The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson [Book Review]

It has been two whole days since I finished the book and I still have so many feelings and am trying to gather my thoughts because this book was full of so many amazing things I don’t know where to begin! In this moment I’m happy for the ability to highlight and make notes on the Kindle App because I’m honestly going through everything I noted and highlighted hoping I can write a review that describes my love for this book.

The story itself blew me away and my dumb ass didn’t realize until I was nearing the end of the book that there is going to be a second book…I think…I hope… But anyways! I was drawn in with the first page and in that moment, I felt like I too was flying and oh, how I longed to after that. The craft and skill in which Kalyn Josephson wrote this book gave me no choice to be dragged into the story and get invested with it and these characters from the first sentence.

Thia is the main character of the story and as the POV character her voice was established and remained there the whole way. Very strong narration in which I  felt a very real connection with her and I saw a lot of myself in her in that she is feisty and quick to stand up for others even if she gets in trouble for it.

Now let me take a moment to address what I think is one of the most important things in this story. Depression. Yes, you read that right… Depression. Kalyn Josephson has done what so many have tried to do and has taken it and blown it out of the water! It’s safe to say that this is one of two FANTASY books/series in which I have seen an accurate portrayal of mental illness/depression. As someone with depression seeing this accurate portrayal and seeing Thia kick depression in the ass was so empowering to me because throughout the book you see this process on how it really is like living with a mental illness. Some days you feel like you can conquer the world and your mental illness but then others it’s a fight to simply get and stay out of bed and for this I APPLAUD the author because the way she portrayed this is so real and SO. SO important. Everything Thia felt I have felt too and it just felt so real.

Essentially this book was beyond amazing and went above and beyond what I thought and expected from it! (and I expected many great things)

 

**I was provided this book by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own**

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Turning Point Blog Tour

 

Hello Readers!

So, I nearly forgot about my post for today but then…I didn’t. So it’s all good and I’m excited to share this with you all.

I’m here to tell you about this awesome set of books (7 of them, in fact) perfect for your summer reading. For a limited time, the Turning Point collection is featuring seven full length young adult novels for only 99 cents available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Kobo! 99 cents people! I’ve yet to get my copy…But I think you all know by now not to follow my book buying example, becasue I never have money to afford books…or almost never…..

Here are the titles in the set!

Turning Point: 7 Young Adult Inspirational Novels in One Set Making it easy (and super cheap!) for you. All your summer reading is right here in this one set. Get seven full-length novels from some of your favorite authors.

 

By Darkness Hid, Jill Williamson

Given the chance to train as a squire, kitchen servant Achan Cham hopes to pull himself out of his pitiful life and become a Kingsguard Knight. When Achan’s owner learns of his training, he forces Achan to spar with the Crown Prince–more of a death sentence than an honor. Meanwhile, strange voices in Achan’s head cause him to fear he’s going mad. While escorting the prince to a council presentation, their convoy is attacked. Achan is wounded and arrested, but escapes from prison–only to discover a secret about himself he never believed possible.

 

 

Whisper If You Have To, Staci Stallings

Secrets. Alison Prescott has collected a boatload of them in her short lifetime. Moving to a new school in a new town was supposed to fix everything; however, when she meets a new set of friends, keeping those secrets might just ruin everything including her fledgling relationship with the school’s basketball star, Chad Dourozette. How far will Allison go to keep the secrets she can never tell anyone?

 

 

It’s Complicated, Laura L. Smith

There’s a reason Facebook has the Status Update, It’s Complicated. Follow four college roommates, Claire, Palmer, Hannah, and Kat as they maneuver crushes, confusion, and the crisis when pushy boys go too far. Complicated as it is, these four friends will pull through, guided by the strength of their friendship and the power of God’s love.

 

 

Failstate, John W. Otte

A fledgling teenage superhero competes on a reality TV show for a government vigilante license. When one of his competitors is murdered, Failstate sets out on a quest to avenge her death. But will his superpowered lunk of a big brother ruin everything?

 

 

The Wishing Pearl, Nicole O’Dell

Sixteen-year-old Olivia Mansfield can’t wait to escape the confines of her home, which promises nothing but perpetual torment and abuse from her stepfather. When poor choices lead her to the brink of a complete breakdown, Olivia comes to a crossroads. Will she find the path to ultimate hope and healing that her heart longs for?

 

 

Mardan’s Mark, Kathrese McKee

Abducted by pirates and taken behind enemy lines across the Great Gulf, Princess Srilani is determined to save her sisters and younger brother, the crown prince, from captivity. She convinces their caretaker, Aldan, and his brother slaves to share the perilous journey home. This ragtag group of unlikely heroes sets out on a quest — pursued by cutthroat pirates, merciless priests, and marauding soldiers — to return the heir to his kingdom before war breaks out. In this epic adventure fantasy, Srilani and Aldan risk everything to save a prince and a nation, discovering along the way that death is not their deepest fear.

