A review by aggressive_nostalgia
The Crow by Alison Croggon

Having been very eager to continue Maerad's epic, I was really disappointed to find that this didn't involve her at all. Hem's narration irritated me for the most part, and this book was a very slow read. It wasn't until the book was almost over that i started to get into the story at all, and then the ending turned out a huge disappointment. Hem was not that likable of a character for me, and neither was Zelika - Saliman and even Irc were much more appealing, but they turned out as pretty minor characters - and I'd really gotten attached to Maerad and Cadvan. I'm hoping The Singing will focus more on Maerad and her point of view. The Crow was mainly a disappointment - a ton of the storyline felt completely unnecessary -, and in the last book I'm definitely hoping for a resurfacing the gripping narrative I enjoyed so much in the first two books. I'm holding out for a spectacular finale!