What do you think?
Rate this book
The Storm Crow #2
The Crow Rider
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.
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.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2020
109 people are currently reading
10860 people want to read
About the author
Kalyn Josephson
10 books949 followersKalyn Josephson is the NYT bestselling author of THE STORM CROW duology, RAVENFALL series, and upcoming THIS DARK DESCENT. By day, she's a Technical Writer, which leaves room for too many bad puns about technically being a writer. She lives in the Bay Area with two black cats (who are more like a tiny dragon and an even tinier owl).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 523 reviews
April 9, 2021
(3.5 ★’s)
Last year with The Storm Crow, I felt its theme of depression due to my own past. This year, reading the sequel, I feel it because I’m experiencing it this very moment.
Depression is a funny thing (pardon my insensitivity) because in every single person it haunts, it brings a different battle; an ocean of self-doubt, a blanket of exhaustion, a mist of loneliness, a well of pointlessness, suffocating, suffocating, always suffocating you. And it never, ever really leaves. You feel better, you feel worse. You win, but you feel it there every once in a while, poking its head in, luring you with bitter words.
And what I’m most thankful for when it comes to this duology, is Kalyn Josephson’s acknowledgement of this trickster and its tricky nature. So. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
This is an action-packed second installment (the opposite of its predecessor) peppered with moments of fresh air, bonding, friendship, self-discovery, unity, doubt, guilt, and forgiveness, with a gem named Ericen and only one true hero aka Res, my precious magical crow—no one can convince me otherwise.
I loved this sequel, and I wish, oh I wish I could give five winged stars to The Crow Rider, but sadly it could’ve done so much more, been so much more. I feel like this series could’ve easily been a trilogy and should’ve been a trilogy. It’s no secret that I prefer slow-paced to fast-paced, but I can love the latter too, as long as it doesn’t sacrifice its potential for in-depth development just to put you on the edge of your seat. Sadly, The Crow Rider does just that.
There is so much happening in these 350 pages that certain parts start to feel rushed, underdeveloped, and out-of-the-blue. Namely three things which each took away half a star for me: the beginning, Caylus, and Ericen (I’ll talk about them separately).
Beginning: How About You Take A Breath?
The Crow Rider hits the ground running and does not slow down, and while that in itself is a good thing, it can also take away from the book if written in a rushed manner. It’s not that Kalyn isn’t good at action scenes (the ending battles were very well written and I loved the strategies and descriptions), it’s only that the beginning fights and chases were happening too fast, finished in a blink, the next one quickly dumped on you.
Starting the book, I was slightly put out, thinking I would not end up loving it. I am truly glad that it got better as the book progressed, and I hope the author works more on developing all scenes in her future novels (which I’m looking forward to).
Caylus: Where Did THAT Go?
I’d said in my review of the previous book that Thia and Caylus’s romance felt more like a temporary reprieve and solace, confined to four walls, and I didn’t see it as solid enough to hold strong. So I completely understand why it took the path it took in the sequel BUT, it was barely explored and explained. I’d have especially loved more on the aromantic angle.
Ericen: What Are You Doing?
By now everyone knows Red Queen is one of my favourite series and one of the reason that is so is because of the extraordinary and thoroughly developed character arcs; like Cal’s. And since Ericen’s circumstances and struggle constantly reminded me of that of Cal’s, I was hoping for a similar slow path—if not three books of doubt and and questioning your beliefs, then at least one! I don’t know, maybe Victoria Aveyard has raised my expectations of YA, but I was left extremely unsatisfied with the sudden shift in belief.
I believe The Crow Rider would’ve benefited much from being split in half into two books, then spending more time working on the twists and giving time for scenes to brew before moving past them. And to prevent a long drawn out plot in case of the split, more subplots could’ve done wonders, perhaps laying the groundwork for the ultimate reveal.
Criticisms aside, I still did love this novel.
I loved it for the even stronger female friendships. For Res the magical crow’s charm and bravery and naughtiness. I loved it, because of the bird and rider’s relationship. Ericen’s arrogance and teasing. And because of the way he pushed Res in all their similarities (and no wonder they are my faves, I do have a type it seems). I loved it for Kiva’s developed romance and her precious presence and support. And the cat ruining her intimating image. I loved the myths and stories sprinkled throughout. The easy LGBT+ representation. The light politics and strategic talk. I loved the banter and bonds and Elko’s fierceness. And I lovednd Thia’s growth and attempts to be a leader, making me feel like a proud parent.
It just needed more subtly in some cases, is all.
Companions
Book series playlist: Spotify URL
Books in series:
➴ The Storm Crow (The Storm Crow, #1) ★★★★☆
➴ The Crow Rider (The Storm Crow, #2) ★★★✯☆
“You only fail if you stop trying.”
Last year with The Storm Crow, I felt its theme of depression due to my own past. This year, reading the sequel, I feel it because I’m experiencing it this very moment.
Depression is a funny thing (pardon my insensitivity) because in every single person it haunts, it brings a different battle; an ocean of self-doubt, a blanket of exhaustion, a mist of loneliness, a well of pointlessness, suffocating, suffocating, always suffocating you. And it never, ever really leaves. You feel better, you feel worse. You win, but you feel it there every once in a while, poking its head in, luring you with bitter words.
“Some cracks couldn’t be mended; they only became a part of you instead, forever places that left you unsteady. “It feels impossible,” he said. “Like trying to reform shattered glass.”
And what I’m most thankful for when it comes to this duology, is Kalyn Josephson’s acknowledgement of this trickster and its tricky nature. So. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
(there is a map now!)
This is an action-packed second installment (the opposite of its predecessor) peppered with moments of fresh air, bonding, friendship, self-discovery, unity, doubt, guilt, and forgiveness, with a gem named Ericen and only one true hero aka Res, my precious magical crow—no one can convince me otherwise.
I loved this sequel, and I wish, oh I wish I could give five winged stars to The Crow Rider, but sadly it could’ve done so much more, been so much more. I feel like this series could’ve easily been a trilogy and should’ve been a trilogy. It’s no secret that I prefer slow-paced to fast-paced, but I can love the latter too, as long as it doesn’t sacrifice its potential for in-depth development just to put you on the edge of your seat. Sadly, The Crow Rider does just that.
“Decisions take courage. It’s so much easier to just let things happen.”
There is so much happening in these 350 pages that certain parts start to feel rushed, underdeveloped, and out-of-the-blue. Namely three things which each took away half a star for me: the beginning, Caylus, and Ericen (I’ll talk about them separately).
Beginning: How About You Take A Breath?
Even your very heart is armed, Auma had said. It must have peace before you can expect to bring it to others.
But I didn’t want peace right now.
I wanted war.
The Crow Rider hits the ground running and does not slow down, and while that in itself is a good thing, it can also take away from the book if written in a rushed manner. It’s not that Kalyn isn’t good at action scenes (the ending battles were very well written and I loved the strategies and descriptions), it’s only that the beginning fights and chases were happening too fast, finished in a blink, the next one quickly dumped on you.
Starting the book, I was slightly put out, thinking I would not end up loving it. I am truly glad that it got better as the book progressed, and I hope the author works more on developing all scenes in her future novels (which I’m looking forward to).
Caylus: Where Did THAT Go?
“When they asked him whether he was lost, he said he was. When they offered to give him directions, he said he knew the way home. ‘Well then,’ the ship’s captain asked, ‘how can you be lost?’ And the man replied, ‘Because no matter where I am, it’s never where I should be.’
I’d said in my review of the previous book that Thia and Caylus’s romance felt more like a temporary reprieve and solace, confined to four walls, and I didn’t see it as solid enough to hold strong. So I completely understand why it took the path it took in the sequel BUT, it was barely explored and explained. I’d have especially loved more on the aromantic angle.
Ericen: What Are You Doing?
