I just could not get invested in this story. I didn't want to not review it but didn't want to give it a bad review because I forced myself to read it. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it though.

Hats off to what is one of the best books I've read all year. Let me tell you: I've been in a really weird slump where I'm reading things and kind of enjoying them but not really loving anything, and then came along this book. Not to be dramatic, but it literally reminded me why I love reading. There are some books you can sink into with such relish that you forget you're reading, and you're just along for the ride. Steel Crow Saga is that book.

→ plot & pacing ←

I was hooked from the very first page, which is saying something because the book starts with a prologue. But there was something about the writing style that just drew me in immediately. And then the story began, and it moved at a breakneck pace, especially in the beginning. Even as we were getting introduced to new characters and a new world, the plot sprinted along.

→ characters ←

GOD. I loved all four main characters here so much. Do you know how long it's been since I truly cared about a character? All four of these characters were so richly layered and so different from one another, even in their speech patterns. You could always tell who was speaking, even without the dialogue tags, because the author took care to flesh out each characters speech patterns and diction in relation to their personality and upbringing. It all felt effortless in the end, resulting in four memorable and vibrant characters.

→ worldbuilding ←

The book is set in a kind of Fantasy Asia in the mid-20th century. There are four distinct cultures/countries in the book, each heavy with real-life cultural influences which I absolutely loved. It was clear what real-life counterpart each nation in this book was meant to represent, but it was clearly a conscious choice made to pay homage to a variety of Asian cultures. It was done so colorfully and respectfully.

Shadepacting is what's getting this book comparisons to Pokemon, and I concur. Pacting with an animal who becomes your superpowered familiar? Yes please. I really loved the relationships various characters had with their shades.

Queerness in this book is just so...casual? Like it's just an accepted part of the world and it was incredible.

→ misc ←

This book is hilarious. Like, truly laugh-out-loud hilarious, which is so rare to come across in fantasy, as it tends to revel in how grimdark it can be. Not that this book didn't grapple with serious issues with the appropriate respect, but there were just some truly hilarious scenes. And I feel like there was a kind of hope and humor underscoring everything?

The anime influences are clear and as a former watcher of anime can I just say I really loved this.

I just...really loved this book, guys. I had so much fun. I connected with all the characters. I genuinely enjoyed every second of reading this book. It just feels so new and fresh. As happy as I am that this is a standalone, which are so damn rare in fantasy, I would read so many other books about these characters, which you know is the mark of a really good book.

An epic adventure that follows multiple POVs. One of my favorite things about this book was the world building, and the representation and rich culture.

This was a monster of a book of a little over 500 pages, and although I'm a huge fan of spending time with world building and character development, I felt like maybe this book was a hundred pages too long. It was a little slow to pick up, and I found myself more interested in other stories lines than the main one. Things that made up for it though was the concept of shades and metal pacing. It reminded me of my days watching anime and waiting for the new episode of The Last Airbender.

As I said, I'm a fan of multiple POVs. I like seeing all these characters, and their perspective of the world. But it's a challenge to make the reader love all of the characters. I found myself liking all of the characters - all but one. I was not a fan of Jimuro, and it took me quite a while for me to finally get used to him and his POV. I know what the author was trying to do with his character, I've seen it done before in other books. But I just don't think it was executed well in this book. But a little more than half way through the book, did I finally think he was getting more bearable. I did like the other 3 POVs, it made up for the 1 I just didn't like.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and if the author ever did another book in this universe I would pick it up in a second. I especially would love to see more of Lee and Xuilan.

I like this book . . . I wanted to LOVE it, but it was slow moving for me with excessively overwritten scenes making it unnecessarily long. I felt myself skipping pages (which is paramount to sacrilegious to me) because I just wanted something to happen. While the characters were well thought-out and complex and the storyline was intriguing enough to get me reading, its overly padded pages had me I struggling to continue to the end.
I read a lot of books, short and long in length, so I have no problem with length. But I get frustrated when words aren't used to convey their point, whether it be descriptive for a scene or narrative for a character. This book suffers from superfluous wordage and scenes.

