[Review] The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson

The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson

Rating: 3 stars

Published: July 9th 2019

Goodreads 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.

Anthia, or Thia, is Princess of Rhodaire, who is forced to marry the crown prince of Illucia, a country whose Queen attacked Rhodaire's capital city several months prior. This attack kills Thia's mother and her aunt Estrel, and it leaves Thia suffering from depression.

Looking back on The Storm Crow, it does have a supposed enemies to lovers romance that I typically enjoy, but I wasn't really a fan of it here. Ericen was built up to be this antagonistic, attractive prince, but then the real romance came much later from Caylus, a rebel secretly working against Illucia. There was so much more development (and potential) for Ericen, especially since he ended up not even evil. Caylus shows up way too late (around the halfway point), and Thia automatically falls for him?! I need more buildup to this relationship to accept this. 

That being said, just because the love triangle went one way, and not the other, doesn't mean that things can still be platonic. I do hope we see more acceptance on Ericen's part for this. 

I think the focal points of Thia reflecting on her depression were important, and honestly, the best parts to read, because these points on mental illness are super important. I do wish we had more of them featured in this book. 

He knew the scars were there, but I wanted him to really look at them. Under his gaze, they didn't feel wrong. They felt like something else, like a symbol of my survival.
"For the the longest time, I let these represent everything I lost, but I'm done. I won't let my scars define me. Not anymore. From now on, they're a symbol of what I have left to fight for. Of what I won't let Illucia take from me."- p. 216

"There's nothing wrong with being sad. Everyone feels that way, one time or another." - p. 245

The more I think about this book, the more I wish I liked it more. I wish the magic system surrounding the crows was more utilized (it's in the title, after all). I can see why it was omitted for a good portion, but still, some crow magic would be nice. 

The characters (other than Thia and Caylus and Kiva) felt very flat to me. If they were introduced once Thia got into Illucia, I lost interest. There was also this sister dynamic between Caliza and Thia that could have totally be explored more. 

I'm not sure how I feel reviewing this book awhile after I read it. It doesn't stick out prominently in my mind, so I don't know if I'd continue.