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Steel Crow Saga

Paul Krueger (Goodreads Author)

3.99 · Rating details · 2,691 ratings · 765 reviews

Four destinies collide in a unique fantasy world of war and wonders, where empire is won with enchanted steel and magical animal companions fight alongside their masters in battle.

A soldier with a curse
Tala lost her family to the empress’s army and has spent her life avenging them in battle. But the empress’s crimes don’t haunt her half as much as the crimes Tala has commi ...more

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Paperback, 528 pages

Published September 24th 2019 by Del Rey Books

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Average rating 3.99 ·

Rating details

· 2,691 ratings · 765 reviews

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Nov 05, 2019 Petrik rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anime/Asian-inspired fantasy

Shelves: arcs-and-review-copies

ARC provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

Multi-cultural, diverse characters & superbly character-driven narrative; Steel Crow Saga is a brilliant Asian/anime-inspired fantasy.

As an Asian who loves watching anime and reading mangas and SFF novels, Steel Crow Saga is a novel that felt as if it was written for me. Steel Crow Saga has been published for more than a month now, and I feel like I’ve sinned—Sloth—for postponing reading this book. Full Metal Alch ...more

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May 29, 2019 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley-all, fantasy-all, favorites

This effing book broke me in half and made me soar!!

Just when I’m down about reading, I find a freaking gem! This book is like nothing I have ever read before and it gave me all of the feels!!

I love every single one of these characters immensely!

What reeled me in from the summary was the animal stuff. I mean those who know me could have figured that one out! But there is so much more to this story and it ripped my heart out.

The book is about family, war, vengeance, bonding with animals and t ...more

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Sep 06, 2019 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

pierce brown tweeted about this book, and his word is law as far as i am concerned, so i went and tracked down a copy as fast as i could. and you should, too!

many reviews are saying this story is pokemon meets avatar: the last airbender. and as i read this, i could sort of see where they got that idea, but i dont think really think the similarities are strong enough to pitch this story as such. this is wildly imaginative in its own right and hard to compare to anything else. its unique and quite ...more

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Apr 25, 2020 Thomas rated it really liked it

Shelves: lgbtq, fantasy, young-adult

EDIT 6.20.2020: Hi all, unfortunately I have to retract my support of this book because several women have come forward on Twitter stating that he is a serial harasser. I believe these women. I don't have much more to say so for a more eloquent and thorough statement please see Sahlea's statement.

Original Review:

Okay, I’m surprised that my Goodreads hive mind (that’s ya’ll, ya’ll are the best) hadn’t alerted me to this book iconic book earlier. Steel Crow Saga is a super queer Asian-inspired yo EDIT 6.20.2020: Hi all, unfortunately I have to retract my support of this book because several women have come forward on Twitter stating that he is a serial harasser. I believe these women. I don't have much more to say so for a more eloquent and thorough statement please see Sahlea's statement.

Original Review:

Okay, I’m surprised that my Goodreads hive mind (that’s ya’ll, ya’ll are the best) hadn’t alerted me to this book iconic book earlier. Steel Crow Saga is a super queer Asian-inspired young-adult fantasy novel that blends elements of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Pokémon. That description sets the bar high and Paul Krueger delivers. In his sophomore book, he writes from the perspectives of four characters whose respective nations are representative of China, Japan, the Philippines, and Korea. Some are rogues and some are royals, each with distinct voices and desires, such as to avenge fallen family members who died in war or to secure the throne of their country. These characters’ paths crisscross until they all unite against one common enemy who possesses the power to tear all of their worlds asunder.

I love how this book addresses dark and heavy topics while still feeling so compulsively readable, which did remind me of what it felt like to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender. Krueger shows the effects of imperialism from the vantage points of both the colonizer and the colonized, ranging from the privilege that comes with systemic power to the psychological trauma that accompanies seeing your loved ones slaughtered. His characters though almost bounce off the page with their charismatic personalities and their witty, funny dialogue and distinct characteristics. Our four main characters, Xiulan, Lee, Tala, and Jimuro each have well-written personal motivations as well as unique perspectives, which helps keep the stakes high and the plot moving. After reading this book for only a little while I felt this sense of trust with Krueger, that he knew these characters well, that he cared about them, and that he put forth every effort possible for us to connect with them as well – which paid off, such that I did tear up during the final fight scene in the novel.

The only constructive critique I have toward this book is that the development of Tala and Jimuro’s relationship felt a bit rushed or forced. Though I love how their last interaction in the novel allows for more breathing room and more time to heal, which felt much more authentic, I think the quickness of their relationship forming when they first met – especially given the extent to which they could or should have opposed one another – took me out of the narrative a bit.