**I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.**

This is a LOT of fun, it's 100% Pokemon meets Full Metal Alchemist. It's really easy to sink into, partly due to the cultural cues and anime elements I'm already familiar with, which made it a speedy read; I don't know how things might land for someone unfamiliar with those elements, because I always understood what the story was at least going for even if it didn't quite make it there, but all in all it comes together - the two paired journeys, the four countries recovering from revolution, the light and dark of pacting. I think anyone looking for this kind of book will find something they want in here.

The book shines best in its small victories and honest moments, when characters get to understand each other a little more. I knew I would start out wanting to punch some of these characters in the face but go on to love them, and that reversal? Super satisfying. Once things get going, I didn't want to stop reading. Tala and Jimuro were my favorite unsurprisingly, and the heft of their personal turmoils is balanced well against the backdrop of the larger conflict and against each other. Xiulan and Lee are the slick entertainment side of things and got some great bombastic moments, and their resolution made me cackle. The story seems to know what I want and what it's good at, and handily gives it to me.

tl;dr FUN, satisfying, want more.

Their destinies were meant to collide as enemies become allies in an attempt to save an already battered and bruised world from the hands of a monster.

Paul Krueger’s STEEL CROW SAGA has everything it needs to be a hard-hitting fantasy saga, but for me, it just missed the mark. The characters are predictable, they mimic the current trend in writing and while breathtakingly beautiful descriptions painted the backgrounds, it was too much of a good thing and seriously slowed this book down for me. Sometimes less is more!

This author has some incredible talent, but this time out, I didn’t fall into the story and live side by side with the characters, nor did I form an attachment to their world.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Del Rey! This is my honest and voluntary review.

Publisher: Del Rey (September 24, 2019)
Publication Date: September 24, 2019
Genre: Myth & Legend
Print Length: 528 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

What an awesome and epic adventure this book takes you on. In the beginning it was hard to follow the characters POV's but the more you get to know them, the more they grow on you and understand each of them. I thought the story building was phenomenal and I enjoyed each of the characters involved. A lot of action, which made it feel like an anime, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Although the book was a little long, it was still enjoyable and a page turner. Looking forward to more books from Paul Kreger.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Random House for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

'Steel Crow Saga' is a fun-packed magical adventure following four main characters. The best parts of this book are the Asian and LGBTQ+ representation, deep character growth, and intricate world-building. Coming in at over 500 pages, this adventure is rather lengthy and involved.

This book was quite long and didn't feel like everything that was in it was necessary for the development of the characters or plot. I did enjoy some things about this book, while there were other parts that I didn't care much for.

There are four different point of views that are included: Lee, Tala, Jimuro, Xiulan. Each has their own chapters and we also get a prologue from an entirely different character. At first I was confused by the prologue and a chapter for one of the characters because there wasn't any mention of a timeline. Besides that part, it was easy to understand how the characters fit together.

There were a couple fascinating concepts that were included such as the "shades" and metalpacting. Although the concept of a "shade" was similar to other things that have been done like pokemon, it was still cool to see this. The concept of metalpacting is to bind your soul to metal, such as cars and weapons. I don't think I have read anything that included something like this so it was refreshing to see.

When it came to the characters, they were diverse in backgrounds/representation. They were interesting but some of the scenes between them felt unneeded. I never felt a connection towards any of them which is something that I need especially for such a long book.

Overall, there were unique concepts used and I feel like many will enjoy this book but unfortunately it just wasn't a book for me.

4.25/5 stars

This book took me a bit longer to read than I expected, but the end was so worth it!

When I first started this, I immediately noticed that we'd be having multiple POVs. I'm usually a fan of these as it gives more depth to the story-line and character imo. Each character had their own unique voice and the development was literally amazing. I only had issues with some pacing inconsistencies when switching from POVs. That usually made me have to reread pages to figure out where I was or what plot-line to focus on. It all comes together in the end, but it did cause me to have to take a few mental breaks here and there. You actually do end up caring for all the characters, which was a pretty great accomplishment. Usually when a book has multiple POVs, I only end up liking about half the characters and then wanting to skip the others. This one didn't do that. Each character was interesting and just grows on you throughout the book.

