Reviews

The Absence of Sparrows by Kurt Kirchmeier

mrs_bookdragon's review against another edition

3.0

I am a huge fan of dystopian literature and I was so glad to pick up a new middle grade book in that genre. I was immediately drawn into this book with the mystery of the birds and what was happening. This book had a great balance of heart break and hope.

I received this ARC as part of my Lit Review Crew.

sara1742's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

kekananen's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

shellycampbellauthor's review against another edition

5.0

Gripping read for all ages

The Absence of Sparrows is one of those reads that pulls you in and doesn’t let go. Kurt’s writing is sure to appeal to kids and adults alike. It’s masterful in its simplicity. Gripping, emotional read that keeps pulling the tension tighter until you find yourself up far past your bedtime...and not wanting to sleep at all anymore. Well done. I really enjoyed this one.

areadingpotato's review against another edition

4.0

Gripping and painful, this book deals with the human experiences of an apocalypse. There are no real answers and many hard topics are examined.

All by an 11 year old boy.

I think this is an amazing book, although, I have no idea how it will do with the age group it is meant for. Will they like it? Will it be too much? It was almost too much for me for a vast percentage of the book. I'm not sure who to recommend this to. Definitely not to sensitive souls.

Regardless of me not being the intended audience, or sure who to recommend it too, I still love the book dearly.

A side note:

Spoiler

God/religion and cults (not as an interchangeable concept)

are present in this book. If that bothers any of the adults looking for books for their children then don't get this book.
I found parts of it awkward because it's not a part of my life, but I didn't feel like it was pushing an agenda on either side. I honestly don't think that part of the book will be a big deal for most children reading it, but us adults get our panties in a knot about all kinds of trivial things so I'm mentioning it here.

lazygal's review against another edition

3.0

When a really dark cloud covers your town and suddenly some people are turned to a glassy stone... and later shatter... what would you do? How would you protect your family or yourself? How obsessed would you be with listening to the radio, and would you follow along with some bizarre plan to solve this global problem? That's the tension Ben deals with when his summer plans are upended by the glassification plague. There were several plot lines that weren't wrapped up as well as they could have been given the strength of the first half of the book, hence only 3 stars.

ARC provided by publisher.

patslibrary's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

i really don't know what to feel??? the buildup was great in the first half but as i was nearing the end of the book, i was almost desperate for the climax. when it came, it didn't feel like the climax so i was left feeling unsatisfied. i get the charm of leaving things ambiguous but i still have so many questions

especially concerning the "Voice" and the sparrows that arrived right at the moment of "Shattering"

. it felt like so many plot points were introduced but not actually delved on so the story doesn't feel cohesive, overall. ben's pov was really emotionally resonant though; i think i just went through five stages of grief with him.

jestrudel's review against another edition

5.0

This book was on my TBR pile for a few months but it wasn’t available through the library. When it finally popped up as available on Overdrive, we were now in the midst of a pandemic. I hesitated before borrowing the book. Did I really need to read a book about a fictional pandemic in the midst of a real one?

I went for it, and I am so glad I did. The pandemic in the book is dissimilar to the one we’re experiencing now, so it didn’t feel too on the nose, but I could appreciate much better what the characters were feeling and experiencing. The author tackles the emotion in the book with sincerity without any of the hysterics, and the characters, particularly the child ones, are distinct and realistic in their portrayals.

This book is solid from beginning to end and I gobbled it up in less than 24 hours (I am normally a very slow reader).

SPOILER (sort of?): The only thing I didn’t like is the opening paragraph, because the narrator reveals that he survives by speaking as his older self, but I suppose in heart-wrenching times, when you’re holding a heart-wrenching read, it’s good to know there’s hope for the protagonist.

ashleybhaller's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

cleverfoxwithcoffee's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25