As far a sequels go, this book had a lot of strings to tie up before it ended. It felt like the main plotline was pretty easily solved, we just had to get through a bunch of filler material to get there. I didn't get the same sense of urgency from the danger, the romance felt a little forced and stalled, and the action felt anti-climactic.

I enjoyed the first book when I read it, but I think my tastes changed a lot since then. I've tried to read this second book a few times and I just can't seem to get into it. I hope this book finds its readers, but it just wasn't for me.

Anthia is on her way to the meeting of rulers to gain their help in defeating Razel, the Illucian queen. She has companions with her, Res, Caylus and Kiva. On the trip, the ship stops at retired crow riders’ ports so Res and Anthia can receive training to help him develop and hone his powers. Razel attacks their ship with Malkin‘s crew, putting Caylus in Malkin’s sight once again. Anthia grows as she continues to pull herself out of the pit of depression that almost consumed her after her mother died. Res is fun and fantastic with his attitude and magic abilities. He adds bits of humor throughout the story. It’s going to take everything to defeat Razel, including teamwork. This is a wonderful read and perfect ending to The Storm Crow duology with it’s intense intrigue and strong characters, 5 stars!

Book 1: The Storm Crow: ★★★

I'm excited to be a part of the THE CROW RIDER blog tour with The Fantastic Flying Book Club from June 23rd - June 30th, 2020!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.

All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.

Content Warning: possible PTSD due to previous emotional and physical abuse, Death, War, Depression
”Love doesn’t make you weak. It makes you stronger.”

The Crow Rider is the packed final installment in The Storm Crow duology. Founded on many points established in The Storm Crow, character development, as well as world expansion, takes center stage. While I felt that world-building lacked in The Storm Crow there was definitely more in The Crow Rider.

After fleeing from Queen Razel’s grasp, Princess Althia travels with her crow Res, to neighboring nations to garner support against the Illucians to ultimately reintroduce the way life used to be with the aid of Rhodaire’s magical crows. Bringing nations together where previous support from Rhodaire was limited isn’t all that easy. Thia, still dealing with past guilt of not doing enough after the destruction of her home, overcompensates and tries her best to fix the wrongs committed by her mother and Rhodaire, while trying to eliminate the threat as well. The promise of their mission comes with Res, Thia’s Storm Crow, who exhibits powers beyond what he should possess.

”Why is it the only thing you ever give up on is yourself?”

The narrative spends a great amount of time in Thia’s internal thoughts, which are volatile, yet slowly finding stability. In addition to Thia’s journey, other characters like Caylus and Ericen grapple with their own experiences, which ultimately lead to the understanding and cementing of their characters. The dynamic between these three characters is captivating. It feels like a love triangle in The Storm Crow but ends up resolving itself.
"Family is weakness. Love is weakness. Let me show you.”

A strong theme of love permeates this entire story and the value that it holds for people. Love is the motivator behind why these characters do what they do--most for good, but some for terrible reasons. Additionally, healing plays into the theme. As Thia, Caylus, and Ericen move towards healing in their own ways, Queen Razel descends into hate. Unable to accept the loss of loved ones, she figuratively cuts out her heart and offers it up for power. In doing so, her relationship with Prince Ericen is non-existent. Without remorse, she puts a bounty on his head the moment he decides to do the right thing.

Caylus, while grappling with his feelings for Thia, also lives each day with the horrors of his past. Forced into fights by a previous and brutal handler, Caylus only escaped his clutches weeks before meeting Thia. When his handler resurfaces in The Crow Rider, Caylus undergoes a huge transformation, and not entirely for the better.

The Crow Rider definitely has a satisfying end, some twists, and character experiences and growth that would appeal to many. Definitely character-driven, this second and final installment rewards its characters with tumultuous experiences that result in meaningful stories.

Vulgarity: Minimal.
Sexual content: Minimal.
Violence: Moderate.