“Love doesn’t make you weak.” He looked at me, his piercing eyes pinning me to the spot. “It makes you stronger.”
By now everyone knows Red Queen is one of my favourite series and one of the reason that is so is because of the extraordinary and thoroughly developed character arcs; like Cal’s. And since Ericen’s circumstances and struggle constantly reminded me of that of Cal’s, I was hoping for a similar slow path—if not three books of doubt and and questioning your beliefs, then at least one! I don’t know, maybe Victoria Aveyard has raised my expectations of YA, but I was left extremely unsatisfied with the sudden shift in belief.
I believe The Crow Rider would’ve benefited much from being split in half into two books, then spending more time working on the twists and giving time for scenes to brew before moving past them. And to prevent a long drawn out plot in case of the split, more subplots could’ve done wonders, perhaps laying the groundwork for the ultimate reveal.
“You cannot be afraid to see what you see,” Auma replied. “If you are, you only end up lying to yourself.”
Criticisms aside, I still did love this novel.
I loved it for the even stronger female friendships. For Res the magical crow’s charm and bravery and naughtiness. I loved it, because of the bird and rider’s relationship. Ericen’s arrogance and teasing. And because of the way he pushed Res in all their similarities (and no wonder they are my faves, I do have a type it seems). I loved it for Kiva’s developed romance and her precious presence and support. And the cat ruining her intimating image. I loved the myths and stories sprinkled throughout. The easy LGBT+ representation. The light politics and strategic talk. I loved the banter and bonds and Elko’s fierceness. And I lovednd Thia’s growth and attempts to be a leader, making me feel like a proud parent.
It just needed more subtly in some cases, is all.
Companions
Book series playlist: Spotify URL
Books in series:
➴ The Storm Crow (The Storm Crow, #1) ★★★★☆
➴ The Crow Rider (The Storm Crow, #2) ★★★✯☆
July 9, 2020
i was beyond ecstatic to receive an ARC of this. i remember ‘the storm crow’ being a wildly imaginative and entertaining story, so i was excited to jump right back into the world and this sequel hits the ground running.
it literally picks up where the last book left off and i immediately found myself not remembering little details, such as how several characters were connected, what was going on with the different kingdoms, and how the magic system worked. i wanted to blame it on my memory, but then i remembered the first book didnt have a lot of world building to begin with. pair that with no recap given and you get a very confusing start to a story.
and because it took me nearly half the book before i felt settled into the story, this wasnt quite as enjoyable as i wanted it to be. theres a lot more action, but again, the world-building leaves much to be desired. i once more found the glossary at the back of the book to be more informative than the details given in the story. i also felt unattached to the characters for some reason - the only character i looked forward to seeing was res, the crow.
overall, i think many people who loved the first book will be happy with this sequel and will find it to be a satisfying conclusion. but i had too many hiccups along the way that prevented me from personally loving this, unfortunately.
thank you sourcebooks fire for the ARC!
↠ 3 stars
it literally picks up where the last book left off and i immediately found myself not remembering little details, such as how several characters were connected, what was going on with the different kingdoms, and how the magic system worked. i wanted to blame it on my memory, but then i remembered the first book didnt have a lot of world building to begin with. pair that with no recap given and you get a very confusing start to a story.
and because it took me nearly half the book before i felt settled into the story, this wasnt quite as enjoyable as i wanted it to be. theres a lot more action, but again, the world-building leaves much to be desired. i once more found the glossary at the back of the book to be more informative than the details given in the story. i also felt unattached to the characters for some reason - the only character i looked forward to seeing was res, the crow.
overall, i think many people who loved the first book will be happy with this sequel and will find it to be a satisfying conclusion. but i had too many hiccups along the way that prevented me from personally loving this, unfortunately.
thank you sourcebooks fire for the ARC!
↠ 3 stars
January 10, 2025
Ericen. Hello, my boy.
December 16, 2024
╭ ✦ •
│
│ ⊹ 𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚛𝚝𝚌 (𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎)! ⊹
│
╰ ✦ •
I am a mess right now. I've cried and laughed and routed for Thia, her friends, family, and even Ericen... and now it's over.
I LOVE this duology so much.
_________________________________
Blog ಇ StoryGraph ಇ Instagram ಇ Twitter ಇ Facebook
│
│ ⊹ 𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚛𝚝𝚌 (𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎)! ⊹
│
╰ ✦ •
I am a mess right now. I've cried and laughed and routed for Thia, her friends, family, and even Ericen... and now it's over.
I LOVE this duology so much.
_________________________________
Blog ಇ StoryGraph ಇ Instagram ಇ Twitter ಇ Facebook
January 12, 2020
I'm really, really proud of all the work that went into this book, and I can't wait to share it with you all. Thia's journey has meant a lot to me, and hearing what it's meant to others has been incredible. I hope you're all ready for a lot more magic, action, and cute little crows (or rather big crows, I suppose).
June 29, 2020
Not this book making me HELLA emotional during the epilogue !!
AGH this was seriously so so so so SO good. I'm Big Sad having to leave this world and characters behind but this had the Perfect ** ending.
ReviewToComeSoon <3
AGH this was seriously so so so so SO good. I'm Big Sad having to leave this world and characters behind but this had the Perfect ** ending.
ReviewToComeSoon <3
January 17, 2021
The Storm Crow: 4.5 stars
The Crow Rider: 4.5 stars
I really REALLY enjoyed this. I did not expect this duology to be this great!
Contains spoilers from down here!
________________________________
Things I liked!
- I loved the world. So interesting, refreshing and well explained. It had also the right size for this short duology and expanded well in this final installment. Reallt enjoyed reading about this
- I loved the mental illness rep and how that wove into the mc daily life.
- I loved the LGBTQ+ reps and how women were represented in this story.
- I really enjoyed all characters. I loved Thia as a main characters and how she grows, I Loved Kiva, Caylus, Ericen. Hell I even loved Razel as the villain. I found the characterization of everyone very well done.
- The character interactions and friendships were super believable and enjoyable to read.
- I LOVED Res, he was so funny but also so strong and determined.
- Really enjoyed the writing style.
- The plot was enjoyable, and really gripping. I loved some of the twists, e.g. Estrel being alive.
- The battle scenes were great and everything I hoped for. I was so scared for everyone.
- The ending was so well done and really satisfying!
Things I didn’t like as much
- I think the beginning was not as easy to get into when it’s been a year ago when you read the first book. A bit more could have been summarized to explain what had happened and who was who. So therefore I needed to reread the first book.
- The pacing was a bit too quickly and sometimes became almost rushed, this made it became unbelievable. For example the negotiations.
- I never like it in YA when everything comes on the shoulders of the not even adult mc. Here it was well explained and logical, but still..
- I would have liked some more originality in the plot line or at least some things that were harder to predict.
- I would have liked MORE. But that was probably because I liked it so much.
The Crow Rider: 4.5 stars
I really REALLY enjoyed this. I did not expect this duology to be this great!
Contains spoilers from down here!
________________________________
Things I liked!
- I loved the world. So interesting, refreshing and well explained. It had also the right size for this short duology and expanded well in this final installment. Reallt enjoyed reading about this
- I loved the mental illness rep and how that wove into the mc daily life.
- I loved the LGBTQ+ reps and how women were represented in this story.
- I really enjoyed all characters. I loved Thia as a main characters and how she grows, I Loved Kiva, Caylus, Ericen. Hell I even loved Razel as the villain. I found the characterization of everyone very well done.
- The character interactions and friendships were super believable and enjoyable to read.
- I LOVED Res, he was so funny but also so strong and determined.
- Really enjoyed the writing style.
- The plot was enjoyable, and really gripping. I loved some of the twists, e.g. Estrel being alive.
- The battle scenes were great and everything I hoped for. I was so scared for everyone.
