As a fan of Lawrence’s Library series, I knew I had to read Daughter of Crows. And this one kind of lost me. I think this bit off a bit too much at the beginning and lost me. Keep reading this book review of Daughter of Crows for my full thoughts.
Summary
Set a thief to catch a thief. Set a monster to punish monsters.
The Academy of Kindness exists to create agents of retribution, cast in the image of the Furies—known as the kindly ones—against whom even the gods hesitate to stand. Each year a hundred girls are sold to the Academy. Ten years later only three will emerge.
The Academy’s halls run with blood. The few that survive its decade-long nightmare have been forged on the sands of the Wound Garden. They have learned ancient secrets amid the necrotic fumes of the Bone Garden. They leave its gates as avatars of vengeance, bound to uphold the oldest of laws.
Only the most desperate would sell their child to the Kindnesses. But Rue … she sold herself. And now, a lifetime later, a long and bloody lifetime later, just as she has discovered peace, war has been brought to an old woman’s doorstep.
That was a mistake.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Daughter of Crows had so many elements I wanted to love. One of the things I loved about Lawrence’s past work was that the world is contained and then grows. There’s this foundation with tons of intrigue, but which is built upon as the book goes on. Whereas with Daughter of Crows the mystery wasn’t fading until a bit too late. I felt I never had a handle on the world and that the concept, the seed, the hook, hadn’t gotten me until it was too late. I’m fine with plenty of questions, I’d say that’s what I’ve come to expect. But this had so many pieces that clicked a bit too late. That combined with a lack of strong connection to the characters made me lose focus.
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There were some stand out moments, but their hold didn’t last long enough. I liked so many elements – the academy setting, the concept of the timelines, and the idea of being made, formed, and transformed – but it wasn’t enough. The multiple character perspectives might just be an addition that was too early. I have had a bit of a hit and miss with Lawrence’s books in the past, but the Library trilogy remains the best so far. This has the bare bones of what I would love, but it didn’t come together enough or soon enough for me. Find Daughter of Crows on Goodreads, Storygraph, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.