Overall, highly recommended for those who want a young adult fantasy with lots of LGBT representation, including a f/f couple, a couple of bisexual characters (though one could be pansexual, I’m not entirely sure), and a trans major, though not main character. I hope this novel gets the attention that white queer stories do (yep that’s me being petty) because it deserves it. Thank you to my bff Natasha for recommending Steel Crow Saga and Goodreads friends please send me any and all queer POC books you’d recommend or want me to read and review. ...more

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Aug 29, 2019 Zainab added it · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf

ARC provided by netgalley

Okay it's not bad but it's gotten extremely boring and I can't read any further. The starts great and all and I'm sure loads of you will enjoy it.
Maybe I'd try it some other time. ...more

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Jun 19, 2020 jade rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of avatar: the last airbender & readers looking for asian-inspired fantasy novels

Recommended to jade by: found it through recs for asian pacific american heritage month

Shelves: young-adult, lgbtq-rep, urban-fantasy, diverse-rep

“sanbuna lore had countless monsters, but the worst of them wore a human face.”

highly entertaining and eventually heart-wrenching modern fantasy centering on the aftermath of war.

steel crow saga is set in an industrialized world in which a number of countries are slowly recovering from the repercussions of imperialism and colonization. at the heart of the story are four main characters who all take on a POV at some point, and show some great character arcs and growth throughout.

consi ...more

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Aug 21, 2019 Silvia added it

I never wrote a full review here but I have recommended this book loudly and vocally for months. I now want to just as loudly rescind my support of the author and of his book.

Believe victims always.

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Aug 20, 2019 Alexa added it

Shelves: read-in-2019

[Update: I read this novel prior to the allegations that came to light in June 2020 regarding this author’s harassment and gaslighting of POC in the industry, and want to make it clear that I do not support or condone that behavior. I’m rescinding my rating as well as my initial review that originally went up here in August 2019.]

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May 10, 2020 April (Aprilius Maximus) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020

“We all have such finite time, even when the spirits are kind.”

representation: own voices asian inspired (author is Filipino), asian inspired worlds and characters (Sanbu Islands = Phillipines inspired; Tomoda = Japanese inspired; Shang = Chinese inspired; Jeongson = Korean inspired; Dahal = Indian inspired)
Queer characters (gay, bi, lesbian, trans), f/f relationship, m/m relationship.

[trigger warnings are listed at the bottom of this review and may contain spoilers]

★★★★

Even though I really, ...more

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Apr 29, 2020 Angelica marked it as to-read

Thanks to Leigh Bardugo, I am now strangely drawn to any book with the word 'crow' in the title. Let's see how this goes... ...more

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Apr 19, 2020 Shealea added it · review of another edition

Shelves: ownvoices-review

Edit (as of 22 June 2020):
In line with my statement regarding the harassment allegations involving Paul Krueger, I am rescinding my support of Steel Crow Saga and the rest of his books. I have removed my rating accordingly, and I no longer recommend this book.

_______________________________

Note: I am an #ownvoices reviewer for the Filipino representation in this book.

ASIAN-CODED FANTASY WORLD THAT’S MAGICALLY SOULFUL (PUN INTENDED) & INCREDIBLY NUANCED

I am not exaggerating when I say t ...more

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May 29, 2020 prag ♻ added it

Shelves: desi-if-you-squint, trans-enby, audiobook, lgbtqiap-plus, sapphic-girls, bipoc-world-domination

please don't support this author! here are some alternative recommendations of fantasy books set in asia and/or with queer characters:

- Jade City
- The Poppy War
- The Afterward
- Not Your Sidekick
- The Priory of the Orange Tree
- The Gilded Wolves
- Spin the Dawn
- The Empress of Salt and Fortune
- Girl, Serpent, Thorn ...more

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Aug 08, 2019 charlotte, (½ of readsrainbow) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: magic-and-fantasy, non-white-characters, i-put-the-b-in-lgbt, aoc-et-al, lgbt, f-lgbt, found-family, south-asian-characters, adult-lit, favourite-characters

If my people run from the horror of what we’ve done, in time we would forget. And if we forget, we might one day do it again. Your peoples do not have the luxury of forgetting how you’ve suffered.

On my blog.

Rep: Asian inspired characters and settings (China, Japan, and I think India, Philippines & Korea maybe), female and male bi mcs, lesbian mc, gay side character (fairly major), mlm trans side character (fairly major)

Galley provided by publisher

This is probably the best book I have rea ...more

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Mar 03, 2020 Shaun Hutchinson rated it it was amazing

Loved it. I wasn’t sure about the idea at first, but I was quickly drawn in. Great characters, great world building, super queer.

