Scan barcode
A review by elemenoreed
The Crow by Alison Croggon
4.0
This book is, so far, the best in the series. And I didn't go into it with high hopes. I was not impressed with Hem's character when he was first introduced into the plot. And I took a kind of grim pleasure in the fact that he was separated from Maerad and I wouldn't have to be bothered with his presence in the story any longer. I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised by this book. When the book begins, Hem doesn't seem like the whiny kid introduced in the first book. Back then he didn't act or speak like a twelve year old should and this disparity between age and actions bothered me. All of that was gone in the beginning of this book and Hem behaves his age, although the mischief he gets into in the beginning is excusable on the basis of circumstance.
A major factor that contributed to the fun and full-out enjoyment of this novel was the introduction of an animal sidekick. Early on in the book, Hem rescues a white crow from the torment of other birds and the two become friends. Hem names the bird Irc (for which reason I cannot now remember, except I remember thinking that the bird might become "irk"some at some point and associated his name from there. However, I couldn't have been more wrong). Irc was like what I've always wanted every Disney animal sidekick to be. He could communicate with Hem in the Speech and their conversations actually had me chuckling, even in the darker parts of the book. And Irc's presence becomes so constant and constantly desired that I feared for his safety as much as Hem's.
Hem grows a lot as a character in this book owing to the fact that the reader can see the war that the previous two books only alluded to. Hem's new home city of Turbansk is attacked and during the siege, he begins to discover his talents as a bard. He begins to open himself up to the people around him and even makes a friend his own age. As the book progresses, Hem finds himself far from Turbansk and in ever-increasingly dangerous situations. He calls on his strengthening bard powers and bravely faces his enemies. Hem was someone I was glad to know by the end of this book. I hope he figures largely in the next book also.
The Elidu are also present in this book and their presence always adds much to the story. This book was great from start to finish, without any lulls in the narrative. It will probably end up being my favorite book in this series...
A major factor that contributed to the fun and full-out enjoyment of this novel was the introduction of an animal sidekick. Early on in the book, Hem rescues a white crow from the torment of other birds and the two become friends. Hem names the bird Irc (for which reason I cannot now remember, except I remember thinking that the bird might become "irk"some at some point and associated his name from there. However, I couldn't have been more wrong). Irc was like what I've always wanted every Disney animal sidekick to be. He could communicate with Hem in the Speech and their conversations actually had me chuckling, even in the darker parts of the book. And Irc's presence becomes so constant and constantly desired that I feared for his safety as much as Hem's.
Hem grows a lot as a character in this book owing to the fact that the reader can see the war that the previous two books only alluded to. Hem's new home city of Turbansk is attacked and during the siege, he begins to discover his talents as a bard. He begins to open himself up to the people around him and even makes a friend his own age. As the book progresses, Hem finds himself far from Turbansk and in ever-increasingly dangerous situations. He calls on his strengthening bard powers and bravely faces his enemies. Hem was someone I was glad to know by the end of this book. I hope he figures largely in the next book also.
The Elidu are also present in this book and their presence always adds much to the story. This book was great from start to finish, without any lulls in the narrative. It will probably end up being my favorite book in this series...