The story-line itself was on that interested me before I started reading, but it wasn't my favorite. It's still has a strong plot and holds itself together well, but I've read a ton of books with similar stories. I truly think the characters themselves add a lot more to this book, making the story one you want to continue reading. If I hated the characters, this might have been a book I wouldn't have enjoyed at all. The characters make this book, and honestly that's not a bad thing at all.

Overall, I'd seriously recommend checking this one out! It's quite long, and I certainly couldn't focus on it for long periods of time. This is one I think people would enjoy more reading it in chunks. Luckily for us, the book is divided into sections. If anything, you could get this at the library and test it out first if you feel it might be better for you.

ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a complex review for me to write, because I was really looking forward to reading this, but I’ve had to push myself hard to finish it. There are the bones of a really good book here, and since there’s a three book deal here, there’s a chance that this can be taken into mind for the rest.

The good:
-Krueger does amazing world building here. You can tell where the real world/historical parallels are for countries, but he also takes care to build each nation’s culture and magic system by itself and in relation to each other.
-The characters are great. From our POV characters, I’d love to see Lee and Xiulan get their own book, and maybe more of Tala if he decides to go that way.
-A lot of people have described this as “anime as fuck”, and you definitely get that vibe throughout. When it hits its stride, it’s amazing.
-The sheer diversity of the characters in terms of sexuality and gender is great.
-What I regard as the core plot (Tala, Diamangan, and the splintersoul) is an exceptional story.

The not so good:
-Pacing troubles.. Lee and Xiulan’s story, however good, sticks out in this regard. (Perhaps make their story its own novel?) I lost patience with Jimuro as a POV character when we found out it wasn’t actually him the Big Bad after. I felt the bloat about at the 40% mark and it continued until the end of the novel.
-References. The riffing became grating in the second half of the book.
-The road to the climatic fight. Too long, and while I understand the setup must be done, the set up wasn’t helped by the bloat. If we’re continuing with the anime references, it began to feel like Dragonball Z, complete with filler.

There is a core of a really good book here, but it gets weighed down by overreliance on reference and committing to too much overall. Krueger apparently has a three book deal for Steel Crow, so I hope the next book he’s able to trim it down a little and not be afraid to save something for another book.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The characters all grew on me, and grew themselves during the course of the story. The interactions and relationships that developed were plausible and interesting. The whole story takes place in a somewhat modern (guns, phones, trains) setting with some substantial differences, most significant being magic. Certain people are capable of one type of magic or another seemingly based on nationality. The nations involved are very thinly disguised Asian countries. I'm not actually sure how thin that disguise is. It was easy to identify the countries based on the food, architecture and furnishings, but I'd have to be better informed about the historical and current dynamic between these countries to understand if the author is making political statements. In any case, as pure fiction it stands up perfectly well on it's own.

I was able to read this book early thanks to #NetGalley.

Holy Moly am I glad that Paul Krueger wrote another book, and that it will be a series! His debut book was one of my favorites the year it came out, so I was STOKED to see something new from him! This book is fantastic, the characters are are well rounded, the world buiding is impressive, and the dialogue is fun. I can't wait for the next book!
#ARC

Creative idea, interesting characters. Pacing and plot could use a little work, but overall enjoyable read.

The book cover certainly drew my interest when I came across it’s title. The publisher’s description got me even more excited for it. A soldier with a curse, a prince with a debt, a detective with a grudge and a thief with a broken heart. Now if THAT isn’t interest-grabbing, I’m not sure what is!

In the ARC I received, I want to note that Paul Krueger shares with us that this “is the most personal, autobiographical thing I’ve ever written.” This is a passion project — and one that hits every mark and will satisfy all it’s future readers.

I don’t usually find myself excited about books that talk about food. To be honest, I find myself skimming when an author goes into grave detail about meals as part of their world building. Not so with Steel Crow Saga.

Lee and Tala’s focus on food often left my mouth watering. The richness of the meals described, the cuisine differences between the different cultures, all of it was heady reading. I could sniff the freshly steamed rice. My mouth watered at the perfectly made adobo. It might have helped that I’m a HUGE fan of those types of dishes myself.

Even when I had no idea WHAT that these characters were eating, I was game to try whatever they were eating. If this book picks up a huge fan base, I can see them crowding around and buying a cookbook based off of the dishes the author talks about in this book.


