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A review by bookswithlukas
In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
5.0
LOVED IT. LOVED IT. LOVED IT. LOVED IT.
It's hard to come up with an original angle in YA these days, and this book is one that truly excels at that. The story and plot line are interesting, the historical detail enjoyable, and the characters well-rounded and likeable. The book is paranormal in nature but focuses the storyline simply from being about ghosts, to being one about spirit photography, and the crossing over between life and death.
'In The Shadow of the Blackbirds' is set in 1918, during the first world war and during the time in which the Spanish flu was killing people left right and centre. Our plucky little hero is sent to live with her aunt to escape the flu in the city only to find that the flu has followed her and taken residence in her new town. To go along with this, we also discover that her dream boy, Stephen, has packed off for the war and possibly died out there, leading her to believe that his spirit is haunting her.
Straight from the beginning of the story, I knew I was going to like the main character of Mary Shelly (named after the author, which could have been cheesy but somehow isn't). Mary Shelly, despite her young age is known as something of a genius, and represents the scientific mind in a small town which has been overtaken by the belief in the paranormal due to a spirit photographer claiming he can capture the spirits of loved ones within the confines of a photograph.
I liked the duality of the experience that our main character goes through within this book. On the one hand, she is certain that this spirit photographer is a fake, yet she also finds herself believing in the paranormal after her own experiences. The ghost/possession scenes are done extremely well, although not wholly scary. At the end of the day, this is somewhat of a morbid love story, between a girl and a boy who may or may not even be dead, and it takes that plot line and somehow manages to make it sweet.
The other great thing about this book was in it's descriptions of the flu, while ghosts are referenced throughout, the biggest killer and monster within the story is the disease itself. References are made throughout about how the main character is forced to have onion baths, wear flu masks, and details the paranoia of who does or doesn't have it.
I could honestly go on about the merits of this book for days, as it's truly one of the best and most enjoyable YA books I've read in a long time. If there' one negative (and it's not even really a negative) it's that the pictures featured throughout (a la Miss Peregrine) didn't feel needed. They didn't detract from the novel in any way, but I also don't feel they added too much either.
Overall, go out and get this book. You will love it. I promise.
It's hard to come up with an original angle in YA these days, and this book is one that truly excels at that. The story and plot line are interesting, the historical detail enjoyable, and the characters well-rounded and likeable. The book is paranormal in nature but focuses the storyline simply from being about ghosts, to being one about spirit photography, and the crossing over between life and death.
'In The Shadow of the Blackbirds' is set in 1918, during the first world war and during the time in which the Spanish flu was killing people left right and centre. Our plucky little hero is sent to live with her aunt to escape the flu in the city only to find that the flu has followed her and taken residence in her new town. To go along with this, we also discover that her dream boy, Stephen, has packed off for the war and possibly died out there, leading her to believe that his spirit is haunting her.
Straight from the beginning of the story, I knew I was going to like the main character of Mary Shelly (named after the author, which could have been cheesy but somehow isn't). Mary Shelly, despite her young age is known as something of a genius, and represents the scientific mind in a small town which has been overtaken by the belief in the paranormal due to a spirit photographer claiming he can capture the spirits of loved ones within the confines of a photograph.
I liked the duality of the experience that our main character goes through within this book. On the one hand, she is certain that this spirit photographer is a fake, yet she also finds herself believing in the paranormal after her own experiences. The ghost/possession scenes are done extremely well, although not wholly scary. At the end of the day, this is somewhat of a morbid love story, between a girl and a boy who may or may not even be dead, and it takes that plot line and somehow manages to make it sweet.
The other great thing about this book was in it's descriptions of the flu, while ghosts are referenced throughout, the biggest killer and monster within the story is the disease itself. References are made throughout about how the main character is forced to have onion baths, wear flu masks, and details the paranoia of who does or doesn't have it.
I could honestly go on about the merits of this book for days, as it's truly one of the best and most enjoyable YA books I've read in a long time. If there' one negative (and it's not even really a negative) it's that the pictures featured throughout (a la Miss Peregrine) didn't feel needed. They didn't detract from the novel in any way, but I also don't feel they added too much either.
Overall, go out and get this book. You will love it. I promise.