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bookishyvonne's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Ein Urban Fantasybuch mit asexueller Repräsentation, das auch noch own voice ist? Hier ist: “Little Black Bird” von Anna Kirchner! Sie ist auch hier auf Instagram zu finden und postet sehr viel zu Asexualität und slawischer Kultur: @rattletheshelves .Ich liebe dieses Buch! Lest es!
[CN: Acefeindlichkeit (internalisiert), Blut, Entführung, Essstörung, Folter, HP Referenzen (S: 34, 52, 78, 85, 118, 119, 135, 179, 205), Mord, Rassismus, sexualisierte Gewalt (angedeutet), Tod]
“Little Black Bird” spielt in Polen und ist voll von slawischer Mythologie, wodurch die Geschichte für mich nochmal magischer machte. Die 17-jährige Wiktoria besitzt telekinetische Kräfte, die sie nicht kontrollieren kann. Sie unterdrückt und versteckt diese Kräfte so gut sie kann, um ein möglichst friedliches und durchschnittliches Leben zu führen. Gar nicht so einfach, wenn man verflucht wurde, die magische Welt zu zerstören. Der letzte Satz des Klappentextes fasst das Buch perfekt zusammen: “Little Black Bird” ist eine Geschichte über Vertrauen, Freundschaft und Familie und darüber, was es bedeutet, den eigenen wahren Weg zu entdecken.
Ich liebe einfach absolut alle Charaktere! So eine coole Protagonistin und eine mit der ich sehr gut relaten kann. Ich meine, welche andere Figur fragt Google, wie ein Dämon zu besiegen ist? Aber am liebsten habe ich definitiv Artur! Er verkörpert “cinnamon roll” mit jeder Faser
[CN: Acefeindlichkeit (internalisiert), Blut, Entführung, Essstörung, Folter, HP Referenzen (S: 34, 52, 78, 85, 118, 119, 135, 179, 205), Mord, Rassismus, sexualisierte Gewalt (angedeutet), Tod]
“Little Black Bird” spielt in Polen und ist voll von slawischer Mythologie, wodurch die Geschichte für mich nochmal magischer machte. Die 17-jährige Wiktoria besitzt telekinetische Kräfte, die sie nicht kontrollieren kann. Sie unterdrückt und versteckt diese Kräfte so gut sie kann, um ein möglichst friedliches und durchschnittliches Leben zu führen. Gar nicht so einfach, wenn man verflucht wurde, die magische Welt zu zerstören. Der letzte Satz des Klappentextes fasst das Buch perfekt zusammen: “Little Black Bird” ist eine Geschichte über Vertrauen, Freundschaft und Familie und darüber, was es bedeutet, den eigenen wahren Weg zu entdecken.
Ich liebe einfach absolut alle Charaktere! So eine coole Protagonistin und eine mit der ich sehr gut relaten kann. Ich meine, welche andere Figur fragt Google, wie ein Dämon zu besiegen ist? Aber am liebsten habe ich definitiv Artur! Er verkörpert “cinnamon roll” mit jeder Faser
danadoesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Little Black Bird is the first book in a series written by Anna Kirchner. Set in Poland, Wiktoria is trying to hide the fact that she has telekinetic powers. When she is hunted down by a group of local sorcerers, Wiktoria must face her powers and discover who she truly is.
I like that you are introduced to the world slowly along with Wiktoria. A lot of fantasy novels will include large sections of info dumping where you learn so much about the world at once that it's hard to remember it all. Kirchner does an excellent job of slowly introducing the important world details so that you remember them as you move through the book.
I also love the dynamic between Wiktoria and Artur. As they struggle to determine if their feelings are romantic or a side-effect of the magical connection, they learn more about their true selves. I appreciate that Kirchner includes information about the LGBTQIA+ community in Poland and despite her characters being removed from it, she includes resources for members of the community in Poland.
Little Black Bird is an engrossing urban fantasy novel full of lovable characters and I can't wait for book two!
I like that you are introduced to the world slowly along with Wiktoria. A lot of fantasy novels will include large sections of info dumping where you learn so much about the world at once that it's hard to remember it all. Kirchner does an excellent job of slowly introducing the important world details so that you remember them as you move through the book.
