YA Fantasy is a place that has been used to dive deep into the human condition. It allows readers to ask questions about our culture and society, by examining them through another lens. However, mental health is not typically an issue that has been featured in fantasy books, usually sticking to YA contemporary books. I praise Kalyn Josephson for writing a YA fantasy book that contains a character that realistically depicts a person mental health struggles. So many lines from this book accurately showed what it is like to live with depression. It is inspiring and powerful, to witness her journey.

The pacing was kind of weird for me in this one. The very beginning was slow to get into, but began progressing quickly. The late middle was a bit slow too, but the ending pulled through for me. I just loved Res and the banter. It was a satisfying end, but I wish there was more.

These books were so great to read! I enjoyed reading about this world so much, getting to know it, it was pretty interesting, with the Stella, which became a more important part in the 2nd book. And yeah, Thia was an amazing character, first she goes into her enemy's stronghold, and then is a central figure of the revolution. All while dealing with depression.

This world of Crows and magic was pretty interesting to read. There were some pretty big secrets that were revealed that were fantastic to read! The fact that Res has all of the different abilities, well, that's a pretty big question mark. And that Res's powers were unstable, well, Res went on a bit of a journey himself!

There is a bit of romance in these books. I wasn't sure where it'd go, because Ericen was ripe for being a redeemed character, but then there was Caylus. So I'm so glad that I could dive right into The Crow Rider, and see how the romance-and the rebellion-would end! Loved it!

The author has said that this was a duology. I'm pretty sure Thia's story is done, but I'd love a spin off series. But there was a hint that could be a future story, so if there is, I would love to read it! More characters deserve to find happiness, especially the one that I'm thinking of!

This was a fantastic series, and I can't wait to read more by Kalyn Josephson.

With The Storm Crow, it invited readers to a world every bookworm wants to visit and by the ending, it was shaping up to be pretty epic. The Crow Rider does what second books are supposed to do, which is progress the storyline and raise the stakes!

This sequel was absolutely SOLID with a unique world that creatively addresses depression and colonialism seamlessly. Thia is a likable character, whose struggles with her mental health are a refreshing presence in the fantasy genre. The world-building is also done well. Giant crows with elemental magic that the people of a tropical culture bond with and ride??? The author expands on this but I do wish we had gotten more time with these creature in this installment. I won't like and say it's definitly one of the more creative concepts I've seen lately, even if the crows can be said to simply be replacing the more traditional "dragon" concept. The lore around them is interesting, and strong, and it never bored me.

There were also enough twists in the plot to keep me engaged. The characters are strong, and their motivations, both internal and driven by relationships, were engaging and drove the plot forward. This is definitely a character-driven story filled with emotion from beginning to end. The events were exciting, but would be nothing without the unique and emotional characters pushing those events forward to a fantasy conclusion.

I expect Josephson to be on of those authors who gets better and better with each book and I look forward to what she publishes next.

Summary:

The thrilling conclusion to the epic Storm Crow duology that follows a fallen princess as she tries to bring back the magical elemental crows taken from her people.

Thia, her allies, and her crow, Res, are planning a rebellion to defeat Queen Razel and Illucia once and for all. Thia must convince the neighboring kingdoms to come to her aid, and Res's show of strength is the only thing that can help her.

But so many obstacles stand in her way. Res excels at his training, until he loses control of his magic, harming Thia in the process. She is also pursued by Prince Ericen, heir to the Illucian throne and the one person she can't trust but can't seem to stay away from.

As the rebel group prepares for war, Res's magic grows more unstable. Thia has to decide if she can rely on herself and their bond enough to lead the rebellion and become the crow rider she was meant to be.

Review:
Dynamic characters
Solid Plot
A perfect conclusion to the duology
What an ending!
I LOVED this story so much!!!!!!

I think that overall this was a good conclusion to this story. I enjoyed how it got right to the action and did not have a slow build up. I do think the ending was somewhat rushed but I enjoy that the author did not stretch it into a third book.

