Book Review: Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger (4/5)

This book has been on my TBR list for a while, and thanks to the libraries opening back up, I finally have the chance to read it. Steel Crow Saga was pitched as Pokemon meets Avatar: the Last Airbender, and while it certainly had that anime feel, let’s not put it on the same level as such a masterpiece as Avatar: the Last Airbender. Let’s be honest, there’s never going to be a contender.

As I mentioned, this book has MAJOR anime vibes. From the characters, the plot, the style, and just the way this story unfolds – it feels like an anime. I personally enjoyed it, thought admittedly there were some…rather wordy segments that could have either been edited out or condensed.

I absolutely loved the characters. Lee fit my need for a thief, and Jimuro gave me flashbacks to Zuko. The characters all brought something to the table: strong personalities and nationalities and beliefs. Tala and Jimuro were my favorite; they start as enemies and through the plot become good friends. I would’ve rather seen more of them than of Xiulan and Lee. To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of Xiulan. She was written as the bookish dreamer, but she just…didn’t click with me. I’m not the biggest fan of f/f romance. It just doesn’t pull me in. I’m not attractive to girls, which is what it is. *shrugs*

This book was long. It could have been divided into two or three books. I also love a series, so… I’m not biased.

So, overall, I’m giving Steel Crow Saga a 4 out of 5. It didn’t keep me reading into the night, but I wanted to pick the book up again.

*Side note*

Scrolling through the Goodreads reviews of this book, I learned that there are allegations of harassment made against Paul Kreuger. That’s not cool. However, I’m still giving this book 4 out of 5. I’m rating the book, not the author.