Publisher: Angry Robot
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 393
Format: e-book
Source: Netgalley
Black Feathers is a modern fantasy set in two epochs: the Black Dawn, a time of environmental apocalypse, and generations into the future in its aftermath, the Bright Day.
In each era, a child undertakes a perilous journey to find a dark messiah known as The Crowman. In their hands lies the fate of the planet as they attempt to discover whether The Crowman is our saviour… or the final incarnation of evil.
Review:
I’m a
bit conflicted about this books, because it’s not something you can read as a
straight forward story. There is so much more going on, lots of mysteries and
secrets that aren’t all solved at the end of the book, which makes you long for
the next one so you can see if what you thought is actually true.
Black
Feathers is a book you need to sleep a few nights on, thinking about the
message behind the book and all the duality you encounter while reading (is the
Crowman the good guy, or is he also the bad guy?). There is a strong message in
this book. It deals with the apocalypse and throughout the book it’s mentioned
many times that the earth is revolting, shrugging of parasites (humans) that
have used her but have never given anything back. That’s actually what everyone
is warning us about now with the climate change etc.
D’Lacey
isn’t afraid of some gory details, so it’s kind of hard to put a single genre
on this book. Though it’s called a Fantasy book, it’s something deeper than
that, a horror element is definitely
there, along with a little eco-warning. It’s partially apocalyptic and
post-apocalyptic, which is really interesting to read.
The
story is more of an intimate journey with our 2 protagonists, one of them
struggling with a declining earth and all the suffering that comes with it and
the other coming to terms with her destiny and the retelling of a story that
may take all her resolve and strength.
The
gorey details only added to the book in my opinion, giving it an edge it
needed, some violence to underline the rough situation Gordon, one of our main
characters, has to live through.
There
were times I though “Huh, the story’s slowing down a bit, I hope the pacing
won’t stutter to a halt”, and then something major happens, mostly something I
didn’t see coming at all, which draws me back in to the story all over again.
One
thing that annoyed me though, was the constant crying. I was brought up with my
parents telling me that crying doesn’t solve anything, although it can be a
relieve sometimes. The main characters in this book cried every chapter, and
yes, they had it rough, so they had a right to cry now and then, but it was a
bit too much for me. It’s good to show the weaknesses in your characters, but
you don’t want to make them seem too weak.
But that’s
just my opinion, maybe something to do with the way I was brought up.
Joseph
D’Lacey writes beautifully, it’s a joy to read, so easy and flowing, but with a
certain intelligence. Writing on a higher level.
All in
all, I really enjoyed Black Feathers, it was absolutely intriguing and
fascinating and I’m still not sure I understand everything the author wanted to
put in his story. I’d recommend Black Feathers to anyone who wants a more
intelligent story, with lots of secrets and mystery, people who don’t mind a
little thinking while reading (and after it).
Rating:
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