5 Stars
Book Rating: PG-13
Language: PG (Uses of the words b*stard, d*mn,
h*ll, sh*t)
Sex: PG (There is some description of
kissing and near sex that goes on between the main character and her best
friend turned boyfriend.)
Violence: PG-13 (Descriptions of flu and war
victims. Descriptions of abuse and torturous deaths. Descriptions of seances)
Substance use/abuse: G-PG (References to drug and
alcohol usage)
I can't even
begin to describe how much I loved this book. Usually I don't connect with the
characters or the plot if the book is a stand-alone. This one, however,captured
EVERYTHING. I loved the characters, I loved the plot, I loved the supernatural.
Everything! I'm so surprised that this is Cat Winter's first book published.
WHAT?!
I don't even know
where to begin with our main character Mary Shelley Black. For me, she's right up
there on my list of heroines with Katniss and Hermione. Mary Shelley is so
different from any character I've ever read. She's a female science geek, (which
was hard to find in those times), she likes wearing aviator goggles, and she
carries a doctor bag around with everything she could possibly need. I just
love it when her Aunt Eva walks in to the house and finds her messing around
inside the telephone box, and when her aunt asks her what she's doing she
simply replies, "My brain desperately needs exercise, I decided to see how
the wires work." Then she goes on to explain how the phonograph took
longer to put back together and that she fixed it. Mary Shelley isn't the
typical "pretty girl" you read about in books either. She gets made
fun of by everyone else and is too outspoken for most people's liking. She's a
nerd, what else can I say?
The plot is absolutely mesmerizing and
original. In the Shadow of Blackbirds takes place in 1918 San Diego. The
Spanish Flu is rampaging through the streets and WWI is taking millions of
young men away from their mothers, sisters, and sweethearts. I loved the whole
story. The spiritualism craze, the terrifying flu, and the anxiousness of the characters as they wondered if the
person they love will come home in one piece. There's twists and turns
throughout that left me breathless. Scenes that made tears come to my eyes. I
could pick up this book and read it over and over again.
Mary Shelley goes on a life
changing journey in 387 pages. How can someone make their characters so
splendid in just 387 pages?! That doesn't happen! So many things take place! Cat
has done a terrific job and I hope to read more from her in the future
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