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Sep 19, 2020 Emetis rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2020

Buddy read with my amazing friend Naomi Waters! Thank you for reading this book with me.

Well, this was an unexpectedly enjoyable read.

Going into this book, I wasn’t expecting much to be honest. I’ve heard some people say that this book is a mix of Pokémon and avatar the last airbender and the latter sold it for me.
It didn’t have much atla vibes to it though.
The four kingdoms could be interpreted as the “four nations” but other than that they were nothing alike. No one had elemental powers but ...more

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Feb 20, 2020 Samm | Sassenach the Book Wizard rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Okay I can't for the life of me put together a good summary of this book. There's just so much going on, In a rare twist, I think my favourite part of this book was the wrap up...where authors notoriously let me down. It's cool, it's complex, it can be dense at some parts but I overall really enjoyed this ...more

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May 20, 2020 Fadwa (Word Wonders) added it

Recommended to Fadwa by: Shealea

Shelves: 2019-releases, adult, bipoc, lgbtq-f-f, fantasy

TW: violence, death, dismemberment, murder, mind control

this book! THIS BOOK!! THIS BOOOOOOOOOK!!! There was so much packed into it that i will most definitely struggled doing the usual concise goodreads review so i'm tempted to be a coward and just NOT do it at all.

First of all, in case that wasn't obvious, I loved it. I need to sit with it for a little bit but this book is a VERY strong contender for my top ten books of the year. I took me a little while to get through, just because in the fir TW: violence, death, dismemberment, murder, mind control

this book! THIS BOOK!! THIS BOOOOOOOOOK!!! There was so much packed into it that i will most definitely struggled doing the usual concise goodreads review so i'm tempted to be a coward and just NOT do it at all.

First of all, in case that wasn't obvious, I loved it. I need to sit with it for a little bit but this book is a VERY strong contender for my top ten books of the year. I took me a little while to get through, just because in the first 20 to 30% there's SO much packed into it that I just needed to read it slow and absorb everything, but after than my reading pace started picking up again and I FLEW through the second half. So, when they tell you this book is a mix of ATLA and Pokémon, they do not lie one bit, Steel Crow Saga has the vibes of both with a more mature feel to it because of the complex politics weaved through. All of it was so seamless and well balance that I found myself hooked into the story from very early on. The brilliant commentary on colonialism, the lasting effects of it, the complicated feelings it leaves in its people, who's responsible for it, and SO MUCH MORE of it is explored and with so much nuance that I couldn't help but be fascinated by the dynamics between not only the countries as a whole but also by the different main characters, each of which is from a different country that has been colonized/has colonized in one way or another and how the blame shifts and transforms depending on the point of view.

All the countries in this book are inspired by Asian countries, mainly China (Shang), Sanbu (the Philippines), Tomuda (Japan), Jeonseon (Taiwan, I think because the parallels drawn with Shang) and Dahal (India), which our four main character being Xiulan, a princess/inspector, Tala, a soldier, Jimuro, a prince and Lee, a thief from the first four respectively. And seeing how these four's fates intersects, how they interact, sympathize and come to even care for and love each other on a journey that puts their lives at peril so many times over, was along with the politics, my favorite part of the book. The characters were so well crafted, given distinct voices that made them jump off the page.

I can't pick a favorite character, especially between Lee and Xiulan, because as amazing as they are individually they are phenomenal as a pair and the reluctant romance between them was just an added bonus on top. also, did I mention it's sapphic? Like HELLA GAY! And I LIVED for it. Not to say I didn't love Jimuro x Tala as well, the hate to friendship to ? between them made my heart go so soft, because of just on how bad of terms they started, it made the progression and the emotional journey that got them to where they got all the more rewarding.

The casual queerness among the cast also made my heart sing: Lee is bi, Xiulan is a lesbian and Jimuro is pan and it's all such a non-issue, such a normalized part of this world that it made my heart sing. There was also a trans side character that we see in a few scenes and I just loved how casual it all was, okay? we need more books to be doing this.

I just. I don't know how to sum up the thoughts that are colliding inside my brain, because there's so much more I want to say and I'm not sure how to say it. I loved all the underlying commentary deconstructing how multilayered international conflicts that span generations can be, how at the end of the day, the people who suffer most are the citizens no matter the sides. And the ultimate message of hope, of these characters genuinely wanting to be better and do better for future generations.

