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wispy_echos's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ginagene's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed the magical world presented in this book and how the different backstories and perspectives of the Nightbirds are weaved in throughout. I found myself drawn to some of the girls more than others (aka Sayer and Fen). My main gripe would be that the decisions by each of the girls in the aftermath of the book’s climax seemed to run counter to their characters up until that point. I realize this likely by design to set up Book 2, but it left me slightly unfulfilled.
seattlehols16's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kendrapotter99's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book was so good! I love the perspective shifts allowing us to get to know all three girls and see how they developed throughout the story! There was also a perfect amount of world-building and relationship building!
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Alcohol
hazy_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nele_m00nflw's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
annettenis's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong is a clever fantasy set in a fascinating world and filled with intriguing characters. The Nightbirds of the title are a group of young girls who wield magic in a society where it has been effectively banned. Shrouded in secrecy they meet their clients while masked and guarded and bestow their individual gifts by means of a kiss. When the girls find themselves caught up in a political scheme that threatens both them and their families they learn that they have not been told the truth about their powers, and the society that they thought was protecting them was in fact little more than a cage. Will they rise up and take control of the society that tried to clip their wings?
I loved the premise of this book, I was immediately drawn to the sense of mystery and intrigue that surrounded the NIghtbirds and those around them, and though it took me a little time to warm to some of the characters, I did find myself growing more invested as their stories unfolded. There is a lot of world building and lore incorporated into the storytelling but it is very well done and I found that it added to my enjoyment of the book as a whole. Setting it in a world that was reminiscent of the prohibition era, if magic was controlled rather than alcohol, was a touch of genius.
This is lush, vividly imagined tale of action and adventure and above all empowerment and I enjoyed it very much indeed.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
I loved the premise of this book, I was immediately drawn to the sense of mystery and intrigue that surrounded the NIghtbirds and those around them, and though it took me a little time to warm to some of the characters, I did find myself growing more invested as their stories unfolded. There is a lot of world building and lore incorporated into the storytelling but it is very well done and I found that it added to my enjoyment of the book as a whole. Setting it in a world that was reminiscent of the prohibition era, if magic was controlled rather than alcohol, was a touch of genius.
This is lush, vividly imagined tale of action and adventure and above all empowerment and I enjoyed it very much indeed.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
lunefaerie's review against another edition
2.0
It took a lot of effort for me to slog through this book, for many reasons. I wanted to love this book but just couldn’t get swept away in it. To me, the most interesting aspect was the dynamic between Fen and Sayer, and the system of gangs (like the one Fen is a part of). The worldbuilding felt very generic and read like a bad copy of Arcane, and the book is constantly throwing all this jargon at you without grounding itself into the story.
Speaking of which, the story also felt very cookie cutter and surface level. The politics within this particular world had so much potential to be interesting but just didn’t hit the mark; I think there just wasn’t enough basis for any of the political dynamics.
The plot of the book felt haphazardly pieced together, so many portions of the story are just the girls fighting and then running away, only to get caught, then escape and run away again. I love a good fight scene more than anything, but this got so repetitive and did nothing to really further any sort of plot.
I grew to really love Sayer and Fen, as I said. I feel like they had the most depth of any of the characters, and that’s where I find another fault with this book. The rest of the cast felt very bland and we never stayed with one character long enough to really get attached to any of them.
The ending truly left a lot to be desired, being completely open-ended. While there’s nothing wrong with leaving your conclusion open-ended, it still needs to be done in a certain way to be effective. I just feel like there was so much fluff to this book and barely any depth.
I also think there’s a right and wrong way to write feminism into a book; A, write a feminist book, or B, write a book that has complex, multidimensional female characters. This book went by option A.
These are all merely my own opinions, of course; I’m only trying to be constructive towards this book. I felt it had so much potential to be thrilling and full of life.
Speaking of which, the story also felt very cookie cutter and surface level. The politics within this particular world had so much potential to be interesting but just didn’t hit the mark; I think there just wasn’t enough basis for any of the political dynamics.
The plot of the book felt haphazardly pieced together, so many portions of the story are just the girls fighting and then running away, only to get caught, then escape and run away again. I love a good fight scene more than anything, but this got so repetitive and did nothing to really further any sort of plot.
I grew to really love Sayer and Fen, as I said. I feel like they had the most depth of any of the characters, and that’s where I find another fault with this book. The rest of the cast felt very bland and we never stayed with one character long enough to really get attached to any of them.
The ending truly left a lot to be desired, being completely open-ended. While there’s nothing wrong with leaving your conclusion open-ended, it still needs to be done in a certain way to be effective. I just feel like there was so much fluff to this book and barely any depth.
I also think there’s a right and wrong way to write feminism into a book; A, write a feminist book, or B, write a book that has complex, multidimensional female characters. This book went by option A.
These are all merely my own opinions, of course; I’m only trying to be constructive towards this book. I felt it had so much potential to be thrilling and full of life.
hanna_23's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5