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laurensalisbury's review
2.0
I really kept wishing something supernatural or exciting would happen here, but it just didn't. I hate to be the person who trots out the "unlikeable character" trope but in this case it was more a matter of not know how to align myself. I love a good unlikeable character as long as I know where I stand with them. In The Blackbird Season I did not like anyone and also did not know how to feel about anyone.
It was hard to get through this one and I considered not finishing it multiple times. I think a desire for the birds to mean something (which they really didn't) kept me going. I was disappointed.
It was hard to get through this one and I considered not finishing it multiple times. I think a desire for the birds to mean something (which they really didn't) kept me going. I was disappointed.
rseykora's review against another edition
2.0
I thought there were too many sub plot lines happening at once and it was disjointed. I kept waiting for the title and blackbird incident to make sense, but that fell short as well.
julieannasbooks's review against another edition
3.0
The Blackbird Season is a slow-burn mystery about the disappearance of a high-school girl and the growing accusations against one of her teachers - all coming into play after dozens of dead blackbirds fall from the sky. The story also portrays the downfall of the small town it takes place in due to the closure of a mill that displaced jobs for many, several years ago.
In terms of setting, this book does a great job at illustrating the struggles of this town after the loss of its biggest employer. Not only that, but between the descriptions of locations, the desires of the characters, and the overall vibes that the town gives, it is clear that to most, the thought of having to stay in Mount Oanoke is undesirable.
Although the characters are a good reflection of the town itself, I can't say that any of them were the least bit likeable. And while not all characters need to be likeable to make a good book, I felt that, in the case of a book like this, I had nobody I even wanted to side with, and that made it harder for me to invest in wanting to know the resolution. Not to mention, many of their decisions were illogical and were frustrating (not necessarily in a good way sometimes) to read.
The synopsis also had me believing the book was going in a completely different direction. It places a large emphasis on the falling of the birds from the sky, but this ends up not being a major component of the book. I wasn't disappointed in the storyline I got, but I was also hoping it would have been more like what was emphasized in the synopsis.
Overall, The Blackbird Season was a good atmospheric read, but I often struggled to appreciate the characters. If you're looking for October reads and you're not looking for lots of thrills or horror (and don't mind the characters), this book would be a better fit, but it will still leave you with that unsettled feeling as you read it.
In terms of setting, this book does a great job at illustrating the struggles of this town after the loss of its biggest employer. Not only that, but between the descriptions of locations, the desires of the characters, and the overall vibes that the town gives, it is clear that to most, the thought of having to stay in Mount Oanoke is undesirable.
Although the characters are a good reflection of the town itself, I can't say that any of them were the least bit likeable. And while not all characters need to be likeable to make a good book, I felt that, in the case of a book like this, I had nobody I even wanted to side with, and that made it harder for me to invest in wanting to know the resolution. Not to mention, many of their decisions were illogical and were frustrating (not necessarily in a good way sometimes) to read.
The synopsis also had me believing the book was going in a completely different direction. It places a large emphasis on the falling of the birds from the sky, but this ends up not being a major component of the book. I wasn't disappointed in the storyline I got, but I was also hoping it would have been more like what was emphasized in the synopsis.
Overall, The Blackbird Season was a good atmospheric read, but I often struggled to appreciate the characters. If you're looking for October reads and you're not looking for lots of thrills or horror (and don't mind the characters), this book would be a better fit, but it will still leave you with that unsettled feeling as you read it.
annm1121's review against another edition
2.0
This book could make a good Lifetime movie eventually. I don’t recommend reading unless you’re in a mom’s group that enjoys poorly written books with a hint of mystery, sex and supernatural occurrences. Blackbirds have nothing to do with the plot and all the scenes in the police station are so unrealistic they are comical.
mackenzierm's review against another edition
4.0
First line: "The day the birds fell, I dealt the tower card."
This was an interesting novel, although I found it took me awhile to really get into it.
The characters were compelling with interesting backstories. I had many feelings of mistrust of certain characters, and annoyance or disappointment in others. There were also moments of happiness and hope.
I saw the major twist coming just before it began to unfold, but seeing the reasoning behind it all added more allure.
In reality, I would like to give this novel a 3.5 star rating, firstly, because of how long it took for me to really get into the story. Secondly, I really enjoyed the aspects of superstition and its symbolism, tarot cards, etc. and I would have liked to learn more about that. Regardless, I did enjoy reading this novel and would consider reading more of Moretti's work.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this novel for allowing me to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
This was an interesting novel, although I found it took me awhile to really get into it.
The characters were compelling with interesting backstories. I had many feelings of mistrust of certain characters, and annoyance or disappointment in others. There were also moments of happiness and hope.
I saw the major twist coming just before it began to unfold, but seeing the reasoning behind it all added more allure.
In reality, I would like to give this novel a 3.5 star rating, firstly, because of how long it took for me to really get into the story. Secondly, I really enjoyed the aspects of superstition and its symbolism, tarot cards, etc. and I would have liked to learn more about that. Regardless, I did enjoy reading this novel and would consider reading more of Moretti's work.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this novel for allowing me to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
meloches's review against another edition
3.0
Last year, I read (and loved!) The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti, so I was thrilled to find out that #cjsreads had obtained copies of her sophomore novel, The Blackbird Season as one of our September picks! I had absolutely no expectations going into this book; truthfully, I loved The Vanishing Year so much that I didn’t even read the synopsis of this book. I figured that if Moretti wrote it, I would be interested. I was right! Moretti was able to weave a pretty stellar, mysterious novel within these pages. One that left me binge reading late into the night.
