Early review-Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

Publisher: Angry Robot/April 24th, 2012

Urban Fantasy/Noir

Many thanks to the Angry Robot Army for providing a review copy via net gally. It was very much appreciated!

Book description.

Miriam Black knows when you will die.

Still in her early twenties, she’s foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, suicides, and slow deaths by cancer. But when Miriam hitches a ride with truck driver Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be gruesomely murdered while he calls her name.

Miriam has given up trying to save people; that only makes their deaths happen. But Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim. No matter what she does she can’t save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she’ll have to try.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My Review.

Firstly, many kind thanks to Angry Robots for allowing me to have a review copy via Netgalley. This is not usually a genre i read but needed to give this a go.

Secondly, the cover of this book is just absolutely amazing, once you have read the book you see how it definitely links to the lead character Miriam. The look on the face gives shows the attitude that Miriam has and her messy hair which she dyes in the colour 'blackbird!

Onto the actual book. I LOVED this book!! Just loved it. I was hooked within the first chapter and i couldn't put it down. I was instantly drawn in by the description as i am obsessed with the whole psychic thing and i liked the idea of the dark element with seeing when someone dies/murdered. The whole idea of fate and whether we can have any control, can we change it, this book questions and challenge this. I loved the descriptions of what Miriam saw even with people she touches accidently who weren't a character in the story. There's even a bit of a love story there which is interesting based on the fact that Miriam struggles with making connections and relationships due to her past.

In the first chapter i was weary of Miriam's character and not what i expected from the description of the book, but that may have been my interpretation. However, very quickly, i grew to love her. Despite the foul language (didn't bother me at all!) she is one strong kick ass b*tch and it's easy to understand why she has being shaped into this person with this attitude due to her past and current lifestyle. I felt quite protective over her because she left herself so open in vulnerable situation but my gosh she can look after herself. No surprising with the horrid nasty men she has to deal with.

The dark humour and foul language definitely added an essence to the book and enriches the story, without this, it would be a very different read. Yet from this, it will go to grotesque, sick situations with descriptions of brutal beatings/fights that are so well told you can picture it and hear the noises....eww!! Nothing is held back at all, but it is so well told. It is set in the present tense so there is this sense of urgency and fascination of what is going to happen and it makes you just keep reading and reading. It also goes into dreams/interludes which takes you away from the present but by doing so will give you information about an event/person that will add an understanding to the situation that was occurring at that time or an individual. It is just an absolute rollercoaster but one you don't want to get off.

Roll on the sequel, Mockingbird that in released in June.

I give this book 5/5 stars!!! impressive and recommend!!!

*****