THAT COVER!! Not going to lie, I didn't even read the description before requesting this on Netgalley, lol, I was totally sucked in by the art :) Luckily, I enjoyed the book a lot too!

The prologue was the perfect way to begin -- I was immediately sucked into this world of magical crows and I was dying to learn more. Then, BAM! Gone, and it had me sinking into a depression just like the main character. I really understood her longing for the way things were, because I sort of felt like I spent the book longing to be back in the world of the prologue too, and I was excited to see the character fighting to recover the culture she'd lost.

Oh, man. The Storm Crow is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I ended up finishing the book all in one sitting by pulling an all nighter!

The story is breathtaking and unique. I absolutely loved the magic of the crows. The author has a way with words, that much is certain; she made the universe seem so real. I adored the relationships between characters and I cannot wait to see what book 2 has to offer.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a fan of fantasy and YA, you will enjoy this read.

One of my favorite parts of the book is the banter between the characters. It adds some brevity to the tense situations that the characters are in and it makes you laugh.

The fantasy world that the author has built submerges you into the story. I loved the magic of the crows. The words that the author arranges makes the universe seem surreal.

The relationship between the characters was also an amazing part of the book. The romances are really sweet and endearing and the friendships between the female characters were entrancing and compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I ship Ericen so hardcore. Seriously do not care for the other relationship. Now this book was so much more than the relationship but I needed to say my heart is with the prince. I loved the believability portrayed in the anxiety that comes with grief.

I also thought it was great watching Thia grow through her anxiety. Anxiety is always still there but she learns to allow it to make her stronger.

The magic system and the crows were so fantastic. The kingdoms and people were intriguing and I look forward to reading more in this world.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy!

I recommend checking out this well-written fantasy novel. It has great world building and such a unique plot.

The Storm Crow had me hooked from page one.
Anthia is a wonderful and for once different character as I didn't come across a protagonist dealing with depression ever before. Her struggle and the ways she finds to overcome it were beautifully written and it helps that she has a great friend and protector in Kiva, who constantly reassures her and stays with her through everything.

I love how the author builds and describes the world the characters live in, the myths, the politics, the war, the different nations and the diversity.
The characters are well developed and I hope to read more about everyone!
Most notably Prince Ericen, who I think will surprise everyone. Caylus, who still has many secrets to share, and the ever mysterious Auma, whose role will be greater as the story moves on.

And never ever forget the Crows and how they represent each element. It's wondrous and magical and tragic and hopeful.

I fell in love with this book, how it handles depression and the gorgeous writing. I am so thankful to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to read this magical ARC!
This is high on my wishlist and an instant buy once it offically hits shelves.

**4.5 stars! This review will be published on my blog site http://pastmidnight.home.blog one month prior to publication date**

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the book blurb for this story, the thing that caught my attention were the words "elemental Crows". I thought, I must have it. I was very excited to be allowed to read this from NetGalley.

This story grabbed me at the first page. The writing is beautiful. I am introduced to Thia on top of a crow, flying above her beloved home, the Kingdom of Rhodaire in Aris. I felt like I was flying with her or at least I wished I was her. I wanted to belong to this kingdom. I wanted to be a crow rider! We are drawn into this magical kingdom with a lush setting, where there are crows in every aspect of their world.

But Thia's beautiful world is turned into chaos and turmoil when the Illucian empire invades them in a calculating move.
Thia is in a haze of grief and depression for most of the beginning of the book. I could relate to her trauma and grief on every level. I felt it, I've been through that same tunnel of grief before. Everyone deals with grief differently, some like Caliza can put it behind them quickly and keep moving forward. Some are like Thia, who can't get out of bed. Depression can be debilitating, yet many people chalk it up to cowardice, like some do in the story. But I was cheering Thia on, with every step she took in the book. I admired her courage to try and move forward, even if some days were bad days.

Thia is forced to marry her enemies' son, Prince Ericen, to save her kingdom from utter ruin. They do not get along at first but try to tolerate each other's company. The only part I didn't quite enjoy about this story was the romance aspect to it. It's not a love triangle...yet, and maybe it won't become that but I wasn't quite convinced of her choice in this book. Will it change in book two? We shall see!

And then there is her friendship with Kiva. I loved their banter and love for each other. Kiva and Thia together are friendship goals.

This is a wonderful debut filled with magic, intrigue, friendship, courage, love and a twist in the end that left me with hope for Thia's future. Hopefully the next book in the series, which I am anxious to read, will have even more crows to fall in love with!

The Storm Crow gets five stars from me!

I found this story to be quite refreshing, not only did it have a character who is depressed and struggling with her day to day life, but also had magical elements that make it hard to unlike, Elemental crows that can help a whole community function? Loved it. I love that authors like Kalyn can imagine up these wonderful plots, creatures and scenery.

Mostly I adored Anthia, she is a fiery character who has dreamt of being a crow rider her whole life. However, those dreams go up in smoke, quite literally, and she suddenly feels useless and her life seems to lack purpose. She however, powers on and is resilient, imperfect, determined and a great female lead, and is given an opportunity to fight back, and make a new dream for herself. Also, her witty comebacks are brilliant. You’ll want to read it for those alone!!

Overall I found it a great book to read, the writing style was easy to follow and beautifully descriptive. Would recommend to anyone who loves YA Fantasy.

"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" is a kick-butt girl power story of love, revenge, and redemption. The world compelled me as much as "Avatar the Last Airbender," and the characters felt both very compelling and very real. I would recommend this read for both adults and children who are looking for a story that will mostly make their heart race, but will likely also prompt laughs and tears (within the first couple chapters, no less)!

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.