The Storm Crow (The ​Storm Crow #1)

Quick Stats:
Overall: 4/5 Stars
Characters: 4/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Plot and Themes: 4/5
Awesomeness Factor: 4.5/5

// Content/Trigger Warning: Violence, Death, Depression, Self Harm, Animal Death, War Themes, Mental Illness, PTSD //

“Its difficult to walk against the wind. It takes strength.

I really love the world this book built. Kalyn Josephson clearly spent a lot of time developing each kingdom mentioned in The Storm Crow. They all have such unique cultures and politics, some of which is only ever hinted at. I really hope the sequel continues to shine a lot on each fascinating kingdom. I also am really excited to learn more about the magic in this world (and, of course, the Crows)(I really want my own Crow now). The writing itself is also really good. Its easy to jump in to, and accessible for anyone new to fantasy.

“I knew what I needed to do, but working up the will to do it felt like trying to fight my way above water in a depthless ocean. It was so hard not to drown.

I have to admit,the beginning of this book is a little slow. It took me a good hundred pages to really be immersed in the story, but once I got to that point, I just wanted to keep reading. Theres a lot of world-building and character set up in the first few chapters, but its so worth pushing past that!

“Gone was the world I knew, and Id let it be taken.

The characters are really where this book shines. First off- Thia. I really loved her. The one thing about her (and this book as a whole) that stood out was her depression. Kalyn Josephson does not shy away from depicting the reality of living with depression. She wrote it so well that I had to step away from it a few times. Thias depression is very accurate, and definitely hit home for me. It made me so happy to see a YA protagonist with a very real mental illness, and still be the awesome heroine were so used to seeing. The other stand out character was Ericen. Im definitely a sucker for the bad-boy-with-backstory type, so I should have predicted that I would love him. I really enjoyed how complex of a character he was, and Im so excited to see more of him. Also, a little side note that I wanted to mention- there are so many LGBTQ+ side characters!!!

As for relationships– I really adored the friendships in this book. Its rare to see such a strong female friendship in YA, but this book definitely had that going for it. However, the romance plot line seemed weak. I felt like Thia had way more chemistry with some of the other characters than she did with her love interest. But maybe Im biased.

“The lion fears only the fox.

– Conclusion –

Pros- Very well written mental health representation, the Crows, great characters & setting
Cons- The romance felt forced
Overall- 4/5 stars.
The Storm Crow is a great debut that will have you dreaming of having your own Crow. I know I will be.

*All quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change*
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.*

The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson
Publication Date: July 9th, 2019

TW: depression, self-harm, abuse (mental & physical)

I initially requested this book because I saw the author talking about it on Twitter and got hyped for it. Once I was approved though, it took me a minute to pick it up because thats how I am with fantasy sometimes. Anyway, Im really glad I picked it up sooner than later because I ended up really enjoying it. The Storm Crow follows Anthia, or Thia, as she deals with the travesty that befell her people 6 months ago, when their capital was attacked, and all their magical giant crows were slaughtered. In the aftermath of their loss, Thia must figure out who she is, who she wants to be, and how she can possibly help her country and her people.

What I Liked:

Theres something different about The Storm Crow. It brings an awareness/focus to mental health, that is unusual for fantasy, but quite refreshing. Thia is constantly supported by her best friend through her depression and assumed guilt.
I enjoyed all the tough female characters in this book. Most of the cast is female (so far), and I hope to see this trend continue. I really love reading about strong women kicking ass.
I like that the main character, Thia, isnt the queen in this story. Shes actually her little sister, which was a nice change. Its still a story of a leader trying to save her people, but it follows an alternate route than usual.

What I Didnt Like:

I am disappointed we didnt see much of the legendary Magic Crows, but I expect theyll be making a large contribution to the plot later on in the series.
Theres a love triangle, or something close to it in this book, which Im not overly fond of. Im leaving it at that though, otherwise I might spoil something.

Recap:

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced and kept me hooked the entire time. I cant wait for magical shenanigans to resume and (hopefully) increase. The Storm Crow left me with so many questions, and Im desperate for answers. Really, the worst part about this book is that Im going to have to wait an unknown amount of time for the sequel to be released (no publishing dates yet).

5/5 stars

*Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

3.5 stars.

Going into this book it started off as an 100% 5 star. I loved the banter between Thia and Ericen. I was intrigued by the story line and where it was going. Then it kind of took a turn for me and I started to get frustrated.

Let me explain… I hate… and I mean HATE love triangles. I never ever really saw the reason for them. They dont bring anything to a story but drama and annoyance which when reading an action pack and interesting story shouldnt be needed. I was hard core loving/hating Ericen during the first part of this book. Then we get to the second part and its almost like hes just forgotten about and tossed away and became a completely different person from what we saw in the first part of the book. I didnt enjoy the romance between heroin and side character and I was totally disinterested in it, which was probably why many pages were skipped over during their parts together.

I know it sounds like I despised this book but this isnt the case. The romance, while it did grate on my nerves was only a small factor of the story line. I absolutely loved the rest of it. I loved the crows, I loved the side characters and world building. It was overall a great read. I read it in two days. So I would suggest grabbing this book and giving it a go. I will be reading the next book and I hope, prey and wish on my whole being that things go my way (being a little selfish with this one)

Does this books plot bring anything new and amazing to the table as far as fantasy concepts go?

No.

Does this book highlight mental health in the most positive way Ive seen yet while still giving me a solid fantasy?

Yes.

I could connect with Anthia so much because of this, its a slow-moving story to start in a lot of ways due to its focus on her and handling her depression.

The story is beautiful and raw and Josephson normalizes Thias depression in a way that doesnt smooth it over or constantly portrays Thia as a victim.

I really enjoyed the storyline and the concept of the crows and their magic. I now want to become a crow rider, though, I dont see that happening unless I shrink to the size of Thumbelina in our nonmagical world lol.

Josephson did a lovely job of worldbuilding and character development because even when Anthia is not in the midst of an episode of depression she still carries it with her, it doesnt get magicked away and I found that to be such an important factor.

The storyline and characters are so well developed and interesting- it kept me on the edge of my seat, I love how the characters vary but are unified

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