Just read this book, PLEASE. ...more

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Aug 15, 2019 Lady H rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2019

Hats off to what is one of the best books I've read all year. Let me tell you: I've been in a really weird slump where I'm reading things and kind of enjoying them but not really loving anything, and then came along this book. Not to be dramatic, but it literally reminded me why I love reading. There are some books you can sink into with such relish that you forget you're reading, and you're just along for the ride. Steel Crow Saga is that book.

→ plot & pacing ←

I was hooked from the very first ...more

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Sep 27, 2019 TheBookSmugglers rated it it was amazing

Shelves: thea-tbr-quarantine-2020

ONE MILLION STARS

This book is so good, I am just sitting here quietly crying because it is over and I don't have more pages with these characters. THESE LOVABLE FOOLS. ...more

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Jun 03, 2020 Ashley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: family, fantasy-and-magic, owned, strong-female-leads, swoon-worthy-love-interest, favorites, epic-adventure, fantasy-dark, love-as-a-major-or-main-theme, fantasy-epic-adventure

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

I loved this beyond words— I really can’t put my finger on exactly the words to say to fully express the extent of my emotions, at the moment

I can say that I fell so unexpectedly, madly, head-over heels in love with this book. I mean, I knew that i’d probably like it, given its roots roughly based in asian history, & its fantasy elements which seem like something out of the pages of a beloved manga series. I mean, its pretty much a guarantee that i’ll love absolutely any Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

I loved this beyond words— I really can’t put my finger on exactly the words to say to fully express the extent of my emotions, at the moment

I can say that I fell so unexpectedly, madly, head-over heels in love with this book. I mean, I knew that i’d probably like it, given its roots roughly based in asian history, & its fantasy elements which seem like something out of the pages of a beloved manga series. I mean, its pretty much a guarantee that i’ll love absolutely any novel with a magical system based upon even a rough sketch of asian culture & folklore, and although this touched on familiar, it is exceptional & original. With a plot drenched in humanity— bonds & relationships between fellow humans, between animals (also known as shades), and a even a small amount with metal, or “steel.”

The magic in this story is made through pacts- a magical bond between human and another source, namely, Shadepacts, a pact where a human and an animal create a pact, in which both parties trade a piece of soul with the other, the animal offering service to the human if their souls are harmonious to one another. They ask only a specific favor/ condition of the human in order to complete the pact. Think of this sort of like Pokémon, except with the cost of part of the soul, & people can only split their soul with one, or possibly two shades- more is unheard of- and an actual piece of a soul is what that gives a shade life. All that it takes to call on them during a time of need is the name given to them during the formation of the pact. Shades take damage magically, their corporeal form fading when they take TOO much physical harm, to heal; if the damage they take is fatal- they cease to be.

Others can create pacts with steel- and make steelpacts with metal to control it to their will. With the ability to control blades, bullets & the like, it comes in quite handy. It is a learned & sacred act, stemming from the thought that every part of the earth has a living force.

For the moment, I have SO MUCH MORE to say I need some more time to reflect, I think, because this story is so incredibly amazing & I want to do it justice! My frantic mind is struggling to get a firm grasp on the words that keep popping up in my brain, trying to form coherent sentences. So much is on the tip of my tongue... yet nothing that I write seems... exactly right. It may not even make sense! I have not drafted anything, because I have been pouring myself completely into reading, with no break to review (except for sleep, of source), as a result of my extreme anxiety lately.
Soooo yeah- I may just honestly be rambling strings of unintelligible words/ sentences for all I am aware of rn. 😂

So alas— here I am. RTC

Regardless, I do know that I felt every single word of this novel, so very deeply, in my heart.

A truly beautiful standalone fantasy adventure filled with love & heart ! ...more

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Apr 19, 2020 saintsinclaire rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtqiap, scifi-fantasy, favorites-2019-2020, sapphic, bad-ass-bitches

Let it be known that in my next life I want the power to shadepact. Thank you.

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Jun 22, 2019 Amber rated it it was ok

Shelves: advanced-reading-copies, read-in-2019, high-fantasy

The first major takeaway I have about Steel Crow Saga is that it’s unnecessarily long.

To steal a phrasing from one of the characters, it was a long walk to a very anime battle scene.

The way this book is written falls into very detailed descriptions. There’s not a lot of room for the reader’s imagination in way characters think, feel, or how the world works. Steel Crow Saga is written from four perspectives and by the time you reach the end of the book, you know pretty well how each of them think The first major takeaway I have about Steel Crow Saga is that it’s unnecessarily long.

To steal a phrasing from one of the characters, it was a long walk to a very anime battle scene.

