Book Review :: THE STORM CROW

Book: THE STORM CROW by Kalyn Josephson
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Storm Crow #1
Publisher: Sourcebooks / Sourcebooks Fire
Source: ARC via NetGalley!

Where to Buy: Shop local! Find your local independent bookstore at IndieBound!

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Eragon meets And I Darken in this thrilling new fantasy debut that follows a fallen princess as she ignites a rebellion to bring back the magical elemental crows that were taken from her people.

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Goodreads Summary:

In the tropical kingdom of Rhodaire, magical, elemental Crows are part of every aspect of life...until the Illucian empire invades, destroying everything.

That terrible night has thrown Princess Anthia into a deep depression. Her sister Caliza is busy running the kingdom after their mother's death, but all Thia can do is think of all she has lost.

But when Caliza is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the crown prince of Illucia, Thia is finally spurred into action. And after stumbling upon a hidden Crow egg in the rubble of a rookery, she and her sister devise a dangerous plan to hatch the egg in secret and get back what was taken from them.

My Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .5!
Check out my full review after the jump! Click "Read More" below to continue!


I received a copy of THE STORM CROW from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

The Storm Crow has been on my radar for some time now so I'm extremely happy that I was able to snag a review copy from Netgalley (THANK YOU!). This is definitely going to be a title that I add to my classroom library because I know that my 6th and 7th graders will just LOVE this book.

I really enjoyed this read having actually read it pretty quick for my normal speed. Being a huge fan of fantasy, I wasn't entirely sure that this would get me super hyped up, but the story sucked me in right from the very beginning. The world building was great and not confusing (which I tend to find in most fantasy novels) and I love how easy to follow the story was.

Caliza as a character really resonated with me, and I think that's why the book got as high of a rating as it did with me (remembering that 5-star books are ones that make me sob, laugh, or throw the book across the room), and it is absolutely the depression and anxiety representation that she highlights for the readers. I recently went through one of the worst spouts of anxiety and depression that I have ever had to go through, and it was not a fun time in my life. Having reading this novel during that spout definitely helped me remember that I was not the only one going through a hard time, and made me appreciate that good things I had in my life that I was taking for granted. This personally was the first fantasy novel I'd read that mentioned depression and anxiety in a main character (If you know of any others, let me know please!). It was refreshing to see a unique main character with an ailment that many readers today have in common, this is one of the biggest reasons I am adding it to my classroom library.

This story was fascinating and I was actually shocked when I go to the end and discovered THERE WAS ANOTHER BOOK. I was fully expecting the conflict to be resolved in one book, but was very happy to discover there would be more. I loved how each "Crow" had it's own element and that this kingdom used their elements so much every day that they didn't realize how devastating it would be if suddenly the crows were gone. I think I loved this idea so much because growing up, I loved the idea of having elemental dragons in a story, but now the idea of having elemental giant birds sounds much more appealing.

Anyway! Definitely would strongly recommend if you are looking for books that feature accurate representation of anxiety and depression, fierce women, political intrigue, giant birds, and a great story line with awesome world building, this one is for you!

Thanks again to Sourcebooks & Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for my honesty!