Here are 92 books that Cry of Crows fans have personally recommended if you like
Cry of Crows.
Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.
I have always been fascinated by stories where faith, myth, and the human condition collide in unexpected ways. The kinds of books that don’t just tell a story, but make you question God, morality, suffering, and what remains of humanity when everything collapses. These are the kinds of stories that stay in your head long after you finish reading. They mix faith, myth, and the end of the world in ways that feel strangely personal and unsettling. They are not simple fantasy, not traditional horror, and not religious fiction in the usual sense. They sit in a strange space where belief, suffering, and human nature all collide.
I love this book because it turns the biblical idea of good versus evil into something frighteningly human and tangible.
What stayed with me was not the plague or the supernatural elements, but how ordinary people reveal who they truly are when the world collapses. I felt constantly unsettled by how thin the line is between morality and survival.
This story made me reflect deeply on faith, corruption, and the fragile nature of civilization in ways that few novels ever have.
Stephen King's apocalyptic vision of a world blasted by virus and tangled in an elemental struggle between good and evil remains as riveting and eerily plausible as when it was first published.
Soon to be a television series.
'THE STAND is a masterpiece' (Guardian). Set in a virus-decimated US, King's thrilling American fantasy epic, is a Classic.
First come the days of the virus. Then come the dreams.
Dark dreams that warn of the coming of the dark man. The apostate of death, his worn-down boot heels tramping the night roads. The warlord of the charnel house and Prince of…
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
I am fascinated by crows and ravens and their incredible abilities, including facial recognition and gift-giving. So I knew from the start that they would factor into my novel about a superstitious woman who interprets wild animal sightings as omens meant just for her (a habit I admit might be pulled from my own behavior…). For this list, I found five excellent novels that do more than give lip service (beak service?) to the noble creatures. Crows and ravens are integral to these plots. Not surprisingly, some present the birds as sinister and foreboding, others as prophetic and insightful. All, rightly so, acknowledge their intelligence.
I loved that crows’ fascinating abilities are described in detail and woven into this mystery/thriller’s plot. Sloan’s mother is an ornithologist who studied crows and taught her children how the amazing birds form strong bonds, recognize faces, hold grudges, and mimic human voices.
When Sloan returns to her hometown as her mother is being released from a psychiatric facility and her father from prison, she repeatedly hears a crow calling Ridge, the name of her brother who went missing years before. This eerie echo of the past drives her to learn the truth about her brother’s disappearance, even as she is sucked back up into the childhood trauma that put her parents away. PTSD, double lives, and creeping insanity make this a riveting read, enriched by the crow imagery.
In 1988, Sloan Hadfield's brother Ridge went fishing with their father and never came home. Their father, a good-natured Vietnam veteran prone to violent outbursts, was arrested and charged with murder. Ridge's body was never recovered, and Sloan's mother—a brilliant ornithologist—slowly descended into madness, insisting her son was still alive.
Now, twenty years later, Sloan's life is unraveling. In the middle of a bitter divorce, she's forced to return to her rural Texas hometown when her mother is discharged from a mental health facility.
Overwhelmed by memories and unanswered questions, Sloan returns to the last place her brother was seen…
I am fascinated by crows and ravens and their incredible abilities, including facial recognition and gift-giving. So I knew from the start that they would factor into my novel about a superstitious woman who interprets wild animal sightings as omens meant just for her (a habit I admit might be pulled from my own behavior…). For this list, I found five excellent novels that do more than give lip service (beak service?) to the noble creatures. Crows and ravens are integral to these plots. Not surprisingly, some present the birds as sinister and foreboding, others as prophetic and insightful. All, rightly so, acknowledge their intelligence.
I loved this psychological thriller for its inclusion of ravens in the plot, its well-developed characters, and its all-too-real gut-wrenching situations. A pair of ravens are integral to this intense, dark and tragic story. We meet them on page one, in the abandoned mill where the main character, Ria, hides. Her “friendship” with the raven couple is realistic, based on mutual respect and the occasional feeding. The fact that Ria showed the sensitivity and patience needed to develop that relationship tells us she is relatively healthy. Until she isn’t.
In the second half, Ria and two other troubled teens spiral from various traumas. At that point, the ravens become background to the plot but return in one heart-breaking, villainous moment further in.
When you're being dragged under, the choice is fly or die...
The Raven Wheel follows three troubled teenagers as they struggle to seize control of their lives.
Wayward Tye wants to finally make his father proud. Bright but awkward Kian is desperate to reconnect with his estranged mum. Impulsive rebel, Ria, harbours a secret desire to murder her father. Their lives intertwine as they strive to succeed and find themselves in too deep, too late...
The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More
by
Meredith Marple,
The coastal tourist town of Great Wharf, Maine, boasts a crime rate so low you might suspect someone’s lying.