The way this book is written falls into very detailed descriptions. There’s not a lot of room for the reader’s imagination in way characters think, feel, or how the world works. Steel Crow Saga is written from four perspectives and by the time you reach the end of the book, you know pretty well how each of them thinks, multiple stories from their past, how they feel about their families, and their personal moral compasses. Regardless of how each flashback relates (or doesn’t) to the story… it’s all there. The wordiness in the writing style doubled with all this fleshing out made this a bit of a boring read for me.

Behind the author’s particular style, there’s a uniqueness to this book. Steel Crow Saga definitely draws inspiration from anime, and that’s something you don’t see in your casual epic fantasy. The way character should-bind to their familiars (called “shades”) feels very similar to the anime fantasy relationship between heroes and their swords. The relationship between human and shade reminds me of a watered down, more mutually beneficial version of Naruto’s relationship with the nine-tailed fox demon trapped inside him.

Like I said, very anime.

And for that, I have to apologize, because anime really isn’t my thing. It’s my husband’s thing and my familiarity of it is limited to the bits and pieces of what I’ve seen of his playlists. Maybe Naruto isn’t the best choice, but that’s what I’ve got in my repertoire. As I said, it’s a style I haven’t seen before in this format and I respect that uniqueness, but I also have to acknowledge that for all the sappiness and drama and grand gestures, it’s not the style I personally prefer.

The plot itself took the scenic route, with a lot of partner-swapping and sidetracked conversations to give a better idea of the political climate and the various character backgrounds. This may all play into the series plot, but there was some much time between plot sequences that I honestly forgot what the point of the whole thing was about halfway through. Then, fortunately, the villain made a quick appearance somewhere in the 300s and reminded me.

In as far as the characters go, they were all developed and interesting enough in their own accord, but now that I’ve finished, I don’t think I was able to connect with them closely enough that they’ll stay with me now that I’ve finished. I never felt an emotional connection to the characters, who spent a lot of time in discussion and and flat inner monologues. Even the relationship between Lee and Xiulan felt forced and awkward.

The character I liked best was Tala. Even though she was a sergeant, Tala had the most emotion and it was easiest to care about what her character thought and felt. Her actions didn’t always make sense, but she was the driving force that pushed me through some of the rougher bits; this is the advantage to a book with multiple POVs.

There was one scene with Xiulan that stood out to me. It’s made abundantly clear throughout the book that Xiulan had some horrible, traumatic experience with mushrooms (explained near the end). At one point, Xiulan finds herself in a refrigerator essentially being mocked by a box of mushrooms and I’m not sure quite why, but the scene was a bit hilarious. The writing was on point there and I really liked that scene. I don’t want to say more about it and risk spoilers, but look out for the box of MUSHROOMS, y’all.

I think this book would be more memorable to me, personally, if it had been trimmed down by at least 150 pages and condensed more effectively. However, as it stands, I think there will be an audience for this kind of writing. I’ve heard a few people excited for Steel Crow Saga, and I hope these people love it! Unfortunately, it just wasn’t a fit for me and I won’t be continuing the series. ...more

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Oct 05, 2019 Monte Price added it · review of another edition

Recommended to Monte by: Melanie

Shelves: queer-romance, 2019-releases, yarc-2019

2020 update

tweet 1 tweet thread 2

It's recently come to my attention that Paul Krueger, author of Steel Crow Saga is a sketch man who has harrassed a number of people in the publishing industry. obviously at the time that i read this book and wrote this review, i was unaware, but felt the need to stop by and let people know that I no longer feel comfortable recommending his work to people.

----

I did not expect this book to have the impact that it did.

I honestly can't remember the last time that I 2020 update

tweet 1 tweet thread 2

It's recently come to my attention that Paul Krueger, author of Steel Crow Saga is a sketch man who has harrassed a number of people in the publishing industry. obviously at the time that i read this book and wrote this review, i was unaware, but felt the need to stop by and let people know that I no longer feel comfortable recommending his work to people.

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I did not expect this book to have the impact that it did.

I honestly can't remember the last time that I picked up a fantasy book and was so completely taken from the beginning.

Steel Crow Saga blends a high fantasy feel with an almost urban fantasy vibe that I can't say I've experienced before. While some of the societies featured definitely have an Industrial Revolution vibe to them, the vast majority of the setting feels to have an urban-like sentimentality.

I would say that the book is incredibly character-focused. It's probably one of the reasons that I appreciated it. The fantasy elements were definitely present and were crucial to the story, but they never overpowered the characters. It also didn't feel oppressively hard to get into. This is despite the fact that the novel starts off by essentially throwing us into what could be the end of the story and following the characters as they seek to find their personal resolutions.