I also love the dynamic between Wiktoria and Artur. As they struggle to determine if their feelings are romantic or a side-effect of the magical connection, they learn more about their true selves. I appreciate that Kirchner includes information about the LGBTQIA+ community in Poland and despite her characters being removed from it, she includes resources for members of the community in Poland.
Little Black Bird is an engrossing urban fantasy novel full of lovable characters and I can't wait for book two!
diana_dea's review against another edition
4.0
-- review originally posted to my blog --
Thank you to pbroudpr on Instagram for giving me an opportunity to read an ARC for this exciting upcoming release!
“Whatever was out there had a primal, undiluted kind of magic that made people bolt their doors at night and warn their children to never, ever go into the woods on their own.”
Little Black Bird is an urban fantasy that follows Wiktoria, a girl from a Polish town who has had telekinetic powers all her life. But when she uses her powers, they hurt her, and she can hardly keep them under control – and sometimes she can’t. All her life, she has been keeping her powers a secret from everyone but her family and her closest friends, but everything changes when she is introduced to a group of sorcerers that tell her she is one of them. Among them is Artur, a boy with whom she shares a special magical bond. Soon, Wiktoria is drawn into a world of magic and demons, mythical creatures, curses and confusing emotions.
I really loved this book. I highly enjoyed seeing a YA book set in a part of Europe that is not the UK and that we don’t get to hear about often (at least not in books). It was refreshing and interesting to discover the setting and culture of a Polish town. The way magic was woven into everyday life, how it mixed up with the ordinary parts of the cities, was great. The magical world in this is based on Slavic mythology, which was very cool and it offered a lot of different creatures and stories.
Wiktoria is a great protagonist. She was strong, but not perfect: She made wrong decisions, or didn’t know what to decide, she tried her best to be true to herself but didn’t always know what that meant, and when a demon attacks her she quickly googles how to defeat it. She also felt very relatable, despite having magical powers she is very rooted in reality, and I loved how the fact that she was a reader of YA books can be seen to influence her perspective on all the magic stuff. On that note, the references to pop culture in this were on point, never felt they forced but rather dynamically woven into the story and the characters’ conversations.
One of the aspects I probably enjoyed most about this book is Artur and Wiktoria’s bond: Their magic binds them together, and soon it’s more than just that, but it is never clearly defined what they are to each other. But the fact that we don’t necessarily know what to call this relationship – is it a romance, a friendship, something in between? How much of it is simply due to their magic? – didn’t take anything away from it being very clear that they care for each other and that what is between them definitely does mean something. Both Artur and Wiktoria also still have to figure themselves and their sexuality out, and it was refreshing to see characters who didn’t already know everything about their own identity. It showed how emotions are rarely clearly defined, the words we have can’t always clearly describe them, and humans and their feelings are messy and often confusing, even to themselves.
All of the side characters were also great, and even when we only got to see them from Wiktoria’s point of view, it was clear that everyone had their own backstory and motivations. Rafi, Wiktoria’s cousin and friend, is probably my favourite, he is really supportive to Wiktoria, but there’s also Zuzana, the new leader of the sorcerers, who clearly has a lot going on and about whom I’m excited to find out more in the potential sequel.
Concerning the sorcerers, I really liked what we saw of their dynamic of the group and how they’re loyal to each other and their leader but that doesn’t mean they can’t be critical. I feel like their organization on a wider level than the city – because there are other groups in other cities – could be a bit better explained.
The plot was also intriguing and engaging. There is a curse that threatens the leader of the sorcerers and their whole town, and Wiktoria and the others have to find out how to stop this curse from becoming true, while also being faced with the riddle of where Wiktoria’s powers came from and how she can get them under control. Throughout the story, more and more information is revealed to Wiktoria and the reader, slowly bringing together a bigger picture. I liked how there was no clear villain in this story, instead everyone – the sorcerers of different groups and loyalties as well as some of the supernatural creatures – have their own motivation and aims that they believe to be true but that might crash with the plans of others.
