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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you so much to Black Spot Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
The last 20% of the story is what bumped this from a 3 star read to a 4 star for me. The writing gets more serious, and we fully see what Josie's (the MC) life has become. The ending suits the characters and the writing style well, and feels like a proper conclusion.
To back this up a bit, this book is divided into days instead of chapters. The entire story takes place in just over a week. We are introduced to Josie who comes off as very sarcastic, crass, and has a grudge against the world. It is definitely difficult to sympathize with her at all in the beginning due to her abrasiveness, and honestly how dense she is in some scenes can be frustrating. However, as we learn more about her background it becomes clear why she behaves this way, and morphs into quite a sad character.
The first genre this book is listed as is horror, and I'd have to disagree. I think first and foremost it's a dark comedy. The way the character's interact with each other, and the writing style itself just gives a humorous edge to everything. This did take a little getting used to in the beginning for me, but I think that's just because most of what I read is on the super serious side.
Overall, this turned into a pleasant surprise for me, and I enjoyed it much more than I expected.
The last 20% of the story is what bumped this from a 3 star read to a 4 star for me. The writing gets more serious, and we fully see what Josie's (the MC) life has become. The ending suits the characters and the writing style well, and feels like a proper conclusion.
To back this up a bit, this book is divided into days instead of chapters. The entire story takes place in just over a week. We are introduced to Josie who comes off as very sarcastic, crass, and has a grudge against the world. It is definitely difficult to sympathize with her at all in the beginning due to her abrasiveness, and honestly how dense she is in some scenes can be frustrating. However, as we learn more about her background it becomes clear why she behaves this way, and morphs into quite a sad character.
The first genre this book is listed as is horror, and I'd have to disagree. I think first and foremost it's a dark comedy. The way the character's interact with each other, and the writing style itself just gives a humorous edge to everything. This did take a little getting used to in the beginning for me, but I think that's just because most of what I read is on the super serious side.
Overall, this turned into a pleasant surprise for me, and I enjoyed it much more than I expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Toxic relationship
Minor: Vomit
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
adventurous
challenging
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley for the Earc in exchange for an honest review
I really enjoy the whimsical feel of the book and loved how faced paced it was, I love the idea of uncontrollable plants that take over your life so I jumped at the chance to read. Skelly the talking skeleton was a great addition to the book and was so funny.
However, this is a great case of a book having an amazing premise but not executed amazingly, I felt like the writing was juvenile for the premise and the plot and wasn't entirely sure who the audience was supposed to be. I also didn't care all that much about the main character as I found her judgmental and a bit mean for no reason and I don't think the character development was there.
Overall I would recommend it but only for people who are new to the genre of magical realism, or new to reading and want a fast-paced book to start off with.
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed reading this. I was expecting a little more scares, etc considering its in the horror genre but they just weren't there, and personally I wouldn't categorise it as horror. I enjoyed the character building and the scene building. And I loved Skelly!
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Little Bird is a quirky little paranormal urban fantasy tale. From the cover art to the plot I feel like this was very aggressively marketed toward me and it did not disappoint.
We follow Josie, a girl approaching rock bottom after the loss of her father/best friend and subsequent failed marriage. As Josie tries to process her grief, she cuts herself off from the outside world, only finding comfort in her chihuahua Po and glass after glass of vodka. When a nosy neighbor and sentient back yard skeleton force their way into Josie’s life, she’s forced to make a choice; continue to allow her life to collapse in on itself or accept change and find a way to move forward?
Possibly an acquired taste, bleak and evocative, charming and insightful, with a sprinkle of humor and a deluge of weird, Little Bird, while short, is meant to be savored. I wouldn’t be surprised if I came back to this one again.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Alcohol
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Vomit
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am really having a hard time putting into words on how much I enjoyed this story. Josie was a very relatable character and I really could see myself in her. From her not wanting to leave the house to her mental issues. There are days I don't want to leave the house and deal with people.. I really don't know how much I can say without spoiling it. I don't know if this was Tiffany Meuret intent but I felt like this was showing how dark and alone mental illness can make you feel. Like the vines closing in on you in your brain. I will be buying a physical copy of this book once it comes out, I can see myself rereading this over and over again. I will also recommend this book to all my friends and family. Thank you Black Spot Books, , Netgalley and Tiffany Meuret letting read and review this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
dark
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
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was very strange...but not in a bad way. Just strange.
Little Bird is about middle aged Josie, a white woman who owns a freelance company that settles customer disputes. Josie has been hit hard by the death of her father and dissolution of her marriage. To cope, Josie spends most her time working, playing with her dog and drinks copious amounts of vodka. One day, Josie notices a new vine plant has sprouted in her yard and a new neighbor has moved in. Then a magical skull comes with it as the plant continues to grow. Josie knows something big is about to happen, but she's not sure what it is or why it's picked her.
This was a very atmospheric story. The creepy element of the menacing and magical skull/skeleton was done so well. I liked how there was always tension in the scenes. Josie was an interesting character, though her alcoholism didn't really endear her to me. I didn't hate her either, I just felt like she was letting her life spin out of control because she didn't know how to do anything else. Really, she probably needed some therapy.
The ending was not something I guessed would happen, but it made a lot of sense. I liked that Josie eventually befriends her nosy neighbor, Sue. Sue was such a sweetheart and tries to take care of everyone. I liked the dynamic between these two even when Josie was a huge grump to her.
Overall, this was interesting but strange. I would recommend this to people who enjoy character driven stories.
Rep: white alcoholic female MC, female skeleton side character (like literally a skeleton), white female side character.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, alcoholism, grief. Moderate: death, death of parent, terminal illness (all happened before start of book, mentioned as flashbacks).
This was very strange...but not in a bad way. Just strange.
Little Bird is about middle aged Josie, a white woman who owns a freelance company that settles customer disputes. Josie has been hit hard by the death of her father and dissolution of her marriage. To cope, Josie spends most her time working, playing with her dog and drinks copious amounts of vodka. One day, Josie notices a new vine plant has sprouted in her yard and a new neighbor has moved in. Then a magical skull comes with it as the plant continues to grow. Josie knows something big is about to happen, but she's not sure what it is or why it's picked her.
This was a very atmospheric story. The creepy element of the menacing and magical skull/skeleton was done so well. I liked how there was always tension in the scenes. Josie was an interesting character, though her alcoholism didn't really endear her to me. I didn't hate her either, I just felt like she was letting her life spin out of control because she didn't know how to do anything else. Really, she probably needed some therapy.
The ending was not something I guessed would happen, but it made a lot of sense. I liked that Josie eventually befriends her nosy neighbor, Sue. Sue was such a sweetheart and tries to take care of everyone. I liked the dynamic between these two even when Josie was a huge grump to her.
Overall, this was interesting but strange. I would recommend this to people who enjoy character driven stories.
Rep: white alcoholic female MC, female skeleton side character (like literally a skeleton), white female side character.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, alcoholism, grief. Moderate: death, death of parent, terminal illness (all happened before start of book, mentioned as flashbacks).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent