Name: Sheila Goicea's review of The Crow Rider by Kalyn Josephson
Item: The Crow Rider
Rating: 4
Author: Sheila Goicea

Kalyn Josephson

The thrilling conclusion to the epic Storm Crow duology that follows a fallen princess as she tries to bring back the magical elemental crows taken from her people, perfect for readers who want fantasy books for teens. Thia, her allies, and her crow, Res, are planning a rebellion to defeat Queen Razel and Illucia once and for all. Thia must convince the neighboring kingdoms to come to her aid, and Res's show of strength is the only thing that can help her. But so many obstacles stand in her way. Res excels at his training, until he loses control of his magic, harming Thia in the process. She is also pursued by Prince Ericen, heir to the Illucian throne and the one person she can't trust but can't seem to stay away from. As the rebel group prepares for war, Res's magic grows more unstable. Thia has to decide if she can rely on herself and their bond enough to lead the rebellion and become the crow rider she was meant to be. Perfect for readers who want: gifts for teen girls 16-18 fiction that includes young adult mental health YA fantasy like Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas Also in this series: The Storm Crow (Book 1) Praise for The Storm Crow: Indigo's best YA books of 2019 B&N's best YA books of July 2019 Goodread's most popular 2019 debuts "Clashing kingdoms, thrilling action, and an imperfect heroine make this book a must-read."—ADRIENNE YOUNG, New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep and The Girl the Sea Gave Back

The Crow Rider

lee orula

Sheila Goicea

Book 1: The Storm Crow: ★★★

I'm excited to be a part of the THE CROW RIDER blog tour with The Fantastic Flying Book Club from June 23rd - June 30th, 2020!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.



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

Content Warning: possible PTSD due to previous emotional and physical abuse, Death, War, Depression
”Love doesn’t make you weak. It makes you stronger.”
The Crow Rider is the packed final installment in The Storm Crow duology. Founded on many points established in The Storm Crow, character development, as well as world expansion, takes center stage. While I felt that world-building lacked in The Storm Crow there was definitely more in The Crow Rider.
 
After fleeing from Queen Razel’s grasp, Princess Althia travels with her crow Res, to neighboring nations to garner support against the Illucians to ultimately reintroduce the way life used to be with the aid of Rhodaire’s magical crows. Bringing nations together where previous support from Rhodaire was limited isn’t all that easy. Thia, still dealing with past guilt of not doing enough after the destruction of her home, overcompensates and tries her best to fix the wrongs committed by her mother and Rhodaire, while trying to eliminate the threat as well. The promise of their mission comes with Res, Thia’s Storm Crow, who exhibits powers beyond what he should possess. 
”Why is it the only thing you ever give up on is yourself?”
The narrative spends a great amount of time in Thia’s internal thoughts, which are volatile, yet slowly finding stability. In addition to Thia’s journey, other characters like Caylus and Ericen grapple with their own experiences, which ultimately lead to the understanding and cementing of their characters. The dynamic between these three characters is captivating. It feels like a love-triangle in The Storm Crow, but ends up resolving itself. 
"Family is weakness. Love is weakness. Let me show you.”
A strong theme of love permeates this entire story and the value that it holds for people. Love is the motivator behind why these characters do what they do--most for good, but some for terrible reasons. Additionally, healing plays into the theme. As Thia, Caylus, and Ericen move towards healing in their own ways, Queen Razel descends into hate. Unable to accept the loss of loved ones, she figuratively cuts out her heart and offers it up for power. In doing so, her relationship with Prince Ericen is non-existent. Without remorse, she puts a bounty on his head the moment he decides to do the right thing. 

Caylus, while grappling with his feelings for Thia, also lives each day with the horrors of his past. Forced into fights by a previous and brutal handler, Caylus only escaped his clutches weeks before meeting Thia. When his handler resurfaces in The Crow Rider, Caylus undergoes a huge transformation, and not entirely for the better.