Well I was a huge huge fan of the first book and all the character. But I don't know this one got me bored and I couldn't focus on anything else and I'm so sad since I was such a huge huge fan of the first one. :(

I still love Thia and Ericen so much but I don't know I feel that I lost the point of them and feel like it was so predictable for me. This is still a pretty good book that talk a lot of me because of thia's feeling. I can recommend it to you and it's still a correct final for a dulogy !

Fantastic read, providing a wonderful conclusion to the story started in The Storm Crow. The world felt solidly thought-out and believable. A good deal of the book relies on action, which felt consistently captivating with the magic incorporated in clever ways.

This is a soft three stars.

“The Crow Rider” brings us the the conclusion where Razel and Thia go head to head in a war that was built on pain and death as both sides attempt to use war as justice for the death of their loved ones and with only one crow at their disposal Thia is running out of time to convince the other kingdoms that its only a matter of time before the war reaches their shores.

It’s amazing and so sad that a book that is packed with so much action could leave me feeling so bored.

Everything you think is going to happen in this book does so there’s very little surprise which like the book before it makes everything rather dull and uninteresting. There was not one moment in this that took me by surprise or even to a point where I was completely invested it was just the typical book 2 plot of let’s get the team together and then thanks to it being a duology the actual battle is wrapped up rather quickly.


This book suffered from having too many elements and not focusing on the right ones, we have hints in this book to other kingdoms and their fights and their hurt by Thia’s
mother and instead of exploring that story as to why they abandoned their allies we get a quick “I’m not like my mom” broom to sweep it all under the rug. There were so many characters and side arcs that were way more interesting than the plot we’ve all read dozens of times and it’s a shame we never got to experience anything new. There was even a moment where I thought we would finally start breaking new ground but it was quickly taken care of and made no sense why it was brought up in the first place and the more I write this review I want to take stars away.

Don’t even get me started on the “love story” which was given a flat out no one second and then suddenly it’s so overwhelming that we push characters aside to make it make sense. I could go into more detail but that would give heavy spoilers so I’ll just leave it there.

Overall I feel like I wasted my time but I can see where others would enjoy the series and I’m happy they can do so but for me they’re just pretty covers that will remain on a shelf.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

What a thrilling conclusion to this epic story! I loved it so much! The world and the characters were so enriching. I hope everyone loves this book as much as I did. Definite five stars for me!

The Crow Rider was an enjoyable read, but I did feel that I missed a great deal of character development by not reading the first book in the duology. With this said, I will suggest the purchase of both books because it afforded enough substance to engage the reader's interest.

An action packed conclusion to the Storm Crow duology. This sequel delivered in its promises and I found it to be a very satisfying end to this story.

I loved book one in this duology and could not wait for book two. It's an exciting and action-filled ending. There were points where I felt that certain action scenes or plot points were drawn out, but that didn't take away from the great writing, the great character interactions and the overall feel of the book. There were some plot twists that were very fun to have be in there. It's a great second book to a duology!

WOW. This was AMAZING. It’s gonna be a struggle to accurately express my emotions about this book without spoilers, but I’m gonna do my best!

I’ll admit that I was a bit underwhelmed by The Storm Crow, but I was interested enough in the world and the characters that I knew I wanted to read this sequel. And WOW, it was SO MUCH BETTER than the first book! I was hooked from the beginning; the plot moved at a great pace and it was filled with action, romance, betrayal, and friendship!

I liked Thia in the first book, but I loved her in this one. I thought she totally grew into her leadership role and it was easy to root for her throughout. Sometimes battle politics in a fantasy book can be grating, but I was super invested in all of that here! It never felt slow, it all built up to the battle at the end and totally paid off. Characters that are just wholly good and will do anything to save their friends are just really great characters. Also, her battle with depression is still very much a battle in this book, and it’s awesome to get some more representation of that. To see her constantly struggle with it but still manage to get sh*t done is inspiring.

