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.

I liked this ending! it's a great conclusion to the series. It was a bit hard to get into at first but it ended up being very nice. I liked it and I liked the ending

I thoroughly enjoyed The Crow Rider! I actually thought it was better than the first (this the second of the duology) and wished the author had mixed in some more of the interesting mythology earlier in the series. I ended up really liking all the characters: the two main ones were great and I came to love their romance and even the villain was an excellent bad guy! 

I would recommend this for all readers, from teenagers and up.  Though this is YA, I think most will like the story, There is physical violence through a lot of the book.

The Crow Rider is a great follow up and conclusion to the Storm Crow duology. We get more character growth and more action. I appreciate the exploration of mental health and how it effects people. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I enjoyed The Storm Crow, the first book in this duology, rating it a solid 4/5 stars. The main selling point for me was, obviously, the huge crows with magic powers that people ride. I really rooted for Thia too, who was battling her depression and found it hard to get out of bed in the morning. Unfortunately, The Crow Rider just didn't grip me at all, and I paged through it listlessly, waiting for it to end.

The first problem was that I had read the previous book well over a year ago, and I couldn't remember what happened. I recalled Thia and her crow, Res, as well as Thia's sister, the fact that she was supposed to marry some prince who was ~troubled~, and had a friend that worked in a bakery?? This would be fine, except a google search didn't bring up a good summary for me, but even worse was that The Crow Rider dived straight back into the story without any kind of recap, or any hints to who all the characters were. I only realised that Caylus was supposed to be Thia's boyfriend when they broke up. The relationships between the characters just did not come across in the writing.

Second, I found the plot boring. Essentially, Thia is sailing around trying to raise support to overthrow Razel. Meanwhile, all she can think about is crow training and Ericen, who I specifically called out in my previous review for being annoying and having terrible, cringey banter. Well, he's back. Their whole relationship was painful to read: basically, he pops up and does something suspicious, Thia trusts him because, what, he doesn't like his mother much? He's cute? I don't know and I don't care. Thia ignores all her friends who say that he's bad news, and she's ignores them. She gets burnt. Rinse and repeat. It's so tedious. I'm not saying she needed to shoot him on sight, but I wouldn't have been that upset.

Other than that, there were just minor things that I found annoying, or ruined my ability to immerse myself in this book. The first is that Thia uses her bow in a sword fight, like all the time?? She parries swords with a bow? How would that even work!?! And she shoots arrows at people whilst they are swinging a sword right at her. That's literally impossible. No way. It's stupid and every fight scene felt dumb. Then there's the whole bloodline thing, where Thia is super special and everyone knows it but her, and her crow is super duper special and there's these weird magic beings who aren't properly explained who want to kill her. A lot about this book just felt thrown together.

A lot about what I liked in The Storm Crow - the direct depiction of depression, the wealth of female characters and female friendships - were still present and I appreciated these things a lot. But there was just too much that I didn't enjoy.

AHHHHHHH PLEASE READ THIS. I CANNOT EXPRESS IT ENOUGH. THIS BOOK AND THIS DUOLOGY IS OOF. IT IS EVERYTHING. JUST AHHHHHHHH! (I need to write a full review soon on my blog, but holy crap, I really enjoyed it)

Hello book pals!! I am here today because it is my stop on The Crow Rider Blog Tour. This is a blog tour organised by Faye Rogers PR, and I received a free arc from sourcebooksfire via NetGalley. I read The Storm Crow last year, and I remember enjoying it so much! So, read on for my review of the sequel.
Synopsis from Goodreads

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’ 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’ 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.
My thoughts

It had been a while since I had read The Storm Crow, so I had to ask my pal for an overview before I started The Crow Rider. I had initially intended to reread The Storm Crow, but I got a job so that as a big no. So, what was it like to be back in the world of The Storm Crow?

I found the plot really easy to get back into after my quick recap, and I realised how much I had missed these characters. So we spend The Crow Rider reading from the point of view of Thia, our main protagonist and all around badass. I found Thia to be so strong, despite trying to stop her home town from being destroyed.
The characters

To be honest, the whole book is filled with badass babes, from Thia to Kiva, and Samra and Elko, I adored the female representation in this book. Kalyn has no beef when it comes to making the female characters unlikeable either. Although I just think I have a soft spot for my gay gal Kiva tbh. Anyway, this book portrays the female friendship in such a way that not many other books do, and it was an absolute pleasure to read about.

Now, on to the guys. Caylus is my main cinnamon roll and I just adore him completly. When we first met in The Storm Crow I thought Caylus was a complete sweetie, and honestly I just want to protect him so much. He is a lad who just wants to learn about everything and I mean, why not? He has had a rough past, being made to be a fighter when he would have rather been a scholar. I feel like his development in The Crow Rider is just perfect.

Now I’ve babbled on about my babe, let’s get on to Ericen. The prince who is trying to woo Thia. We left The Storm Crow with him letting Thia and company escape. Throughout The Crow Rider we realise that the prince appears to be questioning everything his mother has told him. Basically, the prince is a snarky lad with a fear of heights and who loves dangerous gals. Which, to be fair, that’s most of us.

Res is my absolute favourite. He is Thia’s storm crow and we initially meet him in The Storm Crow. However, in The Crow Rider we see him develop into, I want to say teenager? Res knows how to get what he wants, and his personality is one of a kind. I love how he knows how great he is, but also the bond between him and Thia is something special. I just really want a storm crow okay.
Representation
Mental health: depression and PTSD

The Crow Rider is filled with good representation, from mental health to sexuality and gender. Let’s start with the depression rep, which we initially read in The Storm Crow. Kalyn almost seems to get these encoraching feelings down so well. Thia suffers with depression throughout the whole of the duology, and it is nice to not have her miraculously cured. We see Thia both realising her triggers, and how the depressive thoughts feel. But we also have her figuring out ways to cope and sort of live with it, if that makes sense? I just found it really relatable.

