The Crow Rider by Kalyn Josephson ~ a Review

by MK French

Thia, her allies, and her crow Res plan to defeat Queen Razel with the aid of neighboring kingdoms, if she can convince them to join the fight. There are obstacles in the way, including Res' unstable magic and Thia being pursued by the crown prince of Illucia.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

July 2020; Sourcebooks Fire; 978-1492672968
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); YA fantasy

The Crow Rider is the second of the Storm Crow duology, and I actually missed the first book. As a result, I missed all of the descriptions of the characters, what they meant to each other, and the horrors that happened in the first novel. In that one, Princess Anthia of Rhodaire and her sister found a crow egg in the rookery and plot to hatch it in secret to bring back the elemental crows that Illucia had destroyed. That novel has a warning for grief, depression, and self-harm, as Thia grieved her mother and the loss of the life she expected to have as a crow rider. There was also a lot of diverse representation for color, gender, and sexual orientation. This novel, being in the same universe, still references all of those things.

Because I missed the first novel, I did miss a huge chunk of exposition regarding the different kingdoms, the way magic works, and that crows normally have only one kind of magic. They control earth, water/weather, fire, air, sun/healing, shadows, and battle. Res doesn't know how to really use his powers, so we do have a training montage of sorts as Thia tries to find support in waging a war against Razel. She wants to be a leader but is a teenage princess with few opportunities for prior experience. Because of that, the more she tries to make people respect her, the more it backfires.

There's a lot of hype and interest for this book online, as the first novel attracted a lot of attention. This is one that teens will enjoy, especially those that like crows.

Buy The Crow Rider at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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