rhodaire who has lost almost everything after the Illucian army attacks their land and murders the crows. In Rhodaire, there are different types of crow that contain magic, and they are all integral to Rhodarian life and prosperity. When Anthia, the youngest princess, is forced to marry the prince of Illucia, her will to fight back is finally rekindled. After finding a crow egg, her hopes are renewed as well.
Oh, my goodness. I went in to this book expecting to love it, but I am IN love with it! This was even more amazing than I had hoped for!
Before reading, I didn't realize the importance of the storm crow. I thought they were strictly for military like purposes, but they are far more integral to the life of Rhodaire than I thought. I loved learning about the history and legends of the land, it was very unique to the story line and enjoyable.
I also loved the relationships between our main character, Anthia, and her sister, Caliza, and best friend, Kiva. The author delved into Anthia's struggle with depression following the attack of her and losing almost everything, and I felt it was really well done. The plot, land, characters, history, and all were so well thought out and everything had a purpose for being told. I am SO excited to read the second book in this duology. This is, thus far, my favorite book of 2021. It is stunning. 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Adrianne

Can’t believe this is a debut novel! I wasn’t convinced about the crows being the magical creatures at first, but I quickly changed my mind and fell in love with this exotic concept. The fantasy land created by the author is politically complex and in the midst of war, conquered by a ruthless, power hungry Queen of Illucia. Anthia, a princess of Rhodaire, finds herself in the land of the enemy, in possession of the only thing that can save her home and her people. 

I cannot wait to see how the story will unfold. Highly recommended!

Kaitee Tredway

Paola C

Ok, so I heard a lot of people saying that they bought this book because it had 'crow' in the title and it made them think of Six of Crows, and that is so annoying. This book does not deserve to be written off because of that. This book has actual crows that you can ride like a freaking dragon! How cool is that!?
 In this book, we follow Thia who is a princess of the kingdom of Rhodaire. She is going to be a crow rider until an enemy does something so unforgivable, that she is unable to do what she was born to do. I don't want to say anymore so that I won't spoil the book, but this book was *chefs kiss*. It has a good representation of depression and of LGBTQ characters featured. I am so excited to pick up the sequel!!

laura

* I got this book for review from the publisher*

I really enjoyed this read. I really adored the main characters in this read. I was immediately captured by the world building. I also loved how this book was structured and this book had a huge element of This and Then and that type of story telling of how this one "event" transformed this world was so well crafted. I love the political intrigue that was at the base of this novel. I also really loved the unexpected romance that suprised me in this novel. I thought the bad guys in this book was so well crafted and the end of this book left me with so many lingering questions that i know need answers for. I will be def checking out book 2 in the future.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I bought this book! Support your authors!

Book Series: The Storm Crow #1

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Lesbian romance with main side characters

Publication Date: July 9, 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (death, violence, slight gore, TW: depression)

Publisher: SourcebooksFire

Pages: 352

Amazon Link

Synopsis: In the tropical kingdom of Rhodaire, magical, elemental Crows are part of every aspect of life...until the Illucian empire invades, destroying everything.

That terrible night has thrown Princess Anthia into a deep depression. Her sister Caliza is busy running the kingdom after their mother's death, but all Thia can do is think of all she has lost.

But when Caliza is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the crown prince of Illucia, Thia is finally spurred into action. And after stumbling upon a hidden Crow egg in the rubble of a rookery, she and her sister devise a dangerous plan to hatch the egg in secret and get back what was taken from them.

Review: I LOVED this book! It was action and adventure and all the things I want in a book. The sister relationship was amazing and not cliché or written weak. The character development, and inclusion of mental illness, was excellent and the writing was immaculate. I also loved how detailed the world building was, but it didn’t make the book heavy at all. I’m SO HAPPY with this book!

My only complaint is that I didn’t think the main character needed a love interest and I think it somewhat makes her character a bit weaker, but I enjoyed him more as the book went on.

Verdict: A must read!

Narah Quinn

"It's difficult to walk against the wind. . . It takes strength"

The Storm Crow starts off with a celebration and we are introduced to our main character Anthia (Thia). But celebration turns to disaster when they are attacked by Illucia, and the Rhodaire we are briefly introduced to is all but destroyed, their crows killed, hatcheries set alight and their Queen (Thia's mother) murdered.

Jump forward 6 months and Thia has barely left her bed, she is depressed and lost and she has let the running of the country fall to her sister (Caliza) who, in the interest of the country and it's people, and with no other viable options, has agreed to the marriage of Thia to the Prince (Ericen) of Illucia. Upon being told the news, Thia runs, and from here there is little I can say that will not spoil it for you. 

I was drawn into this wonderful book and am very much looking forward to the conclusion in book 2. There are a host of wonderful characters, and you will be kept guessing as to their real intent, but I loved the fact that no matter how easy it is for us as readers to shout at them 'Just go with what's right' or 'Grow a spine' the characters are struggling to shed the skins of deeply ingrained upbringings and tragedy. I also appreciated the way that Thia's depression (brought on by the tragic events of that night) wasn't suddenly cured, that it lurked in the background, but that her fighting spirit began to break through. 

The one thing I really need to know is are the people sized like us regular folk and the crows giant sized, or are the crows sized like our regular crows and are the people more like borrowers! 

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy in a FairyLoot box and this wonderful book (which I highly recommend) is out on the 9th July 2019.

Elodia

Samantha Bass

My friend read the book when we first received it from Fairyloot and she loved it. She kept telling me to read it, but I was pushing it off for other books. Now that I’ve read it, and it’s sequel, I wish I had read it sooner. I may honestly make a post about books I put off and regret not reading sooner.

We meet Thia in a horrible way – her kingdom has been torched, the crows their society loved and relied on all dead, and her mother was murdered. Her older sister Caliza becomes the new Queen of Rhodaire and Thia is not doing well. One of the things I loved about this book was the representation of depression – what people can feel, what it looks like, and how to help those that are suffering from it. We see Thia unable to even get up from her bed, but her friends come together to help her heal.

The premise and the plot were so easy to get through, I read the entire book in the span of 24 hours. I couldn’t seem to put it down. We get action, adventure, romance, and revenge, well, the build up of revenge more like it. I liked Thia’s character a lot and the way she deals with her struggles, politically, physically, and mentally.

I don’t have anything bad to say about this book, like at all. I read it through and found myself on the edge of my seat, excited to see what happens next. One of my new favorite duologies!

everlinet

real rating: 3.5*

super enjoyable, well written and interesting. page turner. easy to read, basically finished in one sitting. i like the character of the prince.
i didn’t expect it to be better than average so as i didn’t have any big expectations it could only surprise me. it was fast, no boring moments, overall good read. 
i wouldn’t say it’s my forever favorite book but definitely worth reading, enjoyable. i like the plot so hopefully it won’t change drastically in the sequel.

The Storm Crow

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