Holly B / Dressedtoread

#BookReview: The Blackbird Season by Kate Moretti @KateMoretti1@AtriaBooks

32895536Book Praise

Known for novels featuring “great pacing and true surprises” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) and “nerve-shattering suspense” (Heather Gudenkauf, New York Time bestselling author), New York Times bestselling author Kate Moretti’s latest is the story of a scandal-torn Pennsylvania town and the aftermath of a troubled girl gone missing.

 

My Review

 

The Blackbird Season is a character driven, dark tale with transitioning POV between the 4 main characters (Alecia, Nate, Lucia and Bridget).

It begins in a small town in Pennsylvania at a high school baseball game. An ominous event….dead starlings raining down. This will become a recurring theme throughout the book.

The community is toxic in more ways than one. Lucia, a troubled and neglected teen-age girl is an outcast. Some of the other students have taunted her and labeled her a witch. Nate is a beloved and trusted teacher who becomes entwined in her personal life outside of school. Alecia is Nate’s wife and wonders why he has taken such an interest in Lucia. Is it Lucia’s wild white hair, her red lips, her youth? And then there is Bridget, a fellow teacher at the high school. She is a trusted friend of Nate and also Lucia’s teacher.

After Lucia goes missing, the accusations and questions abound. What happened to Lucia? Why was Nate with her at a seedy motel? Who is to be believed, to be trusted? Will Nate’s wife and close friends defend him or question his involvement?

The story is more of a mystery about what happened to Lucia. Although there were suspenseful moments, it was not an edge of your seat thriller in my opinion. Also, the mystery of why the birds fell was more of a omen than integral part of the story. It is very well written with some shocking revelations. If you enjoy a story where you are questioning why and who, this is one you will enjoy.  I am definitely a new Kate Moretti fan!!

 

 

 

25 comments

  1. Great review! I’ll be reading this one soon. I was curious about the birds falling, I like books with omens used as a sign of something coming or something evil etc – it makes me think of spooky prophecies 😂 like when a storm is coming, something bad is going to happen.

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  6. I am about 70% into the book and agree with you. It isn’t a thriller or very suspenseful.

    It is more about the characters and their lives in the small town.

    I am looking forward to the revelations. 🙂

    Thanks again for a terrific review.

    Elizabeth

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      • I can’t wait to read your review. Sometimes I really don’t like rating with stars! I’d just rather point out what I enjoyed/ or didn’t enjoy. I would like to read more from the author though!

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  7. I have been on the fence about this one though more intrigued about it now that they are making the movie. I do like the sound of it and I love shocking revelations so I will definitely check it. Great review!

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  8. Love your review! I also read this book but can’t post up until 9/29 blog tour date 🙂 I didn’t enjoy this book much, mainly because Alecia and Nate’s lives are really boring. I like Bridget and her effort though. Too much focus on that old mill..

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