The Storm Crow

Rhodaire is a tropical kingdom where elemental Crows, magical birds, shape daily life. Then the Illucian empire invades and destroys nearly everything the Rhodairans have built around them. Princess Anthia, called Thia, survives the night but sinks into a deep depression, and she can think only of what has been lost.

Her sister Caliza now runs the kingdom after the death of their mother. Under pressure, Caliza must accept a betrothal: Thia is to wed Illucia's crown prince, heir to the empire that took the Crows away. The match jolts Thia out of her grief and into action.

Soon after, Thia stumbles on a Crow egg hidden in the rubble of a rookery. She and Caliza settle on a risky plan: hatch the egg in secret and use it to win back what their people lost. Every day the egg stays hidden is a day Illucia could discover it.

This is young adult fantasy with a rebellion at its centre, told in the third person from Thia's side. It moves from loss and numbness toward resistance, with the sisters' partnership and the fate of the Crows driving the plot.