A review by melcanread
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

5.0

This was a truly fun, take on the dark romance genre and in comparison to all the other books in this category, you could even argue that Sloane and Rowan's relationship is the healthiest and most normal one out there.

I thought the characters were well-thought-out. Sloane was such a strong female lead. It was refreshing to see a woman hold her own and do it well. Ironically, even with her anxieties and flaws, I would totally believe that she was a real woman. She took pride in her kills. She treated each one like a work of art. Plus she was really smart and cared deeply about her loved ones.

Rowan was certainly the more intense one of the two, and more of a wildcard, but i would argue that he's the best dark romance book boyfriend. While he came with your typical traits (violent, poasessive) at no point was he ever disrespectful towards Sloane. He always did things with full consent, and even full enthusiasm. He didn't only see Sloane as a sexual object, and we even got to see just how much he admired and respected her. And this was a true testament to Weaver's writing. 

Everything was fun and well described; the characters felt real and well fleshed out; their insecurities were normal things to have. Despite the nature of the plot Weaver never went overboard with anything. There was the right amount of gore, sexual content, and conflict and it made for a fun and easy read. She also didn't linger on certain plot points for longer than she needed.

Now every book needs criticism and though the only problem I had was small and insignificant, it's still a problem. The final conflict happened too late in the book, in my opinion, which left the ending, in general, feeling a bit too "wrapped in a neat little bow." I think I would have liked to have it gone on for longer and it not be so easily solved.

However, I loved this book very much and am excited to re-read it and to read the sequel.