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thebiasedbibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
Not to be dramatic, but this is the book of my dreams! As an ace (asexual) person, I am always looking for books with ace rep, which are rare to begin with, but practically nonexistent in fantasy. If there is an ace character in a fantasy book, asexuality as an identity is pretty much never discussed. So, Little Black Bird is such an exquisite gem, since it has not one, but two aspec characters, AND it actually discusses asexuality and aromanticism in depth (without it overtaking the plot)!
On top of that, the story was absolutely phenomenal! The magic system specifically made the novel truly unique, and the plot flowed really well.
It’s not often that I read a book where there is absolutely nothing I would change about it, but that’s the case with Little Black Bird! I can’t wait for the sequel to come out this year!
On top of that, the story was absolutely phenomenal! The magic system specifically made the novel truly unique, and the plot flowed really well.
It’s not often that I read a book where there is absolutely nothing I would change about it, but that’s the case with Little Black Bird! I can’t wait for the sequel to come out this year!
poemsarelikepeople's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed this book! The Slavic mythology and questioning ace characters were amazing. I can’t wait to read the next book!
obliviousstill's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
marthe1998's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
deifoley's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
annas_sweets_and_stories's review against another edition
5.0
Holy wow. I'm not surprised that Anna managed to create such an intriguing and captivating story but I am still absolutely BLOWN away. Fantasy isn't my favorite genre, and sometimes I have trouble connecting to the story or the characters, but that was far from the case here. While yes, I found myself googling A LOT due to my lack of folklore and Slavic mythology knowledge (I'll have more thoughts on that later) it didn't diminish the story in any way.
Think of all the things you want in a book and I can assure you that the big ones are here. You've got TONS of queer rep (which is my most sought after book trait), not to mention the specificity regarding asexuality and the own voices rep there, but we also have magic, demons, controversy, polish folklore, Slavic mythology, and constant action and development. There is also a content warning for sexual assault and internalized acephobia so please be mindful of that before starting this one.
I've been following Anna on instagram for quite awhile now and one thing I adore about her is that she is unapologetic regarding feminism, politics, queer life and culture, and educating people are Polish history and culture. I have learned so much from her and continued to do so while reading this book.
At the beginning of this review I talked about how I had to google a lot of terms in order to understand parts of the book and I want to chat about how that is a normal thing for people who don't live in the US. Americans have this inherent privilege that allows us to usually understand most pop culture and book references. The majority of the world learns English as a second language, while Americans take a Spanish or French class in high school and forget it soon after, never actually retaining another language. Most people can name the President of the United States and perhaps even have a basic understanding of American politics when most Americans couldn't tell you the names of 5 world leaders. Americans take advantage of the fact that the world has a basic understanding of American culture, history, current events, and language while we most of the time remain ignorant to any topic outside of the US. This is an issue.
It started with cheesecake. There is a line in this book about cottage cheese being an essential ingredient to any good cheesecake, and as an American baker, I had some questions. Thankfully Anna is a patient and understanding human being who walked us all through it on her insta story. To be completely honest, even with a background in food history and years working as a baker, I had absolutely no idea about how diverse the history of cheesecake was and I certainly didn't expect such a thing to make me check my own privilege. While there is never a way to know everything, you can and should be willing to change your opinion when presented with new information.
I had thought about American privilege before, but never to such an extent and wow was that a punch in the gut. I pride myself on being open and inclusive and checking what privileges I have at every turn, but seldom did I think about how immersed the world is in American culture without Americans being immersed in international culture. It's late and I'm not sure I'm making complete sense, but I would love to open up this topic for more discussion on a different forum.
Just please know and understand that just because something doesn't make complete sense to you or you don't have the background knowledge, doesn't mean it isn't valid and important (talking to you America). To other Americans who will and should read this book, google the stuff you don't know and let it be a lesson in humility and privilege.
Think of all the things you want in a book and I can assure you that the big ones are here. You've got TONS of queer rep (which is my most sought after book trait), not to mention the specificity regarding asexuality and the own voices rep there, but we also have magic, demons, controversy, polish folklore, Slavic mythology, and constant action and development. There is also a content warning for sexual assault and internalized acephobia so please be mindful of that before starting this one.
I've been following Anna on instagram for quite awhile now and one thing I adore about her is that she is unapologetic regarding feminism, politics, queer life and culture, and educating people are Polish history and culture. I have learned so much from her and continued to do so while reading this book.
At the beginning of this review I talked about how I had to google a lot of terms in order to understand parts of the book and I want to chat about how that is a normal thing for people who don't live in the US. Americans have this inherent privilege that allows us to usually understand most pop culture and book references. The majority of the world learns English as a second language, while Americans take a Spanish or French class in high school and forget it soon after, never actually retaining another language. Most people can name the President of the United States and perhaps even have a basic understanding of American politics when most Americans couldn't tell you the names of 5 world leaders. Americans take advantage of the fact that the world has a basic understanding of American culture, history, current events, and language while we most of the time remain ignorant to any topic outside of the US. This is an issue.
It started with cheesecake. There is a line in this book about cottage cheese being an essential ingredient to any good cheesecake, and as an American baker, I had some questions. Thankfully Anna is a patient and understanding human being who walked us all through it on her insta story. To be completely honest, even with a background in food history and years working as a baker, I had absolutely no idea about how diverse the history of cheesecake was and I certainly didn't expect such a thing to make me check my own privilege. While there is never a way to know everything, you can and should be willing to change your opinion when presented with new information.
I had thought about American privilege before, but never to such an extent and wow was that a punch in the gut. I pride myself on being open and inclusive and checking what privileges I have at every turn, but seldom did I think about how immersed the world is in American culture without Americans being immersed in international culture. It's late and I'm not sure I'm making complete sense, but I would love to open up this topic for more discussion on a different forum.
Just please know and understand that just because something doesn't make complete sense to you or you don't have the background knowledge, doesn't mean it isn't valid and important (talking to you America). To other Americans who will and should read this book, google the stuff you don't know and let it be a lesson in humility and privilege.
dranarcute's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this book mostly for its asexual representation, which the author did beautifully in this debut novel. It's a pleasant urban fantasy read, very Buffyesque. I love stories were magic users are just regular folk. There's one scene where the main character was attacked by a demon and she didn't know what to do so she googled it
anniereads221's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Going through tabbing it and underling parts i adore and love made me love this a whole lot more than i already did. Wiwi and Artur mean the absolute world to me and i am so excited to now read Tall White Tenement
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Vomit, Violence, Murder, Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexism
HP referencestinysierra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
3.25
Here for the ace rep!
martini666's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It is a very easy to read book, but definitely good with a great storyline! Plus very diverse characters, especially in the lgtbqia+