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ceruleanshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.0
“Strength comes in many forms," she said. "The lion fears only the fox.”
this had a pretty unique magic system with crows being magical creatures, not only much larger in size but powerful in many different ways - from sun, to fire, to earth, and more. the worldbuilding of an entire kingdom built around a partnership w the crows was quite original and intriguing.
overall i think this was a good debut YA fantasy for a duology. the plot wasn't very fast-paced, which i don't mind but i do think going into more details of not only thia's kingdom, but ericen's could've made up for it. i know there's alot to it bc of the world guide in the back, but unfortunately by jumping into the main action immediately in the book, we don't get to see a lot of it firsthand.
i also was really rooting for an arranged marriage / rival kingdoms romance, but i don't think it's going to go that way :/
i liked the characters and i hope we get more of a found family trope in book 2!
Strength was Caliza taking on the weight of a kingdom without a single complaint. Strength was Kiva’s willingness to give up everything she’d ever known to protect someone she loved. Strength was Caylus’s curious mind, Auma’s unwavering determination, and Ericen’s struggle to remain honorable in a kingdom that had forgotten the meaning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death and Death of parent
youarethelibrarian's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
3.5
This was good for a debut fantasy. I thought the character development for Ericen was well-done, but Caylus’ development wasn’t enough to warrant the romance with Thia. It felt forced, and unnecessary.
I really liked the first third of the book that let us see and experience Thia’s depression, but it didn’t seem true to the story that she was able to shake it off just because the stakes got high enough.
I also felt that we needed more information about the crows and Thia’s kingdom in the story, instead of in the back of the book as additional, almost glossary-type information.
I really liked the first third of the book that let us see and experience Thia’s depression, but it didn’t seem true to the story that she was able to shake it off just because the stakes got high enough.
I also felt that we needed more information about the crows and Thia’s kingdom in the story, instead of in the back of the book as additional, almost glossary-type information.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death and Death of parent
bratt713's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Bullying, Death, and Abandonment
indigosparrow's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity and Murder
Minor: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
bura510's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Blood, and War
robin_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
4.0
The world building is very well done. It's a very unique setting with the Crows providing magic that helps the country and its people to live and thrive.
Minus points for the love triangle and little things that bother me in a lot of YA books of this kind. The romance doesn't feel like one.
The narration of the audiobook by Robin Miles is pretty awesome. Very passionate and easy to listen to.
Minus points for the love triangle and little things that bother me in a lot of YA books of this kind. The romance doesn't feel like one.
The narration of the audiobook by Robin Miles is pretty awesome. Very passionate and easy to listen to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, and Blood
imaginingly's review
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Genocide, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and War
egurgens's review
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
mitone_winona's review
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
thewildmageslibrary's review
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