I definitely prefer the sequel to this duology than the first.
The relationships were way more realistic and natural in this installment than the previous, and I was actually able to feel for this characters this time around. Res especially was a high point because he's just the cutest little crow baby in all the land. I think it would have been more successful to have more scenes with Res in the last book, so we don't have to play catch up in this one since he's been in the series for such a short amount of time.
Moreover, I really like how Kalyn writes battle scenes. She's successful at creating a detailed scene for me to picture, and I think it's one of her strong suits as a writer. Those scenes, specifically at the end, were such a joy to read and picture. I don't think anybody would deny that her descriptions of Thia and Res in the sky aren't out of this world. You can feel the moments of peace when its just Thia and res, but when there's tension when they're flying- it's pungent.
To be honest, there needed to be a larger page count to this duology overall. The 350-ish count did not do this story justice. Res learns more about his abilities at the start and middle portions of this finale, and we just flickered over it as if it was not that important in the grand scheme of things. It was disappointing because Res was one of the shining lights to this duology, and I was sad that his development was stunted.
Overall, I think the weakest point to this story was the lack of world building. We didn't really have any of it in the first book, and Kalyn had to do a lot of info dumping in this installment, which was confusing in and of itself because she didn't give enough even then. The Sellas were sooo interesting, and I'm sad they were such a big part of this novel, but we still know/ saw little to basically no parts of their abilities/ folklore. It felt like a constant tease. I wish the Sella folklore had been a larger portion to the first book, so we, as readers, did not have to filter through/ understand these new characters/ villains in such a short amount of time.
We were left with more questions then answers.
I will certainly look into Kalyn's next books because she is a fantastic scene writer, and I'm hoping some of these issues I had could be resolved in future projects because she has a lot of talent.
I may come back to this review sometime because there's more I'd like to say, but here is the largest summary of my feelings post-reading that I could think of.
Thank you to SourceBooks for sending me an eARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Crow Rider is the fact paced, action packed conclusion to the Crow Rider Duology. I was a little hesitant going into the book after the first one left me a bit wanting but I am glad I gave it another shot. We pick up right where the first one left off with Thia, Res and the crew escaping Illucia and headed to meet potential rebel allies to save their world. Josephson started such a unique world and magic system, so I really enjoyed the further world building and getting to know the characters more. I really wish this story had been a bit longer to go into more detail but was still entertaining and look forward to seeing how Josephson grows in her writing in future novels….hopefully more in this world!

Every since I finished The Storm Crow, I know that I needed to read The Crow Rider. One thing that I am loving more than anything right now when it comes to YA is the accurate portrayal of mental illness, which was done beautifully in book one with Princess Thia.

Princess Thia still has her own inner demons to work out, but she refuses to let her sister fall prey to the same enemies that claimed the life of their mother. While everyone thought the crows were dead, Thia was able to rescue her storm crow Res. Now, Res and Thia must work together to save their kingdom.

Y'all, I loved Res. I know that he went through some things especially since his powers weren't the traditional powers of storm crows, but I don't care. He was amazing, and I refuse to allow anyone to hurt him. Just saying.

I loved that the author continued the importance of mental health in The Crow Rider. You don't see this in YA fantasy typically, so I can't rave about this enough.

I thought The Crow Rider was much more propulsive in terms of action. Honestly, I just really enjoyed this series.

I was pleased to be able to continue reading this series having just re-read the first book and I was glad that the action picked up from straight where it had left off. I was looking forward to getting answers and conclusions to those set out in the first book.

This book started off strong and we learnt more about the main characters and I definitely felt there was more of a connection to the main characters, and we saw them coming to life a bit more. However, as the book went on I got fed up with the repetitiveness of it all, and I felt like the story was moving very slowly.

The story of this book was slightly more interesting than the first as we knew from the first book that there were certainly going to be more battles and more excitement. I wish that we had had more about the crows generally in this one, and I found that we only got that towards the end by which time the story was being wrapped up.

Overall, I thought for a sequel to a debut novel this was good, it didn't wow me but it wasn't bad. I would have just liked a bit more in terms of plot. I can't fault the writing style or the characters.

The Crow Rider is the conclusion to The Storm Crow and it did a great job at wrapping everything up! I would love to see more set in this world, maybe a novella in the future.

The first thing I loved was Res and Thia’s bond. Res added so much to the story. He had a big personality for a crow, and his scenes were always fun to read.

Every character was necessary for this book. I especially loved Samra and her cat! Ericen remained a strong character and one of my favorites. Elko and Kiva were also excellent characters and I wish we had seen more of them.

One thing I hadn’t liked in the previous book was the romance between Thia and Caylus and the love triangle, which both promptly ended in this one. I’m glad Thia didn’t end up with the first guy she liked/dated, even if she did have feelings for Ericen in the beginning.

Caylus wasn’t my favorite character in the first book, but I liked him in this one and I think he had potential that was left unexplored.

In The Crow Rider, the world is expanded upon and explored more, which I loved. The world-building was imaginative and fun to learn about. I do wish the author had delved into the magic more because it was so interesting. Overall a great and satisfying conclusion.

‘The Crow Rider’ is the sequel to the 2019 book ‘The Storm Crow’, and it was one of the most unique books I read last year. I had never read - or heard of- a book in which crows are magic. The first book was a 5 star read for me, and the sequel was no different. Fast paced and descriptive, ‘The Storm Crow’ tied up the duology nicely-BUT I’d love to read other stories in this world. The author also did a fantastic job writing about Mental Health. They way it was presented and treated was so realistic. I love how the author didn’t just write away the trauma characters faced, but instead showed them learning how to cope in healthy ways.
One of my favorite details of the book was the crow Res and the fact that he had a personality. I’ve read so many books where an animal is just kind of ~there~, but the author did a fantastic job of giving Res his own personality. He begs, he teases other characters, and in several scenes, it’s almost as if he’s actually laughing the way a human would. The fact that the author was able to convey all of this without Res saying a word is a sign of true writing ability and talent. I also loved that the author wrote the final big battle over multiple chapters instead of one. It made it seem more realistic, with both sides going back and forth and actual battle strategies being used. The author drew out the suspense, and it made me turn the pages that much faster.
My only question is: where can I find a magical Crow for myself?

This review has taken longer to write because I've been trying to process my thoughts on what I read. I was excited to read this sequel because I loved the first book, but I struggled with this. The first book was captivating, unique, intriguing, and engaging. This felt like it took the first half of the book to get to the point of the actual book. If I am not feeling a book, I quit after 100 pages but I pushed through. I probably should have stopped at 100 pages.

This book started exactly where the first book left off and with no recap, I felt lost. It had been a year since I read the first book that I forgot a lot of the details. A little subtle reminder of what already took place would have been helpful.

The other thing that stood out to me was how much action and how little world building was put into this book. Action scenes are always welcome but so is world building, character development/arc, plots, and the like. This book was more action than anything else and it was confusing.

The Crow Rider is a satisfying conclusion to Kalyn Josephson’s Storm Crow duology.

Josephson doubles down on several elements that made the first book successful. The depression and PTSD representation are incredibly compelling and some of the best I’ve ever seen in YA fantasy. The female empowerment (even in the face of that depression) continues to be pretty badass. And, my personal favorite, the casual diversity and queerness of the book’s characters is so real and so delightful. I love that the characters are just accepted for their identities without any question. We are introduced to a nonbinary character simply by their use of pronouns. We are introduced to an asexual character. There are fully queer relationships that continue from the first book. It’s so great.

I also liked the balance of humor. Sometimes, when YA fantasies tackle topics like mental health, the books can get a little too dark. Res, the titular Storm Crow that is literally essential to the entire continent’s survival, would rather flop around and beg for treats than rain lighting down upon his enemies. Kiva and Ericen’s quips (with Thia, with Res, and with each other) were always a bright spot. My biggest critique of the first book was that I was disappointed that we didn’t get to explore more of the crow’s magic system. I was really glad that this book delved more into the history of the crows and how that magic might work (in a surprising, but still satisfying, way).

Ultimately, this series is about the battle for inner strength, even when everything seems lost. I think these books are going to be really important to a number of young people who are struggling with mental health issues, and possible may not even know it yet. While I don’t think the second-world fantasy elements were incredibly original, Josephson’s deft hand in tying those elements to real world issues make this a series I will definitely recommend.

Also, I love Res and Ericen with my whole heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping ending to a fantastic duology!

While I believe The Storm Crow to be the stronger of the two books, The Crow Rider was still a well-rounded ending to a unique series that built on the foundations of the 'strong female protagonist'and made the female feel more real, I particularly found the inclusion of mental health within themes of politics and war a well-thought out and realistic addition to the story that not many books even think about.

I am so glad I decided to read this series as its now a favourite. This world, these characters and the magic that Kalyn Josephson has created is unbelievable and I’m honestly gutted it’s only a duology as I could happily read more books set in this world.

The portrayal of mental illness was done perfectly, and I was so happy to see it represented in YA Fantasy. I also respected its reflection of PTSD from an outsider’s perspective, I’m so use to seeing this from a single point of view so it was interesting to see how Thia watches how someone else deals with it.

