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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
This was erm, very odd? Just a genuinely odd premise. Josie, an alcoholic hermit who works from home and lives with her lil dog, Po, suddenly finds herself interacting with a skeleton (Skelly) in her garden. There's also a lot of vines taking the garden/house over. And Skelly not only talks but judges. Also there's some deeper stuff at play and it all gets weirdly heartfelt??
Saw another reviewer describe this as 'cosy horror' n that sounds about right. Objectively it would be scary, yes, but in actuality this struck 0 fear in me at all. I did, however, have a very good time reading it.
Big thanks to NetGalley, Black Spot Books, and the author for the e-ARC.
Available to purchase on 7/6/22.
Oh and P.S. nothing happens to the dog. Don't fret x
Saw another reviewer describe this as 'cosy horror' n that sounds about right. Objectively it would be scary, yes, but in actuality this struck 0 fear in me at all. I did, however, have a very good time reading it.
Big thanks to NetGalley, Black Spot Books, and the author for the e-ARC.
Available to purchase on 7/6/22.
Oh and P.S. nothing happens to the dog. Don't fret x
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was weird in the best way. The whole story was so new and refreshing, it was an absolute pleasure to read. Skelly was my favourite character, and despite her shaky introduction, Sue was okay in the end. Although the ending became predictable towards the end I enjoyed the journey it.. The way the story was written made me keep wanting to pick up the book after putting it down. I felt compelled to finish it.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I got this as an ARC through NetGalley.
I went into this expecting a horror but I would say that's not really what this book is. It's much more quirky with a healthy dose of magical realism but very little scare.
I found it slow to begin with and honestly after the first couple chapters I wasnt sure if I was going go enjoy it all that much but I pushed past it and it definitely got a lot more enjoyable. I really enjoyed the rapport between Josie and Skelly. I think it could have dragged a lot if that relationship hadn't been quite as fun as it was.
I went into this expecting a horror but I would say that's not really what this book is. It's much more quirky with a healthy dose of magical realism but very little scare.
I found it slow to begin with and honestly after the first couple chapters I wasnt sure if I was going go enjoy it all that much but I pushed past it and it definitely got a lot more enjoyable. I really enjoyed the rapport between Josie and Skelly. I think it could have dragged a lot if that relationship hadn't been quite as fun as it was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Alcohol
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death of parent
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I will be honest--I did not like this book at all. (Well, besides Po, but who doesn't like the dog?) For some context, I went into this book expecting a weird horror novel with some elements of fantasy. That is not what this novel is at all, and while I don't think it is a terrible book, it certainly isn't one for me.
I just really felt like a lot of the stuff that was set up--Josie's fraught relationships, her alchoholism, etc--was never resolved or addressed, just dropped entirely at the final conclusion. We never get to see her decide to do anything about these relationships. She identifies them as unhealthy yet never addresses her ex-husband or her mother; we have no idea if they think she is dead or alive or if she's cut them off at the end of the novel. This is disappointing, as her struggle over how to feel about and handle these relationships were a huge portion of her characterization.
As a partial result of this, by the end, Josie feels stripped of all personality. She, essentially, begins to speak and act just like Skelly, instead of retaining her own personality. Her choice to 'maintain gardens around the world' makes no sense. She, as a character, has never cared about plants, and she doesn't even really seem to like the vines much at all until the end. Why she would choose this for her goal is perplexing. Why would she choose it? What does it accomplish for her or for anyone else? What is the point of those gardens?
I also felt that the novel dragged. Even though it is a fairly short, quick read, I felt I had to force myself through it. Skelly could be an interesting character but I found myself rolling my eyes every time she told a story--no matter how interesting the premise was, that was all the stories really were: a premise. They did not go into enough depth of language or story to really grab me. I also found Josie's reactions to her situation to be a bit boring; she just reacted the exact same way every time with nothing changing until she suddenly decides to be chill with everything going on at the end.
Finally, the whole thing with Skelly's motivation and the vines and the sirens--it was all vaguely explained, and I don't necessarily need to always understand everything if it's not meant to be understood, but I felt like the explanation for what the sirens were or what the deal with Skelly was was supposed to make sense and to me it just did not.
I just really felt like a lot of the stuff that was set up--Josie's fraught relationships, her alchoholism, etc--was never resolved or addressed, just dropped entirely at the final conclusion. We never get to see her decide to do anything about these relationships. She identifies them as unhealthy yet never addresses her ex-husband or her mother; we have no idea if they think she is dead or alive or if she's cut them off at the end of the novel. This is disappointing, as her struggle over how to feel about and handle these relationships were a huge portion of her characterization.
As a partial result of this, by the end, Josie feels stripped of all personality. She, essentially, begins to speak and act just like Skelly, instead of retaining her own personality. Her choice to 'maintain gardens around the world' makes no sense. She, as a character, has never cared about plants, and she doesn't even really seem to like the vines much at all until the end. Why she would choose this for her goal is perplexing. Why would she choose it? What does it accomplish for her or for anyone else? What is the point of those gardens?