My Rating: ★★★1/2

I did receive a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review (however because I had got the copy because of a bookclub that did horrible things I felt so guilty and bought a copy and a paperback one with the bonus stories)
As far as sequels go it could have been worse (I swear I am not trying to be mean; it's just sequels have a reputation as not being as good as the first). At least, the info from the first book was evenly dispersed between the story instead of everything in one jagged gulp.
I did love the development with the crow magic and the training was adorable. Whoever thought a giant crow could pretend to be injured in an attempt to either get out of it or get food for doing nothing? Oh Res, you cutie.
My favourite characters were Res and Ericen as they felt the most fleshed out to me and also who doesn't love a prince who is terrified of heights? I found it quite endearing.
The world building flowed except I could not remember the importance of the holidays and why they needed to get there before the event occurred. We got told many times in the book that they had to be there before a certain day, but no explanation was given as to why they needed to be there before that day?
Overall, I enjoyed the book and would read it again.
4 out of 5 stars.
(If you want the longer more confusing review you can read it here: https://bookgirlreviewsbooks.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-crow-rider-by-kalyn-josephson.html )

Amazing sequel! Loved the flow of the story. The world building improved in this book. The author gave us a great 2nd installment! The main character is definitely one of my favs I've connected with yet. The flow of the story and the dynamic of the characters were great to read and learn about. I totally look forward to reading more!

I am so glad to have this free e-arc of this title. I own the first book and met the author at a festival. I hope to continue this series soon.

4/5 stars.
I absolutely LOVED the first book in this series and it quickly became and all time favourite.
While I did really enjoy this one and think it was amazing I don't think it was as good as that first book.
It felt a bit rushed and not as.. epic? And it felt like a few things were done just to wrap up the story.
I still really enjoyed this one but it wasn't as good as the first book.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I fell back easily into this world, which is always good in a sequel, and was quickly wrapped back up in the politics and magic.

This book continues to have a focus on mental health in a way I rarely see, especially in fantasy books, and I honestly love it. If you enjoyed that aspect of The Storm Crow, you will love it here. Thia's constant struggle with having the energy to keep going felt very realistic.

The romance aspect wasn't really for me, and I was surprised for the book to waver a little from where I thought it may go at the end of book one. However, what we do get is fairly sweet, and I did like that it meant we got so much time with Ericen. His character arc was just glorious, as was the tempestuous nature of his relationship with his mother.

It was also nice to get a wider view on the world - specifically looking at the Sellas, the legendary figures that give the history of the crows. I always love backstory and I found this fascinating.

The plot is full of action and pretty fast-paced throughout, something I regularly enjoy and definitely did here. I do recommend this series! 4 stars.

I'm frustrated it took me so long to get to this one! I really enjoyed the first book in the series, and I have to admit that I had some issues getting into this one to start with - I didn't reread The Storm Crow beforehand, and you're kind of just thrown straight back into things, so it took me a good 20% of the book to try and remember who everyone was, and I struggled with that a little throughout. Also, the pacing felt a bit off for about the first third of the book, so I was wondering whether to continue or not.
But I did, and personally I am so glad that I did! I have read some other readers didn't really like the other enemies that got introduced, and how they weren't really a huge part of the storyline, and I can definitely understand where they're coming from there, however I actually loved that the main enemy stayed the same and the storyline didn't feel like it got too distracted. Do I think this could have been expanded into a third book rather than all stuffed into a duology? Yes, for sure. But I also really enjoyed it as a duology. And I liked the romance! I loved the LGBTQ+ rep! I loved the mental health rep! And the writing is quite immersive and beautiful, and the fight scenes were intense.
I think Kalyn Josephson might be one to watch for me!

Okay, so I recall liking The Storm Crow a lot better than I liked this. And this is the final book of a duology and it just falls flat.

We spend most of the book sailing/traveling around, making some alliances with other important rulers, and spend some time finding some old Riders to train Res in certain forms of crow magic. However, training Res is given very little page time, and the sailing/traveling around gets old quick. For what was accomplished in this book, especially the first 75%, could have pretty easily been cut down to either a much shorter book OR perhaps something more could have happened to make the page count actually stand for something.

As for the romance, it wasn't that I disliked Ericen and Thia, but Ericen was given so little page time, and they hardly interacted with one another, that it made it very hard for me to like them as a couple or even get to know Ericen that well. I remember liking him more in TSC, so I still liked him but he felt two-dimensional in this one.

In all honesty, I think this series would have been better served by merely having a slightly longer first (and only) book, just combining most of this book into the first.

That being said, this still felt pretty anticlimactic, which also might have been exasperated by the fact that it was a whole other book as the finale.

Since this is the second in a series I won't say much but I will say this is a great second book. If you already liked/ loved the first book this will not disappoint. I know that sometimes second books feel like they slow and unnecessary but not this book. After the ending of the first one this book is a breath of fresh air. The ending of the first one left you wanting more and this book gives you what you want. Now if you didn't like the first book I don't suggest you pick up this one thinking there will be much change. The writing style is basically the same. Still give it a try if you liked the first one.

