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apatrick1982's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I love this series. In this one, I love how we see both sides of Miriam- the crazy, batshit side but also the vulnerable, damaged side. She has moved on from being a simple thief to a killer, but playing with fate and how things are supposed to go are about to come back and bite her in the ass. Not nearly as good as the first one but I thoroughly enjoy this journey she is on.
I love this series. In this one, I love how we see both sides of Miriam- the crazy, batshit side but also the vulnerable, damaged side. She has moved on from being a simple thief to a killer, but playing with fate and how things are supposed to go are about to come back and bite her in the ass. Not nearly as good as the first one but I thoroughly enjoy this journey she is on.
andrewbenesh1's review against another edition
5.0
In Blackbirds, Chuck Wendig introduced us to deeply troubled anti-hero Miriam Black, a woman who can see the deaths of others when she touches them. It was an exploration of a character in both physical and emotional isolation, who was driven by loss and seeking any distraction she could; in the end, it shows us her first steps towards re-engaging with the world as a person rather than a victim. In Mockingbird, we see Miriam take another big step – caring about someone else without the expectation of being rewarded or reciprocated. It’s not a journey into sainthood, mind you, but it’s growth. In Cormorant, we begin to explore another new idea for Miriam – forgiveness.
As with Wendig’s prior two novels, this Miriam Black story has kinetic feel that feels like watching a Tarantino movie. The action is constant, clever, and sometimes just a little over the top. The writing remains grounded in the world, but doesn’t allow the realism to become depressing or distancing. The wordplay remains on point, as does Wendig’s penchant for drawing out beautiful images from crass scenes.
Although it doesn’t contain as much worldbuilding as the prior novels, The Cormorant provide a deeper dive into Miriam’s past than we’ve seen previously. By abandoning her newfound relationships (at least for a while), we’re able to greater plumb the depths of Miriam’s self-worth and her antagonism towards her family (and the world of supernatural fatalistic manifestations). The result is forgiveness, but not the “now we’re best friends forever isn’t it grand” brand of forgiveness. Instead, we’re shown Miriam moving into a place of forgiveness characterized by acceptance of the past and understanding of others imperfections.
It’s not all emotionally charged personal growth, though. Miriam still retains her impulsive, reckless, and blunt traits, and these round out the story well. We get to meet the archetypal Florida Man, explore the world of casual lesbian hookups, and have plenty of good old fashioned fighting. This is my one area of complaint; like the first book Miriam’s levels of physical endurance seem to be well above any reasonable threshold. I understand Miriam’s abrupt death or hospitalization would damage the flow of the novel, but I’d rather see her as a little more vulnerable to injury (similar to the second novel). However, this is a small point, and doesn’t detract from enjoyment of the novel.
If you’re ready for another round of crazy Miriam Black fun, you won’t be disappointed with this entry.
As with Wendig’s prior two novels, this Miriam Black story has kinetic feel that feels like watching a Tarantino movie. The action is constant, clever, and sometimes just a little over the top. The writing remains grounded in the world, but doesn’t allow the realism to become depressing or distancing. The wordplay remains on point, as does Wendig’s penchant for drawing out beautiful images from crass scenes.
Although it doesn’t contain as much worldbuilding as the prior novels, The Cormorant provide a deeper dive into Miriam’s past than we’ve seen previously. By abandoning her newfound relationships (at least for a while), we’re able to greater plumb the depths of Miriam’s self-worth and her antagonism towards her family (and the world of supernatural fatalistic manifestations). The result is forgiveness, but not the “now we’re best friends forever isn’t it grand” brand of forgiveness. Instead, we’re shown Miriam moving into a place of forgiveness characterized by acceptance of the past and understanding of others imperfections.
It’s not all emotionally charged personal growth, though. Miriam still retains her impulsive, reckless, and blunt traits, and these round out the story well. We get to meet the archetypal Florida Man, explore the world of casual lesbian hookups, and have plenty of good old fashioned fighting. This is my one area of complaint; like the first book Miriam’s levels of physical endurance seem to be well above any reasonable threshold. I understand Miriam’s abrupt death or hospitalization would damage the flow of the novel, but I’d rather see her as a little more vulnerable to injury (similar to the second novel). However, this is a small point, and doesn’t detract from enjoyment of the novel.
If you’re ready for another round of crazy Miriam Black fun, you won’t be disappointed with this entry.
gillygab's review against another edition
3.0
This book would have gotten four stars from me if it weren't for the weird timeline it's got going on. Multiple times I had to reread because I couldn't figure out where we were at in the story. It bounces around a lot. All of the scenes are important. None of the words are wasted. They just become hard to follow at times. Still a darn good story though.
vita_zeta's review against another edition
4.0
This is pretty damn cool. Which is more or less the baseline for Miriam Black books, so when I say that this is not my favorite in the series, I want you to know there's no real insult there. It still puts it well above most of what I've read this year.