OKAY… food aside. Let’s dive into the four narrators.

Tala, a soldier with a curse.

With Tala we find ourselves tied into what it means to be at the end of a war. How it may look for a devout solider, who gave everything to a cause, to be facing it’s end. With the sacrifices made of fellow comrades, with the pain of losing friends and family, Tala draws a narrative about the absolute realities of what war brings to soldiers.

She is someone that knows what it is to have conviction. How to push past your fear. And how to work hard, each and every day, no matter the cost. We also get to bare witness to people’s prejudices being so ingrained that we can’t fathom them overcoming them.

Jimuro, a prince with a debt

Of all the character’s arcs in this epic novel, Jimuro’s ended up being the most surprising to me. I really loved how the author interweaves the narratives to give us different perspectives of each character. Tala’s view of Jimuro truly shapes how you see him for a good portion of the book. Slowly, more and more is drawn out about Jimuro. He may be a prince destined for Steel Lord, but it’s through the eyes of Tala, and others, that we see how much more he is than the future he was born into. I wish I could do more to blather about Jimuro, because there IS A LOT TO BE EXCITED ABOUT, however — it’s something each reader needs to enjoy finding out through the story.

Xiulan, a detective with a grudge

I’m a sucker for a fellow book nerd… even when they’re characters in a book. Xiulan has big dreams and bigger aspirations as she strives to live her life like one of her favorite characters. The victim of a large royal family, Xiulan has lived a fairly isolated life, relying on books and pets to give her joy. Of all the characters, I found myself re-reading a lot of Xiulan’s content. I loved how poetic she spoke and how big her heart was.

Lee, a thief with a broken heart

I didn’t immediately see the connection of Lee to the story or with her “broken heart”. I loved seeing her banter and swagger. Her wit was easily displayed and her bravado when speaking to royals was something I found myself grinning over. Who doesn’t enjoy a good swaggering thief? Her place in the story often takes a backseat, but in this world, so do her people. It all makes sense further into the story. Trust me. Lee’s awesome.


I have to do it. I give this book a 5 out of 5. There are rich characters — truly richly written, in-depth, fairly treated, four distinctive narratives. The world building is inclusive to the story and doesn’t detract from it. This book will make you gasp, make you cry, make you squeal with delight, and make you hungry. It is a HUGE must read.

YES! I think it was Fonda Lee saying that this was like a mix of Pokémon and Avatar (well, at least Pokémon) but it totally gives me an Avatar the Last Airbender feel. I could not put this book down and loved all of the references to the real life cultures that the in book cultures are based off of. As a Korean married into a Filipino family, the references made me smile and feel incredibly at home with the characters themselves.

I actually felt that the prologue was a good introduction to the book! I don’t want to spoil the story, but I thought it added to the overall story and helped to give some insight on shadepacting and the Sanbunas. It was interesting to read about the characters and their relationships, as well as the shadepacting aspect of the whole thing. I would highly recommend this book.

The author is also a Filipino, which was cool to find out!

Fantastic fantasy book! The main countries were/are a bit hard for me to keep straight for some reason, but I love the concept. Shadepacting and metalpacting are super unique and I hope to read more from this author!

I really enjoyed this book, even though it was kind of slow in some areas. The characters really drove this book and it was fun getting to follow all of them and learn about them. I liked the animal aspect, I thought that added a extra umph to everything! All in all solids read.

A soldier, a thief, a detective, and a detective from different backgrounds must band together against an enemy determined to destroy them all. Unexpected bonds and alliances are formed as the four fight for their lives and their peoples. The world Kreuger has built is a magical one where human can enchant metals and bond with animal companions and one that deftly holds a mirror to our world’s history of imperialism and oppression.
For fans of R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy War and Roshani Chockshi’s The Gilded Wolves.

This book was amazing! I loved characters and the magic system. Some from Sanbu and Shang can pact, or soul-bond, with an animal’s shade. The shade can live inside the person, but can create a deadlier version if needed for battle. It reminded me of an anime with how everything built up to the final fight scene. The relationships between the characters really made this story for me. Definitely a must read!