House of Beating Wings (Standard Edition): 1 (The Kingdom of Crows) Paperback – 13 Aug. 2024

I've was lucky enough to receive this arc. I have read all of Olivias books and many other fantasy romances and this by far has been my favourite read of the year. If you are looking for a different take on fantasy I would strongly reccomend this series.I really liked the main character Fallon I was immensely interested in her life and found myself up late at night with the thought of 'just one more chapter' at 3 in the morning! Fallon is the type of girl you can't help but love and her loyalty and care towards animals was beautiful to read I loved her friendship with minimus. I won't delve to much on the plot as to not ruin it for others but I will say that this was a book that was a great page turner and every character held my interest to know more about them, it was great to read a story that showed the life of a girl that had a much loved but hard life in poverty and the struggles that she had to go through. I really enjoyed her back and forth banter with morrgot which was highly amusing but showed a bond forming that made me smile throughout-I loved that she was true to herself and although she had character growth I loved that she did not change who she was as a person, i cannot wait to read the next installment. Highly reccomend ❤

I can’t remember how I first came across this series but it had been likened to books by Sarah J. Maas (who I love) so I thought I’d enjoy this one. I like discovering new authors although it feels like every fantasy YA is being compared to a Sarah J. Maas book right now, so I was a bit apprehensive as to whether the comparison would be correct.Our main character is 22-year-old, halfling Fae, Fallon. Due to being born without pointed ears, and therefore not full fae, she and her Mum are cast out of high fae society. Fallon's Grandmother was so angry about it she left her husband and took her daughter and Fallon to live at the edges of their interconnected island cities, in poverty. We follow Fallon as she learns to thrive with her two best friends, Sybil and Phoebus. We learn that Fallon has a longtime crush on Prince Dante and she is convinced they're destined to be together, especially after a mysterious woman tells her to “free the crows and wear the crown!”I agree with other reviewers that Fallon is a tad annoying. She is self-absorbed, gullible and selfish. It took me quite a while to warm to her but when I did, I found that I liked her and enjoyed the story. The second half of this book got a lot more interesting, there was a lot of scene setting in the beginning and I’m still not sure if it was all necessary. The world building is excellent - we have politics, war, magic, multiple supernatural creatures and more yet to be discovered. I must admit that I’m a bit lost with all the characters, often we get 2 different spellings of the same person’s name (in the different languages), which isn’t helping my cause, I think I’d really benefit from a family tree. So far, this all feels very predictable to me so I am hoping that something totally unexpected will happen to keep it interesting.Overall, I enjoyed this story so much that I immediately started the next one in the series.

What a wonderful talent this author has for world building and story telling. I've always loved the fantasy genre since I was very young, but not many authors can bring a whole new, different world to life combining it's differing cultures, laws and history, with magic, prophecy and a new language with so much depth, that I can see it clearly as I read. Olivia Wildenstein can and I absolutely loved HoBW.Enemies to lovers (kind of), forced proximity but a slow, slow burn not only on the romance side, but the story too. It is a long book but it never felt like it was. It grew and developed throughout, building a fabulous picture.I loved the twist on the crow shifters and especially with Lore, I want so much more of him. He's mysterious, strong, caring and protective but with a darker side that will do what it takes to protect his people. I loved Fallon too, she's strong, feisty, not afraid to stand up and speak, even when its probably best not to, but that's her all over. She has strong morals and a big heart, but was also very naive at times, especially where the dashing Prince Dante was concerned. She's young and has grown up as a virtual outcast amongst the magic wielding Fae, but her two best friends were absolutely priceless.With an exciting, action packed ending, I cannot wait for more of the crows and whether the Fae and crows can learn to live together, but especially I need more Lore and Fallon, as she learns more truths about her origins and the prophecy.And to add, the hardback is stunning, such beautiful artwork on the chapter pages and the inside cover as well as the outer protective one.5+ magical, crow winged stars

I stumbled upon this book and Olivia as an author and I am so glad I did, a book hasn't captured my attention in a while until I read this.It starts with our main lead Fallon and a prophecy which sees her on the throne as Queen but first has to free 5 crows. What then transpires is a magical adventure where Fallon begins to learn more about herself and her capabilities ( I don't want to give too much away please just read it). We also meet Lore.I loved Fallons friends and learning about the world of Luce.The world-building by Olivia is immaculate and Lore, Lore, Lore (hot damn). He is my favourite MMC I've read in a while.I cannot wait for House of Pounding Hearts.

You have to think about the fact that she’s 22 in a world where her peers and neighbors are hundreds of years old. Technically, she IS still just a baby. She was brave, and she did what she needed to when she needed to. For someone who lived such a sheltered life, and whose life was completely turned on its head, I think she did as well as anyone would have! This book captured my attention from the first page all the way until the end of the trilogy (and beyond since I’m reading book four now). It’s so well written, and the story was enticing and refreshing. Yes, there’s romance, but there’s also betrayal, heartbreak, adventure, humor…. The world building was well beyond what I expected, and it just kept getting better. I couldn’t put it down, and I will recommend this to any person who likes fantasy or romance, better yet if they like them both! I can’t say enough wonderful things about this book series. I just can’t get over it. 10/10, all the stars, my single favorite series. Well done, Olivia!

I loved House of Beating Wings! This book was compared to the works of Sarah J. Maas and usually I take recommendations like this with a grain of salt, but I have to say that it is similar in vein to Maas’ books, and if you like her work, I think you will like Olivia Wildenstein’s “House of Beating Wings”. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone in this book; fantasy, world-building, interesting characters, adventure, romance, fae, and of course, crows. The ending was thrilling and exciting, and there were a lot of twists and turns in the plot. I was truly sad when the book ended. This book can be read as a stand-alone but I can’t wait for the the next book in Ms. Wildenstein’s series. Overall, this was a great read!

I rarely read big books and if i read them it has to be good or it loses interest in four pages itself... But this one held my interest from start to end of the book. I was hooked on each word! It is a slow burn but that burn is good! Can't wait to start the next one!!

Ich bin in kürzester Zeit ein riesen Fan von Indie-Autoren geworden und The Kingdom of Crows Series stellt da keine Ausnahme dar. Indie-Bücher mögen vielleicht ein wenig teurer sein durchs Selfpublishing und die kleineren Auflagen, aber dass die Autoren so das gesamte Buch selbstständig gestalten können ist ein riesiger Gewinn. Schon alleine rein äußerlich: Der Schutzumschlag (dustjacket) ist wunderschön und hochwertig gestaltet, das eigentliche Buch hat nochmals ein eigenes Design (undercover design) und im Buch sind zwei Fanarts von den beiden Protagonisten. Eine Karte und wunderschöne Kapielstartseiten runden das Ganze ab. Auch die Sprachindexe fand beim Lesen echt super.Inhaltlich überzeugt das Buch umso mehr mit einer authentischen, individuellen und wahnsinnig spannenden Geschichte. Unglaublich, dass ich auf dieses Buch nur zufällig gestoßen bin (Goodreads Algorithmus Empfehlung). Ich hab das Buch zunächst als Ebook gelesen und es mir danach gemeinsam mit dem zweiten Teil bestellt und da das Hardcover mich so angesprochen hat, hab ich es gleich nochmal gelesen!

J’ai acheter la version française suite à cette lectureArticles en très belle étatEt le Cover splendide