There is honestly much to like about this book, but it took me a painfully long time to get through it. Part of this was perhaps down to the formatting of the arc, which did not separate out jumps of perspective, making the story confusing; but more so was the fact that the beautifully described characters and world are dumped straight on top of the reader without real time to acclimatise or grow warm to them. Couple this with a complex political background and this was just sort of baffling. A lot of the time I could not recall the significance of a name or a region or a species that had been mentioned and flicking back to the reference list was the opposite of immersive.

The explorations of trauma were interesting and I felt more impact where it was explored through the character's reactions rather than confined to some confessional moments. I did think the god of Malice was not really quite malicious enough in general- I would prefer to see his malice unashamed and not so soft towards MC.

Now onto the good:
The main villain *is* done well - you think he’s being sympathetic but there’s just more masterful gaslighting. Once I battled through getting to know the characters a bit better they are likeable and I enjoyed the different types of peoples within this world, with some intricately planned gods, species, and kingdoms. The sapphic romance was also tenderly crafted. Shadow Mommy Descends into Darkness is much more fun a take than Shadow Daddy Is A Good Guy For The Right Girl. Black Knight from Monty Python reference (‘Tis but a scratch). There are some fantastic scenes and moments of tension.

All in all lots of potential from the author and I would probably have fared better with a physical copy where I could make use of the references a bit more easily. Not quite hitting top marks for me but she’s going somewhere.

This was a fantastic debut fantasy with amazing world-building and a bunch of well loved tropes that any romantasy reader should be picking up!

I really liked the premise of this one and I really grew to love the world it was set it. It was so intricate and described so well that I could visually imagine these places and it's characters. Our main characters were so well written and I adored the character development for both Diana and Aedlynn. Both of them go through so much in this book but still remain determined and strong-willed.

My only issue was trying to keep track of all the characters. I sometimes struggle a lot when there is a large cast of important and side characters that I found myself getting confused over who was who and their role in the story. However I think that this is a 'me' thing as it happens with other large fantasy novels!

Lauren Dedroog's writing is beautiful and her words have a way of having you hooked and needing more. This book took me on an emotional roller coaster and it was one I didn't want to exit. I cannot wait for the next book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

In A Curse of Crows, we’re taken on a journey through a darkly intricate world where a curse has woven itself into the lives of several characters, each grappling with their own burdens, secrets, and quests for redemption. The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, offering readers a glimpse into the lives of these individuals as they navigate a complex web of curses, alliances, and betrayals. At its core, the book is an exploration of identity, sacrifice, and the lengths people go to protect what they love. The narrative is propelled by mysterious, sometimes deadly forces that push characters to their limits—and sometimes over the edge.

I have to start by saying how much I appreciated the inclusion of comprehensive trigger warnings at the beginning of this book. This thoughtful touch set a positive tone right away and allowed me to feel safe diving into a dark and layered tale.

In A Curse of Crows, we’re introduced to a darkly woven world where curses shape the lives of numerous characters. Each grapples with their own burdens and secrets, but as the story unfolds, the dense web of curses, alliances, and betrayals becomes overwhelming. While the book aims to explore themes of identity, sacrifice, and protection, it often struggles to deliver them in a cohesive way. The multiple perspectives are intended to deepen the story, but they end up creating more confusion than clarity.

The characters are certainly varied, but the sheer number makes it nearly impossible to stay engaged. I found myself constantly flipping back to remember who was who, which disrupted the flow. The continual shifts in perspective and the hyperfocus required made reading feel more like a mental marathon than an enjoyable escape. Even with my best attempts to stay invested, the heavy backstories and layers of information left me frustrated and feeling bogged down.

While the plot had potential, the disorienting jumps between characters’ thoughts often took me out of the story. Chapters frequently shifted between one character’s viewpoint and another’s inner monologue without warning, leaving me wondering who was speaking. This lack of clarity made the reading experience jarring and, at times, even exhausting.

It’s worth noting that A Curse of Crows doesn’t feel overly long, but it does cram in so much detail that it might have benefited from either an extended format or a tighter focus on fewer plot points. Many side plots, while ambitious, felt like distractions from the core narrative, making it hard to stay invested in the main storyline.

