"The Storm Crow" has a stunning cover and an intriguing premise going for it, but it reads more like a middle grade novel to me.

This isn't a bad thing, as I really enjoy middle grade books sometimes! However, this is supposed to be YA, so it's a problem that this reads a little younger than that.

We get right into the action as the first few pages gets into the attack from Illucia on Princess Anthia's kingdom, leaving their nation in ruin and their mighty crows all killed. In the time since, Anthia has been bed-ridden, leaving her older sister to take care of the kingdom in the wake of destruction.

When Anthia's sister is forced to offer her up as a bride for Illucia's crown prince Ericen, she decides it's time to fight back. Their odds look even better after Anthia finds a single crow's egg.

I'll say that I thought the first few chapters were very strong, and seeing depression represented in a main character like this was new; we don't see this often in fantasy novels. Sadly, things sort of went downhill from there for me.

I felt that the political aspect of this book was juvenile, and it didn't make sense to me. Anthia goes before her sister, the queen, and other high-ranking noble-people of their kingdom, and announces, "I have an idea: let's ally with the surrounding kingdoms against Illucia!" *applause all around*

... I mean, that's not an idea exactly, but okay, we're on the right track? It just seems to me this is something that anyone could have "come up with", and Anthia brought it up like no one had ever considered the possibility.

Anthia and her sister are struggling to figure out how to hatch the egg because for some reason, literally no one left in the kingdom knows. Riiiiight. Supposedly, the egg has to be in the presence of royals in order to hatch, and the queen "doesn't like" crows, so she refuses. This leaves Anthia, who is traveling with Ericen, the prince of their enemy kingdom, to take the egg into enemy territory. How does this make any sense whatsoever?

It was frustrating to read their strategies because I couldn't understand for the life of me why they did the things they did. I felt some of the situations were orchestrated by the author and it didn't compute with me.

A promising story, but lacking for me.

An e-arc of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

ARC provided by Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review - many thanks!



#FantasyAThon - 'read a debut novel'





<i>The Storm Crow</i> tells the story of Rhodairan princess, Anthia (Thia), who wants nothing more than to be a Crow Rider. In Rhodaire, giant crows with magical attributes form bonds with specific people. They form the basis for the entire economy, the military, trade and to an extent, governance. Thia is the younger of two sisters and consequently not next in line for the throne, which is fine with her. And then on the night of the hatching when she is to bond with her newly hatched crow and take her place as a rider, her entire world ends. I won't give away spoilers although one of the few TWs I give is for animal deaths - so if that upsets you, be aware. It's not gratuitous but I still hated that part. (We're meant to!) Rhodaire's entire economy comes crashing down overnight leaving the country and it's ruler in dire straights. Finally, Thia's sister Caliza is forced to accept overtures of a political marriage for Thia, from the son of the very queen who crushed all her hopes. But does Queen Razel of Illucia really want peace and an accord with Rhodaire now she had hobbled the country? Or could she have darker intentions? Onlt Thia can find out.



I wouldn't say this book breaks new ground in YA literature but it reuses favourite tropes very well, giving us something a bit different. It's Dragons of Pern meets The Remnant Chronicles, and it's an engaging read. The main themes of the book are power and responsibility. Thia spends a good portion of the first third of the book hiding from her responsibilities. Honestly, I found that a bit grating. It was a good representation of how depression can manifest itself and if your world ends overnight, I know not everyone leaps straight on the revenge train or the fight back wagon. That said, depression - though no fault of the sufferer - causes very selfish behaviour. It was frustrating (I'm saying this from the perspective of someone who has suffered) and I found it hard to sympathise with Thia when all she wanted to do was hide in bed for six months. That said, I believed it so perhaps the author did exactly as she set out to do there!



The other characters were fairly well developed and the world building was definitely one of the better YA examples. I wish we could have seen more of the crows in action but maybe in the next book? BTW do not expect a crow to make an appearance after the first chapter for around 2/3rds of the book. (Which did bug me a bit because I was there for the crows - clearly a me problem.) I found Razel a bit moustache twirly as a villain and Ericen changed tracks a bit too readily. Also, while not quite instalove, the who romance side of things really only took a couple of weeks. (I know, it's YA...)



Overall though this was quick, engaging, tightly plotted and imaginative with sympathetic characters. As a bonus there's a good amount of on page diversity too and enough gritty bits to give the story depth. Enjoyed the book. Will definitely read the next one.

Top 5 reasons why "The Storm Crow" should be read:

1. Vivid imagery. From the first page, Josephson sets the foundation for this magical world and introduces us to the protagonist, Anthia, and you find yourself instantly part of her world.
2. The strong female friendship is fantastic... and their sharp tongues! (love the witty comebacks)
3. If you like action, Josephson gives it to us right from the beginning.
4. You will find yourself attached to a character, or two, or three. (I'm on four and one of them you don't get to see much of, but will definitely be a major player in the next book)
5. Depression is a topic that is talked about in the book, which I enjoyed because there are many teens that struggle with depression; an opportunity is created for people who suffer from depression to connect to the character. Josephson has created a character that is trying to figure out how to overcome depression and not letting it consume her.

Negative: having to WAIT for the next book.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. I'm looking forward to the next book to see Prince Ericen's (I like him and am rooting for him, but maybe I shouldn't LOL) character development, Res and what he'll grow into, and of course, Anthia, bringing the storm. This is definitely a book that I will buy in hardcover when it is released!

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book and think it will be popular among my teen students who like fantasy, but only for the more voracious readers. For others, there was little to make it stand out from all the other YA fantasy books out there right now.

Now this is a fantasy I can get behind. I mean.. ELEMENTAL CROWS! CROWS WITH MAGIC! You might as well have called upon me personally Kalyn Josephson because you snatched my wig with that twist.

This book is a YA fantasy, first in a new series and in this world, crows are meaningful. They are special and they are royalty. It's honestly a fantastic story to sink your teeth into. The world built by the author is lush and big. A small warning to you that the beginning of this book is quite a bit of info-dumping. (That's NOT always a negative thing.) Looking back, it proves how expansive this fantasy is. The history, the queens of old, and magical crows of lore, the women who carried it all on their shoulders; all of it is absolutely fascinating. There is a thick vein of feminism and sisterhood throughout it all that makes it even more entrancing. It is clear that this is a well-thought out tale with a hell of a lot of room to grow.

Plot twists came fast and furious that left me reeling and looking at the certain characters, past actions—the story as a whole, damn it—completely different. Everything that happened served a purpose, either for the plot, character development or future twists. It was easy to follow and well written, which deserves a star all on its own.

THE STORM CROW dives right into the action with the destruction of the royal crows by a neighboring kingdom. Princess Thia is devastated. Her sister, now the queen, insists she marries the prince of that kingdom to avert war. Thia is determined to find another way to save her kingdom...

What I loved:🖤🖤🖤
1. Loads of verbal sparring
2. An original fantasy world, including the magic of the crows
3. Simmering romance
4. Loyal female friendships
5. Unexpected twists leading to a surprising conclusion

This book is a soaring read that will leave you breathless with anticipation for the sequel.