Rhia has heard the sound of the Crow’s wings ever since she was a child.  She tries to deny her gift because she doesn’t want the burden of facing death time and again.  Crow, after all, is the Aspect that makes the transition from life to death easier.  Danger lurks, however, and Rhia will have to face her fears if she is to save both herself and the people of Asermos.

EYES OF CROW is a very compelling tale and one that is difficult to summarize.  The story is mainly a tale of Rhia and her awakening powers and yet it is so much more.  Jeri Smith- Ready has crafted an intriguing world in which magic and legends collide, while animals play a critical role in the determining of the gifts each person receives in their Bestowing.  Atmosphere was important to the success of this book and Jeri Smith-Ready does an incredible job at setting the right tone and mood for each scene.  The tension carefully builds up to a very emotional finale and I was heartbroken to find the tale ending as I wanted to keep reading more. 

Jeri Smith-Ready creates characters that seem to spring to life off the pages!  Rhia is a character that readers can easily relate to as she is likeable and her struggles are understandable.  Her heart is drawn first to Arcas and then later to Marek.  Both Arcas and Marek are also strongly drawn and it was interesting to see how Jeri Smith-Ready let her characters show their flaws.  Oftentimes, the consequences from their mistakes and flaws led to much deeper growth and this really added a layer of depth to the novel.

EYES OF CROW is a powerful tale and one that will leave readers begging for the other two books in the trilogy.  In the superb world crafted by Jeri Smith-Ready, each Aspect has three stages of their powers.  Crow is the most valued and the most feared Aspect and the author did a wonderful job at gradually introducing the reader both to the Aspect of Crow and to Rhia’s development through the first stage of her powers.  EYES OF CROW is an impressive tale and guarantees that this will not be the last story I read by Jeri Smith-Ready.

Reviewed by Debbie

Rating:

Posted June 2007