I thought I would really like this book, but unfortunately it was very unoriginal and the writing and characterization weren’t very good. The world building was thought out pretty well but was very unoriginal overall in that the different countries and peoples were taken directly from our world and just given different names.

Four fates join together in this epic new fantasy world, full of enchantment and battles, animal companions and magical steel. Its like a cross between Avatar the Last Airbender and Pokemon. A fantastic read!

Steel Crow Saga is an imaginative and captivating fantasy that introduces you to a richly crafted world filled with magic, diverse cultures, and complex characters. The story weaves together multiple perspectives as the characters embark on a journey of political intrigue, personal growth, and magical discovery. The writing style combined with humor, action, and emotion, makes it an engaging read.

Loooooovvveeedd this book! The story was so well written and I loved the character development. It gave me all the adult The Last Airbender vibes! And the underlying themes about healing and trauma absolutely shook me to my core and made me feel all the emotions. I highly recommend this book!

Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger is a standalone young adult epic fantasy. And of course my review is going to come with yet another warning label that this is probably a case of the old saying of it’s not you, it’s me as I do seem to be in the minority on this one yet again.

So Steel Crow Saga is a magical fantasy with four different characters, Tala, Jimuro, Xiulan and Lee, the soldier, prince, detective, and thief that of course cross paths and must work together to save the world. There’s of course different kingdoms at war and the one standout was the magic, somehow by making a pact between a human and animal by trading souls.

Anyway, for me of course as anyone who has followed my reviews may have heard before I found that the story just simply dragged at a slow pace and this usually causes me to lose interest early on. I’m not sure why some fantasies novels I fall in love with and others only seem to bore me no matter how hard I try but this one unfortunately just wasn’t for me. As I said though it’s not the characters or story but simply too slow for me to like in the end so if it sounds good to you I’d say give it a try.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

DNF this book. I could not get into it all. It started out well but it just did not hold my attention

This book really wasn't for me at all...i just couldn't get into the story or care about any of the characters..

This was a lovely Urban Fantasy! It is gripping, and fast paced. Character development is a little predicted. However, a solid 4/5 stars!

tandalone fantasy with depth and imagination. Draws inspiration both from fictional games and shows as well as from real world countries.
Complicated allegiances and divided loyalties - check mark
magical animal companions - check mark
f/f ship - check mark

All in all, a great time and an original idea adapted from Pokemon inspiration.

DNF. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy! I decided to not keep reading this one, it was not for me. Thanks!

Steel Crow Saga follows four young people in a world of kingdoms at war. These people are on the edge of this war where they have to figure out how to have peace and it's not easy. We have Tala, a soldier who spent her life trying to fight the people who killed her family. Jimuro, the Prince about to be crowned that needs to go back home safely with the help of Tala (even though they were on opposite sides). Xiulan, the 28th Princess who wants to secure her claim on the throne by bringing Jimuro to her father. And finally, Lee, a thief who is the only lead Xiulan has to find Jimuro.

I loved that this world had magic and animals that could be linked to you. Now, you can only have one and it's forbidden to link yourself with another human being. However, a dangerous enemy starts showing up with multiple animals, and our characters will have to figure out a way to stop him.

Overall, I was really interested by this book. I really liked the lgbt representation included in here and the setting. I also like that this was a standalone and not a first-of a series. However, I wish this book had been shorter. Since I was behind on reviewing this ARC, I bought the audiobook and read it that way as it's easier for me. Unfortunately, I felt like not much happened in 23 hours of audio. It was really long (way too long in my opinion) and I ended up being a bit bored by the end of it. I feel like I would have loved a shorter more condensed version more.

<i>(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

I FINALLY kept up with this book and I LOVED it. The characters are diverse and the plot is fast paced. It takes ideas we know and imagines them in such amazing ways and even though this seems like a standalone I.m so excited to see where it takes off with the next one!

This was a middle-of-the-road read for me. While I liked a lot of aspects, there were some things I disliked, and overall, I just didn't feel strongly enough about the book to really warrant adding an in-depth review to the blog.

STEEL CROW SAGA is the book of your dreams if you love anime and in particular Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Pokemon. This is a story about adventures with Pokemon-like sidekicks, set in a post-colonial Asian fantasy world. It's full of found family, feels, and genuine fun.

If anyone ever wants a book that just feels like a blast from the get-go, I will certainly recommend this one. You get dropped into this world and it doesn't slow down until the end. It has a fun energy about it that radiates from every page, but it also has its dark moments which is compelling to read, as well. I really, really enjoyed it. 4 stars!

*I'm putting out this review JUST based on the book as I read it before the controversy surrounding the author was brought to light weeks ago. This was scraped together from my notes at the time that I read this*

4.5/5 stars

Death ,Murder, Racism, slurs,

I'm not gonna lie, this book is good. I'm a little late to the game, so pretty much all of it has been said. This books has
♡Excellent LGBT+ rep
♡great diversity
♡Multiple POVs from a greatly entertaining and diverse cast
♡Is anime inspired! The magic system in this is cool! The Shadepacts (and the way they impact the various cultures of this novel) are SUPER fascinating.
♡I love everything about the cover. I want it on my self.

All in all this book was an emotional, fun, and eye opening ride.

Just couldn't get into this one. It might be other people's cup of tea, but not mine unfortunately. I may look into the author's books in the future though.

Great fantasy!! I couldn't put it down. While this is listed as the first in a series it will definitely stand alone. There is no cliff hanger (which I personally love). There are some fantasy writers that always end on a cliff hanger and then you feel obligated to see what happens even if you are tired of a series. You can see both anime and Asian inspirations in this book which just added to my enjoyment.

At the beginning of this book, I wasn't sure whether I would love it, but wow did I. This was a fantastic book, and I'm excited to reread it at some point in the future. This book feels like one that will just get better and better on reread.

This book was interesting and towards the end it got really good. I had trouble keeping interested leading up to the halfway point. It ended really well and was nice to see the characters join together.

Solid story and characters. The four main characters were each very unique, and I loved each of their characteristics and quirks. The world building was fantastic. I will side with most where it felt like a mixture of Pokemon and Avatar/Fullmetal Alchemist. It was very much like reading an anime in novel form. I felt it was a bit longer than necessary, but overall I enjoyed this one. I do feel like the story was too neatly wrapped up for being the first in a series, but I also like that it could be viewed as a stand alone. I'm looking forward to more from this author.