Blog Tour, Review & Playlist: The Storm Crow (The Storm Crow #1) by Kalyn Josephson

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Blog Tour, Review & Playlist: The Storm Crow (The Storm Crow #1) by Kalyn Josephson

Title: The Storm Crow

Series: The Storm Crow #1

Author: Kalyn Josephson

Publisher: SourcebooksFire

Published: July 9, 2019

Pages: 352

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: ARC

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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.

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DISCLAIMER: I received an ARC of this book at no cost from the publisher/author. All opinions expressed in my review are my own.

This book was positively smashing! I can only imagine that the rest of this series is going to be killer.

The world-building in this book is magical. Absolutely atmospheric. It is written so well that the reader can step right into Thia's shoes and feel everything that she is feeling. It starts in the first pages and it doesn't let up. I love fantasy stories that have richly imagined worlds because it draws me into the story and makes me live the story. This book definitely falls into that category. There were a few things other than the physical world that I felt needed a little more depth, such as the magic system. I am hoping that these things get more explanations in the next book.

The premise for this story is so riveting! From the moment I read the synopsis for this book, I knew that it was one that I was going to read without a doubt. I love unique stories with original worlds and The Storm Crow is a book that really does stand apart in that respect. So many kudos to the author for the creativity laced in this book. While the baseline tropes that are used are nothing new, it is the combination of ideas and themes that are woven into them that made this so special.

As with the tropes in this story, the plot is one that has been done before, though I did like all of the elements that the author used to make her own. Some parts of the story were a little predictable but otherwise satisfying. The pacing seemed a little off to me, but it was something that didn't bother me terribly.

This story really spoke to me because of the mental health representation. Depression, anxiety, and PTSD are all things that I personally struggle with so it was amazing to see such a wonderful portrayal of these in a fantasy book. If these things themes are included in a book then it is usually a contemporary book. I loved seeing them pop up in my favorite genre. I also loved the diversity in this book.

Let's talk characters. Anthia is one of those characters that latches onto you and won't let you go. Her struggles were so easy for me to identify with and I was cheering her on through the whole story. Ericen is a character that I was unsure of at first but he really grew on me. The other side characters were likable and written into the story well. I loved the overall theme of characters with things that haunt them. Everyone is grappling with their own shadows in this and it really spoke to me. Some characters could have used some more depth but they were enjoyable overall. I also have to mention that I adored Thia's friendship with Kiva. Wonderful representation of friendship is something that I am always on board for.

The romance in this book doesn't overpower the story. It is a sweet, slow-burn romance that is very heartwarming. I am genuinely excited to see where the romance will lead in the next book. *wink*

The writing style is just gorgeous. I totally fell in love with it. It is crafted so that the reader can effortlessly devour the words. Not only is it easy to read, but there are plenty of details contained in the text, though not so much to bog the reader down.

Overall, I'd like to applaud Kalyn Josephson for such a breathtaking and beautiful story! This is a very creative and magical tale that I wholeheartedly recommend. I enjoyed reading this so much and I can't wait to see what will happen in the next installment of this series!

Kalyn Josephson is a Technical Writer in Silicon Valley, which leaves room for too many bad puns about technically being a writer. She grew up in San Luis Obispo, CA, but now lives in the Bay Area with four awesome friends (because it’s the Bay and she’d like to be able to retire one day) and two black cats (who are more like a tiny dragon and an even tinier owl). When not writing YA Fantasy, she loves baking, reading, playing sports, and watching too many movies.