The Crow Rider definitely has a satisfying end, some twists, and character experiences and growth that would appeal to many. Definitely character-driven, this second and final installment rewards it’s characters with tumultuous experiences that result in meaningful stories. 

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

My Rating: ★★★1/2

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Paola C

The Crow Rider picks up where we left off in The Strom Crow. As I said with the first book, there is a really good representation of mental health, and it made Thia more relatable to me. Seeing her struggle and her way of thinking gave this book a more realistic outlook even when dealing with magic and magical crows. Res as always steals the show from everybody. Listen, Hollow Kingdom made me like crows, but this duology, solidified my want of more books that features crows in them. 

The plot had a slow start, seeing as Thia was going to different kingdoms to try to win their allegiance in order to take down Razel. After a while, the pace of the book picks up, and by the end of the book, there is action galore. The romance between Thia and Ericen felt natural and not forced, which was very much appreciated. 

Anyways, if you haven't picked up this duology I would suggest you do so, because who doesn't want to read about MAGICAL CROWS?!

laura

I really loved this concluding novel to this series. I thought the way this book was very different from the first but really loved the structure. I also really enjoyed the developlepment of the romance and how it was handled in this book. I also really liked how this book tackled female dyamnics in this book and also really loved how this book dealt with harder topics like PTSD. I found this book to be a very fast pace read. It was strong conclusion novel in this series. I will def check out more series by the author in the future.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher for MLC Book Tours! Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Crow Rider

Author: Kalyn Josephson

Book Series: The Storm Crow Book 2

Rating: 4/5

Recommended For...: fantasy, bird lovers, epic fantasy

Publication Date: July 7, 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 14+ (mental health, death, gore, violence)

Publisher: Sourcefire Books

Pages: 368

Synopsis: Princess Thia, her allies, and her crow, Res, are planning a rebellion to defeat Queen Razel and Illucia once and for all. Thia must convince the neighboring kingdoms to come to her aid, and Res’s show of strength is the only thing that can help her.

But so many obstacles stand in her way. Res excels at his training, until he loses control of his magic, harming Thia in the process. She is also pursued by Prince Ericen, heir to the Illucian throne and the one person she can’t trust but can’t seem to stay away from.

As the rebel group prepares for war, Res’s magic grows more unstable. Thia has to decide if she can rely on herself and their bond enough to lead the rebellion and become the crow rider she was meant to be.

Review: Overall, I really liked this book! I thought the characters were very well developed for the most part and the book had a lot of action in it that kept me glued to my seat. The book did well to discuss PTSD and trauma as well!

However, I did think that the book needed more world building and needed to be slowed down pacing wise. The book is fast paced and excitable, but I would like to spend more time in the worlds a bit more. The author could have easily wrote 100 more pages with descriptions of the worlds and I would have loved it. The book also had a bit of a love triangle which… meh… You also have to read these books back to back for the full effect. The book immediately picks up after the events in book 1 and so it’s hard to orient yourself if you don’t remember everything from book 1.

Verdict: An epic fantasy! Definitely recommend.

Elodia

** spoiler alert **
           The Crow Rider is the conclusion to The Storm Crow and it did a great job at wrapping everything up! I would love to see more set in this world, maybe a novella in the future.

The first thing I loved was Res and Thia’s bond. Res added so much to the story. He had a big personality for a crow, and his scenes were always fun to read.

Every character was necessary for this book. I especially loved Samra and her cat! Ericen remained a strong character and one of my favorites. Elko and Kiva were also excellent characters and I wish we had seen more of them.

One thing I hadn’t liked in the previous book was the romance between Thia and Caylus and the love triangle, which both promptly ended in this one. I’m glad Thia didn’t end up with the first guy she liked/dated, even if she did have feelings for Ericen in the beginning.

Caylus wasn’t my favorite character in the first book, but I really liked him in this one and I think he had potential that was left unexplored.