- The ending was so well done and really satisfying!
Things I didn’t like as much
- I think the beginning was not as easy to get into when it’s been a year ago when you read the first book. A bit more could have been summarized to explain what had happened and who was who. So therefore I needed to reread the first book.
- The pacing was a bit too quickly and sometimes became almost rushed, this made it became unbelievable. For example the negotiations.
- I never like it in YA when everything comes on the shoulders of the not even adult mc. Here it was well explained and logical, but still..
- I would have liked some more originality in the plot line or at least some things that were harder to predict.
- I would have liked MORE. But that was probably because I liked it so much.
September 4, 2020
3 Stars!
To start with I just want to say that this was probably one of my most anticipated reads of the year. When I read The Storm Crow last year, I just connected with it on another level, I loved the idea of magical crows, the characters were so endearing, so much representation, I was here for it. So why did this get 3 stars you may ask? I'm going to start with the positives and then work my way to the things I didn't enjoy.
The representation in this book, is probably one of my favourites. There are so many different people. Different races, members of the LGBTQ+ and Mental Health Rep. I can only speak on the Mental Health representation, but I genuinely cannot praise this book enough for this. I've read a lot of books that deal with depression, but this in particular I have never felt so seen or related to a character as much. You see the different waves that Thia goes through, from her highs to her lows and often not feeling good enough. I loved the encouragement and support she got from others it was wonderful to see!
Res literally stole the book for me, who is Res? He is the crow. You could see him get his own little personality and he was so much fun! The bond between him and Thia is so so sweet and just the sarcasm that radiates it was great!
Another thing I really enjoyed seeing was Thia really come into her own as a character, you see her go from strength to strength and trying to form different alliances. People tell her not to do certain things, and I think what I enjoyed was seeing her being like hmmm... and make up her own mind.
The unravelling of certain things, I mean especially one it was pretty obvious HOWEVER at one point I was like oh okay, I guess I'm wrong and then it turns out I was in fact correct! So I did enjoy this miss direction it was very clever!
DECOYS! I was like get ittttttt, thought it was very good!
Now... here is where things turned slightly sour for me.
I don't think this worked as a duology, especially with the length of this book. The best way to explain is that this book should of focused on a few different things. One of them being about Sellas. I re-read The Storm Crow a few days before reading this, so I went in remembering everything, and the Sellas wasn't mentioned, so I'm not sure how they can become front and centre, it would of been interesting to maybe dive a little deeper with this information.
Spoiler in the next paragraph
The pacing itself seemed quite off. Everything just happened so quickly, it was this then this and this. It was a matter of making alliances it was this this this. Then a war and it went this this this this. A note that I made SPOILER HERE was that the Sellas were supposed to be godlike, and just seeing all of the powers and how strong they could be, but they just seemed to dies one after the other. There were four in total and two died within 6 pages of each other. It would of been interesting to see them more.
Consistency is key, this didn't happen, things would be mentioned and then there would be a contradiction, arrows running out but then getting them, things about Res's powers things happened just to make the story convenient.
My final disappointment was about characters. On one hand we got a lot of Res and This who were both so well developed, while other characters really did get side tracked. Caylus was kind of cast aside and his back story was done so quickly, I never ever saw the relationship in The Storm Crow but just how it was resolved didn't really sit well, it seemed more like an excuse and I just think there should of been something more maybe? My fave Ericen was done dirty (I think this is just a personal issue cause I do really like Ericen) in the sense of the lack of trust and how he was treated by other characters.
Overall I do feel slightly let down, I still enjoyed it, just maybe I went in with too high expectations maybe? I cannot shout about the rep in this book enough, for that alone I'd give it all of the stars!
-------------
After thoughts Mini Review
I have very very mixed views on this, lots of positives but also things that I just didn’t like/couldn’t get my head around.
I just want to point out that these are all just my personal opinions, but coming off of such a high from Storm Crow this has me feeling pretty mixed up.
Just to note I have lots to praise as well! Like I said, just super mixed views 😊
—————-
The Storm Crown was by far one of my favourite reads of last year, it completely blew me away, so I am very excited for the next instalment, to the point I was searching for the UK publisher to try and get an ARC (somehow), one day I will find out how ahahaha!
To start with I just want to say that this was probably one of my most anticipated reads of the year. When I read The Storm Crow last year, I just connected with it on another level, I loved the idea of magical crows, the characters were so endearing, so much representation, I was here for it. So why did this get 3 stars you may ask? I'm going to start with the positives and then work my way to the things I didn't enjoy.
The representation in this book, is probably one of my favourites. There are so many different people. Different races, members of the LGBTQ+ and Mental Health Rep. I can only speak on the Mental Health representation, but I genuinely cannot praise this book enough for this. I've read a lot of books that deal with depression, but this in particular I have never felt so seen or related to a character as much. You see the different waves that Thia goes through, from her highs to her lows and often not feeling good enough. I loved the encouragement and support she got from others it was wonderful to see!
Res literally stole the book for me, who is Res? He is the crow. You could see him get his own little personality and he was so much fun! The bond between him and Thia is so so sweet and just the sarcasm that radiates it was great!
Another thing I really enjoyed seeing was Thia really come into her own as a character, you see her go from strength to strength and trying to form different alliances. People tell her not to do certain things, and I think what I enjoyed was seeing her being like hmmm... and make up her own mind.
The unravelling of certain things, I mean especially one it was pretty obvious HOWEVER at one point I was like oh okay, I guess I'm wrong and then it turns out I was in fact correct! So I did enjoy this miss direction it was very clever!
DECOYS! I was like get ittttttt, thought it was very good!
Now... here is where things turned slightly sour for me.
I don't think this worked as a duology, especially with the length of this book. The best way to explain is that this book should of focused on a few different things. One of them being about Sellas. I re-read The Storm Crow a few days before reading this, so I went in remembering everything, and the Sellas wasn't mentioned, so I'm not sure how they can become front and centre, it would of been interesting to maybe dive a little deeper with this information.
Spoiler in the next paragraph
The pacing itself seemed quite off. Everything just happened so quickly, it was this then this and this. It was a matter of making alliances it was this this this. Then a war and it went this this this this. A note that I made SPOILER HERE was that the Sellas were supposed to be godlike, and just seeing all of the powers and how strong they could be, but they just seemed to dies one after the other. There were four in total and two died within 6 pages of each other. It would of been interesting to see them more.
Consistency is key, this didn't happen, things would be mentioned and then there would be a contradiction, arrows running out but then getting them, things about Res's powers things happened just to make the story convenient.
My final disappointment was about characters. On one hand we got a lot of Res and This who were both so well developed, while other characters really did get side tracked. Caylus was kind of cast aside and his back story was done so quickly, I never ever saw the relationship in The Storm Crow but just how it was resolved didn't really sit well, it seemed more like an excuse and I just think there should of been something more maybe? My fave Ericen was done dirty (I think this is just a personal issue cause I do really like Ericen) in the sense of the lack of trust and how he was treated by other characters.
Overall I do feel slightly let down, I still enjoyed it, just maybe I went in with too high expectations maybe? I cannot shout about the rep in this book enough, for that alone I'd give it all of the stars!
-------------
After thoughts Mini Review
I have very very mixed views on this, lots of positives but also things that I just didn’t like/couldn’t get my head around.
I just want to point out that these are all just my personal opinions, but coming off of such a high from Storm Crow this has me feeling pretty mixed up.
Just to note I have lots to praise as well! Like I said, just super mixed views 😊
—————-
The Storm Crown was by far one of my favourite reads of last year, it completely blew me away, so I am very excited for the next instalment, to the point I was searching for the UK publisher to try and get an ARC (somehow), one day I will find out how ahahaha!
July 31, 2021
TW: animal death, blood, death, grief, mental illness, torture.