The story is told in four perspectives [ though at times a fifth is introduced ] and at first, it's almost told in an adversarial fashion. We follow Lee and Xiulan as they seek to stop Jimuro while also following Jimuro and Tala on their journey to get him to the thrown. As can be expected from any quest-like journey there are obstacles thrown in the way, and in a certain sense, the book does lack an overarching manifestation of evil. As I said though the book is full of character moments. By far and away I think that Lee and Xiulan had the better of the two paths. Not only because I'm a sucker for the princess falling in love with the thief, I just loved Lee as a character. Their dynamic was just great. That's not to say that the journey Tala and Jimuro took together or that dynamic is any less. It was the kind of book where I was never sad to change perspective or had a character I didn' like to see under a chapter heading. It's truly the first and only time that's happened to me in reading a book.

This is also one of the few times that I struggle to find a fault with a book. That's not to say that I think that this is perfection. I think that people looking for the Pokemon angle that's been used in some of the marketing might be misleading. While there are companions, I think it's a lot deeper than a Pokemon bond [ consider GameFreak refuses to say that their creatures are sentient and the shadowpact companions here have complex relationships with the humans they are bound to ]. As I've also said while the fantasy elements are certainly present the characters are first and foremost what's important. As I've also states it's a fusion to an almost high urban fantasy place so even the world that they exist in isn't quite like any fantasy I've read before.

It's also just so nourishing to read a story that is so diverse. Outside of Xiulan and Lee which are the definitive romance lead of the book, Jimuro is definitely not straight. The story also features a transman side character [ I should note that when this character was introduced they were deadnamed, though in the context of the story it wasn't presented as intentional and all of the characters in the novel accept his character as male. I'm not trans though, so I'll leave that to the community to determine if their introduction was handled in poor taste, but I didn't think that it was poorly handled at all ].

At the end of the day I'm so happy that I picked up and read this book. I didn't think that I would fall as in love with this story and these characters as I did, but I'm happy that I picked it up. I don't think it's for everyone, but if it checks your boxes then I'm almost positive you'll have a good time. ...more

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Aug 29, 2019 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, net-galley

I have to say- I was a little disappointed with this. I’ll be up front and say that the premise: Pokemon meets Airbender, is in no way my thing- so your mileage may vary. In my defense I didn’t see it marketed that way until well after I started reading it, but the comparison is legitimate enough, and the Pokemon part was a lot of fun.

However I couldn’t shake the feeling that the motivations for these characters and their countries didn’t always make sense. When the book starts we are with Diman I have to say- I was a little disappointed with this. I’ll be up front and say that the premise: Pokemon meets Airbender, is in no way my thing- so your mileage may vary. In my defense I didn’t see it marketed that way until well after I started reading it, but the comparison is legitimate enough, and the Pokemon part was a lot of fun.

However I couldn’t shake the feeling that the motivations for these characters and their countries didn’t always make sense. When the book starts we are with Dimangan and Tala, observing them as children running errands in the market. While there, they see the prince of the Tomodanese people jetting through the streets. The Tomodanese people occupy Sanbuna by force, and the prince’s presence in the street starts a riot.

The problem is: the Tomodanese view the Sanbuna and their shades (think Pokemon) as slavers and slaves respectively. The Tomodanese don’t eat meat and they don’t believe in utilizing animals for human benefit. Basically, they are PETA.

And of course, the Sanbuna don’t view it that way. The pact between them and their shades is an agreement, with give and take, not slavery. (They do eat meat though…) Cultural views on animals aside, obviously the Sanbuna are angry at the attempted colonization and occupation of their country.

Anyway- now that we’ve got that straightened out, what I don’t understand is what the other two cultures we are introduced to have anything to do with it. There are also the Shang, and the Jeongsonese. All of which seem to be against the Tomodanese, and then to top it off, the Shang, Sanbuna, and Tomodanese all look down upon the Jeongsonese, despite the fact that they don’t seem to have done anything.

Sound complex? It is. And I’m okay with complex.. but without knowing the motivations of the other two countries involved I wasn’t sure why the author felt the need to include them. It seemed needlessly complex and without knowing the reasoning behind it I couldn’t help but feel like it was added to give the world building an illusion of depth.

Does that sort of thing happen in real life? Yes. Of course. Is it right? Of course not. But I couldn’t help feeling throughout like Lee and Xiulan’s story really would have been better dedicated to a different plot and a different book, and being given the time it needed to establish how these cultures all fit together.

