J. Smith
Author9 books14 followers
It has been a long time since I've read a coming of age story, and I had forgotten how satisfying those can be. Of course, we have the dark fantasy elements that I enjoy, but we'll get to that. The Birds of the Air follows 13 year old Libby on a self appointed quest to rescue her little sister from a magic wielding group of hobo's in the 1930s. The book slams right into it in the first chapter. Libby and her sister Maisie live with their mother in the depression era midwest. While doing chores, Libby catches her 8 year old sister Maisie talking with a passing by hobo at the edge of their property wearing a bird cage on his back. Libby runs to get her sister, and realizes Maisie has received a piece of candy from the man. Libby tries to get it from her defiant little sister, and that goes as well as anyone with younger siblings can imagine. Maisie takes off from Libby, quickly eating the piece of candy in the process, which turns her into a small sparrow. The hobo scoops up the small bird and places it into his cage to leave. Libby gives chase and is able to grab the cage, breaking it. This frees the bird and it flies away. The hobo begins to confront Libby, but a strange pain in his neck commands his full attention, and he just simply leaves. Libby is frantic to get her sister back, and begins trying to capture every bird that makes it way onto their property, but to no avail. That night, a teenage boy called Scab shows up outside, telling Libby he was sent to help her by a man that knows where Maisie is. At first Libby is not buying it, but the knowledge the boy has of her name, her sister's name, and the events that happened keep nagging at the back of her mind. That, coupled with the grief of her mother and the distance that grief puts on the relationship between Libby and her mom pushes Libby to find the boy in order to rescue Maisie. The story that follows is a crazy string of events as Libby and Scab go all over the midwest, jumping between trains, lonely roadways, and homeless encampments while a dark, magical underworld is slowly revealed. This book felt like it took forever to read, but in a good way. By the time I got to the end, the characters were nothing like when I started. There is massive character growth throughout this book, especially with Libby. We followed Libby from being a naive child who was guarded from a lot of the adult situations by the other characters to someone that is now questioning life and death, personal responsibility, and coming to terms with things she cannot change. Genre base, this story is all over the place in a great way. At times, the book had a Wizard of Oz feeling, there are segments that were very reminiscence of the Saw franchise, and I even got heavy Biblical good versus evil feelings toward the end. Trying to nail this down to a single genre is very hard to do. Above all else, it is an urban fantasy, but there are some heavy horror elements and dark fiction to keep those fans engaged as well. Dark magic and the sacrifices for that magic is what kept me intrigued above all else. The magic system here is never fully explained as far as origins, but the writer does well with establishing rules of the magic system early on and not having characters deviate from those rules. Splitting the book into three parts, we go from a traveling coming of age story where Libby experiences the poorer side of life, to a more dark fantasy feel, culminating to an almost psychological horror/thriller feel at the end. The author has a great style of subtly tip-toeing around darker, more adult subjects for Libby sake, but by the end she is on her own and is forced into the dark realities of things, and the subtlies are thrown out the window. This book has something for everyone. The magic system for fantasy fans, the constant reminder of the timeframe and dialogue for historical fiction fans, and the third act of the book is sure to satisfy horror and dark fantasy fans. I received an advance review copy for free, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
Lucinda Stillinger
49 reviews1 follower
I found this hidden gem of a novel as a new release on Audible, and I'm glad it was my first read of the year. It is beautifully written, unique, and compelling from beginning to end. I hope to see more by this author in the future.
- favorite fiction horror-thriller
Julie Douglass
23 reviews6 followers
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March 8, 2024Simply put, one of the best books I have ever read.
Debbie Roth
174 reviews21 followers
The Birds of the Air by L. H. Arthur was compelling reading. I got a heads up about the Kindle edition being on sale for $0.99 from Ereader News Today, so listened to the Audible sample, then ordered the Kindle sample, and the minute the sample ended I immediately purchased the Kindle edition with Audible narration. I practically read it in one sitting, and barely did any highlighting of passages because I was turning pages so quickly to see what would happen next! The story takes place in 1933. Two sisters are in the yard while mom makes a grocery run. The older sister is hanging out the wash to dry, and turns to see her younger sibling talking to a man near the street. She becomes alarmed and rushes over. “The man stayed where he was, smiling in a way that looked almost friendly, but not quite. He was short for a man, and stocky; his face was red, with threads of darker-red veins worming beneath the skin of his nose and cheeks. An odd construction of sticks and wire hung on his back; it looked like a homemade birdcage, but it was empty except for a vacant twig perch. Libby thought he must be one of the drifters who sometimes came to the back door to ask their mother for food. Mama always gave them something. ‘They’re just ordinary men, out of work from the hard times,’ she said. ‘It could happen to anybody.’ But the hint of a smirk in this man’s smile made Libby uneasy, and she didn’t think Mama would want them talking to him when she wasn’t at home.” There’s a tussle between the man and older sister, and when the dust settles, little sister Maisie is missing. The storyline takes off from that point. Libby feels so responsible for her sister’s disappearance, when a young man appears to tell her he knows someone who may be able to find Maisie, she decides to trust him, leaves a note behind for her mom, and embarks on a journey to learn more about what happened to her sister. The search for answers ends up becoming a mystery that must be solved, leading in many directions, exposing her to danger, and involving almost supernatural happenings. It is one heck of an unputdownable story!