I loved watching Thia grow in this series and how strong she became alongside the help of her closest friends and family. I love her connection to Res and how beautiful their bond is. Res himself is such an interesting character with his own personality that I couldn’t help but love. I want my own Res with magical powers please.

It’s hard to talk about this book without spoiling the plot and I honestly want you to read this book if you enjoyed the first one. Whilst I enjoyed the first book a lot, I found myself loving this book more. I liked how it ultimately fixed the romance that I somewhat disliked in the first book (I’m not a massive fan of love triangles, they give me anxiety!) and introduced more magic.

This was an extremely powerful conclusion to an epic, action-packed and magic filled duology that everyone should read if they love YA Fantasy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Kalyn Josephson does it again, continuing Thia’s story in this satisfyingly dramatic duology ender, THE CROW RIDER. This book continues where the first left off, and sweeps the reader directly into conflict. We see Res the storm crow do his first magic! We see Thia’s relationships change and grow. We see her loyal friends (and my favorite, Kiva) being badass. And I gave a wee cheer when a character who uses They/Them pronouns came onto the scene. It’s one of my absolute favorite things about this duology—its inclusivity, the casual queerness that isn’t explained away or made to feel out of place. YA needs more of these non-heteronormative worlds, more characters who don’t identify as cis. My other favorite thing about this duo is Thia addressing her depression and self-doubt. I identified with her immensely throughout this book and highlighted so many passages. I can’t wait to reread when I get my finished copy and featuring its gorgeous cover in my feed.

And although I wasn’t rooting for this particular romance, I am so happy it ended happily. Very satisfying YA duology that I think young readers are going to love!

Wow, what a ride this duology was!

If you follow me you may have heard me speak about how much I loved The Storm Crow last year. It was an engaging new fantasy world with fascinating lore and a fun love triangle that also took the discussion of mental health into a genre that extremely lacks it. I loved the beginning of Thia's story and I loved the end. I do have to admit I was a bit more engaged with the first book, but I do think The Crow Rider was a great sequel. I loved the relationships, the magic, the actions scenes. Some things were wrapped up a little earlier than I wanted and somethings didn't happen as fast as I wanted, but I still really enjoyed this book. If you are looking for a fun and quick fantasy with some important conversations imbedded in the story I highly recommend!

While this book follows in much the same vein as the first one, there is still something missing for me.
We are thrown back right where we left off, and if you, like me, have had quite a long amount of time between books, you will be lost.
This wasn't a great start in my opinion. It took me a long time to remember exactly who was who and what had been happening at the end of the first book, and think this could've been fixed by simply having a recap at the beginning of the book.
Of course, I could've reread the first one and immediately jumped into this one, but I didn't, and I don't think that many who pick this up on release day will have either.

The characters were fun, but I didn't get much of any vibe about the surroundings and the setting. I was most invested in Res' storyline in this book, and not much else.
I think this could've been worlds better with a simple recap (instead of an index/glossary) and more worldbuilding to really round out where we are and to further cement that in the readers head. It was hard to keep track of at times.

Overall, this book was okay. If you were a fan of the first book and remember what was happening at the very end clearly, then jumping into this one will be much, much easier.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

Wildly inventive, full of loss, hope, love, courage, trust, friendship, and GIGANTIC MAGIC CROWS!
Did I mention the gigantic magic crows? Because seriously, that all you should need to hear to jump into this series.
The world building is clever and layered. It’s not just good/bad, it’s layers of history and socio-economics. It’s years of loss and pain and misunderstandings. Although I absolutely wanted Queen Razel to get what was coming to her, there are still reasons for her actions. Her losses and grief were real. I mean she definitely does NOT win awards for her parenting skills, but what Josephson gave us was a woman who believed that everything that she was doing was for the greater good. If you can have a bad guy, or a sword-wielding, badass Queen that you can understand as much as you dislike? Well, that’ is great storytelling.
Also, GIGANTIC MAGIC CROWS!
All in all, a beautiful end to the duology.
5 bright as lightning stars.

Don't you just love it when a series you loved at the start end just the same? It's like everything is right with the world when you hit that final page. The Crow Rider is exactly that. It starts off with a bang, and ends on just the right satisfying note.

