Publication Date: July 9th 2019
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Source: The Book Drop
Synopsis:
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.
” I was a storm.”
Josephson does not shy away from action, sass and covering a topic in my opinion consumes many teens, but is really talked about. The Storm Crow starts right off with the action and throws you right into the political intrigue and drama.
Rhodaire is a kingdom that is thriving and supported by large elemental crows. First off lets just mention how awesome this concept of magic is. The idea of crows that control the elements! I know many people have been talking about how since Six of Crows everyone is going with the crow theme. Although I have never read that book, I do not believe this book is anything like that. I think the use of large magical crows is so unique. It is far different from the common mythical creatures we usually see in fantasy. With unrest on the horizon Rhodaire learns just how important the crows are in their lives.
“I knew what I needed to do, but working up the will to do it felt like trying to fight my way above water in a depthless ocean.It was so hard not to drown.”
One thing I believe that Josephson does so well is writing some strong and fierce female characters. With different personalities and passions each of the princesses of Rhodaire shows strength in a different way. Princess Anthia (Thia) and her best friend have a great and strong friendship. It shows the lengths that one will go for a friend. And the sacrifices they will make for those they love. It also helps that they are both sharp tongue woman with great sassy comebacks.
Anthia is a complex character, she is trying to find herself after Illucian invades and turns her world upside down. She struggles with depression after her loss and has to fight with that darkness as well as the consequences of that night. Josephson does well with the depression rep, it is not idealized or overdone. She layers it into the story so slyly and slowly, just how depression creeps up in real life.
There are some other fantastic characters in this book, such as Ericen! He is also a complex character that you never really know where his head is at or what he believes. There is another character that makes an appearance and I do not want to say to much about, but I love the sass and humor that character brings- you will know who it is when reading it! There is a wide diverse character and culture representation throughout The Storm Crow.
“You were always meant to rule the sky”
Overall, I thought this was a unique and fun fantasy story. It showed all types of fierce female character representation. The world was so creative although I wish there was some more world building and description. I thought there was a lot more focus on characters than in typically fantasy, but I enjoyed the banter, sharp tongues and diverse representation. There were many twists and some unexpected moments, I was able to guess a couple, but not all of the elements of the twists. The book also leaves you on a big cliff hanger that had me throwing the book across the room because I needed to know what happened. I believe this book is perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce and Rae Carson.