Ash
323 reviews2 followers
Wow! Fascinating and creative story of evil vs good! The descriptions, settings, and characters were written in that clear, concise way that felt like watching the book unfold in my mind like a movie. There are a few torture scenes that were rather intense towards the end, but he author did a great job making the evil real, realistic, and like it had won. I'm obsessing a bit over Libby and Scab, and I fully intend to badger the author to write the next part of their story!!!!!!! They're both perfectly balanced between flawed, broken, and misguided kids AND relatable, real, beautiful humans in need of love and companionship. It is slow burn horror, but I love that and I really enjoyed the pacing of this one.
Christine
1 review
Very well written and thought provoking . Captivating read. Very well written . The sentences flow with ease. It was definitely thought provoking and emotional . Kept me on the edge of my seat. 100% would recommend .
Karen Dandurant
154 reviews14 followers
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up. I was really happy I did. The story is well written, and it's just a good story. I will look for future books by L.H. Arthur.
Heidi Kasper
21 reviews1 follower
Fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Such a unique story. These days we have a lot of formulaic stories. This is not one of them. I definitely recommend it!
Hayley
3 reviews
In The Birds of the Air, Arthur weaves an aching coming of age story with the secret machinations of a sinister, powerful magic, lurking beneath the dusty backwaters of the Great Depression. As Libby grapples with the increasing costs she must pay to find her sister and as the horrors of what she truly faces come to light, she's forced to confront the most terrifying question of all: What if she isn't enough to rescue her sister? And if she isn't, then who is? I usually shy away from the horror genre as someone who tends to be squeamish with those sorts of themes, but this book absolutely upended my expectations. (Yes, I did squirm at certain parts of the book. But we'll get to that later.) The sense of place in this book was incredibly vivid, almost tangible, as if I could smell the same dusty earth that Libby smelled, or see the surroundings of a rusted train boxcar in my mind's eye. But Arthur is masterful at steeping her scenes in not only setting, but feeling — as if we, like Libby, are drawn in by the same magic she's only beginning to understand. Arthur is also excellent at abruptly subverting those feelings, in ways that often bring more terror because of it. And boy, was there terror, though not the type that's grisly for mere shock value. (Though some of it was, admittedly, shocking.) The stakes felt real; the danger heavy. Maybe it's because this is one of my few (if only) forays into the horror genre, but there were a few sections in here that gave me chills, to the point I had to put down the book and save it for later — but it's a testament to the author's skill that it affected me so strongly. But it isn't just an urban fantasy horror novel. The relationships between the characters feel authentic, especially as we experience them through Libby's lens. She's young, naive, and sometimes too much so for her own good, but there's an earnestness therein that's hard not to love. There's also a surprising amount of hope and tenderness hidden beneath brutal, tense scenes, and an overarching depth and understanding of suffering, pain, and the struggle of human existence. Self-preservation versus self-sacrifice, good versus evil, appearance versus reality — Arthur tackles all of these, but avoids tying them up with a contrived, convenient answer. It's not so black-and-white, as nuanced and reflective of life as her characters are. This book definitely has re-read value, given some of the twists and turns the plot takes, and for the avid reader-analyst, there's plenty of gems to pick out in allegory and symbolism. (The title, anyone?) If you're looking for a book that's both riveting and thought-provoking, this one's for you!
Janet Eshenroder
689 reviews8 followers
A fantasy novel that reminded me of a modern fairy tale. Lots of magic and evil sorcery, friends gathered along the way that helped the heroine not only save her sister but discover truths to heal the pain in her own heart.
Each page, each paragraph kept the tension and suspense building. At times, it seemed to stretch out over too many pages and I wished the plot was moving faster.
The ending moved me from three to four stars, leaving me with a feel-good ending and with wisdom we all need to remember in our own journeys.
Cindym
31 reviews
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July 20, 2024I can’t say I actually finished this book…and I want to say that it was really good. BUT, the description says “slow burn horror” and to me it was just too wordy. Good story but I started skimming paragraphs to get through. I loved the beginning of it! Maybe I’ll eventually go back and finish after a break.
Jackie
892 reviews10 followers
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October 15, 2024Too much violence .
Deborah Reynolds Harris
12 reviews1 follower
Surprised to Excellent read,surprisingly good. It's not my usual read but intrigued by the first chapter.
It's worth the 400 page read.
A
4 reviews
I usually don't write reviews. This is the least favorite book I have ever read. Black and boring
Mary Ingram
21 reviews
Very good book What an adventure between good and evil, reality and magic. Great characters that were so real I could see them.
D. Soares
36 reviews
I hate the star rating system--this isn't a 3 or 4 star It's a 3.75 star. I had to think about this book for a bit before reviewing it. The biggest flaw for me was there is just too much writing here, good creative writing but still excess. The book felt so long because it's slow-going. The writing is often beautiful, impeccable but there's just too much of it, much more than is needed. The plot is more complicated than I think it needs to be.
It's an amazing book full of wonderful creative unique ideas and descriptions. So much of this book I LOVED! The dialogue is perfect! The characterizations are great. I loved the friendships Libby formed. The writer has a distinct and inviting voice.
BUT
[This section might contain spoilers]: The flaws were big ones for me. I'm not able to grasp the entire scheme of the evil-doers/bird nappers. I'm not understanding what they're up to --what they want to achieve. I'm also lost about what the "special" children can do for them or for the good guys. How they can "save the world" I read the passages I could find about this again hoping for insight and can't manage to get it. This may be my fault. [End of possible spoilers.]
With the help of a talented unbiased editor I think this book could have been honed and polished to a 5-star gem. As it is, it's a good interesting book written by someone to keep an eye on. I definitely hope there will be more from this author and if there is, I'll read it. I encourage others to read this book, there's a lot to like in this book.