Rating: 4/5 stars
Release Date: 09/07/19
Synopsis: Eragon meets And I Darken in this thrilling new fantasy debut that follows a fallen princess as she ignites a rebellion to bring back the magical elemental crows that were taken from her people.
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.
TW: Depression
People, this was a really good book, and I hope you are all looking forwards to it in 2019! This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and so I was so delighted to receive an arc of it in my December Fairyloot box (which was amazing). And this was such a great read which I would totally recommend, whether you want to start reading fantasy or whether you have been reading it for years – I think it could appeal to anyone. It is masterfully crafted in many ways, and is reminiscent of many well loved fantasy books while still being new and refreshing, incorporating rebellion, romance and mythical creatures. It reminds me of a book, but I cannot remember it at all, and perhaps it is just that beautiful nostalgia that this book creates, while still being so original. You should definitely look out for this one later this year, all of you!
The story is told in first person, following our main character Anthia, or Thia, as she is mainly known by characters close to her. At the beginning of the book, Thia is suffering from depression, which is the first time I think that I have really come across this representation in a fantasy book. On a slight side note, seeing diversity and representation in a fantasy is one of my favourite things! I think it is the perfect way to explore them in a book, and I tend to love books that do this even more. That being said, personally, I found it a little difficult to really connect to Thia and the story, and therefore empathise with her. I do think her depression was done extremely well – and I am still not sure whether my difficulty in connecting with the book was actually the book itself, or just my mood. Who knows? It could be either. I did like Thia quite a lot, although I did feel sometimes she was quite naive, or that she was very easy duped. I think it is because she is a very passionate character in some ways, and that led her to throw herself into things. But aside from that, she was a very well developed character.
But not only do we have a strong main character, we also have an amazing cast of side characters! Kiva is one who comes immediately to mind! She was a really dynamic character and I loved the friendship between her and Thia – they have such a deep love for each other and Kiva acts as a protector for Thia. Kiva also begins to develop a relationship with another girl, and I am anticipating such a cute romance in sequels to come! We also have Ericen, the prince, a bit of a (dare I say it) Rhysand character, or so I felt. Bear in mind, I am not 100% sold on him yet, but…I am intrigued. He seems pretty rude at the beginning, but you begin to discover his reasons later on (although I do think these could maybe have been a little stronger?). Also…I am strongly shipping him with Thia! However, the main love interest in this book (yes, I do see the threat of pining and a love triangle in the next book- gulp) is Caylen, who is basically quite sweet and cute and yes, he is a fine love interest, but I don’t feel it like I do with Ericen. I need that enemies to lovers trope – which is something else this book has taught me.
Enough about the characters – the writing is also very good. It is very mature and there are beautiful phrases of description without it ever getting flowery. I mean, I adore flowery writing, but all of you who hate it, have no fear! There really isn’t long spools of it in this book. Kalyn Josephson is certainly very talented! I can’t believe that this was a debut, and I will be gobbling up everything that they turn out. And the world-building was flawless. In this world there are elemental crows, and people, I love me some good elemental magic, however overused it may seem. I thought the cultures of each kingdom had a lot of depth and development, and I feel like we are going to see a lot more of them in books to come. There were so many beautiful details!
I think the only things holding me back from rating this five stars was a) the fact that I found it a little hard to connect to the story and b) the plot didn’t really blow me away. But I see big things for this series, and with longer and more complex plots, and think this could really become a favourite! Maybe upon a reread my feelings will intensify and I will be able to fully gush about this book for you all. But this still comes with a high recommendation from me, and I suggest you preorder or buy it or borrow it when it comes out! I think this is going to be a very popular series in the YA community. (Although still not really sure how it is anything at all like And I Darken, and even Eragon – aside from the mythical creatures?)
The Bookish Courtier 