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egurgens's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I love the world Kalyn Josephson wove for this story. There are different nations, all with their own gods, their own culture, and characteristics. Aris is a beautiful city, with different sectors that favor different industries and crows. There are different types of crow, all with their specific kind of magic; wind, shadow, battle, water, earth, storm, fire, and sun. However, 'everything changed when the fire nation attacked." Haha, jk, although Illucia DID use fire to destroy the crows. In an attempt to keep the peace, Thia's sister, the new queen, promises her to Illucia as a bride to marry the heir, Ericen.
Ericen is a masterpiece in my opinion; one part ice and loyalty, one part fire and rebellion, and the rest is a mess, since he doesn't know what he wants from this war. He's just a softie with a tough shell, and I adore him. I also adore Caylus, all PTSD and mismatched sweaters and science and baking.
There is so much political drama: a mad, blood hungry queen vs the trained Crow rider who has to face the wrath of the mad queen to save her country... or does she? Thia found a storm crow egg in the ruins of the roost, and decides to try and raise it to rally her country and fight back against the Illucian oppressors.
Ericen is a masterpiece in my opinion; one part ice and loyalty, one part fire and rebellion, and the rest is a mess, since he doesn't know what he wants from this war. He's just a softie with a tough shell, and I adore him. I also adore Caylus, all PTSD and mismatched sweaters and science and baking.
There is so much political drama: a mad, blood hungry queen vs the trained Crow rider who has to face the wrath of the mad queen to save her country... or does she? Thia found a storm crow egg in the ruins of the roost, and decides to try and raise it to rally her country and fight back against the Illucian oppressors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
1quillb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Oh my LORD this was good. Kalyn sent me a free copy of this from a TikTok giveaway, and it actually took me a while to sit down and read it, but it’s amazing. Royalty, politics, a betrothal, love triangle with hot dark prince vs cute baker-alchemist-rebel. Everything you could want.
The representation in this is *chefs kiss*. So many queer people (and it’s NORMALISED, which I love in fantasy), so many people of colour, mental illness representation, slight disability rep- This is the kind of book I want all books to be.
Also, elemental crows? That’s such a unique concept? Applause all around for even thinking of that.
Overall, yes. Read this. It’s kind of confusing in the beginning because you’re introduced to so much so fast, but it’s such a good read. You’d especially enjoy this if you liked books like Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard or Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.
The representation in this is *chefs kiss*. So many queer people (and it’s NORMALISED, which I love in fantasy), so many people of colour, mental illness representation, slight disability rep- This is the kind of book I want all books to be.
Also, elemental crows? That’s such a unique concept? Applause all around for even thinking of that.
Overall, yes. Read this. It’s kind of confusing in the beginning because you’re introduced to so much so fast, but it’s such a good read. You’d especially enjoy this if you liked books like Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard or Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Violence
mitone_winona's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Two thing's I love about this book, the magical crows and the diversity of kingdom's. The character's of the book aren't necessarily bad or frowned upon, but I will admit the author took the quick approach of "YA lead girl who is traumatized falls in love super quick with a nerdy boy who is genuinely nice but has infatuation for the prince she is engaged to that is from the kingdom that destroyed her own and has talked mess on her people and kingdom but dismisses that more and more" which is pretty annoying because it happens quick due to the pace of the book going fast. I would recommend this as a usual YA read for anyone who wants to pass the time but the weird pseudo-romance triangle isn't anything new or unique, just the usual bleh factor from most YA author's.
I will say however, I do adore Thia and her sister's dynamic in the book and how mental illness and PTSD/Trauma is addressed in the book and how Thia acknowledges her mother, the queen, has created a chain reaction of mistakes but is willing to go forward to fixing them.
Overall, a good book with great lore! Just a bad romance sub plot going on that went too fast.
I will say however, I do adore Thia and her sister's dynamic in the book and how mental illness and PTSD/Trauma is addressed in the book and how Thia acknowledges her mother, the queen, has created a chain reaction of mistakes but is willing to go forward to fixing them.