This book picks up almost immediately after the end of The Storm Crow. Thia, her storm crow and her friends are on the run after nearly being captured by Illucia's tyrant queen, Razel. They are sailing to the other kingdoms in an effort to form an alliance that will take her down before she conquers the entire world in her quest for revenge. The world building in this really speaks to me. It's by no means a complicated fantasy world. It doesn't reach the epic battle/rebellion levels of, say, Red Queen, Crown of Feathers or An Ember in the Ashes, but it never fails to suck you in. Josephson has a very simple and honest style of writing that feels wholly familiar and accessible. It makes it very easy to read huge chunks in one sitting.

A lot of what I loved in the first book is still here, and the Rhodaire crows are no exception. Thia's storm crow, Res, is the only crow left to her kingdom. He was hatched after the terrible attack that killed all living ones and their eggs, and Thia is trying to train him in his powers. But Res is an anomaly in that he doesn't have just one elemental ability, but all eight. Along with his storm magic, he also has battle, earth, and healing magic, to name a few. I love how much of a character he is! I mean, the boy is nothing if not dramatic. Flopping all over the place as a 6-foot-tall bird with "exhaustion," pretending to be injured to get out of work, and begging for food—it's hilarious.

Thia is as great as she was the first time around. She struggles with depression once more, battling against its pull when things get pretty dark. She deals with feeling hopeless, being a failure in her mission, in helping Res, and in dealing with the people around her. Thia has been dealt many hard blows in the length of time this series takes place and it's truly admirable how she beats it back. She is truly indomitable and so very kind without it being a fault. Something I really liked with the first book was the number of strong female characters, and this sequel is no different. A sister who is a queen, a bodyguard who is loyal without question, a ship captain who won't hesitate to snap back, and princesses of foreign lands who need you to impress them. And then there's Razel, a nasty villain who knows just how to get under your skin.

In my review of the first book, I noted that there was a dread love triangle incoming. It was just the seedling of one in the first book, and I figured it would come to a head in the sequel. Without spoiling anything, let me just say that I loved how it did actually end. I fervently wish more would do it this way because, again, no spoilers, it wasn't drawn out with pining and fighting. It kept straight to the point and earned mad respect from me.

Now, I did love this book, but it wasn't quite a five star read for me. Two reasons. One, because of the Sellas. They are newly introduced beings in this book, and are very important to Thia's backstory and the history of Rhodaire. But it took a while for me to realize that because I found them to not be explained well. Thia learns of them through several different storytelling sessions and plot twist info drops, but I struggled to put it together. Two, I found that, while well choreographed and somewhat reminiscent of certain Lord of the Rings battles, the overall result of the end battle was a little disappointing.

Overall a great and very accessible fantasy duology that is thrilling to read from start to finish!
Series rating: 4.5 / 5

I was so incredibly excited to have received an ARC copy of The Crow Rider after I adored The Storm Crow last year, and let me tell you this second and final book exceeded my expectations! 

I loved the direction that the story took with this book and oh my god, the ending was so great! I obviously don't want to get into spoilers or anything, but it ended so perfectly! I'm honestly crushed that this is only a duology because I still have questions I need answers to, and I just wasn't prepared for this to end. 

The characters are so amazing! Thia is honestly one of my favorite characters because even though she struggled with depression, she was brave and smart and truly cared about those around her and wanted to do what was best for everyone, not just her and her friends. Her crow Res had such a big personality and he was such a goofball, but also fiercely loyal and smart. Honestly, Res makes me wish more books had giant magical birds! I also loved Kiva and Ericen and how they both developed from the first book as well. 

My only complaint would be that I want more of this world and these characters! I want to see them rebuild and explore other kingdoms. There wasn't always a ton of description with locations and yeah, the world building was a little lacking, but it also isn't the main focus of this book. I'm always the person who says they want more world building, more descriptions, more immersion, but in this case the characters and plot were strong enough that I found that all that detail wasn't always needed.  I also wish we had gotten more on the Sellas, but I won't say more than that because I don't want to go into spoiler territory! 

I just wish we could've dragged this out a little more because I'm sad that this is it - the duology is finished and we probably won't get anything else about these characters. I can only hope that Kalyn will revisit this world sometime in the future and give us more!

3.5 stars
After recently finishing book one in the duology, I was curious and excited to see how the story would conclude and I'm glad to say that overall I found this to be a very satisfying ending to a series. We get more strong friendships, character growth, intriguing revelations, a fairly epic battle and plenty more magic! While there were still elements that bothered me, I thought this was more enjoyable than the first. Also, *yay* we get a map!