On a brighter note, the representation of diverse identities felt genuine and affirming, and the world-building is impressively atmospheric. Dedroog’s creativity is clear in her depiction of the cursed world and its unique characters. Yet, even with these positive aspects, the story felt weighed down by its own complexity.

Final thoughts

There’s no doubt that Lauren Dedroog is a talented writer, with a strong sense of world-building and intriguing character ideas. However, A Curse of Crows falls short in execution. The overwhelming character count, disorienting narrative style, and pacing issues made it difficult to fully appreciate the book. I had hoped for an immersive and engaging experience, but instead, I found myself more frustrated than enchanted. For readers who enjoy complex narratives with a heavy mental workout, this might hold appeal. However, for most readers, it may feel more like a chore than a captivating journey.

I only read around 10% of this before deciding to DNF. I usually give it longer but it just didnt keep my attention.

I don't really know what to say about this book. I really struggled with it and just wanted it to be over.

The first 30% I found incredibly frustrating and difficult to follow. There was so much world building going on and we were introduced to a ridiculous amount of characters.

30-70% nothing really happened? Nothing of particular interest anyway.

The last 30% however, I did enjoy but even then it didn't make up for the rest of the book.

I don't really see the point in the different POVs, and they seemed to venture from first to third and even seemed like different people POVs within another's.

I like a bad ass FMC but the amount of powers she has seems a bit much and she's lady of like 7 different things. Just pick one ha.

I feel like the phrase less is more, sums this book up.

Thank you to Gollancz and Netgalley for the early chance to read this and give my honest review

A Curse Of Crows weaves a story of fantasy, romance, growing stronger, learning how to love yourself, and to overcome trauma that captures the reader from the very first page. This book is a testament to the enchanting possibilities that lie in the world of fantasy.

Dedroog's prose is lyrical and evocative. The author paints a beautifully vivid image that imerges the reader directly into her world with ease.
Each scene is crafted in such a way to invite the readers to feel the cool touch of the moonlit rivers, the warmth between intertwined hands of two lovers, and the whirlwind that is a woman who has had enough.

The story centers around Diana and Aedlynn, two women who had a tough past but slowly found their spark back. A story I believe everyone should read. In the words of the author: In this world, it's almost rebellious to love yourself. But I promise you that there is so much to love - Lauren Dedroog. And this book is a perfect declaration to loving yourself and learning how to.

In conclusion, Lauren Dedroog has crafted a beautiful novel that will leave readers hooked. A read that lingers long after turning the last page.
A must read for fans of high fantasy with a magical touch of longing romance.

Lauren Dedroog has come up with a huge expansive world, with a rich history and wonderful characters. The writing style is simply fantastic and I love the humor that was used. Because it's such an expansive world, it took me a while to get completely into the history and interpersonal relationships of the characters. Lauren gradually takes you into her world and does so in a fantastic way. Every detail has been thought about. Despite the somewhat slow start (which is absolutely necessary to understand the world, the characters and their relationships with each other), I enjoyed the story and I am greatly looking forward to part 2!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this story!

I was so excited to read this book, however I could not finish it. In my opinion I felt that the characters were very closely related to others from an extremely popular fantasy series, for example the name of ‘ Aedlynn Eidothean and Lorcan’.

This put me off and then as time went on I couldn’t get past all the comparisons I was making.

Come out of your shadows to play, little one, and you will find an inferno at your disposal. - Lauren Dedroog

Where to begin with this review...
I absolutely loved this book from page one. Lauren starts off her debut novel with pages dedicated to the trigger warnings, a list of who-is-who and a little language and pronunciation guide. I highly believe that all high fantasy novels should have one of those, so this was already an awesome start.

But then I started reading the story and boy, this was one of the most amazing and unique story I read in a long time! The world building was incredible and I loved (almost) all the characters. Diana, Aedlynn and Keres have taking root in my heart and I can't wait to see where Fate will take them next. There are also a lot of other characters I can't wait to learn more about!