Nevertheless, jobless empty nester Mallory Cooper has become increasingly reclusive and fearful. Careful to keep the red wine handy and loath to leave the house, Mallory misses her happier self—and so…
I am fascinated by crows and ravens and their incredible abilities, including facial recognition and gift-giving. So I knew from the start that they would factor into my novel about a superstitious woman who interprets wild animal sightings as omens meant just for her (a habit I admit might be pulled from my own behavior…). For this list, I found five excellent novels that do more than give lip service (beak service?) to the noble creatures. Crows and ravens are integral to these plots. Not surprisingly, some present the birds as sinister and foreboding, others as prophetic and insightful. All, rightly so, acknowledge their intelligence.
“This was the fourth dead raven to appear on Sophronia Carver’s front path in as many weeks.” So begins this historical mystery. A series of dead ravens deposited on a young widow’s front stoop and an injured, rehabilitated raven taking flight bookend this period piece set in 1846 Maine.
In a plot heavy with Edgar Allen Poe references and influences, the ravens reflect all of the birds’ many incarnations. The Widow Carver understandably sees the raven carcasses sent to scare her as sinister symbols and purveyors of doom. By the time the mystery is solved, malevolent intentions are thwarted, and true love has triumphed, the raven is finally seen as a noble, stately creature—a conclusion that I, of course, loved.
'[This] romance-cum-murder mystery moves at a brisk pace.' The Sunday Times
'A perfect blend of gothic mystery, drama and romance.' Cressida McLaughlin
A town gripped by fear. A woman accused of murder. Who can save Pale Harbour from itself?
1846. Desperate to escape the ghosts of his past, Gabriel Stone takes a position as a minister in the remote Pale Harbour, but not all is as it seems in the sleepy town.
As soon as Gabriel steps foot in town, he can't escape the rumours about the mysterious Sophy Carver, a young widow who lives in the eerie Castle…
I’ve always been passionate about horses – in fact, I’ve adopted five wild mustangs over the years and ride often – so it’s no surprise that they often find their way into my stories. But birds and feathers tend to be important elements of my books, too. I live on a working family farm surrounded by hawks, bald eagles, blue herons, swans, owls, and countless others… but I suspect the true reason there are birds in my books has to do with the little sparrows who like to perch on my windowsill as I write!
When Zita Brydgeborn, an orphan employed as a cranky widow’s maid, receives an unexpected letter delivered by a scarecrow she is thrust into the heart of a mysterious battle between good and evil. Discovering that she might be the only living heir to a dynasty of witches, she must learn more than spells and charms if she hopes to survive the foe who claimed her family’s souls. With a clever crow and two castle servants as her closest friends, Zita confronts a tangle of family secrets and sinister magic to break a deadly curse. This book is a delightfully creepy read with all the elements of my favorite stories: a brave girl with a hidden past, bird imagery, witchcraft, fiercely loyal friends, and family secrets. It’s beautifully written and strikes the perfect balance between spooky danger and gentle humor.
A suspenseful tale of witches, family, and magic from internationally bestselling author Stefan Bachmann. When a twelve-year-old orphan unexpectedly becomes the mistress of a seemingly abandoned castle, she is thrust into a mysterious plot involving murderous spells, false identity, and a magical battle of wills between the living and the dead. Readers of Kate Milford's Greenglass House, Victoria Schwab's City of Ghosts, and Diana Wynne Jones will be riveted.
I grew up in a rural area, and loved wandering through the woods, listening to birds, and feeling moss under my toes. Nature always seemed like such wondrous magic. I became an engineer because I loved math and science, but then realized I wanted to share my love of nature with kids. So I earned an MFA in writing and now lean on my science and writing background to make sure that my books and the STEM books I recommend are both well-researched and presented in interesting ways. You can find more of my reviews on my blog for Perfect Picture Book Fridays. I hope the books on my list fill you with wonder, too!
I thought I knew a lot about crows, but this book showed me otherwise.
From the first page, “I spill across the sky like ink—fill the night with jagged cries. I have one thousand eyes…” I was mesmerized by the storyteller, a murder of crows speaking directly to me.
The illustrations are just as absorbing as the narrative as crows huddle and act together to scare off predators through a long, cold winter night. An amazing true story! Plus, the info about crows and how smart they are in the back matter (like how they use tools) adds even more to the coolness factor.
A riveting informational picture book that explores the beguiling mysteries of crow behavior. Gorgeous illustrations take us into a crow's environment and community, making this an incredible-and unforgettable-reading experience.
Caw-Caaaaw! Crows are fascinating and resilient birds. What is the secret to their abundance and survival, especially throughout fall and winter seasons, when temperatures drop and crow-eating creatures lurk in the dark? I Am We unpacks these mysteries, exploring how and why crows roost together by the thousands and their reliance on cooperation and community.
Sharing a home in our urbanized ecosystem, crows are the ideal subject for learning about how…
Don’t mess with the hothead—or he might just mess with you. Slater Ibáñez is only interested in two kinds of guys: the ones he wants to punch, and the ones he sleeps with. Things get interesting when they start to overlap. A freelance investigator, Slater trolls the dark side of…
I have written about the environment as a journalist since 2005, for magazines and newspapers including National Geographic,The New York Times, and Outside. For my last book, I wanted to write about animals as individuals—not just as units in a species, the way they are often thought of by conservationists. Diving into research about animal selfhood was an amazing journey. It helped shape my book, but it also changed the way I see the world around me—and who and what I think of as “people”!