This was a mess but at least Res was cute.
This was a mess but at least Res was cute.
September 28, 2020
* *
2 / 5
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.
Read my reviews on my blog: http://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.com
2 / 5
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.
Read my reviews on my blog: http://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.com
December 11, 2020
The Storm Crown
4.5 stars
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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.
4.5 stars
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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.
April 7, 2021
#1) The Storm Crow ★★★★★
➸ Trigger warnings for .
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram
March 21, 2020
5 stars
I am a huge fan of The Storm Crow and told everyone I know to read it and kept on talking about how brilliant it is. I was over the moon to receive an arc copy of The Crow Rider and so excited to read it and see how this story ends.
I was not let down. Kalyn Josephson is an incredible writer. She made me feel so many emotions and had me clinging to the edge of my seat. I rarely knew what was going to happen next and completely enjoyed the ride (pun intended!).
I love ALL the characters in this series. They are so well developed and have such personality that you feel you know them. Thia was brilliant, incredibly brave yet still human. She showed fear, she struggled with depression and worried alot. She is not the fierce killing machine we often get in these books and it made her even more engaging.
The storyline continued in a brilliant way and I adored the focus on the storm crow, Res. I am a huge bird lover so a giant magical crow is my ideal of heaven for a fantasy book! Having Res have so much personality was genius and often made me smile and laugh.
I am not going too much into the side characters or the storyline in this review as I want it to remain spoiler free. All I will say is that I am VERY happy but also sad that this series has come to an end. I cannot wait to see what Kalyn Josephson brings out next!
Please note that I was gifted this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I am a huge fan of The Storm Crow and told everyone I know to read it and kept on talking about how brilliant it is. I was over the moon to receive an arc copy of The Crow Rider and so excited to read it and see how this story ends.
I was not let down. Kalyn Josephson is an incredible writer. She made me feel so many emotions and had me clinging to the edge of my seat. I rarely knew what was going to happen next and completely enjoyed the ride (pun intended!).
I love ALL the characters in this series. They are so well developed and have such personality that you feel you know them. Thia was brilliant, incredibly brave yet still human. She showed fear, she struggled with depression and worried alot. She is not the fierce killing machine we often get in these books and it made her even more engaging.
The storyline continued in a brilliant way and I adored the focus on the storm crow, Res. I am a huge bird lover so a giant magical crow is my ideal of heaven for a fantasy book! Having Res have so much personality was genius and often made me smile and laugh.
I am not going too much into the side characters or the storyline in this review as I want it to remain spoiler free. All I will say is that I am VERY happy but also sad that this series has come to an end. I cannot wait to see what Kalyn Josephson brings out next!
Please note that I was gifted this arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 8, 2020
I received a beautiful physical ARC of this title from Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.
An emotional and exciting conclusion. RTC
An emotional and exciting conclusion. RTC
January 10, 2020
ARC provided by Edelweiss
I am happy this is just a duology, I don't think my heart can take anymore.
I was always on the edge of my seat with this one. There was betrayals, battles, political espionage, the list goes on. I don't think there was ever a slow moment.
I really loved the unity of the characters. They may disagree and banter but they always found ways to help one another. I think with Thia's depression that will be really helpful. All the characters were complex too, not always-make-the-right-decision types but they learned from their mistakes and others to make a better world.
I even enjoyed the politics in this one. I sometimes zone out when it comes to the war councils and such but I liked how the author put this one together. There was strategy and disagreements but ultimately was fun to read.
All in all, I felt this was conclusive and an enjoyable read. I liked the characters development especially having to deal with such big issues as war, politics, kingdoms, etc. There were times problems were easily solved, but eh sometimes that's okay since there were also big problems.
Content Warnings: Depression, war, violence, torture
I am happy this is just a duology, I don't think my heart can take anymore.
I was always on the edge of my seat with this one. There was betrayals, battles, political espionage, the list goes on. I don't think there was ever a slow moment.
I really loved the unity of the characters. They may disagree and banter but they always found ways to help one another. I think with Thia's depression that will be really helpful. All the characters were complex too, not always-make-the-right-decision types but they learned from their mistakes and others to make a better world.
I even enjoyed the politics in this one. I sometimes zone out when it comes to the war councils and such but I liked how the author put this one together. There was strategy and disagreements but ultimately was fun to read.
All in all, I felt this was conclusive and an enjoyable read. I liked the characters development especially having to deal with such big issues as war, politics, kingdoms, etc. There were times problems were easily solved, but eh sometimes that's okay since there were also big problems.
Content Warnings: Depression, war, violence, torture
September 4, 2020
I loved the main character Thias determination to keep fighting even when the odds were against her. With the support of her friends and family she manages to push through the heavy despair of depression and put together a plan to stop Razel. I felt like Thia had more agency in this sequel and that's probably why I preferred it over the first book. I did get frustrated with everyone deciding what they should do with Prince Ericen. I just wanted them to respect her judgment since she knows him best and he's technically her prisoner. I loved Ericen and the slow build romance between him and Thia, but I think her break up with Caylus was a little too easy considering all the issues he's dealing with. I did like how Ericen and Thias started out being friends and building trust.
I didnt remember many details from the first book so it took me a while to figure out that Kiva was her best friend from childhood. Had I known sooner I think her interactions with the Thias crow Res would have been even funnier. Besides that I didnt like Kiva as much as I hoped I would. It took her way too long time to trust Thias judgement and as her guard she should have deferred to her decisions instead of bossing her around. However I did like seeing Kivas romance with Auma and Thias new friendship with Elko. I also loved the bond between Thia and Res. It was really cute how protective they were of each other. I wish we got to see more of Thias relationship with her sister, but what we did get was really heartwarming.
Thia is trying to rally the other kingdoms into an alliance. The Illucians wont stop until every kingdom is completely crushed and despite teaming up being their only chance of survival the other kingdoms are hesitant to join. I loved the way Thia went about convincing the other kingdoms to fight. The Illucian Queen was a fearsome antagonist but her being motivated by revenge for the death of her family didn't hold up for me when she turned her back on her own son. Having a more concrete time of when to expect the Illucians to attack would have added more tension to the plot. The pacing was a little slow at times, but we get a few different battles throughout that kept the story engaging. I thought the ending was satisfying, especially seeing how much they've rebuilt years after the big battle.
The crows were definitely a huge highlight of this duology. Theres water, fire, earth, wind, storm, shadow, sun, and battle crows. I loved how riders and their crow can feel each others emotions. I'm happy we got more information about the origin of the crows and why only the royal family can hatch them. The other magical beings we get to meet in this sequel and the threat they posed made the world even better. Theres also these magical roads that were really interesting. The setting starts off at sea which I always enjoy. I appreciated the mental health representation because I mostly read fantasy I dont get to see very often. I'm excited to see what other fantastical world this author will come up with in the future.
*Received for review
I didnt remember many details from the first book so it took me a while to figure out that Kiva was her best friend from childhood. Had I known sooner I think her interactions with the Thias crow Res would have been even funnier. Besides that I didnt like Kiva as much as I hoped I would. It took her way too long time to trust Thias judgement and as her guard she should have deferred to her decisions instead of bossing her around. However I did like seeing Kivas romance with Auma and Thias new friendship with Elko. I also loved the bond between Thia and Res. It was really cute how protective they were of each other. I wish we got to see more of Thias relationship with her sister, but what we did get was really heartwarming.
Thia is trying to rally the other kingdoms into an alliance. The Illucians wont stop until every kingdom is completely crushed and despite teaming up being their only chance of survival the other kingdoms are hesitant to join. I loved the way Thia went about convincing the other kingdoms to fight. The Illucian Queen was a fearsome antagonist but her being motivated by revenge for the death of her family didn't hold up for me when she turned her back on her own son. Having a more concrete time of when to expect the Illucians to attack would have added more tension to the plot. The pacing was a little slow at times, but we get a few different battles throughout that kept the story engaging. I thought the ending was satisfying, especially seeing how much they've rebuilt years after the big battle.
