A review by thebalancedbookshelf
The Faithless Hawk by Margaret Owen

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

<spoilers>This book was an emotional ride for me. I laughed, cried, was anxious, wished death upon characters, cried when death was too close to actually happening to said character and much more. I am shocked by how much I loved this book and how much the series came together for me. 

In the first book Fie is clever, witty and dedicated to her clan. This book only amplifies how strong of a character she is. She has moments of self doubt and fear that make her more relatable and realistic. She is widely clever and can think herself out of any situation. She knows when she can do something herself and when she needs to call for help. The fact that she isn’t afraid to ask for assistance makes her a great person and leader. She always tries to save as many people as she can while doing as much as she can. I love her good hearted nature and how true she stays to herself. 

Tavin on the other hand through me for a loop. I honestly couldn’t believe his actions in this book and that shows how well it was written. There was a moment when he first meets Fie as Niemi when I thought he puzzled together that it was Fie but his actions after that really made me believe he didn’t. I was SOO upset that he would betray not only Fie but Jasimir. It didn’t feel completely out of character since I thought he viewed it as saving them both but in a dramatic and drastic way. I also really thought he was showing interest in this new girl and was so upset about it. The moment when the reveal came out that he knew all along I literally cried. I was so happy that he really hadn’t betrayed them all and yet so upset that he sacrificed himself for them both. I should have known that he wouldn’t betray them but I fell for it anyways. There were many moments while reading where I wished he would die at the end and when it actually looked like that might be the case I was besides myself. I am so happy that didn’t happen and that we got a resolution with all characters. 

Jasimir was another character I thoroughly enjoyed. I feel like we get so much more of his personality in this book. He finally opens up and is more fun and playful than the last book. Which is completely understandable due to the circumstances. I loved how his relation with Fie evolved and how they could really rely on one another. It was heartfelt to hear him say that they only had each other and he was glad she came back for him. I also love his relationship with Barf. Barf in general is such a great addition to the story and I loved how she played role in this. 

In the previous book we were told crows with magic are the old gods reincarnated and in this book we get a first hand look at that and their responsibility. It was so interesting to learn more about the crows gods and even their shrines. I thought in the last book when they said that the crow chiefs were old gods that it was a metaphor and not that they were literally specific gods reincarnated. I loved seeing and learning about that history and their magic. It was fascinating to find out the whole lineage in the end and how the world evolved from where they first started. 

While I loved this book towards the last third I was starting to get tired of them being in the palace. I think this contrasted so much from the first book where they were constantly on the move and in new locations. I was getting frustrated with Tavin and him courting Neimi but once the reveal of his true alliance came around it really resolved this plot issue for me. It made sense that they needed to stay in the palace to take Rhusana down. My only wish was that we had gotten a little more insight around her and her motives before the end. 

This duology is so well written and it feels like a story that will sit with you for a while. I loved the characters, how the plot moved and all of the magical elements. I enjoyed that this was only two books and felt that the pacing was perfect between the two. It gave you everything you could ask for but was still unique with familiar fantasy aspects that make it easy to relate too. While I didn’t talk on it much I enjoyed the diversity between all of the characters and the LGBTQ+ representation. Everything was spoken to in a way that left an impact and felt normalized. I loved this series and would definitely recommend!