Thank you so much to The Fantastic Flying Book club for including me in this tour! You can check out all the other tour posts here on the official tour schedule!
Author: Kayln Josephson
Publisher: SourceFire Books
Release Date: July 9th 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Synopsis:
“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.”
I gotta say, I really enjoyed this book! It was a quick and magical read that pulled at my heartstrings. I loved the magic system in this universe and had a fun time exploring the story. The only reason I didn’t give this book a perfect 5/5 stars is because it isn’t anything new for the YA fantasy genre. It follows predictable tropes about rebellion and romance that don’t offer anything unique. It’s an entertaining story that I had a great time devouring, BUT it is important to note that despite being well written it didn’t break out of the YA fantasy mold.
The writing in this book is beautiful. It strikes the perfect balance for me. It’s easy to read, fast paced, but has beautiful descriptions and is easy to fall into it. The world building was well structured and I also loved the last few pages in the back that gave more information about the crows! The magic system in this world is detailed but written and described PERFECTLY. I really wish I could disappear into this world and fly on a crow, Josephson made it sound amazing.
ALSO, can we talk about these characters? They were such a well developed group. I love Thia. I love her character development and how her grief is written. She’s raw, witty, and so much stronger than she gives herself credit for. I wanted to reach into this book and give her so many hugs. I can’t wait to follow her and everyone else into the second book. This cast of characters has so much room left to grow that I’m getting more excited every time I think of what to come. I could start spitting my predictions out now and it would last for HOURSSSS. I adore the side characters and cannot wait to see more of their backstories.
I seriously enjoyed this book. It’s a lovely YA fantasy full of magic, deception, and soft characters. It was well written and gripping. If you’re a fan of YA fantasy you’ll enjoy exploring this magical world full of crows.
About the Author
Kalyn Josephson is a Technical Writer in Silicon Valley, which leaves room fortoo many bad puns about technically being a writer. She grew up in San LuisObispo, CA, but now lives in the Bay Area with four awesome friends (becauseit’s the Bay and she’d like to be able to retire one day) and two black cats (who aremore like a tiny dragon and an even tinier owl). When not writing YA Fantasy, sheloves baking, reading, playing sports, and watching too many movies.
Check out the rest of the tour HERE!
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