Book Review: Daughter of Crows (The Academy of Kindness, #1) by Mark Lawrence
ARC provided by the publisher—Harper Voyager—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by Tom Roberts
Daughter of Crows by Mark Lawrence
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Academy of Kindness (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic fantasy
Pages: 450 pages (Ebook Edition)
Published: 24th March 2026 by Ace Books (US) and Harper Voyager (UK)
Daughter of Crows marks Lawrence’s marvelous return to the grim and dark storytelling of his, and it will be one tale to remember.
The Academy’s official motto was, πίστη πάνω από τη συνείδηση, ‘Creed Above Conscience.’ Unofficially it was ‘Leave the bodies’.
It is always a joyful moment when you get to read one of your favorite authors’ new works. I am guilty of not having read anything by Mark Lawrence since the release of The Girl and the Stars. I know. It has been a while. Since then, Lawrence’s productivity has produced the completion of the specific trilogy and also The Library Trilogy. I promise I will get back to them all in time. But Daughter of Crows called me strongly with its premise that reminded me—slightly—of The Book of the Ancestor trilogy. I consider that series to be Lawrence’s best trilogy to date. Out of everything I’ve read, anyway. Red Sister, the first book in the trilogy, is my favorite book by Lawrence. I am pleased to say Daughter of Crows, the first book in The Kindness Academy trilogy, almost matched it in quality. And it just might end up matching it when I get to reread this book due to the multifaceted layers of storytelling it has.
‘Where the Kindly Ones punish the gods, we punish those who are mortal. We survive because the powerful fear us. And they fear us because this,’– she gestured at the walls, at the Academy all around them– ‘this is how we are made.’
Many sections of the story in Daughter of Crows takes place in The Academy of Kindness. The Academy of Kindness exists to create agents of retribution, cast in the image of the Furies—known as the kindly ones—against whom even the gods hesitate to stand. Each year a hundred girls are sold to the Academy. Ten years later only three will emerge.
The Academy’s halls run with blood. The few that survive its decade-long nightmare have been forged on the sands of the Wound Garden. They have learned ancient secrets amid the necrotic fumes of the Bone Garden. They leave its gates as avatars of vengeance, bound to uphold the oldest of laws.
Only the most desperate would sell their child to the Kindnesses. But Rue … she sold herself. And now, a lifetime later, a long and bloody lifetime later, just as she has discovered peace, war has been brought to an old woman’s doorstep.
‘Age took the beauty that I never recognised when it was mine. It dressed me in this tapestry of scars, and for each one of them sewn silver through my skin a dozen others lie too deep to see. Age stole my grace and left me stumbling on towards a final sunset. It exchanged a confidence born of ignorance, for a fear born of knowing that I don’t know. And yet… and yet… it has gifted me a measure of peace I never thought to own. A breath of calm after a storm none of us expected to end. The fires of my rage are old coals now. Quiet, and banked against the coming of night. I am older than anyone ever imagined I might become.’
There’s a lot to praise here. Straight from the beginning, it is immediately clear that aging, loss, and vengeance are some of the key themes in the narrative of Daughter of Crows. If you have read anything by Mark Lawrence, then you’ll know that he doesn’t tell his story in the most conventional way. Most of the time, multiple time frames are integrated into the narrative. This was done in Lawrence’s first three trilogies. The Broken Empire, The Red Queen’s War, and The Book of the Ancestor. Daughter of Crows is not an exception to this. It was well-written and compelling to navigate through the multiple timeframes and see how the puzzles connect to form the bigger picture. Additionally, Lawrence always brings something new to his new series. While it is true Daughter of Crows is a return to the darkness found in The Broken Empire trilogy, in some moments I’ll argue it’s even darker in tone and delivery, there is still the theme of found family that is so poignant and prominent in The Book of the Ancestory in this book. It felt like Lawrence took what he had learned from each series he wrote, put it here, and yet still managed to make the book feel refreshing and original.
‘Strength, children, is often misunderstood because it is found in so many kinds. Every strong thing, if you turn it this way and that, will look like weakness from the right angle.
Similar to other Lawrence’s novels, the protagonist is one of the strongest driving forces behind my investment in the story. I’ve mentioned the multiple timeframes earlier. But at its core, I believe the protagonists of Daughter of Crows will be the most decisive factors on whether a reader will click with the book or not. If I were to give a comparison, I would like to think of Rue as a more wrathful and merciless version of Nona Grey. Do not get me wrong. Nona can be ruthless when she protects her friends, and the same situation applies to Rue as well. But there’s something about the way Rue is written, her brokenness and how her entire life has been shaped by harsh circumstances, that made her more terrifying. This isn’t to say there isn’t compassion and kindness in the story. The Academy of Kindness is absolutely brutal. Even if most of the students won’t escape The Academy unscathed. Fortunately, Rue doesn’t have to go through the ordeals alone. I will refrain from mentioning the other character’s names here to avoid spoilers. I genuinely believe the twists and turns of the character developments must not be spoiled for the first-time reader.
‘All you ever see is a part of someone’s life, even when we live in each other’s pockets like we do here.’
By the end of the Daughter of Crows, not only did I want to read more about Rue and her vengeance, but I am also intrigued by the fascinating world-building. Lawrence infused elements of Greek mythology, Celtic mythology, dark fairy tale storytelling, and biblical influences into the creation of the world. You’ll encounter names and terms like Gog, Magog, Helios, The Furies, Kindly Ones, and The Morrigan, to mention some. I honestly think Daughter of Crows contains some of Lawrence’s best writings as well. Whether it’s in the storytelling aspect or well-written and well-placed impactful quotes. I highlighted many passages for my rereading purposes in the future. Two non-spoiler examples below:
’Common sense said to get a spear and finish her off… but a man’s pride can always lead him into foolishness, even if you’re telling him that’s exactly what’s happening. Pride’s a strange thing. Long ago an alchemist had shown Rue that there are several parts to a lungful of air. One the alchemist had named oxygen– the invisible but vital stuff that fires the blood and gives flames the strength to burn. Too little of it and you die, but too much and you also die. Pride was like that too.’
’Money is older than our civilization and as old as any of those that have passed. Money is the salve that keeps the vengeance on which we trade from consuming the world. Some sins can be paid for only with blood; but naked murder, absent compounding crimes of hospitality, oath, or kin, is, according to the ancient lore something that may be atoned for by the paying of a wergild–the blood-gold that may comfort and sustain the victim’s family.’
Daughter of Crows is a magnificent start to another new dark fantasy series by Mark Lawrence. I am thrilled with this. As it stands, I have no idea where the story will go from here. But you bet I will find out when the time comes. If you haven’t read anything by Mark Lawrence yet, this is a good place to start. As far as I know, this is not related to any of Lawrence’s previous series. Now, that could change in the later installments. We’ll find out. But for now, it stands strong on its own. If you are already a fan of Lawrence’s books, then you must not miss this one. Years to come from now, I am confident The Kindness Academy series will be praised as much as The Broken Empire and The Book of the Ancestor trilogy. I still remember being there for the publication of Red Sister. Almost a decade ago now! Fast forward to now, the book and series have garnered many die-hard fans. I have a good feeling Daughter of Crows, and potentially the sequels, will embrace the same fate.
‘To be wholly without fear was to lack imagination, and imagination– though a two-edged sword– was important for survival.”’
You can pre-order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)
The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
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