Stone the Crows

I love TA Moore's writing. Brilliant and evocative, Stone the Crows is a fantastic speculative fiction M/M book with engaging characters and thought-provoking plotting. Her writing captures the bleak starkness of her damaged world and a well-crafted tension guaranteed to keep a reader engaged and entranched. If you are a lover of intelligent sci-fi / fantasy, Stone the Crows and its preceeding books, Dog Days, will be right up your alley.

DISCLAIMER # 1 – I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for promising to post my honest opinion.<br />DISCLAIMER # 2 – This book is # 2 in a series, and some things won’t make any sense if you haven’t yet read the first book “Dog Days”.<br /><br />When I read “Dog Days” I was somewhat disappointed because while I liked the overall plot-line of the book the romance part just wasn’t very, well, romantic. It seemed too matter of fact, like the outcome was a foregone conclusion regardless of the circumstances. That part of it didn’t sit as well with me. Going into this 2nd book, I wasn’t expecting the hearts-and-flowers so much, and found that with different expectations my reaction to the book’s tone is also different. I won’t say I don’t miss the “mushy stuff”, because frankly I do, but since I knew it probably wasn’t going to be there the absence didn’t strike me as odd.<br /><br />In this book we get to know a bit more about Gregor, who is Jack’s (MC # 2 from series book 1) identical twin. Gregor is BADLY injured in a fight (we learn more about that later in the book) and is barely alive. He winds up at an evacuation clinic where Nicholas (MC # 2 for this book) has been assigned as part of the ongoing relief efforts (remember, this is “The Wolf Winter” which hallmarks the end of the world as we know it).<br /><br />Nicholas is a fully-qualified MD, but hasn’t worked with live patients in years. He’s a Pathologist, meaning his patient’s are already dead. Nicholas is the first person to realize that Gregor isn’t dead yet, and swings into action to try keep it that way. Nicholas has been told about wolf shifters, and what will happen when the wolves come back down over the wall (see book one for explanation; as I said, this stuff sometimes doesn’t make much sense if you haven’t read book 1), but he doesn’t really believe in it. Nicholas got those stories from his grandmother, who was always thought by most to be a bit off her rocker. He classified the stories as part of a crazy lady’s paranoia, trying to spook her grandson with scary tales.<br /><br />The primary mission in this book is for Gregor (now with Nicholas at his side) to find his brother Jack (with Danny still at Jack’s side) so they can continue with the “end-of-the-world” war that is coming. This clearly seems to be just part 2 in what’s to be an apocalypse saga with romantic side-tones.<br /><br />As I said, this series is not mushy. It’s set amidst a harsh Scottish Highlands winter, with“end of times” urgency. Sentimentality apparently doesn’t get you very far when you’re more concerned with staying alive.<br /><br />Overall, I liked the book and I’m still intrigued by the series. The series is being narrated by Derrick McClain, and I enjoyed the Audible version of the Book 1 more than the read (unusual for me, but there it is). I’m looking forward to both more of the overall story arc and the audio version(s) thereof.<br /><br />I’m giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. The overall feel of this series still isn’t really my cup of tea, but T.A. Moore is giving us a GREAT story.<br />