In The Crow Rider, the world is expanded upon and explored more, which I loved. The world-building was imaginative and fun to learn about. I do wish the author had delved into the magic more because it was so interesting. Overall a great and satisfying conclusion.

*received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Samantha Bass

** spoiler alert **
           I received an eARC of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thanks again!

I have to say it, I thought the first book was better. Hear me out! The Crow Rider starts off with us traveling to rally the other kingdoms and save their home! But then, things start to slow down. We're hit with immediate action and fighting then there's a lull. And it felt like a lull for most of the book.

Now, though there was a lot of talking, the banter was awesome. Thia makes new friends, we get some sassy Prince in the mix, and everyone has moments of genuine happiness. It was a good mixture of politics, relaxation, and sprinkles of fighting to the death. 

But let's talk about one thing that I thought could have been done a little smoother and cleaner, the relationships. We get lots of back and forth on the relationships - who is interested in who, people ending things - and what not. I felt like a certain relationship that came across strongly, ending suddenly. I'm not mad it ended, I'm mad it went from intense to dead within seconds.

I wanted it to end a little more subtly - especially since there was so much time at the beginning to show the relationship fizzling!

But besides that, I loved this book. I mean yeah, there were some slow moments when I didn't feel like that in the first book, but that's it! Maybe that's because we get a lot more intense fighting and action in this book compared to the first, so the slower moments feel slower. I'm not sure. And ok, I wished the relationships were explored a bit more, they felt a little rushed - but honestly, those were minor things in comparison to the intensity of this book. The continuation of the plot was seamless, characters didn't feel different or unfamiliar, just changed. We get to see how other nations in this world think and work. And, I mean, the writing! It's so good!

But lets talk about what I loved - because I did love this book. 1) We get to see more of Thia's background in terms of memories, relationships to other nations, so on and so forth. 2) As I said before, we get to know more about the other nations in this world, which was exciting. 3) We explore the effects of war in terms of depression and PTSD which I think doesn't get talked about enough.

I loved the new people Thia became friends with, they added a new perspective to the story. Also, Res is grown! And he is a sassy character and I love it. And through it all, I found myself excited and genuinely interested in what was going on and what was going to happen next. It's a great ending to this duology and I think people are going to love this book.

So, though there were some moments I wish had been changed/improved on, this is still one of my favorite duologies. I am definitely giving this a 4.5 // 5 stars.

The thrilling conclusion to the epic Storm Crow duology that follows a fallen princess as she tries to bring back the magical elemental crows taken from her people, perfect for readers who want fantasy books for teens. Thia, her allies, and her crow, Res, are planning a rebellion to defeat Queen Razel and Illucia once and for all. Thia must convince the neighboring kingdoms to come to her aid, and Res's show of strength is the only thing that can help her. But so many obstacles stand in her way. Res excels at his training, until he loses control of his magic, harming Thia in the process. She is also pursued by Prince Ericen, heir to the Illucian throne and the one person she can't trust but can't seem to stay away from. As the rebel group prepares for war, Res's magic grows more unstable. Thia has to decide if she can rely on herself and their bond enough to lead the rebellion and become the crow rider she was meant to be. Perfect for readers who want: gifts for teen girls 16-18 fiction that includes young adult mental health YA fantasy like Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas Also in this series: The Storm Crow (Book 1) Praise for The Storm Crow: Indigo's best YA books of 2019 B&N's best YA books of July 2019 Goodread's most popular 2019 debuts "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

Ylse van het Hof 

Thia yearns to trust her crow, Res, his unstable magic, and herself enough to lead the rebellion against the Illucian empire and become the crow rider she was meant to be.

Manon van Heumen

I hate that I have to rate this book three stars. I really wanted to like it, but the timing was just off for me. I also didn't do a reread of the first book, which was definitely something I had to do. Now, I was thrown in the middle of something, and I found myself looking for information from the first book throughout the whole of the story. I am really going to give this one another proper read!

lee orula &
The Crow Rider by Kalyn Josephson

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