I also felt that the novel dragged. Even though it is a fairly short, quick read, I felt I had to force myself through it. Skelly could be an interesting character but I found myself rolling my eyes every time she told a story--no matter how interesting the premise was, that was all the stories really were: a premise. They did not go into enough depth of language or story to really grab me. I also found Josie's reactions to her situation to be a bit boring; she just reacted the exact same way every time with nothing changing until she suddenly decides to be chill with everything going on at the end.
Finally, the whole thing with Skelly's motivation and the vines and the sirens--it was all vaguely explained, and I don't necessarily need to always understand everything if it's not meant to be understood, but I felt like the explanation for what the sirens were or what the deal with Skelly was was supposed to make sense and to me it just did not.
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Little Bird stuck out to me with the cover design. It’s intriguing and beautiful. The book is quite mysterious as you get into the story of Josie and her intentionally curated lonely life. A mysterious sentient being appears and begins to, what Josie would consider, harass her in her own yard. What is this thing/who is this thing? From here weaves the story of Skelly and Josie and Skelly’s attempts at getting Josie to understand what’s really going on.
This book was interesting. I had a hard time getting into it as I didn’t quite understand what was going on. Josie was pretty intolerable a character. Written that way on purpose I’m sure, but difficult to want to read about her. The mystery in it all was intentional but sometimes it was a bit too vague. I wanted to read and know what Skelly really was about and the intention behind her presence. That’s the idea, of course, of the book, to keep reading and slowly understand more as you go. But I found myself a bit more confused as I read more. The premise and the idea of the story is very original and interesting. In the end you do understand sort of what Skelly’s intentions are. But to me I feel like there needed to be a bit more of an explanation of what she was and what was going to happen to Josie. The idea was there but the execution, to me, of the story line could have been a bit better. The story and book have a lot of potential I think. And again, it’s an original idea and something I’ve never read before. The other side character’s presence was only half explained it seems. And I needed to know more about that. There are times when you have to draw your own conclusions in a lot of reading and some things are open to interpretation. But in this one I needed more explained to be able to truly understand.
The idea has the potential to be a lot more than it currently is. There’s something here but it’s just not quite strong enough a story for me to have followed and fully understood.
This book was interesting. I had a hard time getting into it as I didn’t quite understand what was going on. Josie was pretty intolerable a character. Written that way on purpose I’m sure, but difficult to want to read about her. The mystery in it all was intentional but sometimes it was a bit too vague. I wanted to read and know what Skelly really was about and the intention behind her presence. That’s the idea, of course, of the book, to keep reading and slowly understand more as you go. But I found myself a bit more confused as I read more. The premise and the idea of the story is very original and interesting. In the end you do understand sort of what Skelly’s intentions are. But to me I feel like there needed to be a bit more of an explanation of what she was and what was going to happen to Josie. The idea was there but the execution, to me, of the story line could have been a bit better. The story and book have a lot of potential I think. And again, it’s an original idea and something I’ve never read before. The other side character’s presence was only half explained it seems. And I needed to know more about that. There are times when you have to draw your own conclusions in a lot of reading and some things are open to interpretation. But in this one I needed more explained to be able to truly understand.
The idea has the potential to be a lot more than it currently is. There’s something here but it’s just not quite strong enough a story for me to have followed and fully understood.
It's an interesting read, but not what I expected based on the cover and synopsis. The cover is beautiful, and when I saw it on NetGalley, I immediately hit the "request" button. I expected a creepy read; instead, I got a quirky one.
Josie Lauer would laugh at her life if it weren't so miserable. Freshly divorced, she mourns her father's death and finds relief in vodka and daily routines (work, playing with the dog, dinner, vodka). Then, one day, she discovers the vine-like plant sprouting in her backyard and running amok. To make things even stranger, the talking skeleton, Skelly, occupies the throne made of vines. Naturally, Skelly wants to talk to Josie about things (life, grief, family, etc.). And so their relationship begins.
There's also a new neighbor who seems to know quite a bit about mysterious vines and talking skeletons. The mystery is why Skelly insists on pulling Josie out of her self-isolation.
The book's tone changes from humorous to melancholy but never becomes depressing. Although Josie has a drinking problem, she doesn't wake up, wasted, in her vomit. Her issue is more about losing control of her life than the destructive effects on her health. In other words, she's not a role model, but there's no extreme content here either.
Josie's narrative is quite distinct; it's full of wit, self-deprecation, and self-mockery. Her disdain for everyone except her little dog Po makes her observations about life and others (and her circumstances) funny, but also sad. Po is the only reason she goes outside. Her snarkiness masks serious mental health problems, but also makes the read entertaining.
However, the story itself is a bit boring, especially in the middle. I admit I was expecting more horror and less pseudo-philosophical asides. Things get repetitive, and I considered stopping halfway through but decided against it. I wanted to know the ending and the resolution. I'm glad I did - the ending is gratifying and strong.
I'm not fully sold on it, but I'll tell you this. If you're looking for something different, quick to read, humorous and melancholic at the same time, you can't go wrong with it.