The crows were definitely a huge highlight of this duology. Theres water, fire, earth, wind, storm, shadow, sun, and battle crows. I loved how riders and their crow can feel each others emotions. I'm happy we got more information about the origin of the crows and why only the royal family can hatch them. The other magical beings we get to meet in this sequel and the threat they posed made the world even better. Theres also these magical roads that were really interesting. The setting starts off at sea which I always enjoy. I appreciated the mental health representation because I mostly read fantasy I dont get to see very often. I'm excited to see what other fantastical world this author will come up with in the future.
*Received for review
January 19, 2025
2025 reads: 11/300
2025 tbr: 7/111
this is the sequel to the storm crow.
thia is working with her allies and her crow to take down queen razel and illucia once and for all. convincing the neighboring kingdoms to help isn’t so easy, especially since res, her crow and only hope for winning other kingdoms over, is losing control of his magic. she’s also being pursued by prince ericen, heir to the illucian kingdom, who she has a complicated relationship with. as the rebel group prepares for war and res’s magic grows more unstable, thia has to decide if she can rely on herself and their bond to lead them to victory.
after reading and enjoying the storm crow a few months ago, i knew i had to read this sequel somewhat soon after. the crows really interested me in the last book, so i’m glad we got to see res and his magic and training. i loved seeing thia’s bond with him grow and the development of how comfortable she was with doing what she’d always dreamed of (becoming a crow rider) was neat to see.
overall, this was a satisfying conclusion to the duology. i would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed book one!
2025 tbr: 7/111
this is the sequel to the storm crow.
thia is working with her allies and her crow to take down queen razel and illucia once and for all. convincing the neighboring kingdoms to help isn’t so easy, especially since res, her crow and only hope for winning other kingdoms over, is losing control of his magic. she’s also being pursued by prince ericen, heir to the illucian kingdom, who she has a complicated relationship with. as the rebel group prepares for war and res’s magic grows more unstable, thia has to decide if she can rely on herself and their bond to lead them to victory.
after reading and enjoying the storm crow a few months ago, i knew i had to read this sequel somewhat soon after. the crows really interested me in the last book, so i’m glad we got to see res and his magic and training. i loved seeing thia’s bond with him grow and the development of how comfortable she was with doing what she’d always dreamed of (becoming a crow rider) was neat to see.
overall, this was a satisfying conclusion to the duology. i would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed book one!
July 20, 2020
3'5★
I loved the first book, and I jumped at the chance of finally! reading the second one. Immediately I remembered why I loved the first one so much: we have a MC who isn't perfect, but most of all, for me she was relatable because she struggles with her mental health. She has had an overpowering mother who always asked too much, and she keeps trying to remember she is more, she deserves more, she can do this, And along the lecture, her struggles are real, they are present, and she has coping mechanisms that we keep seeing thru the novel.
For me, that's important. Because I kinda hate when the characters get cured because they achieve something, or fall in love or whatever, which is not real, so kuddos to the author for keeping it real, for showing the ups and downs and also for showing mental health is a part of you, but you are so much more.
The book ocntinues where the first one left off, with Thia on a ship with rebels and with Rev, the crow she has managed to hatch. She knows she is going to war, and that she needs allies, so she begins this journey to gather different kingdoms together and deciding what to do, if they will ally with her or not.
I love that everything is real, she is afraid of the upcoming war, of the things she might have to do, she loves her friends and worries for them, she is scared no one will rally with her, and at the same time, she wants to fight, to prove herself, to protect her kingdom and those she loves.
Her friends are with her on this journey, and if the characters are round and keep on evolving, so do the friendships, winning some, losing others, and moving on with life. also the relationships between family members are amazing, and we get to see the family we have and the family we chose for ourselves, and how sometimes we can't the errors of our parents define us, and we have to learn we are not them, and we can do things differently and be our own people.
I love how she has to learn to trust, even if sometimes it is scary, and most of all, learn to trust herself and not to tear herself down.
I don't want to reveal too much about the plot of the book, because as I've said,they are preparing to go to war and lots of things happen, and lots or revelations, but I just loved the character growth and how the war issue is handled, and the ending was quite satisfactory.
And of course, Res! And all the world she created alongside this idea of crows and riders, and magic. I loved the idea of the bond, as any animal lover will tell you, it's real, and I loved getting to explore the relationship between Thia and Res, and how much more of the worldbuilding we did learn in this one!
I loved the first book, and I jumped at the chance of finally! reading the second one. Immediately I remembered why I loved the first one so much: we have a MC who isn't perfect, but most of all, for me she was relatable because she struggles with her mental health. She has had an overpowering mother who always asked too much, and she keeps trying to remember she is more, she deserves more, she can do this, And along the lecture, her struggles are real, they are present, and she has coping mechanisms that we keep seeing thru the novel.
For me, that's important. Because I kinda hate when the characters get cured because they achieve something, or fall in love or whatever, which is not real, so kuddos to the author for keeping it real, for showing the ups and downs and also for showing mental health is a part of you, but you are so much more.
The book ocntinues where the first one left off, with Thia on a ship with rebels and with Rev, the crow she has managed to hatch. She knows she is going to war, and that she needs allies, so she begins this journey to gather different kingdoms together and deciding what to do, if they will ally with her or not.
I love that everything is real, she is afraid of the upcoming war, of the things she might have to do, she loves her friends and worries for them, she is scared no one will rally with her, and at the same time, she wants to fight, to prove herself, to protect her kingdom and those she loves.
Her friends are with her on this journey, and if the characters are round and keep on evolving, so do the friendships, winning some, losing others, and moving on with life. also the relationships between family members are amazing, and we get to see the family we have and the family we chose for ourselves, and how sometimes we can't the errors of our parents define us, and we have to learn we are not them, and we can do things differently and be our own people.
I love how she has to learn to trust, even if sometimes it is scary, and most of all, learn to trust herself and not to tear herself down.
I don't want to reveal too much about the plot of the book, because as I've said,they are preparing to go to war and lots of things happen, and lots or revelations, but I just loved the character growth and how the war issue is handled, and the ending was quite satisfactory.
And of course, Res! And all the world she created alongside this idea of crows and riders, and magic. I loved the idea of the bond, as any animal lover will tell you, it's real, and I loved getting to explore the relationship between Thia and Res, and how much more of the worldbuilding we did learn in this one!
December 27, 2020
This series feels like it should have been a trilogy. I feel there is a lot more that could have been said and done with our characters. The plot easily had room to elaborate on the complexity and not wrap things up so quick.
While it’s a good duology and I really enjoyed it; I can’t help but wonder if it could have been more. That said the author is young and new so there are hopefully many more stories to come.
Full RTC.
While it’s a good duology and I really enjoyed it; I can’t help but wonder if it could have been more. That said the author is young and new so there are hopefully many more stories to come.
Full RTC.
June 29, 2020
4/5 stars!
Thank you Sourcebooks for sending me an ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.
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!
Thank you Sourcebooks for sending me an ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.
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!
April 25, 2020
I won’t call this my final review of the book because I’ve been in such a reading slump. We can say that this is a composition of my initial thoughts. Not only do I need to do a reread, but I need to do that reread when I’m not in a slump because it definitely affected my feelings.
So prepare for SPOILERS because they’re coming.
After reading the storm crow, I will say I was thoroughly interested in getting my hands on the sequel due to a couple of things that the author left me wanting more of; that admittedly being the romance.
I felt like this conclusion was a bit rushed, this entire book was a bunch of city hoping and travel until you get to the final boss with some minor obstacles along the way. Nothing about that particular set up necessarily grabbed me, as I was a bit underwhelmed by how it all played out.
