A gorgeous book that drew my in with the storyline and cover and I really enjoyed it! Magic is banned in this world, but the rich have access to a few girls with hidden magic - the Nightbirds. Something is starting to happen though and the magic is starting to bubble up and they may not be able to keep it hidden any longer. I thought each girl had a distinct voice and I enjoyed the magic, and this 1920s-esque prohibition era. It was enjoyable and I'm excited to read the follow up!

Updating after making this my FIRST reread in at least FOUR years in preparation for Fyrebirds:

Beautiful, glittering, daring...this is the book embodiment of velvet scarlet curtains blocking a seedy underground, and feathered masks hiding whispered secrets and lies.

Simta is a town with a secret-- each season, beautiful women in gowns and masks hide behind doors and with a kiss can grant you the gift of their magic for a short while-- perhaps you need some extra charm, or maybe the ability to fade into the shadows. Come from the right Great House, know the right people, and pay the (substantial) fee, and it can all be yours. But the Nightbirds must keep their identities a secret because magic is illegal, especially the intrinsic magic of women (because, Kate J. Armstrong of course added some alchemical magic to the mix just for some added intrigue and depth), and the religious sects who are growing in popularity and power would quite literally destroy them in a moment. This year's birds are as different as their monikers, for each is known to her clients only by their bird sigil. Matilde was raised to be a part of the world of glitter and ballgowns and has no doubt of her place in the upper echelons of society , but will her recklessness be their downfall? Sayer has joined only to get a leg up in life, because she's from the wrong side of the canal but she's leaving behind a gang leader who's earned a very special place in her heart. Gentle Aesa is terrified that her magic may be a sin, but is desperate for the advantages being a Nightbird can bring for her family. But this season is different. This season someone (everyone?) is after the Nightbirds, there's a massive government conspiracy at play as well as a fiery religious uprising, and now they must band together because they're all being lied to. About everything.

This might technically be a YA book, but the themes and writing make this one utterly transcendent for adult audiences. The writing itself is sharp and vivid but lush at the same time...readers get to indulge in the glitter of the 1920's Gatsby-esque parties but also slink about in seedy watery underground secret hideouts. The brilliance of taking prohibition and making magic the illegal element, and then giving it a Salem witch hunt twist by lessening the potency of the alchemical magic and making some women have magical literally run through their veins, particularly in the current political climate (sharing their power through a kiss that can only be given by choice had me cheering), was nothing short of genius. But it doesn't feel like a dark feminist rant, with joy and beauty and levity sparkling throughout, and it isn't one of those "all women are good and all men are bad" situations either. Don't just go around trusting ANYONE in this book; everything about this book feels sensual, so the relationships are just sparking from the word go, but the love triangle twists in particular (one especially) had me gasping at the end. Was I suspicious? Sure, but only because I'd stopped trusting EVERYONE but our birds by then. And our birds themselves are dynamic and completely unique, so much so that they were real enough for me to guess some of their initial snap reactions when major events occured in the book, and yet they each still showed growth as the book let them spread their wings (I'm so sorry).

My only criticism is that about three hundred pages in there is a scene that seemed to get out from underneath the author; it was unwieldy, in terms of general scale, number of characters, ground covered (quite literally), and the magical feats the characters had to accomplish; even after reading it twice it was a little difficult to follow-- the silky smooth writing filled with quotable lovely turns of phrase and easy ways of putting impossibly large challenges and complications of the human existence definitely fell out entirely for a while until the author found her voice again, and indeed seemed a little lacking for the last quarter of the book. It seems that, like the magic of the Nightbirds themselves, the book itself is stronger when our girls are united and not fleeing in every direction. But if my only complaint is one scene wasn't as perfectly written as the rest of the book and I didn't run entirely out of sticky tabs marking quotes by the end of the book...coming from me, this is a RAVE review. And Kate J. Armstrong pulls it back just in time for some beautiful imagery, bittersweet moments, and you can literally feel the book inhale in preparation to leave you hanging breathless for the sequel.

In short: The writing? Beautiful. The concepts? No lack of depth and symbolism and feminist rage to stir (and hopefully be satisfied in book 2). It was memorable and delicious and atmospheric, filled with everything I want. Don't skip this one, its got the ballrooms and hidden cities and betrayals and friendships and heartache and moments of self-discovery that are at the heart of every GREAT fantasy.

It should come with a warning: This book WILL make you want to buy a mask and very possibly a ballgown. Or start a revolution. Or both.

Also note: Nightbirds is a book I will NOT shut up about because it DESERVES to have a fandom shouting about it. Why this didn't take off, I have no idea, but it should have become a Booktube/BookTok/Bookstagram darling and I am PERSONALLY crushed that it did not. Go read this book. You don't even have to wait for the sequel.

And thank you to Netgalley/Nancy Paulson Books/PenguinTeen for letting me scour the eARC when the new cover came out in fear the book had been totally changed too. It hadn't, thank goodness. Love, a crazy fan who absolutely did do a close-read/reread comparison. And then went out and brought the matching cover anyway.

4.5

Oh boy was this fun. The first part was a little hard to get through but I always feel that way with fantasy. As much as I love lore it can be a little hard to get through at first. It’s clear from the little bits of mixed media throughout how much love and care has went into the world building and it is amazing to read. Our main 4 girlies are great though I think my favorite is Æsa.
They all feel so real and I can see how differently they react to the situations they are in. I was a little sad that Epinine turned out to be a secondary villain and not the big bad but her character has potential to be extremely important in Matilde’s journey if the author goes down that path and it seems like she has planted those seeds. I’m excited to read the second book and I am hopeful that all the threads will play out in a satisfying conclusion

Badass women with magical powers, complex magic system and world, dystopian society, and feminist undertones? Yes yes yes !

This book was so well written and done, I think I'll need to read it a second time. The characters were all so complex and well through out, and you can't help but love and connect with them. I will say that this book is more YA than adult fantasy, which is totally fine but that means it's limited in some plot points that could've been expanded upon if it was an adult fantasy.

At first this book had me hooked but certain parts just really had me not wanting to continue. I did not like Aesa's name just make it normal it would have been pretty and unique enough without the weirdness. It's a little too handmaidy for me, making them breed back in. It at least has a unique magic system although the cards do remind me of One Dark Window. Overall it's an alright book I just needed more.

Damn. This book is for the girls. It has 3 of my most favourite things:
1. Strong women
2. Women supporting women
3. Pointing out that men ain’t shit*
*that does NOT include Willan. I love you Willan

Great premise, fantastic and detailed world building, beautiful cover art, and set on a magical fantastical version of the 1920s, this has potential to be a wonderful YA series. I enjoyed it but thought it was a bit long and overly complicated at times. But then some of it was totally absorbing and flowed well. A mixed bag really, a good debit so will be interested to see where it goes. Definitely intriguing, and I do want to find out what happens to the characters. I really enjoyed the concept and the opening nightbird scenes were fire.