The side characters are also amazing! Res is super adorable and really steals the show in this book. It was so fun to see him grow into his powers! I looooved the idea of having different trainers help him with different crow powers. Kiva is always at Thia’s side to argue with her when needed (and sometimes when NOT needed, like let’s all calm down, Kiva) and Caliza was great again. Elkona was a definite favorite, and I’m so pleased with how her relationship with Thia played out! ERICEN, LOVE YOU BUD. He was fantastic in this book. I gravitated towards him a lot in the first book and his overall character arc was great.

The romance was a definite highlight and it had just the right amount of everything. I thought everything romance-wise was handled perfectly and I’m so happy! I really don’t want to give any spoilers so all I’ll say is: MY SHIP PREVAILED. I HAD FAITH AND I WAS REWARDED AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE. NICE!!!!!!!

I’m so over the moon with how great this was! I thought the ending was fantastic and I’m 100 percent happy with every single character’s ending! Will definitely be buying a copy of this as soon as it hits shelves (I mean, look at that cover, it’s gorgeous) Out July 7th!

I gave the first book in this series three stars. I enjoyed it, but didn’t love it. However, I was very excited to see where the second book would take us in the world. I thought that it had all the potential in the world to be an amazing book. I was right. This book was absolutely stunning from beginning to end. I absolutely enjoyed it. So much more than the first one. I know this is a duology, but I am so not ready to leave these characters behind yet.

The Writing
I love Josephson’s writing. There is something so endearing about it to me. It resonates, and it makes me so happy to read. I flew through this in two hours. I could not put the book down. I was sucked in and drawn in. It’s how she writes the characters, and the plotlines…just it all worked so well together. It felt so wonderful. Everything was alive and breathing for me in this book. I loved the writing so much.

The Pacing
I had some issues with the pacing in the first book, but honestly? This one I had no problems at all. This book was action packed to the brim, and it is the perfect type of book for me. the plots that were going on, the character development, all of it felt well paced to me, and I was enjoying to because nothing seemed too rushed or too slow. There was purpose.

The Plot
I enjoyed the plot of this one much more than the first one. Not sure why the plot and I didn’t work in the first one (I found the evil queen Razel and arranged marriage really boring) but the plot really worked in this one. It felt like it undid what I didn’t like in the first one and made it so much better. Of course, lots of stuff goes down in this book, and I literally do not want to talk about any of it for fear of spoiling anything that happens. It is worth it to read without any preconceived notions.

The Characters
THIA. I love Thia and Kiva and their friendship. I feel that it works so well becomes it helps form the basis of the book. It is steady and there, and I love a good friendship. And theirs is written so well. I am highly impressed by that. Also Auma and Kiva? *insert heart eyes* (See that notation? I love them. I want to see a story all about them!) Thia is just an amazing character in this. I feel like she really grows and starts to come into herself in this book, and it works for her. She becomes a stronger person.
Another thing that I didn’t like in the first book but liked in this one was Ericen and Thia’s friendship and its development. I liked it a lot better in this, it went well with the story.
There are a lot of characters in this, and honestly, they’re all great. Even the bad ones. I liked everything about it.

The World building
Again, I think the world building is really good in this series. Flying crows? Yes. HECK YES. One of the best parts! And I like how the world is set up, but it isn’t too detailed so you’re not getting tripped up or trying to figure anything out. It works!

Overall
AMAZING BOOK. I can’t wait to see what else Josephson has in store for us, because I know I will be looking for more books by her in the future!

I really enjoyed the storm crow and thought the prologue was amazing. I was really excited to get approved for the arc of the crow rider and I was not disappointed. My only issue with the storm crow was that there wasn’t enough interaction with the crows, although I understand this was because it was setting up the story. The crow rider was action packed throughout. I loved reading about Thia again and thought it was written so well.

This book was so good! I feel like I have been waiting forever after the first book for this one to come out! It did not disappoint and i liked it as much as the first one. The plot was full of action and adventure with birds galore! I will be purchasing this book for my libraries YA collection.