The characters aren’t terrible, but occasionally felt like cartoons and caricatures. Xiulan runs around in an all white suit, calls herself the “White Rat,” wears a fedora and smokes a pipe in an endless to homage to her childhood hero, a detective from a book, Bai Junjie. Lee is a morally grey thief character, rogue archetype. She’s always imagining how it would feel to pick so-and-so’s pocket, or slip a lock or infiltrate a palace. I guess my issue is they came off as very one note.

And to top it off… this book is long. Way too long. I think if it had been trimmed down to 300 pages and strictly followed Tala and Jimuro’s story, we’d have had a tightly paced plot with world building that didn’t feel flimsy and a truly unique take on fantasy. Lee and Xiulan’s parts in the story could easily have been removed without effecting the overall plot and end result.

But I don’t have all negative things to say about it. There is LGBT+ representation. The f/f romance actually felt much stronger and sweeter than the m/f romance. At least one of the main characters is bisexual, and there is a transgender side character. And it was all done without any of them being shunned or feeling ashamed.

And despite me not necessarily loving Pokemon or Airbender, I have to say, imagining the battle field running rampant with magical, mutated-animal creatures was lots of fun. Overall not a bad book that I think other readers will find more joy in than I did.

Steel Crow Saga releases on September 24th. Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for providing an eARC for review.

...more

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Sep 03, 2019 Sahitya rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-read, fantasy-and-scifi, lgbtqiap, 4-star

A solid 4.5 in my opinion but slightly fell short of a 5.

I don’t think I even knew about this book until about a month ago. I think stumbled upon it by accident in someone’s blogpost about upcoming Asian inspired fantasy releases, and I was immediately fascinated. And while it took me a bit to immerse myself in it, I am so glad to have discovered this book and gotten hold of the ARC.

The world building is one aspect that impressed me a lot. As the author is Filipino-American, I was expecting some A solid 4.5 in my opinion but slightly fell short of a 5.

I don’t think I even knew about this book until about a month ago. I think stumbled upon it by accident in someone’s blogpost about upcoming Asian inspired fantasy releases, and I was immediately fascinated. And while it took me a bit to immerse myself in it, I am so glad to have discovered this book and gotten hold of the ARC.

The world building is one aspect that impressed me a lot. As the author is Filipino-American, I was expecting some inspiration from his country and their culture, but I was pleasantly surprised to realize that each of the kingdom present in this book is drawn from a different Asian country, and it’s developed so well that we are able to distinguish them pretty well. I particularly loved that one of them was based on India but it’s also the one kingdom which is least talked about in the book, so I kept wishing for more.

The other interesting aspect of this world is the pacting (or their version of magic). The people of Sanbuna and Shang are capable of shadepacting with animals - which is like forming a soul bond with an animal’s shade and then being able to call upon their familiar to fight alongside them. The Tomodanese on the other hand pact with metals, which helps them in controlling their weapons or using it to power their vehicles. The people of Dahal use their power internally to enhance their personal capabilities. Jeongsonese are the oppressed minority who are capable of pacting but have always been denied the right to gain the knowledge to do so. This distinction between the use of magic across various kingdoms is very helpful in developing differing motivations for each of them, letting us as readers experience varying perspectives and probably finding our own favorites.

The writing style of this novel was also slightly different from what I’m used to but I’m unable to articulate exactly how that was. It is very introspective and we are subjected to many inner monologues of the characters - which I really enjoyed for the most part and helped me understand them better and invest in their development - but it also got long winded at times and may have contributed to the size of the book. I’m usually not a fan of dense writing, so the descriptive writing style should have put me off but I kinda enjoyed it and it made the settings feel more real. The main theme of the book is colonialism but despite the dark themes, there is also a very humorous undertone in the writing. The pacing is also a little slow throughout but it is relentless, with things changing quickly and the characters having to adapt and evolve all the time. This is also essentially a quest/ journey novel and those seem to be my thing this year, so it’s not a surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed this journey with the characters. And the best part was that the author managed to give very distinct voices to each of them, so we are never confused about whose POV we are reading. I’m currently unsure if this is a standalone or a series, but the author did a wonderful job ending it very satisfactorily, so I’m happy if this the actual end; but there are also multiple threads that can be pursued to further this story and I would be delighted to jump into this world all over again.

The characters are definitely the best and my most favorite part of this book, but I don’t wanna talk about them much. I think the beauty of this book is in discovering the various layers of each character and realizing what lays at the core of them. One thing common between all the POV characters is that they are real, flawed, pretty morally grey, not immune from being prejudiced and treating those different from them in a vile manner - but all of them go through a journey of unlearning all the wrong things, understanding others’ perspectives and building relationships with unlikely people. I felt very invested in knowing where the characters were going and what they might do next, so I never wanted to put the book down even though it was all a bit slow going. The characters do fall into familiar fantasy tropes like a grumpy soldier, an arrogant prince, a Sherlock inspired detective type character and a petty thief who gets roped into working for the other side - so it can feel a little predictable, but I enjoyed this slight predictability but also felt highly satisfied with the way things turned out for each of them.

