The Storm Crow

 Author: Kalyn Josephson

 Release Date: July 9, 2019

 Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Format: ARC

Source: Raincoast Books

 Summary:

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. (Goodreads)

Review:

*I received an advance copy of this book from Raincoast Books for this blog tour in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion.*

Where do I even start? Strong female lead, cool magical crows, adventure, scheming…it’s all here.

The crows are some of my favourite magic I’ve come across in a while. They reminded me a bit of Pokémon but more grown up so that nostalgia pulled right on my feels. The idea that the crow and its rider are so tightly bonded and work so well together is amazing and I loved seeing how intertwined they were with the inner workings of the society. I also want a crow of my own really badly. I think a Battle Crow but also maybe a Storm Crow.

The friendship between Kiva and Anthia is also one of my favourite parts. I love them as separate characters since each has their own quirks and sass but together they make such a good pair. They are what friendships should look like, unconditional love and support rather than bickering and competition, and their mischievous tendencies seem amplified when they’re together.

I also really enjoyed the plot itself and the book flew by. The pace slowed down for a little bit once Anthia was in Illucia but it was never boring. It felt more like a chance to catch your breath for all the excitement thrown at you in the last bit of the book. The ending made me run to Goodreads immediately to see if there’s a publication date listed for book 2 because I kind of need it right now.

Final Verdict:

I definitely recommend this book. It was a quick read but so exciting. Full of secrets, magic, danger, and serious scheming it’s a great start to a new series that I can’t wait to read more of.