Super amazing sequel! And omg I cannot wait for another book I NEED to know more of this world and the crows. Really really lived upto my expectations.

I am so in love with this book. I hopped right from the first book into this sequel and I loved seeing resolution for our characters. These books have been added to my favorites and I am looking forward to a reread in the future.

Thia grows so much in the second installment and it’s such a wonderful journey. She is tested time and time again and has to learn how to be a better leader. Not only that, but she does a lot of self discovery and experiences immense personal development as well. I love her character so much and I loved watching her grow into a strong, well-rounded leader.

Our cast of side characters go through a lot of changes throughout the story too. Kiva is still as badass as ever, but we see a bit of a softer side to her in this one. Ericen continues to be a bit of a wildcard – but who doesn’t love a morally grey character (and potential love interest). Res has my heart forever. He constantly had me laughing with his ridiculous antics, but it was really great to see him learn to use all his powers and work to control them.

This was the perfect conclusion to this duology! I’m so sad it’s over.

After seeing that I could be part of the blog tour for The Crow Rider, I was really excited because I had heard some really good things about The Storm Crow. All of this was really great as I enjoyed both books in the series and it is definitely a duology that I recommend.

I think that one of the things that I enjoyed about this book, is that it builds on The Storm Crow. Thia and her depression was something that I found really interesting about the first book and was happy that this was something that continued in the second book. This was also something that is explored in another character as well so I am glad that this was explored especially in a fantasy book.

I would be lying if I was in love with the romance in the first book but I think that once we discover some things about the secondary love interest. (I do wonder if he is coded as asexual but I don't think it is mentioned by name. If this is the case, it would be one of the only male asexual characters in a book.) I also think that the relationship between the main love interest is well-developed and I enjoyed it more this time.

I also really liked the main characters. I think that we Thia grow a lot in this book and over the two books and I really liked that. The books are also really great with the female characters as they are quite complex and all of them are given a chance to express and find themselves, for better or for worse.

The world is also explored in this one and I really do love the setting and by travelling to many different areas, I think it was great to then explore other themes and ideas that are explored in the book. We also get to explore Res and the magic system more and I think that Kalyn did a great job about making Res such as real and likeable character. For a crow, Res definitely has a personality that comes off the page. I also love the law with crows as it is so new and I have never read a series like this before.

As someone who wants to be a writer, I always find action scenes so hard to write but I think that throughout both books I really loved reading about the fight and action scenes. I think that they were well-written and added to the story so much. I could really picture them in my head and I just wanted to mention it.

I read the whole duology in about a week, so it is safe to say that I was immersed in the world and the characters. I think they are easy to get into and fly through which is a testament to Kalyn's writing and the fantasy world that she crafted. If you are looking for a new and different fantasy series that is quite short, I definitely recommend this one!

The Verdict:

The Crow Rider is a satisfying and intense sequel and an end to the series that makes it worth the read.

Great story and loved the slight romance. Really enjoyed the characters and how the plot moved and how the characters changed throughout the book. I would read this author again.

An epic sequel worthy of all the praise and attention! This story is seriously underhyped in the book world! It’s a shining star full of magic, drama and adventure!

The Storm Crown

4.5 stars

The Story
Thia and her crow Res battle to return her world to the one she lost.

What I like

Just like I wrote in my review of The Storm Crow, This world continues to be very interesting and captivating. This duology is very well written and crafted and enjoyable across the board. I loved the characters and Thia’s character growth from beginning to end. As well as the political aspects of this story and the epic battle scenes.

I was able to finally connect emotionally to this story again and enjoyed some of the heart breaking emotions as well as the gloriously heart-warming emotions that I lost somewhat in the middle of The Storm Crow.

What I did not like

The only thing that held this story back from that full 5 star rating was again the loss of connection I had to the emotional elements in The Storm Crow. This was due to a plot choice and romantic intrigue with another character that just didn’t do it for me in book one. I do feel like this story resolved nicely in the end and it all came together to make sense.

In Conclusion

Another thoroughly enjoyable read and an easy world to become captivated by. I would recommend this book to others.

DNF. I couldn't connect with this book at all and found it really hard to get into. I had high hopes for this, which is a shame.

Did not finish. This novel was not for me. I had a hard time connecting to the story and the characters.