Call of the Crow

Winged kids fight a trifecta of adversity: a corrupt monarchy, sky-dwelling monsters, and a deadly plague. Jumping in where predecessor Sparrow Rising (2021) left off, Ellie Meadows of the Sparrow clan and Nox Hatcher of the Crow clan are on the run from the villainous King Garion's Goldwing knights and his sadistic assassin, the Hunter. In addition to these foes, they also must hide from the deadly gargols, vicious monsters who live high in the sky and attack from the clouds. Apart from their own troubles, the entire kingdom is afflicted by wingrot, a plague ending either in death or wing amputation. Hoping to hide, Ellie and Nox, along with their friends Gussie and Twig, journey to the remote southern jungles and meet a new friend, Tariel, from the Macaw clan. When Garion's ghouls and the gargols eventually catch up with them, the group begins to uncover ancient secrets that could save them, their kingdom, and those afflicted by wingrot. Khoury's finely wrought and complex fantasy skillfully weaves together narrative threads from the previous work, answering some questions but leaving its reader with an achingly tantalizing cliffhanger. Fast-paced fantasy action drives the narrative but is well balanced by relatable characters, culminating in a sweet tale of found family. Most characters default to White; Tariel and the other jungle residents unfortunately evoke cartoonish tropes about tropical island villagers. A charming flight of fancy. (map, clan information) (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.