The Crow by Allison Croggon

Synopsis: Hem is Maered's orphaned younger brother whose stuggle for survival ends as he is reunited with his sister by some strange miracle. Their reunion is bittersweet and leaves a lasting impression on the sibling's hearts but is short lived as Maered is forced to travel north with Cadvan to unveil the life-threatening riddles that haunt her. Hem is sent to study at a Bardic schools to nurture his magical gifts with Saliman, a powerful and respected Bard. Hem and Saliman form a touching and powerful relationship, similar to father and son, as they face wars and horrifying strifes. Together they escape and thwart the Nameless One's plans as they struggle to find their way back to Maered as the Dark Army marches northward.

Review: This was a very dark and depressing novel, lacking beauty and full of sorrow. I had a sad demeanor throughout my days as I read this book. It was continually hardship after hardship and I began to lose hope for a good ending, but the author managed to reel me back into the story by the end and I knew I needed to get the final book to find out how the story would unfold.