Steel Crow Saga

By: Paul Krueger

Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest

Length: 23 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

Four destinies collide in a unique fantasy world of war and wonders, where empire is won with enchanted steel and magical animal companions fight alongside their masters in battle.

Named one of the best books of the year by NPR, Tordotcom, and Kirkus Reviews.

A soldier with a curse

Tala lost her family to the empress' army and has spent her life avenging them in battle. But the empress' crimes don’t haunt her half as much as the crimes Tala has committed against the laws of magic...and against her own flesh and blood.

A prince with a debt

Jimuro has inherited the ashes of an empire. Now that the revolution has brought down his kingdom, he must depend on Tala to bring him home safe. But it was his army who murdered her family. Now Tala will be his redemption - or his downfall.

A detective with a grudge

Xiulan is an eccentric, pipe-smoking detective who can solve any mystery - but the biggest mystery of all is her true identity. She’s a princess in disguise, and she plans to secure her throne by presenting her father with the ultimate prize: the world’s most-wanted prince.

A thief with a broken heart

Lee is a small-time criminal who lives by only one law: Leave them before they leave you. But when Princess Xiulan asks her to be her partner in crime - and offers her a magical animal companion as a reward - she can’t say no, and she soon finds she doesn’t want to leave the princess behind.

This band of rogues and royals should all be enemies, but they unite for a common purpose: to defeat an unstoppable killer who defies the laws of magic. In this battle, they will forge unexpected bonds of friendship and love that will change their lives - and begin to change the world.

©2019 Paul Krueger (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"It’s only Paul Krueger’s second book and already he’s writing fantasy like a master. Steel Crow Saga is fun, funny, thrilling, heartbreaking, and, above all else, something only Krueger could’ve written." (Chuck Wendig, New York Times best-selling author of Wanderers)

"Inventive, action-packed, and set in an Asian-inspired world that feels both fresh and familiar: This is a book I’ve always wanted but never had until now." (S. Jae-Jones, New York Times best-selling author of Wintersong and Shadowsong)

"You’re going to love cheering for these characters as they fight for honor, love, family, and country. This world of steel and souls completely transported me. It’s a hexbolt to the heart." (Kevin Hearne, New York Times best-selling author of A Plague of Giants and the Iron Druid Chronicles)

"A rollicking adventure that wears its heart on its sleeve, and a joyful ode to its anime influences." (Emily Skrutskie, author of Hullmetal Girls)

"An incredible voice, an amazing conflict, and a hot mess of emotions.... Krueger has taken one earth-shattering step and a thousand stories will grow in his footprint." (Sam Sykes, author of Seven Blades in Black)

Not really sure how to rate it.

This started off great but then you had to sludge through it and it wouldnt end. Then you had the epic bossfight at the end and then it once again wouldnt end.

I read it was Avatar Last Airbender meets pokemon but its really Legend of Korra meets Final fantasy X (the summons). I dont think theres anything wrong with the idea, its just that it felt so lengthy unnecessarily. Also the names were not my cup of tea. It just screamed Wee-a-boo to me.

hated this book

terrible really terrible narrator scares me to waste my money on Audible when some are this bad.

Not 1 star, but not 4+

The rating needs a knockdown. This story read like a young adult fantasy. The LGBQ relations are expected in fantasy, but the interplay male and female characters is bizarrely immature.

This book has been descibed as pokemon/airbender/FMA. It is similar in some regards, but not as good as any of the aforementioned.

So you can see where I am coming from; 4+ star books include: name of the wind, lies of loche lamora, lightbringer (excluding book5), stormlight archives. If you enjoyed those books, and have also exhausted reddits ranked fantasy list--just pass on this.

This book is 2 to 3 stars at best. immature characters/dialog/relationships, weak plot.

oh, and the author have many sexual and verbal misconduct claims, but that doesn't influence my rating.

Boring

just could not keep interest. forced myself to listen to about 4.5 hours, but it wasn't interesting

Story was good but glitchy

This story was good but the way it was written on some parts seem to jump into another chapter/ story, hard to explain. love scenes were tastefully done. The writer did very good introducing different cultural issues and problems that are faced with bias during war. There is a lesbian love story for those that dont like or dont mind that in a story as well as a women who would rather be referred to as a man.. details are not given for those but thought some people should know because that might influence their ratings for this book.I love how the writer incorporated all of this in the book..it was very tastefully done and was relevant to the characters. The story itself was unique and I would read/ listen to another book if it came out. It's not a gobble up book (at least not for me) but was nice.

slow start but excellent finish

I struggled with this book's somewhat slow start but I'm super glad I pushed through and kept reading.

Really enjoyed this book!

Listening to Steel Crow Saga was such a fantastic journey. The lore felt like it was pulled from 90s-00s fantasy cartoons we grew up with and the story was so well written. I loved the wit and grit of each character and you fall in love with each as you read on. Plus it had fantastic LGBTQA+ representation I wasn't even expecting when I picked this book up. It's a must read!!!

A great concept trips over itself

A novel take on fantasy. 3/4 protagonists are women, but Krueger can't write women. A long, painful middle with an admittedly satisfying ending.

I loved it

Loved it! It has become one of my favorite novels. Amazing story, warm, interesting characters... would love to read more about this saga.

beautiful fantasy tale

I loved this story, I originally was going to only listen during my commute and ended up spending many evenings listening. I couldn't bring myself to stop until the very end! the characters are relatable and grow through the story. the political aspects are well done and I can't wait for the next book in the established universe.