Palaces of the Crows

by Ray Nayler, Ray Naylor

In Ray Nayler’s speculative novel of the recent past, four young teens—Neriya, a Jewish girl who dreams of becoming a biologist; Czeslaw, a deserter from the Red Army; Kezia, a Roma horse trader; and Innokentiy, a mute boy—are caught between the Nazis and the Red Army during the 1941 blitzkrieg. Forced into the Lithuanian forest, they survive the brutal winter by forming an unbreakable bond with each other and with a flock of highly intelligent crows that protect a mysterious secret. The crows warn the children of danger and help them evade German troops, Russian deserters, Polish partisans, fascist Lithuanian police, and other bandits, weaving a tale of survival, loyalty, and the fragile beauty of life in the darkest of times.