ARC through NetGalley
Josie Lauer would laugh at her life if it weren't so miserable. Freshly divorced, she mourns her father's death and finds relief in vodka and daily routines (work, playing with the dog, dinner, vodka). Then, one day, she discovers the vine-like plant sprouting in her backyard and running amok. To make things even stranger, the talking skeleton, Skelly, occupies the throne made of vines. Naturally, Skelly wants to talk to Josie about things (life, grief, family, etc.). And so their relationship begins.
There's also a new neighbor who seems to know quite a bit about mysterious vines and talking skeletons. The mystery is why Skelly insists on pulling Josie out of her self-isolation.
The book's tone changes from humorous to melancholy but never becomes depressing. Although Josie has a drinking problem, she doesn't wake up, wasted, in her vomit. Her issue is more about losing control of her life than the destructive effects on her health. In other words, she's not a role model, but there's no extreme content here either.
Josie's narrative is quite distinct; it's full of wit, self-deprecation, and self-mockery. Her disdain for everyone except her little dog Po makes her observations about life and others (and her circumstances) funny, but also sad. Po is the only reason she goes outside. Her snarkiness masks serious mental health problems, but also makes the read entertaining.
However, the story itself is a bit boring, especially in the middle. I admit I was expecting more horror and less pseudo-philosophical asides. Things get repetitive, and I considered stopping halfway through but decided against it. I wanted to know the ending and the resolution. I'm glad I did - the ending is gratifying and strong.
I'm not fully sold on it, but I'll tell you this. If you're looking for something different, quick to read, humorous and melancholic at the same time, you can't go wrong with it.
ARC through NetGalley
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When a mysterious plant blooms in her yard and a skeleton takes up residence amongst it, Josie is confronted with facing what she wants for herself and her life.
Little Bird was a relatively quick read at a little over 200 pages. It is weird and quirky, and it is unlike anything I’ve read lately. I really related to Josie at points (maybe I should be concerned about this 🙃) and was really interested to see where her story went.
It’s missing something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but it is enjoyable none the less.
Check this one out when it’s released this June, and let me know what you think!
3/5 stars ✨
Thank you to NetGalley and Black Spot Books for the ARC of this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction
Little Bird revolves around Josie and the skeleton that shows up in her backyard. The cover is gorgeous, and I was drawn to it, and even the premise seemed promising. Some of the dialogue was interesting, but I could not find myself hooked to the story and of what happens next to Josie. I do not feel an emotional connection to her character, or any character in this book at all. I tried to look for the common elements of a horror book, as this was categorized as one but found myself disappointed and bored. I only read up until 78% of the book but I could not manage to read more. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen but even then, it did not show up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was just not for me and I’m disappointed…
I thought it would be horror and that there would at least be some feeling of uneasiness but until the end, the horror or even creepy atmosphere never came through… I couldn’t really get into it as I kept waiting for something to happen and except for a skeleton in her yard and a few crazy vines, nothing ever happened.
It was just weird, and the story just felt like it was going in circles, which had me unfortunately bored.
However, I really liked the concept of this short book (although it got a bit repetitive and could have probably been even shorter).
Josie and Po were really fun as characters, and the interactions with the Skelly (the skeleton) were quite entertaining.
Maybe you’ll like it, but I’m not quite sure why this is labelled as horror…
Thanks NetGalley for providing me with this advanced e-copy!
I thought it would be horror and that there would at least be some feeling of uneasiness but until the end, the horror or even creepy atmosphere never came through… I couldn’t really get into it as I kept waiting for something to happen and except for a skeleton in her yard and a few crazy vines, nothing ever happened.
It was just weird, and the story just felt like it was going in circles, which had me unfortunately bored.
However, I really liked the concept of this short book (although it got a bit repetitive and could have probably been even shorter).
Josie and Po were really fun as characters, and the interactions with the Skelly (the skeleton) were quite entertaining.
Maybe you’ll like it, but I’m not quite sure why this is labelled as horror…
Thanks NetGalley for providing me with this advanced e-copy!
I received this arc free of charge from NetGalley but the options are my own
I didn't hate it but it didn't blow my mind either.
I loved the cover, that is unfortunately the only thing I loved. The story was classified as horror and other than Skelly there's not really anything that had me the least bit uncomfortable. Mystery maybe, but definitely not horror.
The MC was dense so freaking dense and stubborn, I really couldn't relate. Personally if I had a huge plant growth in my yard with a talking skeleton I wouldn't be hiding in my house crying about it. I guess that's what makes the story though.
The other character Sue, I kinda wish we had gotten a little more out of her, maybe her story or a shortened version of it.
All in all it was okay
I didn't hate it but it didn't blow my mind either.
I loved the cover, that is unfortunately the only thing I loved. The story was classified as horror and other than Skelly there's not really anything that had me the least bit uncomfortable. Mystery maybe, but definitely not horror.
The MC was dense so freaking dense and stubborn, I really couldn't relate. Personally if I had a huge plant growth in my yard with a talking skeleton I wouldn't be hiding in my house crying about it. I guess that's what makes the story though.
The other character Sue, I kinda wish we had gotten a little more out of her, maybe her story or a shortened version of it.
All in all it was okay