According to Crow - E. Sedia

According to Crow is one of those rare novels that will stay with you long after you finish reading. Josiah is a boy born to a Sium mother, Ruth, and a Meran father. His father, the general Sephar, was killed by his mother to protect her village in a classical Book of Judith manner. When a Meran named Caleb arrives, he discovers that he and Josiah are related and invites him to visit the rest of the family in Mer. Crow and Mireille - Crow's Guardian - travel with them, for they're on the run from a plot to eliminate the Sium Archivists. A plot that may soon re-start an old war, for Mer and Sium have been bitter enemies for years. And Josiah will have to decide where his loyalties lie.

E. Sedia makes you care for the characters, and her fluid writing leaves you reading almost nonstop (almost, because I had to stop and eat at some point). There is much you can find thematically - family and friendship, the clash of cultures, the horrors of war, a coming of age, etc. - but outside of all that, it is quite simply an excellent story.

Best to read while listening to: Sarah Brightman, Enya, Epica, Loreena McKennit, Nightwish, Within Temptation

Publisher: Five Star Press
Price: $25.95
Hardcover
ISBN: 1-59414-308-0
Genre: Fantasy