Little Black Bird is a tale about magic and friendship and finding one’s own path. It comes out June 20th, and if a queer (own voices asexual rep among others), mystical, European urban fantasy sounds like something you might like, you should definitely check it out!
“You know, there’s this bullshit idea that you just magically know when you like someone romantically or sexually. But that’s all it is – bullshit. Emotions are messy. People are messy.”
Thank you to pbroudpr on Instagram for giving me an opportunity to read an ARC for this exciting upcoming release!
“Whatever was out there had a primal, undiluted kind of magic that made people bolt their doors at night and warn their children to never, ever go into the woods on their own.”
Little Black Bird is an urban fantasy that follows Wiktoria, a girl from a Polish town who has had telekinetic powers all her life. But when she uses her powers, they hurt her, and she can hardly keep them under control – and sometimes she can’t. All her life, she has been keeping her powers a secret from everyone but her family and her closest friends, but everything changes when she is introduced to a group of sorcerers that tell her she is one of them. Among them is Artur, a boy with whom she shares a special magical bond. Soon, Wiktoria is drawn into a world of magic and demons, mythical creatures, curses and confusing emotions.
I really loved this book. I highly enjoyed seeing a YA book set in a part of Europe that is not the UK and that we don’t get to hear about often (at least not in books). It was refreshing and interesting to discover the setting and culture of a Polish town. The way magic was woven into everyday life, how it mixed up with the ordinary parts of the cities, was great. The magical world in this is based on Slavic mythology, which was very cool and it offered a lot of different creatures and stories.
Wiktoria is a great protagonist. She was strong, but not perfect: She made wrong decisions, or didn’t know what to decide, she tried her best to be true to herself but didn’t always know what that meant, and when a demon attacks her she quickly googles how to defeat it. She also felt very relatable, despite having magical powers she is very rooted in reality, and I loved how the fact that she was a reader of YA books can be seen to influence her perspective on all the magic stuff. On that note, the references to pop culture in this were on point, never felt they forced but rather dynamically woven into the story and the characters’ conversations.
One of the aspects I probably enjoyed most about this book is Artur and Wiktoria’s bond: Their magic binds them together, and soon it’s more than just that, but it is never clearly defined what they are to each other. But the fact that we don’t necessarily know what to call this relationship – is it a romance, a friendship, something in between? How much of it is simply due to their magic? – didn’t take anything away from it being very clear that they care for each other and that what is between them definitely does mean something. Both Artur and Wiktoria also still have to figure themselves and their sexuality out, and it was refreshing to see characters who didn’t already know everything about their own identity. It showed how emotions are rarely clearly defined, the words we have can’t always clearly describe them, and humans and their feelings are messy and often confusing, even to themselves.
All of the side characters were also great, and even when we only got to see them from Wiktoria’s point of view, it was clear that everyone had their own backstory and motivations. Rafi, Wiktoria’s cousin and friend, is probably my favourite, he is really supportive to Wiktoria, but there’s also Zuzana, the new leader of the sorcerers, who clearly has a lot going on and about whom I’m excited to find out more in the potential sequel.
Concerning the sorcerers, I really liked what we saw of their dynamic of the group and how they’re loyal to each other and their leader but that doesn’t mean they can’t be critical. I feel like their organization on a wider level than the city – because there are other groups in other cities – could be a bit better explained.
The plot was also intriguing and engaging. There is a curse that threatens the leader of the sorcerers and their whole town, and Wiktoria and the others have to find out how to stop this curse from becoming true, while also being faced with the riddle of where Wiktoria’s powers came from and how she can get them under control. Throughout the story, more and more information is revealed to Wiktoria and the reader, slowly bringing together a bigger picture. I liked how there was no clear villain in this story, instead everyone – the sorcerers of different groups and loyalties as well as some of the supernatural creatures – have their own motivation and aims that they believe to be true but that might crash with the plans of others.
Little Black Bird is a tale about magic and friendship and finding one’s own path. It comes out June 20th, and if a queer (own voices asexual rep among others), mystical, European urban fantasy sounds like something you might like, you should definitely check it out!