Sequel to Dog Days. Stone the Crows picks up where Dog Days leaves off, and you do need to read book one first. <br /><br />Blurb sums up the book quite accurately. <br /><br />This review is based on the reader having read Dog Days. Book one had more of a romantic element between Jack and Danny, and that romantic element was missing between Nick and Gregor. Gregor shows up wounded, Nick feels an obligation to care for the patient he found, Gregor claims Nick as “his” and hauls Nick’s ass through the Wild. Nick never seems to question this, or if he does, there isn’t a lot of protesting. Gregor is strikingly handsome, Nick quickly realizes he’s something not quite human, instinctively realizes Gregor can protect him from the things that go bump in the night and basically, submits.<br /><br />Where Dog Days was Danny’s and Jack’s story, Stone the Crows is Nick and Gregor’s. Just as Jack and Gregor are twins, there were a lot of similarities between book one and book two. Intentional perhaps? <br /><br />What book two does have that book one doesn’t, is more background information on some of the mythological characters, a bit more who is who and how do they fit into the scheme of everything. Who are the gods, why are the Prophets doing what they are doing, and why the Wolf Winter has come. <br /><br />Stone the Crows also has some rather well written plot twists that I honestly didn’t see coming and greatly enjoyed. <br /><br />I also thought this book was darker, more dystopian, more gruesome in the killing, torture, murder and mayhem. If you’re squeamish, just a heads up, there are some <i>ewww</i> moments. <br /> <br />While this paranormal/shifter book is quite unlike 98% of the werewolf stories out there (refreshingly different), I couldn’t help but be reminded of aspects of another very popular series. Winter is coming (heck, it’s <i>here</i>). The dead are rising. The Wolves are coming over the Wall. Lots of pulling from mythology. <br /><br />Ultimately, Stone the Crows is a strong transition book. The characters are now gathered together and prepped for the fight/battle that is going to happen in the next book (‘cause ya know there’s gonna be one…or two). I am greatly interested to see how this series is going to unfold - the big question being, will I/we have to wait one year or two for the next book? <br /><br /><i>Review is cross posted at <a href="http://gaybook.reviews" rel="nofollow noopener">Gay Book Reviews</a></i><br /><i>A copy of the book was provided by the author and publisher in exchange for an honest opinion.</i>

<i>A <a href="http:joyfullyjay.com" rel="nofollow noopener">Joyfully Jay</a> review. <br /><br /><b>4 stars</b></i><br /><br />Stone the Crows is the second book in the Wolf Winter series and follows closely on the heels of Dog Days. Given the way the stories interconnect, this book is best read after the first.<br /><br />One of the things I really enjoyed about Dog Days is the wonderful world building and tone to the story. It is a paranormal, with kind of a post-apocalyptic feel as the world is filled with unrelenting snow and ice. This is the end of days and by the time Stone the Crows picks up, things are pretty desperate all around. There is definitely a bleakness and intensity to the book, even more so than the first story. I think that is partly due to the fact that things are becoming even more serious, and also due to Gregor, who is a hard man for sure. He is the more savage brother, more wild and more intense, and that shows in his interactions. Moore does a nice job carrying that into the tone of the story and really expanding the world building nicely here. It isn’t pretty; the book has much gore and sweaty bodies and stinky breath, vicious attacks and rotting flesh. There is an edginess here that Moore manages to sustain nicely throughout the book and that fits with the plot quite well.<br /><br /><b>Read Jay’s review in its entirety <a href="http://joyfullyjay.com/2018/05/review-stone-the-crows-by-t-a-moore/" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>.</b><br /><br /><br /><br />

