The Storm Crow

by Kalyn Josephson

Overview

Indigo's best YA books of 2019 * B&N's best YA books of July 2019 * Goodread's most popular 2019 debuts

The first book in Kalyn Josephson's "must-read" (Adrienne Young) Storm Crow duology, a YA fantasy series that follows a fallen princess who ignites a rebellion, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo and And I Darken.

Princess Thia was born to be a crow rider—a warrior. In her kingdom of Rhodaire, magical elemental crows keep the city running. But when the Illucian empire invades, they kill all the crows in a horrible fire that also robs Thia of her mother and mentor.

Then Thia's sister, Caliza, becomes the new queen of Rhodaire, she is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the Illucian heir in an effort to save her people. Prince Ericen is rude and cruel and Thia can't imagine traveling into the heart of an enemy city after so much has been taken from her.

But before she leaves, she finds a crow egg in the rubble of the rookery. Deep in the heart of Ilucia she must hatch the last crow, hold her own against the crown prince, and ignite a rebellion to take back what is hers.

Perfect readers who want:

• YA mental health stories
• LGBTQ characters
• Gifts for teen girls 12-18

Also in this series:

The Crow Rider (Book 2)

Praise for The Storm Crow:

"Clashing kingdoms, thrilling action, and an imperfect heroine make this a must-read."—ADRIENNE YOUNG, New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep and The Girl the Sea Gave Back

"[A]mbitious worldbuilding and an engaging premise…; Anthia's battle with depression is portrayed with frank authenticity, and features well-developed LGBTQ in the Deep characters."—Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728206974
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	06/02/2020
Series:	Storm Crow , #1
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	119,623
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	750L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Kalyn Josephson is a fantasy writer living in the California Bay Area. She loves books, cats, books with cats, and making up other worlds to live in for a while. She is the author of The Storm Crow and The Crow Rider. Visit her at kalynjosephson.com.

Editorial Reviews

06/24/2019

Six months after the Illucian empire murdered her mother and slaughtered the elemental crows upon which the kingdom of Rhodaire depended, Princess Anthia continues to struggle with depression and grief. After she’s betrothed to Prince Ericen of Illucia and sent to live with his people as part of a fragile peace treaty, Anthia finds herself surrounded by enemies. But Anthia has a secret: she has discovered a surviving storm crow egg; if she can hatch it, she might be able to rally other countries to stand against Illucia. Politics and subtlety have never been this headstrong heroine’s strong point, however, and she’s not sure what to make of her mercurial fiancé, who seems as much potential foe as friend. Josephson’s debut displays ambitious worldbuilding and an engaging premise involving the magical crows, which affect everything from storms to healing; Anthia’s battle with depression is portrayed with frank authenticity, and features well-developed LGBTQ characters. The geopolitical intrigue lacks complexity, though, and the language occasionally feels contemporary for the setting. Nevertheless, this first half of a planned duology should excite readers looking for strong characters and romance-laced adventure. Ages 12–up. Agent: Carrie Pestritto, Laura Dail Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"The Storm Crow is a fantastic debut. Written with both power and charm, it showcases some of my favorite world building ever in a YA fantasy, and has nuanced, wonderful characters and relationships. Dragon fans should get ready for their next favorite creature. I loved this." — Jessica Cluess, author of A Shadow Bright and Burning

"The Storm Crow is everything we love about YA fantasy, with an enchanting world and original magic that keeps the story fresh. Clashing kingdoms, thrilling action, and an imperfect heroine make this book a must-read. This soaring debut was a delight." — Adrienne Young, New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep

"Josephson’s debut displays ambitious worldbuilding and an engaging premise involving the magical crows, which affect everything from storms to healing; Anthia’s battle with depression is portrayed with frank authenticity, and features well-developed LGBTQ characters." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

06/01/2019

Gr 7 Up—Magical crows have established Rhodaire as a beacon of power until a surprise attack by neighboring Illucia renders them broken and defenseless. Princess Anthia has lost her mother, the queen, and her future as a storm crow rider, sending her into a deep depression. Months after the attack, her sister Caliza is now queen and is struggling to maintain order following Illucia's invasion. As a last-ditch effort toward diplomacy, she is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and Ericen, the Crown Prince of Illucia. Yet after finding a crow's egg hidden away in a derelict rookery, Thia convinces her sister that hatching the egg might give them enough power to thwart Illucia's complete takeover and regain their former glory. Poor pacing results in underdeveloped characterization; however, the book has diversity in race and sexual orientation. The world-building is lacking—many of the settings are boiled down to a few pages and barely remarked upon again. The meat of the story is the elemental crows and the extraordinary powers they offer Thia's people, but the plot structure does not provide an experience intense enough to amplify the loss of the crows. Real-life issues, such as grief and depression, are not examined in a meaningful way. VERDICT This generic premise might find an audience among new readers of YA fiction.—Elise Martinez, Zion-Benton Public Library, IL

School Library Journal

2019-04-07
A familiar premise enlivened by some surprises.

Princess Anthia has been depressed since the military might of neighboring kingdom Illucia destroyed her nation's magical crows and killed her mother. Months later, about to be married to the Illucian prince, Thia discovers one surviving crow egg. This gives her the strength to become angry and fight her depression, fomenting rebellion (and falling in love—but not with the prince). There is diversity in this world; the kingdoms vary in culture, values, and appearance. Thia and her people are brown-skinned while her best friend is blonde and likes girls, something the text treats as unremarkable; the wicked Illucians are also fair-skinned. While the racial differences have some parallels to real-world power structures, the story never examines race in any meaningful way. Sadly, the worldbuilding is also reductive; as the backmatter makes clear, the values of the kingdoms are indistinguishable from the characteristics of the citizens. Pedestrian writing, particularly the overreliance on clichéd similes, further detracts from the strengths. The portrayal of depression feels clinical rather than emotionally resonant. Still, the formula of feisty female lead overcoming military might in a diverse world a lá Leigh Bardugo or Sabaa Tahir has plenty of sticking power, so this is likely to find some readers.

Debut author Josephson may have potential but she's not there yet. (map, guide to characters/setting) (Fantasy. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews