This book follows Blood Rose Rebellion, which I also read and reviewed, so I enjoyed the continuity here. I had similar likes and dislikes with this novel, especially with Anna, the main character. Though she has proven herself a bit stronger in this sequel, I still found her a bit whiny and love-obsessed. However, the fact that she is being wooed by an important political figure and is unsure how to deal with that makes her a bit more relatable. She knows she still loves Gabor, but also knows the significance of a relationship with someone as important as Franz Joseph -- it makes me more sympathetic towards Anna, and I found myself tolerating her angst a bit more. I also liked the development of her relationship with her sister Catherine, and Anna does find more strength as the book progresses.

One aspect I loved about this sequel was the addition of Matyas as narrator. It’s a nice break from Anna, and his storyline is fascinating. He struggles with the realization that he is meant to save an entire race of people, and chooses instead to go work with a likable group of thieves. The addition of these characters is welcome, and the new magical powers and creatures he encounters are fascinating.

Overall, the combination of magic, the 19th century time period, and interesting/new characters made this a solid read! ( )

Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Great
Recommended: Yes
Level: High School

This book was enjoyable, but I felt disadvantaged while reading it because I had not read the first one first. I know I said I was done reading sequels before I read the first book, but this one had such an interesting premise that I couldn't resist picking it up. Despite having a bit of a slow start (as I struggled to figure out what was going on), I found that I really enjoyed the story and characters after I began to pick up on the plot. While it's still not my favorite work of historical fantasy, I'm giving it a pass because I missed the context from the first. Had I read the first book, I likely would have enjoyed this a lot more.

Lost Crow Conspiracy continues the story of Anna Arden, a chimera who has just broke a spell known as the Binding. The Binding once held millions of creatures known as praetheria captive across Europe, keeping their magic in check and concentrating their power amongst the wealthy and elite. With the Binding broken, however, the praetheria are free, and suddenly people from the lower classes have found themselves with new magical abilities. Despite her efforts to bring peace between praetheria and humans, however, Anna now finds herself in an impossible situation as an unmarried woman in a world where men rule. Narrated by both Anna and her cousin Matyas, Lost Crow Conspiracy mixes fantasy and history in a way that delivers an important message about classism, sexism, and racism in polite society.

This book honestly took me a long time to really get into, mostly because I was both bored and confused for the first third of the book. This has nothing to do with Eves's writing ability; it's honestly probably due to the fact that I read this book before the first title in the series. Eves is not very forgiving to those who have jumped in at book two; while she summarizes the events of the first book, she doesn't pause to explain the mechanics of this world. It actually took me almost half of the book to realize there was a glossary and character guide in the back, which helped immensely. The glossary was a little flawed, however, as not all of the unfamiliar terms were defined in the back.

This was also a fantasy series that didn't need a map, as it takes place in our own world. While I'll readily admit I know very little about the politics of 1800s Vienna and Hungary, it was interesting to see the melding of fantasy elements with real-world politics. As the author explains in her author's note, some of the characters in the story are fictionalized versions of real historical figures - Archduke Franz Joseph, Emperor Ferdinand, and Archduchess Sophie of Austria, to name a few. Again, while I can't attest to the accuracy of the history in this book, it was neat to see elements of magic woven into the tapestry of reality throughout this book. I also can't say that I learned too much about history during the process, but I was thoroughly entertained nevertheless.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the writing style. While I was confused at first by the story, the writing felt very much like a love letter to Jane Austen and other classic novels written during the 1800s. The difference here was that, while the language is advanced and sometimes hard to follow, it's much more accessible to a teenage audience than some of the literature they're forced to read in high school. As someone who enjoys both classic literature and YA, I appreciated this nod to some of the first popular female authors.

Though I sometimes hesitate to consider myself a modern feminist, I also enjoyed the fact that Anna was willing to stand up for herself and her beliefs despite being told she wasn't worthy of a voice if she didn't have a husband. As much as we like to romanticize this period in history, women were often treated as second-class citizens, being silenced in favor of the opinions of men. Though Anna did not have a lot of say in her society, she found ways to make herself heard by those in power. I respected her character a lot because of it, and would love to see more girl power in the future. I think her character provides a good role model for teenage girls, reminding them that they do have a very powerful voice that can be used to influence others.

Lastly, I appreciated the subtle commentary on racism and classism presented in this book. While it's very clear that the praetheria are second-class citizens in this world, this novel is reminiscent of periods in history when certain groups of people (based on religion, skin color, or nationality) were ostracized and persecuted simply for existing. And, though it is clear we are meant to sympathize with the praetheria, characters like Vasilia and Hunger muddy the water a bit by making us see the other side. Some of the praetheria in the book are dangerous, attacking and kidnapping Anna even when she professes to be on their side. They plan to pit the humans against one another by starting a vicious war, showing that the conflict is not entirely black and white. While mass incarceration and genocide are never the answer, Eves gives us a very interesting take on this subject, making us think beyond storybook good and evil and reminding us that all humans (and praetheria, in this case) are flawed, and we don't always make the right choices or act nobly, no matter which side we're on.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, though the first few chapters were a huge hurdle for me to leap. The characters were well-written, the universe was intriguing, and the romance felt genuine and realistic rather than forced or in your face. Honestly, my only complaints came from the fact that I had no idea what was going on for half of this book, which was more my own fault than the fault of the author. I'm sure if I had read the first book before this title, I would've likely rated this title five stars. I would recommend this to high school students who enjoy historical fiction, as well as those who are advanced readers and enjoy a challenge. I would also highly recommend reading the first book first, as it is a nightmare trying to figure out what's going on without background knowledge of this universe. I fully intend to read the first book in this series to fill in the gaps, and I'm excited to see where the author takes it in the future. ( )

Soon after she's broken the Binding, an old spell that kept magical creatures bound by blood magic and gave the upper class Luminate sole access to magic, Anna Arden is now in Vienna with her sister Catherine and brother-in-law Richard. The political powers that be are holding a Congress to determine what to do with these creatures, and Anna chafes at convention and her inability to do anything. Will all that she risked - even killing her cousin, Matyas - in undoing the Binding be for naught?

This fantasy series' setting of Hungary and Austria in the mid-1800s is a really fascinating one, and the worldbuilding with the creatures from legend and almost alternate history (with notes in the back and references, thank you!) is a great strength of the book. Anna is a frustrating character, though, making very impulsive decisions and sometimes feeling a little pulled along by the plot. A second point of view is unexpectedly introduced about 100 pages in, and the back and forth kept the generally deliberate pace up, though I didn't always see when the two timelines overlapped. It could at least in part be my own slow reading, but I didn't enjoy it quite so much as the first book. ( )