This book isn’t a happily ever after. I found it incredibly bleak, the dark undertone pervasive and depressing. It’s not hopeful or a battle of good vs evil; unless your definition of good is just ‘not evil’. In short, not my cup of tea. So, what is the book and why a high star rating? Well, it’s a damn good book. It’s well written with strong characters, good pacing, compelling plot and realistic world building. In short it loses half a star simply because it’s not my cup of tea and the other half for the ending, which I’ll get to.<br /><br />I’ll start out by saying this is part of a series, and I don’t believe it can be read as a standalone. I did and felt that I was missing out on a lot of information that, while the author doesn’t quite assume you know, perhaps didn’t elaborate on so as not to bore the returning reader, but will leave the new ones scratching their heads.<br /><br />Since I can’t talk too much about how well written it is, barring the fact that it is expertly crafted wordsmithing, we’ll go straight to characters. The main protagonists are layered and deep and they reveal themselves over time. This is particularly impressive to me as Gregor, the Wolf, presents himself and views himself in a one-dimensional form. He is the Wolf, Numitor’s heir. So, to present that kind of person, who can’t see beyond their title or job or one particular skill, as deep as any other is incredibly impressive. The other main protagonist, Nick, is a deeper mystery and draws you into his own fears of insanity, a questioning that follows you through most of the book.<br /><br />The plot is clear from the outset: find Gregor’s brother and his mate and kill the people who attacked him. And yet with a clear line in front of them, the author weaves some interesting twists and turns that almost had me not wanting to put the book down. Which might not seem like a compliment until I re-iterate how I dislike bleak books. I want a happily ever after, or hope that things can get better after this big obstacle. If I wasn’t reviewing it, I’d have put the book down as did-not-finish and not-my-taste. To have all that and still make it something of a page turner is a huge compliment.<br /><br />The world building is strong, consistent, and layered over everything like the snow featured so strongly in the book. Even before we are introduced to the Wild of this world, it’s presence is felt and each step Nick takes into realising this world is real and not the insanity he thought, brings it closer to the surface. Its strength reached out to me and nearly had me on eBay to get an iron horseshoe for above my door and an iron nail for my handbag (because, let’s face it, keeping track of the nail is a lot easier in a handbag than when transferring it from the traditional pocket to pocket every day).<br /><br />All of this, combined, makes for a fantastic story. I’m sure some of you have noticed the one element that I haven’t mentioned is romance, and while our protagonists get together, there isn’t a romance. There’s no courtship and neither can explain the attraction, nor do they seem to particularly want it. Despite that there is chemistry between them that makes the one erotic scene work, as well as the begrudging relationship that forms between them. In many ways, even, this fits with the tone of the book, as it’s a romantic relationship pared down into something sharp by the cold, harsh winter in the story.<br /><br />Which leads it to the ending, something that right up until the last chapter and epilogue or so is going, if not quite as expected, certainly to the overall tone and theme of bleakness and darkness pervasive in the entire story. Somehow at the last chapter, and even more so, the epilogue, these elements do a 180 degree turn and all is good and well, and there’s that happily ever after that was never promised or mentioned or even hinted at. As a twist it certainly is shocking, but it doesn’t suit the overall tone the book had set up. I think the final chapter could have stood by itself, if the epilogue didn’t cap the story off in a sweetness that was out of place. As much as I want my books to have that happily ever after, this particular one didn’t fit with the story we had been told.<br /><br />Reviewed by Jenn for <a href="http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com" rel="nofollow noopener">The Novel Approach</a>

My initial response to this book has been a solid 0.o<br /><br />I’m not even kidding. The first book with Jack and Danny moved at an even pace and built the mystery up until the reveal and climatic fights. Which I loved. This book is all about “well, that escalated quickly …” and I loved it even more. <br /><br />I mean, Jack is vicious and his book is cold and hard as well. Gregor is even more so and his book reflected that. There’s no build up of weather like in book one as the weather has already gone nuts anyway. It’s more a rapid slide down into insanity and monsters, where nothing is right anymore and everything gives off the feeling that nothing will ever be right again. <br /><br />This was especially portrayed through the main characters, Nick and Gregor. Gregor starts off nearly dead right off and with his wolf stolen from him. He’s still just as dangerous as before, but as we mostly saw him in wolf form in book one, we’re watching him manage in only his human form. Nick, however, spends enough time trying to deny what’s happening, even though the audience can plainly see that he’s mired hip deep in events beyond what he can handle almost from the start. Normally, characters who do this are frustrating but as Nick reacts appropriately when faced with the monsters now in the world so I found his early denial more realistic. <br /><br />We get to see a little more of how the prophets work and what they’re willing to do to advance their cause. I mean, people died in the first book and monsters were made but it was kind of kept to a small count. Here, it’s like watching a horror/thriller where everyone is trapped with a soulless monster wrecking through what’s left of the population. I was entertained by the weather craziness in the first book and while that’s not here in this one, I didn’t even mind as everything else escalates into holy shit territory at a quick pace. <br /><br />Dog Days was written in a stark manner, the world cold and rough and a little unstable. Stone the Crows seems to reflect Gregor’s mindset almost perfectly. It��s harsher and colder and unforgiving, taking no prisoners and showing no mercy. This is certainly a book that gave me a jolt of hansum (that bittersweet painful moment when the world betrays you down to your heart and soul). I think I loved this book more than the first. And Nick’s not-bedside manner. <br /><br />I rate this a 5 out of 5 with a solid recommendation for the end of the world. <br /><br />I was provided this book as an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review. <br /><br />Cross posted on <a href="http://www.ireadwhatnow.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">I Read What Now</a>, my book review blog.