 

 

Glass Girl, Laura Anderson Kurk

After her older brother Wyatt is killed in a jealousy-fueled incident and her mother disappears, Meg Kavanagh decides surviving is easy—it’s living that takes guts. She believes she’s to blame for Wyatt’s death, but when Henry Whitmire steps in with a secret, will Meg forgive herself enough to accept the good things in life like the rush of first love and the power of mercy? – See more at: http://jillwilliamson.com/turning-point-blog-tour-information/#sthash.mqPPTgv6.dpuf

Time To Share The Love! || Mardan’s Mark Book Review

Hello Readers!

So I am finally back on track with my blogging as you can see and I am so excited to finally be back on track. ( Wooh!) Now, quickly before I jump into this review I want to mention my two, brand new linkups I have! One on Antagonists and the other on Story Worlds. You can check them out by clicking on the ‘Link Ups’ Page I have up 🙂 Now! On with this book review, because I am SUPER excited for this one!

Epic cover, am I right?

 

Srilani is second in line to the throne, and she’s always known what is expected of a princess — bring honor to her family and marry well. Aldan has been a pirate’s slave for as long as he can remember, and all he wants is to be free. The Twin Kingdoms have been sister nations for centuries, but now their unity and existence are threatened by enemies both inside and outside their borders.

After pirates abduct Srilani and her three siblings, they are stranded behind enemy lines and across the Great Gulf. As the eldest, Srilani is faced with the dangerous task of bringing her father’s heir home. She convinces Aldan and his two fellow slaves to share their journey to freedom. These unlikely allies — seven young captives — must defeat the web of lies, murder, and betrayal tearing the kingdoms apart.

 

I loved this book so much! It was a beautifully written and engaging book. At the beginning I felt a little lost because for some reason I didn’t make some sort of connection or something but that was quickly fixed because I simply realized a little mix up and confusion on my end. (Oopsie 😛 ) but anyways my own mistake aside I loved this book so much and you simply must go read it right now! I demand you do! Already I have probably talked a million peoples ears off about the amazing-ness of this book, and now its your turn! haha 🙂

The plot was amazing and beautiful and I loved it! Royal children kidnapped by pirates and they end up escaping by the help of three slaves aboard the ship and then the whole adventure begins! It was beautifully written and so well done! Eeep! Loved it so much!

Sorry not sorry… I just had to.

 

Lots of shipping happened on my end for this book (I love ship-able characters! Its my favorite!) and the characters! Oh the characters how I just loved them all! There may or may not have been a fictional crush or two developed in the readings of this novel…But when isn’t there? I mean really. This is me we are talking about. Anyways. I loved the characters. I don’t really know who was my favourite. I loved all the characters for so many reasons… The twins were just plain old adorable and I loved them very very much!  Srilani was an absolutely wonderful character. I really loved her character development. To start off she seemed very arrogant and very…well princess-y? But that didn’t last long. She proved that there was more to her that meets the eye. And as the story went on you came to realize more and more how much this tough cookie was hiding behind a mask and really it just broke my heart. The poor girl. I just wanted to give her a big teddy bear hug!

Rene was also such a great character. Very unlike her sister in way’s that she didn’t pick as many fights and was definitely more timid but boy, did she prove she could be just as protective and tough as her old sister too. Those moments were the best.

As for Aldan, Sam and Linus. I love them all! They were awesome. All three very different personalities (Yet they all shared a similar stubbornness trait XD ) I don’t even know where the begin I loved them all. Linus was a very quiet character and at points you would forget he was there. He was more of a listener than anything really. Often times Linus would use that to his advantage and sneak off to do something or whatever so I mean I guess that works too. As for Aldan, I loved him! ( I very much pictured Aidan Turner playing him in a movie adaptation) Definite fictional crush developing there…and oh my word! I ship him with another character so hard! (I’m not gonna say who. Heehee) the same goes with shipping Sam with another character! Sam was a great character too. He liked to pick fights with Srilani a fair bit but it was always amusing heehee.

Basically though, when it came to all the characters and all they went through and suffered (and all the shipping feels) this one GIF basically describes it. (I will warn you. GIF usage may or may not increase in the future)

So, what is my rating of this book? 5 stars…I don’t think I will ever be capable of doing a rating any lower than 4 stars…I fear that if I keep rating things 5 stars people will not trust my reviews…That does worry me, but its alright I suppose. If you don’t trust me and read these books then you are missing out 😉

Anyways! 5 shiny stars! I was thinking about 4.75 stars just because of the feels-y cliffhanger but I just decided on 5…

 

 

 

Meet the author!

Texas author, Kathrese McKee, writes epic adventures for young adults and anyone else who enjoys pirates and princesses combined with life’s difficult questions. She is committed to exciting stories, appropriate content, and quality craftsmanship.

Mardan’s Mark is the award-winning first book in the Mardan’s Mark series.

Once upon a time, Kathrese worked as a systems engineer for EDS and various oil and gas companies. Then, she taught Reading and ESL at the middle school level. These days, she edits fiction, home schools her children, and turns a blind eye to the feral dust bunnies lurking beneath her desk.