Hem is a weary orphan whose struggle for survival ends when he is reunited with his lost sister, Maerad. But Maerad has a destiny to fulfill, and Hem is sent to the golden city of Turbansk, where he learns the ways of the Bards and befriends a mysterious white crow. When the forces of the Dark threaten, Hem flees with his protector, Saliman, and an orphan girl named Zelika to join the Light's resistance forces. It is there that Hem has a vision and learns that he, too, has a part to play in Maerad's quest to solve the Riddle of the Treesong
I was slightly hesitant going into this book as it was taking the focus off of Maerad and Cadvan for the entirety of the novel. I thought it would be the "Lost Sister" of the quartet. I was completely wrong to have those doubts about this book.
The Crow takes place at the same time as The Riddle but told from the perspective of Maerad's younger brother Hem, who also portrays Bardic skills. This book shows that Hem is just as important as Maerad in the prophecy about destroying both the Darkness and the Nameless One, which we get to see in full in both this book, and the next one.
I was not overly fond of Hem in the first two books. I enjoyed him just fine, but he was never the character that I thought much about, being overshadowed by Maerad and Cadvan. The Crow allows him to come into his own and become an interesting, layered, and compelling character of his own caliber. What Croggon does well in this book is flesh out the characters who were minor in Maerad's part of the story, to make them prominent figures in Hem's part, making for a more well-rounded cast of characters for the quartet as a whole. I enjoyed learning more about who Saliman was, and finding new, interesting characters that add to Hem's part in the whole story.
This book is the most war-like in the series. Each of the books deals with war in one way or another, but The Crow shows in detail how devastating war is, especially for children, and we get to see the horrors and tragedies of war. In this way, I can see some of the comparisons to Tolkien ringing true, as he also wrote about the mindlessness and monstrosities of war. I am glad that Croggon decided to go in this route for The Crow as it makes what is at stake more tangible and easier to understand rather than if she had just mentioned it and not shown it.
Once again, we are treated to Croggon's endlessly creative world with new places and cultures. It made for an interesting contrast between Hem and Maerad experiencing new places for the first time. I also enjoyed how these new places helped with Hem's growth and development as a character. The world-building in The Crow continues to add to the mythos of the Pellinor quartet.
I went into The Crow not really knowing what to expect since it was Hem's part of the story. By the end of it, I was glad that Hem got an entire book to himself, as it explains just how important he is to the story and to the war against the Darkness. His part is equally as important as Maerad's and this book highlights it. Once again, Alison Croggon created an interesting world which builds from the previous two entries. I did not expect to enjoy The Crow as much as I did which is a testament to Croggon's excellent writing skills and character building. This outing is as good as the others, and I can't give it anything less than 5/5.
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