It was with breathless anticipation that I began this follow-up to ‘Dog Days’, a book that overwhelmed me with its mythology, lore, prophets, the Wild, and a reckoning between two brothers born twelve minutes apart. The author captured the visceral horror of everything I could imagine that ever went bump in the night and had me stunned when I finished it. It came as no surprise that I leaped at the opportunity to read ‘Stone the Crows’. I wanted to see more of Jack and Danny, but I really wanted to get a much better understanding of Gregor, Jack’s brother, and get even more background about the prophets and their betrayal. I do strongly recommend these books be read in order as I honestly don’t believe they could be understood without all the background and history that layers upon itself. <br /><br /><i>“No one liked the prophets—to become a mouthpiece of the hated gods was a punishment handed out only to the worst among their packs—but it had never occurred to Gregor that they’d betray the Wolves. Until now.”</i><br /><br />On their way north back to the Numitor and the pack, Jack, Danny, and Gregor run afoul of three prophets and a multitude of the creatures they have created from humans, magic, and perhaps even some of the Wild. Gregor is found almost dead by Nick, a pathologist drafted to help living patients to be evacuated and now left abandoned with a small contingent of colleagues. Even worse than waking up with humans as nursemaids is when Gregor realizes the prophets, with their knives, did something to his wolf – carved it out of his skin, his soul – and they still have his brother. <br /><br />Please find my full review at <a href="http://www.rainbow-reviews.com/book-reviews/stone-the-crows-wolf-winter-2-by-ta-moore-at-dreamspinner-press" rel="nofollow noopener">Rainbow Book Reviews</a>

Okay, this one was slightly better than the first one. Though it's still a bit confusing. We don't get a lot of info about the "mythology", their traditions.. I said that before but well...<br /><br />BUT that was better than the first one! I really liked the characters, they seemed to have a connection. And again, don't expect a lot of romance, there is sexy scenes. This book though is not about that.<br /><br />Both books had a lot of world building which I loved. It was easy to read than the first one, a lot are happening in both books and both couples.<br /><br />Nick is a pathologist, while working one night, he finds Gregor who is injured. On the other hand, Gregor finds out he lost his wolf. The story has a lot of gore throughtout, people/monsters die, a lot of bad things happening. Gregor wants to find his brother who we learn how and why he was taken, because the first book didn't end with any kidnapping and it had a nice ending. <br /><br />It got really interesting by the end. I believe that both books are building up to next book which could probably be the final fight! I really wanna see that!