Though the author chose not to be very subtle in discussing some important themes, it didn’t in anyway lessen the impact of what was being told through the story. The impact of colonialism is very brutally described, along with the blatant disingenuous reasons that power hungry nations can come up with to colonize and occupy another country. It’s very evident that whatever noble the initial intentions may have been, the reality of occupation is always ugly. But the most important point that I think the author tried to make was that even if the colonizer is defeated by a revolution, war always brings out worst impulses and it doesn’t take much for the oppressed to turn into an oppressor. The nature of war and it’s impact on soldiers, and the utter lack of direction and purpose that they might feel during peace time is also deftly talked about.

I also loved how the author decided to give equal weight to all kinds of relationships. The importance of family and sibling bonds, and how losing them can have far reaching consequences forms an important part of the character’s choices and the kind of people they turn out to be. I also enjoyed the way human/animal bonds are shown - while some people can truly treat their familiars as slaves and impose their will upon them, others form bonds based on mutual respect and it was wonderful of the author to show us both perspectives. The book is also very queer and I loved how normalized it was in this world. It was lovely to see lesbian, gay, bi and trans characters all be able to be their true selves without any judgement.

I guess I’ve gone on long enough in this review. Basically, all I want to say is I really really enjoyed this book a lot and I’m glad I got this opportunity to discover a new to me Asian author. As it has been marketed, if you like anime or Pokémon or are a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist, then this book might be for you, but I can’t vouch for it because I know nothing about them. However, if you do love reading about an ensemble cast of characters going on a physical (as well as metaphorical) journey to discover some hard truths about the world and find themselves changing accordingly, then this might be the perfect book for you. It also works very well as a standalone, so you should definitely give this a try if you aren’t ready to invest your time in a new series. ...more

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Mar 01, 2020 laurel [the suspected bibliophile] added it

Shelves: 2020-read, ownvoices, poc-mc, fantasy, lgbtq

The war may be over, but the victors will reap the spoils...if they can get them.

Tala may hate the Iron Prince, but she's bound by duty to bring him to his homeland and put him on the throne. Except there is a splintersoul on their trail, intent on murdering her, Jimuro and everyone else in his path. And following behind them all are detective Xiulan and her new partner, the small-time criminal Lee.

The four are bound to meet—but can they keep it together long enough to defeat the new evil that w ...more

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Mar 08, 2020 Meaghan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020

God, I don't even know what to say about this book. These beautiful, lovely characters in this heartbreaking world recovering from colonization and war just took me by complete surprise. While it took me while to really make time for this book (though not to get into it, it had me hooked from the first chapter), I'm so glad I finally pushed my other books aside to just read and enjoy this.

This book was so wonderfully crafted in so many ways, I could spend paragraphs commending each aspect of it. ...more

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May 29, 2019 Beth rated it liked it

Shelves: september-2019, netgalley, own, kindle, random-house, ballantine, del-rey

Meh, I struggled with this one. Another reviewer said it perfectly, beautiful written but it just went on and on. I found 1 page that caught my attention in about every 20 pages. Can you have too much, yup it was just way too much unnecessary stuff for me.

I received Steel Crow Saga from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine - Del Rey. This is my honest and voluntary review. < b>Steel Crow Saga is set for publication September 24, 2019.

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Jun 18, 2020 Fanna marked it as no-support-at-all

June 19, 2020: Paul Krueger is a harasser. I have not read this or any of his books but have shown interest in the past. However, I would no longer be supporting, recommending, or reading his works. ...more

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Jan 18, 2019 ♡ Dakota ♡ (Sarcasm is my middle name) marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2019-new-releases, diversity, kingdoms-and-royals, historical-fiction, fantasy

This sounds like an Asian Six of Crows and even though I haven’t read Six of Crows(put your pitchforks away) this books sounds like it will be amazing.

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About Paul Krueger

Paul Krueger

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Paul Krueger is a fantasy author and lapsed Chicagoan currently living in Los Angeles. His bartending-and-magic debut novel, LAST CALL AT THE NIGHTSHADE LOUNGE, was published by Quirk Books in June of 2016. His next, STEEL CROW SAGA, is forthcoming in fall of 2019 from Del Rey Books.

His non-writing hobbies include cooking, D&D, karaoke, and collecting comics. He's also a musician, fronting the Adv ...more