Title: The Crow
Author: Alison Croggon
Series: The Books of Pellinor #3
Publisher: Walker Books
Publication date: July 3rd 2006
Format: Paperback | 528 pages
Genre: YA | Fantasy
The earth is poisoned by a deep wrongness and the forces of the Nameless One grow ever stronger.
The Treesong - the key to restoring peace - is lost, and only Hem's sister Maerad can unravel its mysteries. While she seeks answers in the frozen wastelands of the north, Hem is sent south to Turbansk with his guardian Saliman. Troubled and unhappy, Hem is both haunted by his bitter past and uncertain of his future, as evil forces threaten to destroy the city. But his destiny may be linked to the Treesong more closely than he knows.
My thoughts:
Even though I enjoyed this book, I was a little disappointed it wasn't focused on Maerad and Cadvan. Don't get me wrong, I think Hem is a fantastic character, but after two books based on the two bard's adventures I'd grown to love Maerad and Cadvan more than the other characters.
Even though I try my best to avoid it, I always ask myself if any book in a series was as good as the ones that came before. Unfortunately in the case of The Crow, I thought it lacked a few things and so I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous two books. I found it incredibly hard to get settled into the story if that makes any sense. The beginning was incredibly slow going in terms of plot development and action. Granted, there was a war going on and that counts for some action, but there was a whole load of waiting around happening. I did end up having to put the book down for a while and read a couple of others before getting back to it and that's something I've never done before.
That aside, I loved getting to know Hem a lot better. He grew so much in this book and really became and individual instead of just Maerad's brother. I really enjoyed seeing his character develop the entire way through the book - it was pretty impressive actually, how much he changes. I definitely won't see Hem the same way if I start the series again one day.
Another great aspect of this book is the way Hem becomes an active player in the overall plot of trying to find the Treesong. In the past books, aside from focusing completely on Maerad, I've always assumed the quest was completely down to Maerad, until this book that is.
There are a few amazing new characters introduced in this book. They honestly make the read worth reading on their own - Saliman is no new character but he's featured a whole lot more in this book. Saliman is just lovely - we need a whole load of Salimans in this world. There are others too that I won't mention for obvious reasons if you read the book. I'm still heartbroken over one of them.
My rating: 7/10
Alison Croggon:
The Books of Pellinor:
- The Gift
- The Riddle
- The Crow
- The Singing
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