Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson

17 reviews

guessgreenleaf's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

dhiyanah's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Picked this out for a fun and light fantasy read. It really was easy enough to get through which I appreciate, though the bulk of the story fell flat in comparison to the beautiful and dynamic writing in the beginning and towards the end of the book. 

While I found myself wishing the romance here could feel more believable and less like an obligated afterthought, I was impressed by how clearly and compassionately Thia's struggle with depression was depicted. The scenes with the crows and magic were so much fun to read.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

indigosparrow's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bura510's review

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

meaghanelizabook's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

imaginingly's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny fast-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

5.0

literally my new favorite book. there are bipoc characters, lgbt+ characters, the book deals with depression and anxiety from the main character’s point of view, deals with grief and death of loved ones, and just—so much
there is very mild romance which i loved 
the character development is *chefs kiss* and the entire plot revolving around crows (as i’m a bird lover to start with) is astonishing

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

egurgens's review against another edition

Go to review page

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. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

1quillb's review against another edition

Go to review page

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. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

greeneggsandsam's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

 "'𝙄 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙩.'"
 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
 The Storm Crow follows the princess of Rhodaire who has lost almost everything after the Illucian army attacks their land and murders the crows. In Rhodaire, there are different types of crow that contain magic, and they are all integral to Rhodarian life and prosperity. When Anthia, the youngest princess, is forced to marry the prince of Illucia, her will to fight back is finally rekindled. After finding a crow egg, her hopes are renewed as well.
 Oh, my goodness. I went in to this book expecting to love it, but I am IN love with it! This was even more amazing than I had hoped for!
 Before reading, I didn't realize the importance of the storm crow. I thought they were strictly for military like purposes, but they are far more integral to the life of Rhodaire than I thought. I loved learning about the history and legends of the land, it was very unique to the story line and enjoyable.
 I also loved the relationships between our main character, Anthia, and her sister, Caliza, and best friend, Kiva. The author delved into Anthia's struggle with depression following the attack of her and losing almost everything, and I felt it was really well done. The plot, land, characters, history, and all were so well thought out and everything had a purpose for being told. I am SO excited to read the second book in this duology. This is, thus far, my favorite book of 2021. It is stunning. 
 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

dlrosebyh's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings