I’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of this book! After reading The Storm Crow last year, I just knew I needed to get my hands on the sequel as soon as I could. Now that I’ve finished reading it, I’m eager to see it get into the hands of other readers. The Crow Rider continues where we left off in The Storm Crow and continues to stoke the fires of rebellion. There’s growth and change between characters, and I couldn’t put this down for a second once I started reading it. Kalyn continues to approach mental health themes with grace, and also looks at the consequences that arise from mental health behaviours. It’s done in a way that is meant to enlighten, and not to shame in my opinion. Above all, this becomes a beautiful story of survival and rebellion, and I encourage you all to put this on your reading lists ASAP.
Before I start in on the summary, if you haven’t yet read The Storm Crow, PLEASE do so before reading this review. I promise you won’t regret it! Also, if you’re triggered or averse to themes of violence, war, and torture, read with caution.
Okay, with that warning over with, The Crow Rider sees Princess Thia, her crow Res, and her allies planning a rebellion to defeat Queen Razel and Illucia. In order to do this however, she must ask the neighbouring kingdoms for support, which can only be accomplished by showing them Res’ strength. Although Res is excelling in his training, a moment of lost control harms Thia in the process. Hot on her trail is also Prince Ericen, the heir to the Illucian throne, and the one person that she seems to have trouble staying away from. As Res’ magic becomes more unstable, Thia will have to decide if she can rely on herself and their bond in order to lead the rebellion and become the crow rider she was destined to be.
There are few stories that I go back and re-read before starting a sequel. You’ll definitely want to do that here, because the relationships are definitely more intricate than other YA fantasies I’ve read. However, this story does pick up where The Storm Crow ended. I definitely feel like it retains the pacing really well. There is more of a political aspect in the sequel that I really liked too, it wasn’t all about subterfuge and rebellion. Thia’s character growth is certainly showcased well in this sequel, which I appreciated.
Something that I really liked was the fact that Kalyn looked at how relationships grow and change. It made the developing romance so much better (my opinion). I liked how Thia’s relationship turned out, if we’re being honest. There’s also a major focus on Thia’s relationship with Res, which I loved seeing, because it’s central to the plot. I felt like I finally got to find out more about where the magic system comes from, and that was really satisfying to see on the page because I DESPERATELY wanted to know after finishing The Storm Crow the first time.
Throughout the story, Thia is making a play to get the neighbouring kingdoms to aid her in the rebellion against Queen Razel. It would seem like it might not be so hard a task considering that Res is training well and has proven to be quite powerful in battle. What I wasn’t counting on coming back was the consequences of Thia’s catatonic depressive state coming back in the sequel and how that might have affected someone else that needed her at the time. It’s powerful in the sense that while mental health can be a very personal experience, it can have unintended consequences that make mending fences later harder to do. I appreciated so much how Kalyn tackled this challenge in the book.
Queen Razel continues to be a force in the sequel, but begins to unravel in such a spectacular way. I loved seeing the devolving of her character. At the centre of it all is control, and I loved seeing how everything played out with her. Then we get to Ericen, and my heart just melts into a little puddle. I just wanna give the poor guy a hug and a pat on the back. I did feel as if he might have spent a portion of this book bumbling about like a fool in love, but he did have some ulterior motives that I enjoyed seeing play out.
My final thoughts are that this was an excellent way to end this duology, and I truly enjoyed reading every bit of this story. In my first review I talked about the unique quality to these characters and that continues to hold true. Kalyn Josephson really writes a story that is multi-faceted, and her characters could be flesh and bone in the complexities that they display.
The Crow Rider is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of July 7th 2020.
Will you be picking up The Crow Rider? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