I don’t read very much fiction (although I want to read more!) but I thought it would be interesting to check out some novels where animals are main characters.
I read several, and this is the one I still think about all the time. The main character is a crow and although the book is a fantastical mytho-poetic adventure through time and space, it is also a wonderful exercise in cross-species empathy.
While you are reading, you really feel like you understand what it means to be a crow. It really stuck with me; I found it really rich and wondrous.
“Ka is a beautiful, often dreamlike late masterpiece.” —Los Angeles Times
“One of our country’s absolutely finest novelists.” —Peter Straub, New York Times bestselling author of Interior Darkness and Ghost Story
From award-winning author John Crowley comes an exquisite fantasy novel about a man who tells the story of a crow named Dar Oakley and his impossible lives and deaths in the land of Ka.
A Crow alone is no Crow.
Dar Oakley—the first Crow in all of history with a name of his own—was born two thousand years ago. When a man learns his language, Dar finally gets the…
I firmly believe that literature exists to do more than entertain us. It has an incredible power to expand our perspective about the world and the lives of the people around us. Fantasy, in particular, can stretch the mind’s boundaries by asking us to empathize with compelling characters and wrap our heads around strange and wondrous worlds. I try to achieve that in my books, presenting thrilling stories, fantastic worlds, and emotionally charged moments, but always through the eyes of real-feeling people. I hope the books on this list will feel as mind-expanding and empathy-building to you as they did to me!
In recent years, nothing has gripped with me a child-like sense of excitement and wonder like The West Passage. I read fantasy as much for the experience of wonder as anything else.
As a child, I daydreamed constantly about fantastical worlds and strange planets, and I want fantasy to transport me back to that imaginative mindset. But that isn’t all it has to offer. Every page is packed with strangeness and mystery but also rich with its characters' emotional lives and psychological foibles. I was delighted and intrigued from page one.
THE LADIES REIGN. THE PALACE ROTS. THE BEAST RISES.
“The West Passage is a dangerous book of secrets.” ―Travis Baldree, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Legends & Lattes
“A weird and wonderful tale, rich with imagination and utterly unique.” ―Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters
“One of the finest fantasies of this decade, a sweeping swarm of fiercely human creativity.” ―Indrapramit Das, author of The Devourers
When the Guardian of the West Passage died in her bed, the women of Grey Tower fed her to the crows and went back to their chores. No successor was named…
I’m interested in characters and stories that reveal the light and darkness inside and between people. For me, the best stories are ones that feature screwed-up characters trying their best to put one step in front of the other, sometimes in a misguided way that costs those most dear to them. This kind of dynamic is most fraught in the family unit. Family members stunt and cultivate each other in unexpected and fascinating ways. So I’m drawn to reading about dysfunctional families, as well as writing about them as I have in my novels, The Promise of Pierson Orchard (2017) and Stone Creek (out in August 2024).
These twenty-two, well-crafted flash fiction stories illuminate a wide array of family situations and humanity by exploring both mundane and extraordinary moments. This collection manages to be funny, quirky, and poignant, while examining the foibles of family life and relationships with a particular focus on the roles of women and girls.
Twenty-two (very) short stories from Tori Bond create what Kathy Fish calls a "a collection of tightly woven, deliciously wrought stories" that, as Amy L. Clark writes, "allow Bond’s own words to soar like crows, or like chickens, and sometimes, like hope."
I’m Rashin Kheiriyeh, born in Iran to a mother who was an artist. From a young age, I adored picture books and spent hours doodling and crafting stories for my paintings. This early passion for art and storytelling drives me to explore themes of nature, change, and emotional connections in my work. With around 100 children’s books published globally, I draw on personal experiences and cultural heritage to create engaging, meaningful stories. My expertise in illustrating and writing allows me to connect with readers through vivid imagery and heartfelt narratives, making me especially attuned to themes of hope and transformation in literature.
This book by Beth Ferry is great because it's a heartfelt story about unlikely friendship, compassion, and the warmth that can be found in the most unexpected places. The story of a lonely scarecrow who opens his heart to care for a vulnerable crow is deeply touching, showing how even the most seemingly unfeeling characters can have profound kindness.
The poetic text, combined with the stunning illustrations, creates a beautiful, emotional experience that resonates with readers of all ages. It’s a book that reminds us of the importance of empathy, the connections we share, and the simple yet powerful acts of love and care that can change lives.
A Junior Library Guild Selection | An Indie Next List Pick | An Amazon Best 3-5 Books of 2019 Selection
“An emotionally impactful exploration of love and loneliness, this is an essential addition to any picture book collection.” —School Library Journal (starred review)
Bestselling author Beth Ferry (Stick and Stone) and the widely acclaimed Fan Brothers (The Night Gardener) present a gorgeous and poignant picture book about two unexpected friends and the special connection they share.
This tender and affectionate story reminds us of the comforting power of friendship and the joy of helping others—a tale that will inspire and…