“You know, there’s this bullshit idea that you just magically know when you like someone romantically or sexually. But that’s all it is – bullshit. Emotions are messy. People are messy.”
cabeswater's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-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
3.5
it's queer and it's polish. say less
jade_fangurl93's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
lizziepurpleserenity's review against another edition
2.5
This was quite a fun read, that pays homage to classic YA fantasy from the last couple of decades (even peppered with direct references), playing around in a self-aware way with tropes. The ace rep makes a nice change and is handled in quite an interesting way. The author's narrative has a spot-on 'teen' voice (although I do think it needs better editing). I love the Polish city setting, that was well realised and the 'city' felt like a character in itself; I felt like I was there. The plotting was a bit confusing at times and contrived, there were quite a few plot points, character decisions, and aspects of the magic that didn't make much sense to me, but the magic system and set up based on Slavic mythology was pretty cool and has a lot of potential. Given everything that's going on in Poland at the moment, it is so important that books like this are published and supported, and I commend the author for getting her fun story out there!
literarylaila's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-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
4.25
breezer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Amazing, beautiful lines, fascinating first intro to polish mythology, great bi and ace rep. Afew too many pop culture references 😂
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia and Rape
Minor: Eating disorder
isabeltavares's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
TW: torture
Little Black Bird follows Wiktoria, a seventeen-year-old on her last year of school and studying to be accepted into Medical school. However, her powers get in the way of her normal life. She is telekinetic but she isn't able to control her powers and when she uses them, it hurts her. Her powers are tabu in her family and she feels it made her family not love her as they should. Or that she doesn't deserve their love. One day, she gets noticed by someone and her story begins to unravel.
It's impossible not to care about Wiktoria, Artur, and all their friends and family. Kirchner does a great job of transferring their emotions to the reader, the sadness, the loneliness, happiness, and despair. As the book ended, I felt sad at the prospect of saying goodbye to these characters. I'm looking forward to seeing them again in the sequel (please!)
However, what I loved the most was the Slavic mythology. This is a fantasy novel set around this mythology and I genuinely loved learning the stories through Wiktoria and how it influenced the plot.
The negative aspects amount to the pacing and the lack of atmosphere. The pacing was completely off with the story going very quickly. At times I felt disconnected from what was happening and I couldn't grasp the information the characters were learning. I also wish the writing could have bee more atmospheric with the city and landscape descriptions. There's a scene in a forest that had so much potential and it didn't immerse me because of the lack of atmosphere.
Regardless, there's a positive discussion about consent, especially in a relationship and sexuality. The asexuality representation had me in tears, especially with that last scene (MY HEART!) I'm so eager to read the sequel and see what is going to happen next!
TW: torture
Once upon a time, in a cursed city, three magic-users set out to summon a devil. They were lucky. The devil, for its own nefarious reasons, cared about their goal as much as they did, so it gave them a good bargain.
Their worst fears came true.
Little Black Bird follows Wiktoria, a seventeen-year-old on her last year of school and studying to be accepted into Medical school. However, her powers get in the way of her normal life. She is telekinetic but she isn't able to control her powers and when she uses them, it hurts her. Her powers are tabu in her family and she feels it made her family not love her as they should. Or that she doesn't deserve their love. One day, she gets noticed by someone and her story begins to unravel.
It's impossible not to care about Wiktoria, Artur, and all their friends and family. Kirchner does a great job of transferring their emotions to the reader, the sadness, the loneliness, happiness, and despair. As the book ended, I felt sad at the prospect of saying goodbye to these characters. I'm looking forward to seeing them again in the sequel (please!)
However, what I loved the most was the Slavic mythology. This is a fantasy novel set around this mythology and I genuinely loved learning the stories through Wiktoria and how it influenced the plot.
The negative aspects amount to the pacing and the lack of atmosphere. The pacing was completely off with the story going very quickly. At times I felt disconnected from what was happening and I couldn't grasp the information the characters were learning. I also wish the writing could have bee more atmospheric with the city and landscape descriptions. There's a scene in a forest that had so much potential and it didn't immerse me because of the lack of atmosphere.
Regardless, there's a positive discussion about consent, especially in a relationship and sexuality. The asexuality representation had me in tears, especially with that last scene (MY HEART!) I'm so eager to read the sequel and see what is going to happen next!