Tiffany Meuret

Fyi-Thanks to Netgalley & Publishers for allowing me to read an advance reader copy.

Trigger Warning: Alcohol abuse, death, violence

Josie spends her days working from home and her evenings in the companionship of her dog, Po. She follows it by a nightly ritual of drinking herself to oblivion. Not coping with the loss of her father nor her recent divorce.
One day she notices a growing shrub in her “desert” backyard followed by an uncanny apparition of a skeleton, name Skelly.
Josie’s life show more of not coping with loss becomes even more convoluted with the introduction of her next-door neighbor and Skelly who refuses to leave her alone.

It's a strange story and more apropos to be read in October. It definitely gave me Halloween vibes.
Josie was weirdly very relatable and human even with the magical realism in this story. This book is very sad at times but in spite of Josie’s struggle, her love and care for Po is very endearing. I loved how their story was portrayed. I would read this book solely based on this piece alone.

I was also drawn to this book by the cover, the flowers, colors and even Po and the skeleton front and center… loved it. Because this book is classified as Horror it might put off some people from reading it. But I would actually say this book falls more into the fantasy genre. I recommend reading this book blind with no expectations…to be experienced by a nice fireplace (real or pretend) in low lights and some candy… won’t disappoint. show less

Content Warnings: alcoholism, death, terminal illness (cancer).

Before anything else I'm going to state what I'm sure most people are looking for: the fate of Po, the dog. He does not die.

Now that that is out of the way, I will begin my review. I'd be remiss to not mention the amazing cover art. I love that each of the main characters on page (Josie, Skelly, Po, and Sue) are represented in some way or form.

Meuret's Little Bird is one of those reads that you go in with one idea but get thrown show more through a loop. Calling this a horror is the main reason I was not expecting the journey I went on. Magical realism, or contemporary supernatural, would have been more fitting as the main genre descriptors used. Or maybe even horror-lite if we must include horror.

Little Bird is about a woman named Josie who is struggling with the loss of her father as well as her alcoholism. One day, in her barren backyard, she discovers something growing. Creepy vines that have a life of its own, and in the midst of it a skeleton... named Skelly. And she talks... and she wants to make a deal.

The introduction of Skelly is where we veer off from horror for me. Meuret describes Skelly as a Halloween prop, and I just can't unsee that. I know Josie is utterly disturbed (I would be as well if a skeleton started talking to me), but I still couldn't wrap my brain around being afraid of her. If anything, the vines are what gave me a chill, not the talking skeleton.

Taking the idea horror out of it, I saw Little Bird as a story of self-discovery and acceptance. I related to Josie. I rooted for her. I wanted to know more about her. The core of this novel takes place in an eight-day span, and it was a pleasure to see how far Josie comes along personally and in the relationships she made with Skelly and Sue. I would recommend this novel for those who are more interested in character driven stories.


Thank you to NetGalley, Black Spot Books, and Tiffany Meuret for providing me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. show less

The world is flooded and monsters called posies lurk in the watery depths, waiting to kill. Meanwhile, two sisters, who can barely stand each other and have their own, terrible difficulties with life, are shoved together again. They not only fight the waters, always fearing the danger below, but also realize the key might lay in their own past.

Or something like that.

The blurb and the cover grabbed me on this one, and I was excited for what appeared to be a different and exciting read. The show more writing is very lyrical, and the author definitely has a talent for words and bringing scenes to life. The characters have their own, very raw problems. Both are broken in their own way. But this book has little to do with the blurb describing it and the horrible, undersea monsters never come to the surface...if they are truly there to begin with.

Anyone who is looking for a fantasy read will be disappointed. This isn't a book about two sisters fighting underwater monsters, but rather, a book about how their lives ran off course. I'm still not sure the monsters or flood were thought to really exist or belong in a drug-induced world that Thea's drowning in.

Thea is a junkie, thief and heroine addict. Doris is bitter to a fault, in a marriage she seems to hate, and physically incapable of living a normal life. Neither seems to have any redeeming qualities, both are extremely selfish, and neither is likable in any way. The first chapters has them fighting an oncoming flood (where does this flood come from? And why did it suddenly grow so fast, while people ignore it and go to work?), and then, it flips to a flash-back of their difficult childhood. With a jerk, it then swings all the way to a future time, where Thea renames herself and floats around with a man. But then, it swings back to the sisters and the flood before jumping forward again. This made the tale confusing, but also didn't allow the characters to gain any depth that the reader could remotely hold on to.

I assume this is one of those reads, which is suppose to pull the reader into a character's messed up mind and allow the reader to view the world through their eyes. But the deep thought isn't there, although the style and beauty of the writing could have pulled it off. In other words, this one is definitely not for me.

I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley. show less

This is the sort of wonderfully unusual and original book that is impossible to neatly pigeonhole. A little macabre, mysterious and somewhat dark, there is a lightness as well. A surreal journey of someone dealing with (or perhaps not dealing with) the pains of life, who finds herself in a bizarre situation with a conclusion she is blind to.