- With the world and most of the characters already established in book one, the pacing in The Crow Rider was significantly faster. Part of the story followed a training montage which I always enjoy as we get to see characters and their abilities grow. I liked that it wasn't unrealistic growth, too--Res wasn't able to all of a sudden wield his abilities perfectly at the end of the training and he wasn't the most powerful crow to ever exist. The battle scenes where we get to see more crow magic being used were great and since the magic aspect was my favourite part of book one, I'm glad we saw more of it here. I appreciated that things didn't fall perfectly into place; the characters really have to work through obstacles even in battle and the "bad guys" weren't magically vanquished.

- I loved that Res got his own 'personality'. He was quite the sassy little crow and he actually made the story much more enjoyable for me! I think out of all the characters I was probably most invested in his survival because he really grew on me 😂 This is something I never thought I'd say about a crow because crows... But he was too lovable to resist! I loved his attention seeking ploys, cheekiness and love for food. His indignant reactions had me laughing out loud quite a few times while reading!

- For the most part, I did still like Thia but I thought her character became less likeable in this book. She was quite selfish in a lot of her actions and while she acknowledged and apologised for some, it was frustrating. As a character who lives with depression, I thought it was selfish of her to react in anger and to not accept that someone else who went through the same thing she did, could be feeling the same way and perhaps is even suffering more. It made me want to give her a good shake :) Prince Ericen played a much smaller role in this book and I'm disappointed that we didn't get to see more of him. I felt he also became more of a prop to push the story along in this book.

- As it was in the first book, the romance was still my least favourite part. I thought the romance happened quickly in book one, but things devolved even faster here and it made me question the point of everything that happened before. It wasn't entirely unpredictable but the characters kind of waved it away, and it honestly made me wish that the romance wasn't part of the story! I can't get into it without giving spoilers so I'll leave it at that.

Overall, this was a pretty satisfying conclusion and I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to read it. Although it took time for me to care for a lot of the characters and the world building wasn't very strong, I did enjoy this fast paced fantasy. I liked the representation of mental health because I still feel like it's not often that we see this rep in YA fantasy, and it helped me feel more empathetic and connected to our MC. Even though the romance wasn't my favourite, in the end I wasn't mad at how it wrapped up (because I'm a hopeless romantic and a big sucker for that HEA 🤷🏻‍♀️). I'm looking forward to seeing what else the author produces in the future!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also special thanks to The FFBC for organising this blog tour and including me in it!

The Crow Rider questions the ethics of battles that are lost with another on the horizon. Revenge and sacrifice, Thia's story in The Crow Rider is one where she has to confront her own past. The mistakes of her family, her own promises, and the legacy she wants to have. Thia's character evolution, including her bond with Res, was my favorite element of The Crow Rider. Flung into a position of power and responsibility, Thia has to figure out what losses are acceptable to her, exactly what she will bargain for to get what she wants - what is best for her people.

The Crow Rider felt more politically active than the The Storm Crow. Not only does Thia have to figure out what kind of ruler she wants to be, but how she can fight for the future of her kingdom. It may be a journey full of hard truths, wondering if our love is our weakness, and our own value. I wasn't a huge fan of the romance in The Crow Rider, just because it felt like a piece of the story that wasn't given as much depth and detail. I think it would have been just as compelling without it considering how character and action focused this sequel was.

I adored the prequel to this, Storm Crow, when it first came out and was overjoyed that Crow Rider lives up to my expectations ❤

It did take a bit of reading for me to remember exactly what happened and who everyone was but my god once I was back in the world I did not want to leave 😍

We're lucky to be able to explore Res (Crow) and Thia's (protagonist) a lot more in this book and it's a truly beautiful thing to watch blossom and grow

The characterisation in these books is one of my favorite things particularly the discussion of depression and mental health and how it presented differently for different characters.

I LOVED the extension of the world building and certain revelations that really pushed the whole story forward.

I don't really have a bad word to say. Loved this book so much!

Review will be live on socials by first week July.

I received a copy through NetGalley for reveiw.

I really enjoyed the Storm Crow, so I was interested in seeing where The Crow Rider was going to pan out as a duology.
The last book ended with Thia fleeing with Res, her newly hatched Storm Crow.
And they have to learn to train together, to see just how far Res's powers go. If she can learn to trust her own instincts and Res's own powers.
Razel is still out to destroy her, and every other country in existence... She's a real woman hellbent on revenge and not a lot else. Her life goals seem to be - kill, maim, take over.
Thia has to step up and win alliances in this one. And find out who's with her and against her.

I wish there was more time in this for the characters to develop a little bit more, to learn about Res's powers more fully, about the Sella's (that honestly felt extremely rushed). They were there and then gone. The epilogue was nice, but I kind of wanted to know more about how things were going.

Overall it was solidly done, but didn't really leave me wowed. Just with more questions.