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A review by elle_ette
Plague Birds by Jason Sanford
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Apex Books for providing me with this advanced reader copy to review. All of my ARC reviews are spoiler-free! Plague Birds is expected to release September 21st 2021.
Plague Birds is set in the far future, the epic tale of a young woman named Crista who is thrust into a life she never expected to live. Humans lost their humanity a long time ago, and are now gene spliced with animals and watched over by AIs. The Plague Birds are human hosts with AIs bonded to their blood, and are known for being merciless protectors, hunting down wrong-doers and examining their memories for signs of guilt before punishing them in whatever brutal, violent way they see fit. They are near indestructible creatures, hated but deemed a necessity. The book opens in the middle of disorientating action; a Plague Bird named Derena is attacked and mortally wounded in a way that shouldn’t be possible. She makes her way to the village of Day’s End, where she locates Crista and asks her to become her successor. At first, Crista refuses, but upon realising that she is not going to be given a real choice, Crista agrees and bonds with Derena’s blood AI, Red Day, setting out on what becomes an epic journey of clashing powers and hidden mysteries.
This is an enthralling novel with some stunning world building. The ideas in this book are captured well and structured to create something quite vivid and immersive. The world which the Plague Bird’s watch over is a clever blend of post-apocalyptic science fiction with dark and whimsical themes, and technological advancements that read like magic. The characters, both main and secondary, are all well written and believable from start to finish, and I felt for all of their struggles no matter how questionable. Crista especially is an incredibly engaging and nuanced character with a stable moral compass that serves to guide the narrative without it feeling forced or overly coincidental at any point. She is funny and clever and an absolute delight to follow, and I absolutely adored her banter with Red Day.
I didn't quite get the satisfaction I wanted out of the ending, and I feel that a lot of questions were left unanswered but in a way that felt more curious than it did frustrating. I hope that Sanford releases a sequel to this brilliant piece of work because I would absolutely love to dive further into the world of Plague Bird in the future.
Plague Birds is set in the far future, the epic tale of a young woman named Crista who is thrust into a life she never expected to live. Humans lost their humanity a long time ago, and are now gene spliced with animals and watched over by AIs. The Plague Birds are human hosts with AIs bonded to their blood, and are known for being merciless protectors, hunting down wrong-doers and examining their memories for signs of guilt before punishing them in whatever brutal, violent way they see fit. They are near indestructible creatures, hated but deemed a necessity. The book opens in the middle of disorientating action; a Plague Bird named Derena is attacked and mortally wounded in a way that shouldn’t be possible. She makes her way to the village of Day’s End, where she locates Crista and asks her to become her successor. At first, Crista refuses, but upon realising that she is not going to be given a real choice, Crista agrees and bonds with Derena’s blood AI, Red Day, setting out on what becomes an epic journey of clashing powers and hidden mysteries.
This is an enthralling novel with some stunning world building. The ideas in this book are captured well and structured to create something quite vivid and immersive. The world which the Plague Bird’s watch over is a clever blend of post-apocalyptic science fiction with dark and whimsical themes, and technological advancements that read like magic. The characters, both main and secondary, are all well written and believable from start to finish, and I felt for all of their struggles no matter how questionable. Crista especially is an incredibly engaging and nuanced character with a stable moral compass that serves to guide the narrative without it feeling forced or overly coincidental at any point. She is funny and clever and an absolute delight to follow, and I absolutely adored her banter with Red Day.
I didn't quite get the satisfaction I wanted out of the ending, and I feel that a lot of questions were left unanswered but in a way that felt more curious than it did frustrating. I hope that Sanford releases a sequel to this brilliant piece of work because I would absolutely love to dive further into the world of Plague Bird in the future.