Full review available at: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://optimumm.blog/2018/05/30/review-stone-the-crows-by-ta-moore/">https://optimumm.blog/2018/05/30/revi...</a><br /><br />Stone the Crows is the second book in the Wolf Winter series by TA Moore. I liked this book much better than the first book in the series, Dog Days. It did start off slow, and it took me about thirty percent of the book to figure out what was going on and become invested in the book. I did have an easier time connecting with the characters in this book and the author even got me to cry a couple of times.<br /><br />I loved Jimmy. He’s a supporting character, but he was one of my favorite supporting characters. He was one of the children that were rejected for transfer to the big city because he had leukemia and had a low survival rate. I also liked his dad who was the sheriff. He made questionable choices in the book, but he did them for the right reason, trying to save his son’s life. I was happy that Jimmy survived all that happened to him and I hope to see more of him in the next book. I also liked that I was able to connect with the main characters, Gregor and Doctor Nicholas Blake. I liked the interactions and chemistry between Nicholas and Gregor, and I became invested in their relationship. I liked that Gregor doesn’t treat Nicholas as a lesser being just because he happens to be human.<br /><br />I like how Nicholas starts out seeming like a minor character with not a lot of important duties (he gets to record the dead so that they can be identified by family members later on). He’s used to working in the morgue and doesn’t have the best social skills when forced to interact with his fellow doctors. He grew up with a harsh grandma that filled his young head with stories about gods, prophecies, and monsters—of Wolves that will come down over the walls when winter arrives and eat little boys in their beds. How was he to know that the monsters his grandmother tormented him with as a child were real? But when he finds a half-dead man bleeding out while a dead woman watches, he starts to believe. Now his nightmares are encroaching on his waking life, and the only one who knows what’s going on is his unexpected patient.<br /><br />I also liked Gregor. Between Gregor and his twin brother, Jack, he’s supposed to be the bad twin, but I actually like him more than Jack. But Gregor has lots of challenges in this book. The main one which will affect his getting his brother back is that the treacherous prophets mutilated him and stole his wolf half. He still has his faster healing ability and his connection to the Wild, but he no longer has the ability to change into his wolf. But he is determined to get his brother and his mate back from the prophets.<br /><br />I’m still not sure how Gregor wasn’t captured with his brother and his mate. It was probably in the first part of the book when I was trying to figure out what was going on. I also wasn’t sure why the prophets were using skin grafts to make their monsters instead of just biting them like they had in the first book maybe it will be explained more in the next book. Maybe each prophet has their own way of making their monsters. I don’t know.<br /><br />I do know that there are lots of twists and turns in this book and most of them I didn’t see coming. And now that I’m invested in Gregor and Nicholas, I can’t wait for the next book to come out so I can find out what happens on their journey to the Numitor and what happens to the prophet that got away.<br /><br />***The ARC was provided by Dreamspinner Press. My review is an honest opinion of the book ***

This is a fast-paced, tense read; but don’t expect it to be an easy one. The mythology is fundamental to the understanding of the plot, but it is not always clear what is going on or why. Whilst acceptable to limit detailed explanations as asides, to avoid distractions to the storyline, I would have valued an annexe the provided the mythos for reference. Similarly, the belief systems and histories of individual characters are only revealed and the plot demands. This can provide revelations that are not always effectively contextualised; this leaves the reader wrong-footed as to who the character really is. Consequently, affinity and empathy are quite difficult. Sadly, these gaps in understanding can sometimes be compounded where an historical memory of a character is revealed that is grounded in the mythology where neither is adequately explained. The reader either struggles on in the hope that clarity will be presented later or ultimately gives up. The story is fascinating and it does hold the attention through its mix of mythologies and modern features, so it is worth sticking with it.<br /><br />The characters in this book are more approachable in their behaviours compared to the first book, although it is strange that this should be the case given that one of the lead characters is the more wolf-like of the twins. Certainly, when the brothers come together there is a clear snapping antagonism that is wolf-like, but the relationship with the human is more approachable than wolf to dog.<br /><br />It is strange that the human gets away with more behaviour that differs from pack actions compared to the dog in the first book, given that humans are deemed more lowly. There is a clear that develops between the two lead characters and although the sex is few and far between, it is passionate when it occurs.<br /><br />There is a fast pace to the story, if the reader can keep up. A whole raft of new characters are introduced and many are cast by the wayside as the story progresses. I did find it difficult to keep all of the names and relationships clear in my head, which made the understanding of certain scenes less clear than they might be. Because there is so much going on in a variety of locations, it is not easy to go back and make sense of what is going on. <br /><br />The end of the story resolves some, but not all of the plot threads. Similarly, the mythology is still being explored, which requires further explanation. The plot of this story is wrapped up quite quickly and it felt as though the author needed to tie things up without dragging it out but leave clear markers for the next book. It felt a little abrupt. I do hope the author is able to provide a developed mythology as an annexe in the next book, assuming that to be the last. It would make re-reading that much more pleasurable.<br /><br />This review is also posted at <a href="https://wp.me/p6hEcH-RrT" rel="nofollow noopener">Gay Book Reviews</a>