The romance was what kept me quite interested, as I mentioned earlier. This being with Caylus who was a timid, shy intellectual was interesting. The way she painted him at the ends screamed suspicion and betrayal, but it turned out that he was just afraid of war...which was super underwhelming to me. I was very excited for some sort of betrayal or hidden identity, some more exciting.
As for their romance, it felt poorly done. I feel like their break-up was forced on us. They had this bond and then the author tried to force them apart by saying there was some distance growing between them, but not actually conveying that distance enough in the book to where it was believable. And I was sad because after they broke up my like for Caylus sort of dwindled down to nothing. He almost felt irrelevant.
As for her rushed romance with Ercien, well, it felt rushed as I said. In book 1 Thia hadn’t really returned his feeling because she was 100% into Caylus, though she felt like they definitely had a friendship that was blooming. And that’s totally fine, but to try to convince us that they definitely have a lot more going on in the last half of the conclusion? That wasn’t enough for me. I needed more.
As for the plot and the rest of the book, it felt typical. Alliances were made, the big battle happened and the enemy died. The world went back to normal. Nothing entirely special happened. And that’s not to say the book was bad. It wasn’t at all, it was just basic.
So prepare for SPOILERS because they’re coming.
After reading the storm crow, I will say I was thoroughly interested in getting my hands on the sequel due to a couple of things that the author left me wanting more of; that admittedly being the romance.
I felt like this conclusion was a bit rushed, this entire book was a bunch of city hoping and travel until you get to the final boss with some minor obstacles along the way. Nothing about that particular set up necessarily grabbed me, as I was a bit underwhelmed by how it all played out.
The romance was what kept me quite interested, as I mentioned earlier. This being with Caylus who was a timid, shy intellectual was interesting. The way she painted him at the ends screamed suspicion and betrayal, but it turned out that he was just afraid of war...which was super underwhelming to me. I was very excited for some sort of betrayal or hidden identity, some more exciting.
As for their romance, it felt poorly done. I feel like their break-up was forced on us. They had this bond and then the author tried to force them apart by saying there was some distance growing between them, but not actually conveying that distance enough in the book to where it was believable. And I was sad because after they broke up my like for Caylus sort of dwindled down to nothing. He almost felt irrelevant.
As for her rushed romance with Ercien, well, it felt rushed as I said. In book 1 Thia hadn’t really returned his feeling because she was 100% into Caylus, though she felt like they definitely had a friendship that was blooming. And that’s totally fine, but to try to convince us that they definitely have a lot more going on in the last half of the conclusion? That wasn’t enough for me. I needed more.
As for the plot and the rest of the book, it felt typical. Alliances were made, the big battle happened and the enemy died. The world went back to normal. Nothing entirely special happened. And that’s not to say the book was bad. It wasn’t at all, it was just basic.
July 14, 2024
There is a strength to you that lifts others up, and that’s what this world needs right now. Not another politician. You.
rating: 4.25
this was definitely a step up from book 1! the pacing was faster, there was more action, and we got to finally really enjoy some explored tension and chemistry between thia and ericen 🤌🏼 .25 just for their bits of banter hehe. and shout out to the aro-ace rep that comes up, very cool.
it was a fast read for me, with even more interesting worldbuilding on the crow magic system (without overwhelming). res is so cute omg I WANT MY OWN CROW! the crow guide is great, it would be so cool to see it in a graphic or illustrated version!
it's just such a creative, unique world, i would've totally been obsessed when i was younger, a solid YA fantasy duology 🐦⬛
rating: 4.25
this was definitely a step up from book 1! the pacing was faster, there was more action, and we got to finally really enjoy some explored tension and chemistry between thia and ericen 🤌🏼 .25 just for their bits of banter hehe. and shout out to the aro-ace rep that comes up, very cool.
it was a fast read for me, with even more interesting worldbuilding on the crow magic system (without overwhelming). res is so cute omg I WANT MY OWN CROW! the crow guide is great, it would be so cool to see it in a graphic or illustrated version!
it's just such a creative, unique world, i would've totally been obsessed when i was younger, a solid YA fantasy duology 🐦⬛
Read
June 15, 2020Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC.
I swear I’m so in love with these covers *heart eyes*
The Storm Crow: ★ ★ ★ ★
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | BlogLovin’
I swear I’m so in love with these covers *heart eyes*
The Storm Crow: ★ ★ ★ ★
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | BlogLovin’
January 1, 2021
buddy read with the wonderful mina!
hmm. hmm hmm hmm.
this wasn't as good as the first one. i'm not sure why, maybe because the charm from the unique aspects of book 1 had worn off? maybe because i had pretty much forgotten everything from the previous book? either way, i didn't love this. i didn't hate it, but i didn't love it.
completely average.
hmm. hmm hmm hmm.
this wasn't as good as the first one. i'm not sure why, maybe because the charm from the unique aspects of book 1 had worn off? maybe because i had pretty much forgotten everything from the previous book? either way, i didn't love this. i didn't hate it, but i didn't love it.
completely average.
July 5, 2020
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Nathalie DeFelice
I’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of this book! After reading The Storm Crow last year, I just knew I needed to get my hands on the sequel as soon as I could. Now that I’ve finished reading it, I’m eager to see it get into the hands of other readers. The Crow Rider continues where we left off in The Storm Crow and continues to stoke the fires of rebellion. There’s growth and change between characters, and I couldn’t put this down for a second once I started reading it. Kalyn continues to approach mental health themes with grace, and also looks at the consequences that arise from mental health behaviours. It’s done in a way that is meant to enlighten, and not to shame in my opinion. Above all, this becomes a beautiful story of survival and rebellion, and I encourage you all to put this on your reading lists ASAP.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
I’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of this book! After reading The Storm Crow last year, I just knew I needed to get my hands on the sequel as soon as I could. Now that I’ve finished reading it, I’m eager to see it get into the hands of other readers. The Crow Rider continues where we left off in The Storm Crow and continues to stoke the fires of rebellion. There’s growth and change between characters, and I couldn’t put this down for a second once I started reading it. Kalyn continues to approach mental health themes with grace, and also looks at the consequences that arise from mental health behaviours. It’s done in a way that is meant to enlighten, and not to shame in my opinion. Above all, this becomes a beautiful story of survival and rebellion, and I encourage you all to put this on your reading lists ASAP.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
April 10, 2023
3.5
Kapaklar gerçekten çok güzel 🫠
Kapaklar gerçekten çok güzel 🫠
Want to read
March 14, 2019I can't wait for this! I don't know how im going to last till next year its like im waiting for the next marvel movie to come out.
July 10, 2020
"You walked into one of the most dangerous kingdoms in the world and faced one of the cruelest, most conniving people I have ever met, and you survived."
Hmmmm. hmmmmmmmm
I wasn't feeling this sequel guys. It was so mediocre. I feel like, in the last year alone, I have read so many dueologies/trilogies that rushed their climax like this CROW RIDER did, and it either feels like the battle never happened or it drags on for 1/3 of the book.
Seeing how the CROW RIDER starts of instantly where the STORM CROW ended, you would think that the action would be nonstop for a hot minute, right? Nah. We're instead taken on an awkwardly depicted side quest to teach Res-the crow-how to use his Gary Stu powers to fight Queen Razel. This side quest takes up a little under half the book. The other half consists of alliance plotting and the actual goddamn battle. All the setup from the first book? Tipped over on its side. I can't say it was completely turned around, because there were some things actually left relevant to the plot.
It simply seemed as though there were no true point to this finale. So many things were randomly introduced even in the last half of this book, and maybe half of those issues were resolved. I absolutely loathe when I end a series with more questions than answers, and that is precisely what happened here.