Lauren Dedroog's writing style is beautiful. She is a master with words and she strings the most beautiful passages together. She has a way to suck you into her world and I absolutely love her for it!
Even though Dedroog broke my heart multiple times during this book, I loved every second of it.

I can't wait to read the next book, but I already know that I will love it just as much as I did this one! This is one of my favorite books of all time and I highly recommend it!

Lauren Dedroog’s A Curse of Crows is a compelling female villain origin story that weaves rich mythology into a captivating fantasy world. Fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas will find themselves drawn to Dedroog’s intricate world-building and complex characters.

The story follows Diana who begins as a seemingly ordinary character, only to evolve into a powerful, morally complex figure. This transformation is central to the novel, exploring themes of power, vengeance, and self-discovery. Lauren masterfully avoids the typical tropes of villainy by giving us a nuanced anti-heroine whose journey feels both believable and enthralling.

The fantasy world in A Curse of Crows is deeply immersive, with lush descriptions and vivid details of new mythologies. The way Lauren introduces and builds her world is seamless, feeding the reader just enough to spark curiosity without overwhelming them with exposition. The magical elements and unique lore add an original touch, setting the story apart from other high-fantasy novels.

One of the highlights is the morally grey nature of Diana. Unlike traditional heroes or even anti-heroes, Lauren's main character grapples with choices that blur the line between right and wrong, making her an intriguing figure to follow. You can't help but root for her even as she makes darker, more perilous decisions.

If you're a fan of detailed fantasy and morally complex characters this book will keep you hooked from start to finish. It’s a bold debut that promises even more intrigue to come in its world.

The story is set in a richly developed world, with lots of characters, species, deities, demons, creatures,... You name it. You can feel that everything is backed up by a complex history, and that every character is well thought through. While I love epic fantasy, and this story definitely is becoming one, it comes with a downside: sometimes it can be really confusing to remember everything and keep everyone apart. Luckily there is a glossary at the beginning of the book, and the author herself is very helpful as well. Normally I don't like it when a book starts with such an extensive glossary, because it makes me feel like I should study that first before I would be allowed to dive into the book (I prefer to discover the information bit by bit while reading). In this case however, my love for the characters outweighs that feeling for the biggest part.
You could say there seem to be some similarities to ACOTAR's storyline, but otherwise, the story contains more than enough original elements so that this didn't really bother me.

The author manages what few other authors manage to do, and that's making me bond and fall in love with characters from the very first chapters of a book. I want to be part of Diana's crew and go on adventures together, all while cheering and crying right alongside this marvellous cast. There is also a lot of character development, and you can follow various friendships bloom from close by.

The writing style varies from poetic to filled with humour and everything in between. I've highlighted various sentences, sayings and conversations because they were so beautifully written and/or made me snort out loud. Some parts were also very human and recognisable, making this book leave even bigger marks on every reader (or so I think).

The villain origin part of the story is mostly surfacing in the last 100 pages. Before that, it's mostly background information, build-up for the rest of the series, and characters trying to overcome their trauma. This results in the pace being somewhat slower than expected, but I get the feeling that the next book will contain much more action and villainous deeds. Because of that, I'm really looking forward to reading the other books in this series. I can't wait to discover what else Diana and her friends still have up their sleeves.

This book was really good!
Even though there were quite a lot of characters, the storyline was quite easy to follow. The multiple POV's definitely helped to get a better insight on some of the characters.

I can't wait to see what the author does with the rest of the books in this series and how the storyline will continue!

Sadly I had to dnf at 30% but I found Diana was annoying and don't enjoy her pov. On the other hand Aedlynn interested me. I found the dialogue between the characters quite young, although they are adults. I feel like this is written quite YA with adult subjects and language.

This book is really difficult to talk about. On the surface it's a story about Diana and Aedlynn. Diana struggles with sickness and past trauma while Aedlynn is used as a weapon of a powerful man while falling in love. In reality that describes probably about the first 20% of the book.

The problem I have with it is that the worldbuilding is so vast that this book barely seems to scratch the surface. I have no problem with books throwing us into a middle of a story with barely any explanation and letting us learn the world as the story goes. But this one had so much going on that it was impossible to comprehend every nuance of the world and I really wish the author actually spent a little more time building a clearer picture of the world, especially with Diana being such an easy vessel through which we could learn more.

