ARC Review: The Crow Rider

Title: The Crow Rider
Series: (The ​Storm Crow #2)
Author: Kalyn Josephson
Release Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★★

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for and ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Synopsis

Princess Thia, her allies, and her crow, Res, are planning a rebellion to defeat Queen Razel and Illucia once and for all. Thia must convince the neighboring kingdoms to come to her aid, and Res’s show of strength is the only thing that can help her.

But so many obstacles stand in her way. Res excels at his training, until he loses control of his magic, harming Thia in the process. She is also pursued by Prince Ericen, heir to the Illucian throne and the one person she can’t trust but can’t seem to stay away from.

As the rebel group prepares for war, Res’s magic grows more unstable. Thia has to decide if she can rely on herself and their bond enough to lead the rebellion and become the crow rider she was meant to be.

Review

I just WOW. I love The Storm Crow and somehow The Crow Rider blew it out of the water. From start to finish I was enraptured by Thia, Res and Ericen’s story and I can’t believe this is the end.

Josephson knit together a magical story about loss, depression, love and strength. I felt so connected to Thia and even the side characters. The pacing was perfect. Fast-paced but it made sense with the war looming. There was never a dull moment which makes you want to just fly through the story. I laughed, I cried and I can’t even lie I wanted Ericen for myself with that sharp wit and sassy smirk. I was endured to these characters from the get go and am so glad I got to go on this journey with them.

Thia was flawed but she was so much more than that. We got to see how her depression never just up and left but that everyday was a struggle, from getting out of bed to finding the inner strength she needed to rally the lease other kingdoms in this war. Her bond with Res was nothing short of magical. I loved their training montages and that we actually got to read about them and the hard work they both put into it versus Res just all of a sudden being this awesome powerful crow.

I don’t want to give too much away, but the romance did a complete 180 in this book. I’m honestly curious to know if this was something pre-planned by the author. Either way it was wrapped up so nicely and I love that it was shown how just because you think someone is the right person for you, we all grow and change and maybe what we needed in a moment isn’t what we truly needed in the end. 

I did want to touch on the message this book presented us with though; how the sins of the parents are not those of the children. We all have the power to do and be better than those before us. I’m honestly sad this is just a duology but everything was wrapped up perfectly and there honestly didn’t need to be another book. I wouldn’t mind some short stories though especially with that epilogue ending.