I won't go into detail so as to avoid spoilers, but I wouldn't recommend giving this dueology a try if you are, like me, a fan of conclusions that don't leave you disappointedly hanging on for more information that will never come. Instead, I would recommend ASH PRINCESS, since it has a similar plot line-albeit done a LOT better- and the enemies-to-lovers that we see in Thia & Ericen is done spectacularly as that trilogy progressed.
August 11, 2020
The Storm Crow | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | REVIEW
The Crow Rider | ⭐⭐⭐
Oh, it’s so hard to review this book. On the one hand, I’m really sad I’m done with this duology and I just want more more more because this world is truly interesting. On the other hand, this 2nd installment wasn’t exactly what I was hoping to get either and disappointed on some points as well.
Let me start with pointing out some things that I wasn’t overly excited about;
- I think the presence/focus on feminism is a bit overly done in this one. I loved it in book 1, that there were so many strong female characters present whom could kick ass all in their own unique ways, but it was like the male characters (the ones that were present, which already weren’t much) didn’t even get any say in anything aside from Ericen sometimes which was quite unbelievable (a king and queen in which the king never puts any say in matters of war and in which the queen is deciding everything when their country has always stayed on the neutral side of things and now she’s deciding on her own that they’re maybe going to get involved in this ‘war’…strange development). It was just a bit too much in my opinion. In comparison I’d say that it’s 80% female characters that are present and ‘active’ and 20% male character of whom most of them barely get any focus and are definitely mellowed out a bit (some exceptions tho). I would’ve loved it more if the equations would’ve been a bit better divided.
- A huge part of this book felt repetitive, when looking at how it’s all set up. Instead of there being More depth and expansion story-wise, the author remained focusing most on what she also focused on in book 1. After book 1 I was really hoping to get more of the crows and the magic system in this world, which you do get so don’t get me wrong, but in the end it still remained a bit too superficial for my taste - I just wanted More I guess haha. I’m greedy. There’s still a lot of focus on the mental dealings of the characters which I really liked in book 1 for example, but it also held back the story-line development a bit in this one I think. The author’s writing revolving the mental side of the characters is in base really really good, but most of the characters we come across is struggling with something and instead of pointing all that out, I thought it could’ve been divided a bit more and that she maybe could’ve combined it with more background and in-depth development regarding this world, it’s world building and the fantasy/magic systems.
One of the things that I thought developed really positively and that I was initially afraid of that I had to put in the somewhat more disappointing list above, wasthe Romance. Because at first, I was really bummed out how the romance element was being handled in the first part of this book because it wasn’t really believable, even unnecessary maybe and I couldn’t understand why it was being developed this way (better said: forced upon us) with how things went in book 1; seeing there wasn’t any focus much on the romance between Ericen and Thia back then and now all suddenly there was… BUT. When we passed the 50% mark of the book and got to the 2nd part leading up towards the end, and when Ericen and Thia got way more scenes/moments together, I have to say though that the romance really grew on me and that the development got good and believable, which wasn’t something I thought could happen anymore, so I was really really glad with that improvement - my inner fangirl craves romance haha.
More +++ sides of this book:
- Ericen. I was so happy he was more present this time around because he’s such a fantastic addition to this set of characters. He made for the most hilarious and swoon worthy dialogues. His hate/love relationship with Thia’s friend Kiva was hilarious, but also his bond to Res was also magnificently written down I think; the way he interacts with Res and how he, Thia and Res eventually form this cute little family together. Loved it.
- Res. Where to start? This magical crow has really gotten to me and swooped me off of my feet right from the start when we met him in book 1, but his development got only better over time. Despite my insaaaaane fear of heights I’d definitely wouldn’t mind taking a flight with him. He’s truly magnificent! He’s one of my favorite characters - yes I know he’s a magical animal and maybe not a ‘real’ character but who cares? Lol - if not The most favorite one.
- Thia’s character development. I love how the author wrote her development over time. We got to knew her in a time when she was depressed and I think the author did a marvelous job on writing about this and also how she gradually got out of it - whilst still being aware that it’s definitely not 100% okay yet. It feels so relatable and realistic and I’m truly in awe of this author’s writing.
- So that gets me to the The writing style. This author’s writing style had me hooked right from the start in book 1. It was sooo easy to get ‘lost’ inside this fictional world and being impressed with the writing in general because of what I said above as well about how she handles the mental part of Thia’s character development for example. And even though I had remarks on this book, every time I picked it up I flew through the pages so incredibly fast and was done with my chapters of the day (was buddy reading it) before I knew it. I’ll definitely be buying future releases by this author!
Conclusion
So, despite there being quite a few things I was struggling with from time to time, I truly can’t say that this wasn’t a fun read though. It was still super fast paced, engaging and the writing style is just really good. I really like some of the characters a lot and I when I closed this book when finished, I really wanted MORE of it which definitely isn’t a thing when you don’t like a book.
It’s just a lot of positive/less positive things that counteract each other which made this an OK read in general. Was I wishing that this duology either would’ve gotten more pages or that it would’ve gotten a third book? Hell Yes. I think that would’ve definitely given more awesomeness overall and more opportunity for the author to add more extended fight scenes, more insight in this world and the fantasy elements.
I definitely still recommend reading this duology, because this world was just super interesting, most of the characters were really interesting and their dialogues were always fun to read and then there’s Res of course, the Storm Crow. He was such a cute feathery and sassy fluffball and I think EVERYONE should get acquainted with this ‘overgrown chicken’ as they all call him, lol. I want a Res of my own, pretty please!
---
Follow me here:
my BLOG | my INSTAGRAM | my FACEBOOK | my TWITTER
The Crow Rider | ⭐⭐⭐
You only fail if you stop trying.
Never stop fighting.
Oh, it’s so hard to review this book. On the one hand, I’m really sad I’m done with this duology and I just want more more more because this world is truly interesting. On the other hand, this 2nd installment wasn’t exactly what I was hoping to get either and disappointed on some points as well.
Let me start with pointing out some things that I wasn’t overly excited about;
- I think the presence/focus on feminism is a bit overly done in this one. I loved it in book 1, that there were so many strong female characters present whom could kick ass all in their own unique ways, but it was like the male characters (the ones that were present, which already weren’t much) didn’t even get any say in anything aside from Ericen sometimes which was quite unbelievable (a king and queen in which the king never puts any say in matters of war and in which the queen is deciding everything when their country has always stayed on the neutral side of things and now she’s deciding on her own that they’re maybe going to get involved in this ‘war’…strange development). It was just a bit too much in my opinion. In comparison I’d say that it’s 80% female characters that are present and ‘active’ and 20% male character of whom most of them barely get any focus and are definitely mellowed out a bit (some exceptions tho). I would’ve loved it more if the equations would’ve been a bit better divided.
- A huge part of this book felt repetitive, when looking at how it’s all set up. Instead of there being More depth and expansion story-wise, the author remained focusing most on what she also focused on in book 1. After book 1 I was really hoping to get more of the crows and the magic system in this world, which you do get so don’t get me wrong, but in the end it still remained a bit too superficial for my taste - I just wanted More I guess haha. I’m greedy. There’s still a lot of focus on the mental dealings of the characters which I really liked in book 1 for example, but it also held back the story-line development a bit in this one I think. The author’s writing revolving the mental side of the characters is in base really really good, but most of the characters we come across is struggling with something and instead of pointing all that out, I thought it could’ve been divided a bit more and that she maybe could’ve combined it with more background and in-depth development regarding this world, it’s world building and the fantasy/magic systems.
”You’re at war. You’re forging an alliance against one of the greatest military mights this world has ever seen. You can’t scare it with a little rain and wind. Eventually, you and that crow are going to have to spill blood.”