This story surrounds high school teacher, Nate Winters as he is accused of having an affair with a female student, Lucia Hamm. As Nate’s life spirals and Lucia goes missing, Nate is the only suspect. As his wife, Alecia begins to question his situation, his only ally comes in the form of a co-worker and creative writing teacher, Bridget, who realizes the only way to save Nate’s reputation could be using Lucia’s journals.
Though marketed as a psychological thriller, I didn’t find that this one fit that bill in the traditional sense. When I think of psychological thriller, I think of a fast-paced, on the edge of your seat, mind-bending plot filled with unreliable narration and lots of “WHOA” moments. In this case, I felt Moretti created more of a slow-burning mystery. What happened to Lucia? Who is telling the truth? What is the deal with all these birds? For me, this absolutely worked.
Generally speaking, choppy and disjointed narration usually gets on my nerves, but, somehow, Moretti manages to make this style of narration easy to follow and completely addictive throughout the plot of this tale. I was on the edge of my seat as I devoured each chapter (both and back and forth in time) and tried to figure out what the true happenings were and what motives the characters were acting with. Each character gets a distinct POV and I loved hearing the story from each of their perspectives. I found this to be incredibly interesting.
One of my largest gripes to this story was the situation with the birds. At the beginning of the story, we are told that thousands (hundreds? millions? Who knows) of blackbirds have fallen out of the sky and into the town. People are horrified by this phenomenon and experts are called in to test the town’s water and air, looking for reasons and possible side effects of this occurrence. I waited for the entirety of the book for this to be made clear. And, alas, there was never really an explanation. The birds were more of a metaphor or a representation and I just wasn’t about that. Personally, I felt like I needed an explanation.
Overall, if you enjoy a tightly woven plot with multiple characters and a compelling mystery, I think you will enjoy this book. It really reminded me of Everything You Want Me To Be by Mindy Mejia. They both had that small town mystery vibe.
This story surrounds high school teacher, Nate Winters as he is accused of having an affair with a female student, Lucia Hamm. As Nate’s life spirals and Lucia goes missing, Nate is the only suspect. As his wife, Alecia begins to question his situation, his only ally comes in the form of a co-worker and creative writing teacher, Bridget, who realizes the only way to save Nate’s reputation could be using Lucia’s journals.
Though marketed as a psychological thriller, I didn’t find that this one fit that bill in the traditional sense. When I think of psychological thriller, I think of a fast-paced, on the edge of your seat, mind-bending plot filled with unreliable narration and lots of “WHOA” moments. In this case, I felt Moretti created more of a slow-burning mystery. What happened to Lucia? Who is telling the truth? What is the deal with all these birds? For me, this absolutely worked.
Generally speaking, choppy and disjointed narration usually gets on my nerves, but, somehow, Moretti manages to make this style of narration easy to follow and completely addictive throughout the plot of this tale. I was on the edge of my seat as I devoured each chapter (both and back and forth in time) and tried to figure out what the true happenings were and what motives the characters were acting with. Each character gets a distinct POV and I loved hearing the story from each of their perspectives. I found this to be incredibly interesting.
One of my largest gripes to this story was the situation with the birds. At the beginning of the story, we are told that thousands (hundreds? millions? Who knows) of blackbirds have fallen out of the sky and into the town. People are horrified by this phenomenon and experts are called in to test the town’s water and air, looking for reasons and possible side effects of this occurrence. I waited for the entirety of the book for this to be made clear. And, alas, there was never really an explanation. The birds were more of a metaphor or a representation and I just wasn’t about that. Personally, I felt like I needed an explanation.
Overall, if you enjoy a tightly woven plot with multiple characters and a compelling mystery, I think you will enjoy this book. It really reminded me of Everything You Want Me To Be by Mindy Mejia. They both had that small town mystery vibe.
claudia_is_reading's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the story and the way in which is told. Lucia's journal and Alecia, Nate and Bridget's POVs and works really well for me.
Yes, most of the characters are really unlikeable, but I don't think we were meant to like them. They are all (except for Bridget), very flawed human beings, acting out of hurt, frustration, tiredness or, in the case of Nate, sheer stupidity. I can understand why most of them act the way they do which doesn't mean that I think is justifiable, just... I can see it happening.
Life in small towns, always such a delight! People love to destroy their idols, don't they? And they will always tell you: I knew there was something wrong with him (or her). Nobody is that nice!
The narration by different actors is a great choice, too and I enjoy all of them.
A good story, entertaining and with a good dose of suspense.
Yes, most of the characters are really unlikeable, but I don't think we were meant to like them. They are all (except for Bridget), very flawed human beings, acting out of hurt, frustration, tiredness or, in the case of Nate, sheer stupidity. I can understand why most of them act the way they do which doesn't mean that I think is justifiable, just... I can see it happening.
Life in small towns, always such a delight! People love to destroy their idols, don't they? And they will always tell you: I knew there was something wrong with him (or her). Nobody is that nice!
The narration by different actors is a great choice, too and I enjoy all of them.
A good story, entertaining and with a good dose of suspense.
brandy_moubray's review against another edition
2.0
This is my first read from this author. I did enjoy the story for the most part but I kept finding myself flipping pages to see when the chapter was supposed to be taking place. The time line did not flow as well for me as I would have liked.
jillhannaha's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this great read!
This suspense novel covers so many things ~ bullying in school, possible improper teacher/student relationships, the effects on a town when the main employer shuts down, blackmail...and the dynamics of it all are woven around the fact that a troubled teenager is missing.
Told from four different POVs, this book will keep you guessing about whom to trust and the domino effect on their lives from each wrong decision made.
This suspense novel covers so many things ~ bullying in school, possible improper teacher/student relationships, the effects on a town when the main employer shuts down, blackmail...and the dynamics of it all are woven around the fact that a troubled teenager is missing.
Told from four different POVs, this book will keep you guessing about whom to trust and the domino effect on their lives from each wrong decision made.