Some may think of Chuck Wendig as a very blunt writer. The crass language, the violence, the straight-forward muscle-motivated characters. He's not, though, he's a very clever writer. He makes his bull-in-a-china-shop protagonists into people who are relatable, fragile even. That said, The Cormorant is a much more blunt book than most of Wendig's stuff, despite the fact that Miriam goes one of her most emotional journeys. But when the stakes are that high, the punches aren't pulled. Miriam gets torn to shreds and so does just about everyone she touches. Superpowers show up that are even more overwhelming and terrifying than we've encountered before. And someone gets eaten by birds. Bones and all.
This is a nasty book. This is a mean book. It's ugly and bloody and angry. I enjoyed those parts of it. I didn't love love it though, and think that's because the emotional weight of this book is Miriam's relationship with her mother, and I think everything that needed to be said about that was already done well enough in the earlier books. The Cormorant just makes it clearer.
To me, Miriam's heart is Louis, and I am super excited that he's going to be back for the next book, at least I assume so by the ending. In all, there's no disappointment here, this is a true Miriam Black book to its core, but its maybe a little emotionally weaker than its predecessors.
Some may think of Chuck Wendig as a very blunt writer. The crass language, the violence, the straight-forward muscle-motivated characters. He's not, though, he's a very clever writer. He makes his bull-in-a-china-shop protagonists into people who are relatable, fragile even. That said, The Cormorant is a much more blunt book than most of Wendig's stuff, despite the fact that Miriam goes one of her most emotional journeys. But when the stakes are that high, the punches aren't pulled. Miriam gets torn to shreds and so does just about everyone she touches. Superpowers show up that are even more overwhelming and terrifying than we've encountered before. And someone gets eaten by birds. Bones and all.
This is a nasty book. This is a mean book. It's ugly and bloody and angry. I enjoyed those parts of it. I didn't love love it though, and think that's because the emotional weight of this book is Miriam's relationship with her mother, and I think everything that needed to be said about that was already done well enough in the earlier books. The Cormorant just makes it clearer.
To me, Miriam's heart is Louis, and I am super excited that he's going to be back for the next book, at least I assume so by the ending. In all, there's no disappointment here, this is a true Miriam Black book to its core, but its maybe a little emotionally weaker than its predecessors.
theartolater's review against another edition
5.0
When I was able to grab an advance of The Cormorant, I jumped at the opportunity. This is another gear-shift from the second book where we're seeing a lot of the results of the first two stories.
In The Cormorant, Miriam's kind of on the run following what happened in the second book. She's still getting the future of others, but, in a callback of sorts to Blackbirds, one person she touches is dead shortly after seeing Miriam's name spelled out in blood on the floor. Not only does someone know Miriam's secret power, but they're sending her a message through people about to die.
This is new and interesting.
The story moves along at a much better clip than the second book, which is welcome, and we've now moved past the "this story might not be necessary" part into something a lot more significant. Miriam's powers mean something to people, and she's playing defense not only for herself, but for other people now. It's a great shift for the series, and one that's making it a little more essential from volume to volume.
The back of the book teases a fourth book on the way, and I'm officially excited for it. Wendig's created a neat little universe that's worth your attention, and the Miriam Black books are just light enough fare to be a fun read while having enough weight behind them to be worth your energy.
In The Cormorant, Miriam's kind of on the run following what happened in the second book. She's still getting the future of others, but, in a callback of sorts to Blackbirds, one person she touches is dead shortly after seeing Miriam's name spelled out in blood on the floor. Not only does someone know Miriam's secret power, but they're sending her a message through people about to die.
This is new and interesting.
The story moves along at a much better clip than the second book, which is welcome, and we've now moved past the "this story might not be necessary" part into something a lot more significant. Miriam's powers mean something to people, and she's playing defense not only for herself, but for other people now. It's a great shift for the series, and one that's making it a little more essential from volume to volume.
The back of the book teases a fourth book on the way, and I'm officially excited for it. Wendig's created a neat little universe that's worth your attention, and the Miriam Black books are just light enough fare to be a fun read while having enough weight behind them to be worth your energy.
c_bulin's review against another edition
3.0
It lost a star for the bi/pan-erasure. I almost didn't finish but Wendig waited long enough into the story that it would have been a waste to drop it. The story was compelling, more so than the previous novels, but not allowing Miriam to claim her sexuality ruined it :(((
cnvair's review against another edition
5.0
This was definitely my favorite of the series so far. So glad to finally delve more into Miriam's past and her powers, and always, Wendig's writing is fantastic. The bird thing is really, really fun in the most gruesome way possible.
readbyashleyd's review against another edition
5.0
These books are like a bag of candy, I open it and POOF, before I know it the bag is empty and I’m left satisfied yet regretful that I didn’t savour it. But there is no savouring these books, they just BEG to be devoured. This time around the stakes are even higher because its personal and Miriam will do anything to save those she loves. It’s kind of crazy when you look from the first book to this one, Miriam has grown so much as a person and it’s kind of beautiful to see. She’s still badass and foul mouthed but we begin to see a softer side of her and I’m all for it! The end of this one broke me, I felt like I could actually FEEL my heart breaking and I enjoyed every second of it. That’s the beauty of these books, there’s swearing and gore and mayhem but at the same time they just make you FEEL so much!
prettyinpapercuts's review against another edition
4.0
Another fantastic addition to the Miriam Black series. Can't put these things down.