Overall, a good book with great lore! Just a bad romance sub plot going on that went too fast.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
thecourtofreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Grief
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm and Fire/Fire injury
thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
4.5
I read this with the Wick and Jane book club and really enjoyed it! I love books with human/animal bonds so this was an automatic win. The way depression was handled in this book felt so authentic (and heartbreaking). Thia and Kiva's friendship gave me all the feels, too! And I just want Kiva to have a happy, sapphic love story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, and Murder
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved this book! For me, the best part about it was how it dealt with Thia's mental health. She clearly has depression and PTSD from the events of Ronoch, and it is not slid under the rug, or ignored, or mysteriously solved by the appearance of a cute boy. It keeps coming back, and tripping her up, even though she is trying, and working, and slowly getting better.
I also really loved the side characters in this book! Kiva is great, as well as Caylus, and of course the crows!
The magic system is super interesting. I wish that we had been able to see more of it in this book, but I look forward to reading about it more in the sequel.
Definitely recommend!
I also really loved the side characters in this book! Kiva is great, as well as Caylus, and of course the crows!
The magic system is super interesting. I wish that we had been able to see more of it in this book, but I look forward to reading about it more in the sequel.
Definitely recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Infidelity, Xenophobia, and Kidnapping
Minor: Self harm
chaptersofmads's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm
ravensandlace's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Find this review and others like it at https://aravenclawlibraryx.wordpress.com
If you do read this book, make sure to go to the end as there is a chapter dedicated to explaining the different crows, what they do and how they came to be. It’s very helpful and informative.
Yes, are you looking for your next favorite book? Do you want accurate depictions of depression and PTSD? Do you want a cool concept of crows and a unique magic system relating to said crows? Then look no further than this book. I guarantee you that this will be your next favorite book and if it’s not, I give you permission to yell at me. But don’t yell too loud, I’m fragile.
I adored this book in case you couldn’t tell. The depression representation was spot on to the point where it hurt to read at times. It permeated the pages of the book. You could feel Thia’s depression all the time. Even during the happy moments, it never truly went away. Because that’s what depression does. It never truly goes away. You have to fight every single day just to function. And that’s what happened with Thia. Sure, she had some good days but she had to fight for those good days. And I know what that is like.
Anthia, or Thia, was a complex but enjoyable character. I appreciated the first person POV. It helped to really understand her and you really get immersed with her depression and her feelings. It’s a bit rough to read at some times, because her grief and depression is so strong at times. It takes so much out of her and you feel for her. She did frustrate me at times because she did act a little childish but I couldn’t blame her. She was grieving. And grief makes you act in ways you normally wouldn’t.
Some other positive aspects of this book are the positive female friendships. There is no jealousy between Thia and Kiva. They are always there for each other but respect boundaries. Because you can always be there for your friends but at the same time, you have to make sure that you are in a good state of mind too. There was also LGBTQIA+ representation. It was sprinkled throughout the book, which I appreciated.
Overall, this was a great book. I enjoyed the plot with the crows but I wish we had more time with them to fully see what they were capable of. Thia explained the different types of crows and what they did but it would have been fun to experience them. Overall, though, I’m happy and so in love with this book. I can’t wait to get my hands on the second book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, and Murder
The mental illness content warning is set at moderate but it is a very prevalent thing throughout the book. The MC has constant grief and depression from what she experienced but it comes in waves. There is also a content warning for burning flesh and self harm in the name of religion.bibookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5/5 Stars! This book is so wonderful. This is a spellbinding fantasy that readers will love. From page one you are swept into the adventures of Thia to save her kingdom and her people from ruin. This book touches on topics that are much needed in the YA genre, such as LGBTQ+ content and mental health representation. The magic system in this book is so unique I loved the concepts of magical crows! I am so pumped for the sequel I can't wait.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
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