One of the things that I thought developed really positively and that I was initially afraid of that I had to put in the somewhat more disappointing list above, wasthe Romance. Because at first, I was really bummed out how the romance element was being handled in the first part of this book because it wasn’t really believable, even unnecessary maybe and I couldn’t understand why it was being developed this way (better said: forced upon us) with how things went in book 1; seeing there wasn’t any focus much on the romance between Ericen and Thia back then and now all suddenly there was… BUT. When we passed the 50% mark of the book and got to the 2nd part leading up towards the end, and when Ericen and Thia got way more scenes/moments together, I have to say though that the romance really grew on me and that the development got good and believable, which wasn’t something I thought could happen anymore, so I was really really glad with that improvement - my inner fangirl craves romance haha.
I am more. More than this feeling of darkness. More than the urge to give up. More than my pain and my past.
More +++ sides of this book:
- Ericen. I was so happy he was more present this time around because he’s such a fantastic addition to this set of characters. He made for the most hilarious and swoon worthy dialogues. His hate/love relationship with Thia’s friend Kiva was hilarious, but also his bond to Res was also magnificently written down I think; the way he interacts with Res and how he, Thia and Res eventually form this cute little family together. Loved it.
- Res. Where to start? This magical crow has really gotten to me and swooped me off of my feet right from the start when we met him in book 1, but his development got only better over time. Despite my insaaaaane fear of heights I’d definitely wouldn’t mind taking a flight with him. He’s truly magnificent! He’s one of my favorite characters - yes I know he’s a magical animal and maybe not a ‘real’ character but who cares? Lol - if not The most favorite one.
- Thia’s character development. I love how the author wrote her development over time. We got to knew her in a time when she was depressed and I think the author did a marvelous job on writing about this and also how she gradually got out of it - whilst still being aware that it’s definitely not 100% okay yet. It feels so relatable and realistic and I’m truly in awe of this author’s writing.
- So that gets me to the The writing style. This author’s writing style had me hooked right from the start in book 1. It was sooo easy to get ‘lost’ inside this fictional world and being impressed with the writing in general because of what I said above as well about how she handles the mental part of Thia’s character development for example. And even though I had remarks on this book, every time I picked it up I flew through the pages so incredibly fast and was done with my chapters of the day (was buddy reading it) before I knew it. I’ll definitely be buying future releases by this author!
”Have you ever felt like no matter what you do, there’s no putting the pieces of yourself back together?” “Every day.” “It feels impossible,” he said. “Like trying to repair shattered glass.”
Conclusion
So, despite there being quite a few things I was struggling with from time to time, I truly can’t say that this wasn’t a fun read though. It was still super fast paced, engaging and the writing style is just really good. I really like some of the characters a lot and I when I closed this book when finished, I really wanted MORE of it which definitely isn’t a thing when you don’t like a book.
It’s just a lot of positive/less positive things that counteract each other which made this an OK read in general. Was I wishing that this duology either would’ve gotten more pages or that it would’ve gotten a third book? Hell Yes. I think that would’ve definitely given more awesomeness overall and more opportunity for the author to add more extended fight scenes, more insight in this world and the fantasy elements.
I definitely still recommend reading this duology, because this world was just super interesting, most of the characters were really interesting and their dialogues were always fun to read and then there’s Res of course, the Storm Crow. He was such a cute feathery and sassy fluffball and I think EVERYONE should get acquainted with this ‘overgrown chicken’ as they all call him, lol. I want a Res of my own, pretty please!
Res turned, leaning his head toward me. I placed a hand on his beak, and for a moment, there was only us. A girl, a crow, and the vastness of the empty sea. I gathered that feeling of serenity and tucked it away inside myself. Whatever came next, I wanted to remember this moment of peace.
---
Follow me here:
my BLOG | my INSTAGRAM | my FACEBOOK | my TWITTER
August 4, 2020
I really enjoyed this finale!! (Honestly, I really enjoyed this duology overall.) It's definitely not a favorite series ever, but I genuinely would recommend this, and felt it stuck out (in a good way) from other YA fantasy series out there!
My review of The Storm Crow really went into detail on what this book/series does differently from other YA fantasy books, and after finishing its sequel, I can safely say that most of those features continued well into this book!
First, I absolutely love how the romance was resolved in this book. While it did end up falling into a love triangle, it solidly ended one relationship (and in a great way! they're still friends! and it all makes sense instead of it just being from drama) before moving on to the next. Additionally, even though the romance did become the one stereotypically expected from this kind of set-up, it still played the same role in the story as the other one did instead of taking over like most romances do in YA. Other relationships and friendships in the story remained just as vital to Thia, and I just loved seeing that in this book.
Second, I feel like this series is the absolute perfect length. Many fantasy series go on for books and books (or are at least trilogies), and it leads to some books feeling less important than others, especially second books. This series could have easily been stretched out to a third book, but instead we now have two books that are evenly paced, are both just as exciting, and didn't feel like they dragged on at all. The pacing of the overall story between the two books also worked extremely well, with enough twists and action in both. It made the story feel seamless, something I noticed since I read these two back to back.
I also ended up really enjoying the plot and characters. The plot, while semi-predictable at points, kept my interest the entire time. The action/battle scenes were also extremely well-written, and I was definitely on the edge of my seat during many of them. I also liked where the story went, and the choices Thia struggled with (fulfill her need for revenge or stop it's never ending cycle?). It overall felt like the plot and characters directly affected each other, with important events having lasting effects on characters (that they couldn't just brush off). I also just really grew to love Thia, especially as an MC. She's far from the 'badass woman who can do everything', but we've honestly had so many of this kind of MCs lately. She has flaws and weaknesses, and constantly struggles with PTSD and depression from past trauma, and none of it is dealt with lightly. It's not just there for drama, but actually impacts her actions and choices, and we see Thia constantly struggle with it. It felt real and raw, not just a 'character trait.'
Overall, I really enjoyed this series, and I'm excited to see what else Kalyn writes next!
My review of The Storm Crow really went into detail on what this book/series does differently from other YA fantasy books, and after finishing its sequel, I can safely say that most of those features continued well into this book!
First, I absolutely love how the romance was resolved in this book. While it did end up falling into a love triangle, it solidly ended one relationship (and in a great way! they're still friends! and it all makes sense instead of it just being from drama) before moving on to the next. Additionally, even though the romance did become the one stereotypically expected from this kind of set-up, it still played the same role in the story as the other one did instead of taking over like most romances do in YA. Other relationships and friendships in the story remained just as vital to Thia, and I just loved seeing that in this book.
Second, I feel like this series is the absolute perfect length. Many fantasy series go on for books and books (or are at least trilogies), and it leads to some books feeling less important than others, especially second books. This series could have easily been stretched out to a third book, but instead we now have two books that are evenly paced, are both just as exciting, and didn't feel like they dragged on at all. The pacing of the overall story between the two books also worked extremely well, with enough twists and action in both. It made the story feel seamless, something I noticed since I read these two back to back.
I also ended up really enjoying the plot and characters. The plot, while semi-predictable at points, kept my interest the entire time. The action/battle scenes were also extremely well-written, and I was definitely on the edge of my seat during many of them. I also liked where the story went, and the choices Thia struggled with (fulfill her need for revenge or stop it's never ending cycle?). It overall felt like the plot and characters directly affected each other, with important events having lasting effects on characters (that they couldn't just brush off). I also just really grew to love Thia, especially as an MC. She's far from the 'badass woman who can do everything', but we've honestly had so many of this kind of MCs lately. She has flaws and weaknesses, and constantly struggles with PTSD and depression from past trauma, and none of it is dealt with lightly. It's not just there for drama, but actually impacts her actions and choices, and we see Thia constantly struggle with it. It felt real and raw, not just a 'character trait.'
Overall, I really enjoyed this series, and I'm excited to see what else Kalyn writes next!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 523 reviews