My other issue was that while the book started as a two PoV story it didn't stay that way. Aedlynn stopped being a main character and became just another background character in the sea of them. It was frustrating because while Diana had the space to deal with her trauma and grow and become a stronger character, Aedlynn was pushed to the shadows right after the worst moment of her life and we were just supposed to accept that she healed enough to continue on. I found it especially grating due to how she was made to fit into the story afterwards, as an almost a cheerleader.

Diana frustrated me as a character only because how overpowered she was. It felt like every time something happened she discovered a new power that she had.

I really wanted to like this book more, especially that it had some really strong emotional bits and I'll admit it did make me cry once or twice. But it felt like it needed to be at least twice as long to have space for all the lore the author was trying to establish.

DNF 21%

I bought an older edition of this book in a Belgian bookstore. However, when I heard the book was gonna be picked up by Gollanz, I was planning on waiting for the new edition. Eventually the new edition appeared on Netgalley and I requested a copy. Today it was time to start reading. After the first 21% of the book I give up. I think the author built an amazing and complicated world, but I had a lot of issues following the book. Mostly because the author constantly switched point of view, despite the fact that the chapters had the point of view character listed at the beginning. If you list a point of view character, you really have to stick to it. You can't switch constantly between the characters involved. It makes the scenes confusing and in some cases it even makes it impossible to know for sure who says and does what. I therefore got a little frustrated with the book and decided to just stop reading. Which is probably a pity, because the world sounded interesting and I was kinda curious where it all would go.

I'm still not totally sure how I feel about this book. The world was interesting, but there was a lot to take in and it got confusing at times. I think I liked it otherwise - the characters were pretty solid and I enjoyed what I could follow!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Accidentally reviewed wrong book my review for this one is still coming.

Accidentally reviewed wrong book my review for this one is still coming.

Accidentally reviewed wrong book my review for this one is still coming.

Accidentally reviewed wrong book my review for this one is still coming.

This book is so good, even better than I remember.

The storyline was really easy to follow, which is something I often struggle with in new fantasy books. Sometimes I struggle with the combination of understanding the world-building while simultaneously following the storyline. This time, it was not a problem.

Diana and Aedlynn’s adventure is an extraordinary mix of divine mysteries, intense revenge, and surprising romance. The way their paths cross in a world where gods and mortals coexist is truly enchanting. The suspense, the passion, and the raw emotions in every plot twist kept me utterly hooked. This book is more than just a story—it’s an electrifying journey through a fantastical world where love and power clash in the most exciting ways. It's a must-read. I’m eagerly anticipating what comes next!

A Curse of Crows was not for me. I almost DNF'd this book at 60% which is not something I usually do, but I had to really motivate myself to put the energy into finishing this. I had no clue where it was going, and did not feel invested in the characters or the plot.

The plot is seriously convoluted, and yet at the same time not a lot of interest happens. There is a lot of mythology and religion, in a way that feels complex for no reason. There's a handy glossary at the beginning, and I think if I was reading this in physical version I would've skipped back and forth to it a lot. Maybe I would've felt more connected, but it's hard to know when a name is being thrown in and means nothing, or when it's actually going to be later central to the story. I love epic fantasy, I've read plenty of detailed, intricate world building, but this just did not click for me. It felt awkward and clunky. I don't think it helped that the story frequently shifted perspective or went into a dream sequence without much context.

At times it felt like a caricature of modern romantasy. All of the women are tormented and traumatised, and yet astonishingly 'never been seen before' powerful. All of the men are sexy, of course. Everyone flirts with everyone. All the main characters are snarky and 'cool'. It felt very cliché to me.

I know, however, that there are readers out there for this book. There will be people who devour this and adore the characters and I hope they find it! If angsty romantasy is your favourite, if you want sass, and snark and sexiness, if the idea of mates and mating bonds fills you with joy, then this may be for you. Read some of the many 4 + 5 star reviews to see what they loved in it and if it might click for you in a way it didn't for me.