Top 5 Books with Crow in the Title (some are definitely not a surprise 😂)

Alright y’all, is it just me or has “crow” become an abruptly hot word for YA fantasy novels? It’s gotten to the point where I kind of grimace and roll my eyes when I see one. It must be an author’s dream knowing that just putting the word “crow” in their book title is currently guaranteed to get a good chunk of views from the crowd. And paired with a dramatic cover? OH YEAH. Marketing made easy!

This review by Angelica @ The Book Cover Girls for The Merciful Crow is actually one that really drove the fad home for me. She says it perfectly in the opening lines of her review:

And, oh, this other review she posted soon after for The Storm Crow:

I rest my case. Crows, man. People are really into the dark, witchy, crow aesthetic right now. This feels like a replay of when The Girl on the Train was published and then there were a million titles like “The Girl [something something].” Not sure why The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo didn’t strike that apparent gold though…?

So some of the top 5 books Goodreads lists when you search “crow” are definitely not surprising, because they have been shouted about by many readers in book communities, bookstagram, blogs, and anywhere else. But with such a newly saturated market, which Crow titles manage to come out at the top of the pack??

PS – all book covers link to the Goodreads page for the book 🙂

1. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Top 5 genre tags for this title:
fantasy, young adult, favorites, magic, adventure

2 Sentence Summary:
Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

Have I heard of / read this before?
Oh yes, I’ve heard of this. I feel like I’ve been bashed over the head with this book! It’s EVERYWHERE! I’m thoroughly unsurprised that it’s the top result for crow because I feel like this might be the book that launched crow into a bookish success word. The fact that “Favorites” is a super popular tag for this says enough, I think. xD PS – technically, the sequel to this book was also the #3 spot but I’m skipping books in the same series.

Do I like the cover?
Eh, it’s aight. I feel like the more I look at it the more clever I think it is. I appreciate the design for design, but visually I’m not completely enthralled.

Will I read it?
Believe it or not, this is one of a few books that’s on my attempted shelf. Once again, I gave into the hype on a book and gave it a shot… and was very much not into it. It sounds so perfect for me on paper! Quirky crew! Heist! Magic! But something about it just didn’t catch me. And, yeah, I’ll be honest: the amount people talk about it still turns me off. Sorryyyy Leigh!

Yes, I’m aware this is practically blasphemy for many people. 😂 Talk to me! Comment on what made you love this book. I’m willing to give it another shot if I have a good reason to!

2. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

Top 5 genre tags for this title:
Nonfiction, race, politics, history, social movements -> social justice

2 Sentence Summary:
Alexander shows that, by targeting black men and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control, even as it formally adheres to the principle of color blindness. The New Jim Crow challenges the civil rights community–and all of us–to place mass incarceration at the forefront of a new movement for racial justice in America.

Have I heard of / read this before?
I have not heard of this before, but I am not surprised it’s getting a boost in readership with the force behind #BLM and dissembling white supremacy in the US. It was published in 2010 and talks about how we can’t look at Barack Obama as president to show that race is no longer an issue in the country, and oh, how poignant and bitter that feels now that we have been shown JUST how true that was.

Vote. Educate. Protest. Donate.

Do I like the cover?
“Liking” the cover feels wrong here. It certainly feels appropriate and makes it clear what the book will be about. No hiding from that.

Will I read it?
I feel like I should, and that it would be a boon to my efforts to read more widely and educate myself. But it also sounds like a really hard read emotionally, so I know I just need to brace myself for that. I expect more like White Fragility and that was even pretty damn gentle, really.

3. A Feast for Crows by George RR Martin

Top 5 genre tags for this title:
fantasy, epic fantasy, sci-fi fantasy (disagree?? there’s DEF no sci fi??), high fantasy, adventure

2 Sentence Summary:
George RR Martin plays with fate and your heart for another thousand pages. Come on, “A Feast For Crows” practically requires death just from the title.

Have I heard of / read this before?
Definitely heard of this one, and have in fact read it before! Before the tv series, too, might I add. #FanSnob

Do I like the cover?
Not this one particularly, but it looks great in my collection with the other similar style covers. Also, the goblet… I don’t really remember when it happened, but is this the one with Joffrey…?

Will I read it?
I have already read this one! I actually remember being kind of meh towards this one. I think that’s in part because the book before blew me away totally. The characters in this were less of my favorites though. Bran? God. SPARE ME. I was just a bit underwhelmed. However I’ll probably have to re-read it… eventually… to prepare for when the 6th book maybe exists in the far off future?

Regarding the 6th book next up in the series, this is a question from it’s Goodreads page: 🤣

4. One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow by Olivia Hawker

Top 3 genre tags for this title:
Historical Fiction, Historical, Westerns

2 Sentence Summary:
Husband 1 shoots Husband 2 when found with Wife 1, and now Wife 1 and Wife 2 are still stuck working together to live life on the prairie with their kids to raise. Then the kids start to fall in love, and all relationships get even trickier.

Have I heard of / read this before?
Have never heard of this one before

Do I like the cover?
Not really. It looks like it suits the book, but as I mention below, I’m not sure *I* suit the book….

Will I read it?
Nope. I can’t even pretend. The second I hear “western” and/or “life on the prairie” I’m so uninterested. It’s just absolutely not my thing. Judging by the shelf tags that are often “dnf” or “did not finish” I would probably just be adding to those if I tried this one out.

5. The King of Crows by Libba Bray

Top 5 genre tags for this title:
Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy-> Paranormal, Horror

2 Sentence Summary:
The Diviners chase a girl from a vision who swears she knows how to stop the King of Crows. With everyone on the run for their lives, they all head toward their final destination and the ultimate confrontation.

Have I heard of / read this before?
I have certainly not heard of this before! It was just published in February 2020, but it’s part of a series so maybe I would recognize another title in the series. (Just checked – nope, still no clue!)

Do I like the cover?
I… I do, actually. Why? It feels so…. moody. It’s very different from what I know of Libba Bray, but that just makes me even more intrigued.

Will I read it?
I actually think I will, but it’s apparently #4 in a series so I’ve got a ways to go before I get to this one I guess. I’ve read and enjoyed Libba Bray before though, so I have cautious optimism for this one! Plus, check out that crazy range of genre tags! Fantasy, historical fiction, paranormal, and horror? How could I not give that collection a chance, especially with Bray’s name on it?

Any familiar reads?

Okay, so like I said in some of these, a lot of these titles are wildly popular. But seriously, if you’re a deep lover of Six of Crows, please talk to me! What are the best parts of it? Is the beginning just notoriously slow, and maybe I didn’t make it to the great parts?

In the meantime, I’m adding that Libba Bray series to my TBR. It sounds a teeny bit outside my preference upon further looking (1920s New York, ehhh….) but I gotta at least give it a chance!