Secondly, I also found the PTSD of Caylus to be really realistic. However, I am not a sufferer so I am unable to comment on the accuracy. Reading this book I just found his coping mechanisms to be very honest for him as a character. I felt my heart break when he thought he would be expected to fight. I just wanted to give him a big hug and tell him everything would be okay.
Sexuality and gender

I know these are two different topics, but I’ve only got a lil bit to say so felt like they could have the same heading. Basically I felt so seen with the ace rep. When a certain character was telling someone that they didn’t know how they felt romantically. I FELT SEEN. Like I love the lesbian rep between Kiva and Auma that we witnessed in The Storm Crow. But the Ace rep was just the icing on the cake. And the non-binary character – I see you. I just…more books need to be like this.
Overall thoughts

There is so much that I could say about this book, however I will let the rest of my tour hosts have their say. You can check out the rest of the tour in the image below. I just really enjoyed this book and I have it a solid 4 stars on goodreads. Now, I am going to dream of riding my own crow into battle.

Until next time,

Bee xo

I loved this book! The duology was awesome! It was fast paced, intense, full of action and interesting characters! I thought the characters were fantastic! I really enjoyed them and they were so well developed! Highly recommend this duology!!

A thrilling conclusion to The Storm Crow duology. The main characters were developed so well and went through realistic ups and downs. This was a well written and executed fantasy story that I can see myself rereading again and again. Highly recommend all fantasy lovers dive into this amazing duology.

This one was a DNF for me. I just couldn't get into it, and I actually did enjoy the first book quite a bit.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Sourcebooks for the digital eARC of this novel.

This is the sequel to The Storm Crow, and is the final book in the duology. I read the first book The Storm Crow last month and I really enjoyed it, so I was very excited to get to the next book!

This series tells the story of Princess Thia, who is fighting to bring the power back to her land, and bring the magic of crows back.

I really like the character of Thia a lot, she struggles with anxiety and depression, and I thought the depiction of this was very well done in the novel. I always enjoy reading YA fantasy protagonists with mental health struggles that continue to have adventures, who’s story isn’t focussed entirely on their mental health.

This conclusion is action packed, it never stops from page 1 and the plot takes a lot of twists and turns. It is a very easy read, and I sped through it in a very short amount of time.

I liked the collection of secondary characters in this novel; the relationships Thia makes and develops throughout this duology are well developed and fleshed out from the previous book.

The only thing that slightly let this novel down for me was the villain of the story was not particularly villainous or threatening to Thia and friends, and I didn’t feel the threat was as potent as in the first book. However, despite this I still enjoyed the overall story of the novel.

In conclusion I really enjoyed the conclusion to this duology, it wrapped up the action and characters and I really enjoyed it!

I want to start by saying that I will be including mild spoilers for the love triangle in this review because I want to talk about an issue I had with this book and there is no way for me to do that without spoiling that one thing.

Secondly, I also want to say that The Storm Crow was one of my favorite reads of last year and so I was incredibly excited about this follow up. And ultimately was let down.

I'll start by mentioning things I did like about this book.

This series has some of the best depression representation I have ever read. Better even than some of the contemporaries where depression is a main focus. As someone with depression, Thia's struggles felt so real and honest to me. The book even uses the word depression so that there can be no confusion about the mental health struggles that Thia experiences. I absolutely loved seeing that in a fantasy novel. I do wish that there had been a bit more of it in this particular book, but I don't want that critique to take away from how important the rep is.

I also really liked getting to see Res come into his powers. It was really interesting seeing his abilities grow. It meant getting to learn more about the crows which I really loved. And I liked getting to meet some new characters in this book and I continued to love the main cast of characters from the last book.

However, now I have to talk about the things in this book that bothered me or I felt just didn't work.

Firstly, I'm not thrilled with Caylus suddenly being revealed as aromantic. There was so much effort in the first book to develop a romance between he and Thia. I'm not saying that aromantic people can't be involved in romances before realizing they're aromantic. On the contrary, they can and some do and that's completely valid. With Caylus, it just felt very sudden and almost disingenuous for him to be aromantic. There is a love triangle set up in book one and Caylus being aromantic felt like the author's only way of solving that, without horrible tarnishing Caylus's character. It felt like instead of actually writing a solution to that love triangle, the author opted for just making Caylus aromantic and something about that didn't sit well with me. I would like to mention here that I am not aromantic and I did try to find own voices reviews but could not.

Secondly, some things in the plot were just way too convenient. Res's abilities would work at one moment and the very next, while trying to perform the same ability, he couldn't because he wasn't strong enough in that one way. I'm trying to be vague here for the sake of spoilers, but it just didn't make sense. There are also a few times where the author makes a point of saying that Thia is out of arrows but then two scenes later, she has more arrows. I know that's a small detail but with the other conveniences, it just added up.

Finally, I was very confused about the role of the Sellas in this book. I barely remember the Sellas being in book one. There just didn't feel like a strong enough set up for them in The Storm Crow for them to play such an important part in this book. And even when their role in this book was revealed, I still felt let down by the set up that was done in this book. Ultimately, I just don't think the way the Sellas were handled felt successful to me.

I know those critiques sound harsh and ultimately, they did keep this book from being a success for me. But I still had fun reading it and I still felt a strong connection to the main character and her journey. I will also mention that I absolutely loved the epilogue chapter and reading it gave me a lot of happy feelings.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley.