Thank you so much for the approval of this title. I loved the premise, but unfortunately, the writing ended up not being a good match, and I will pass on reviewing it. However, I have added it to the YABC database, so that readers will still see it and have the option to post reviews. Thank you again!

Where can I find more paranormal YA like this? Seriously, this was so good! I'm going to be honest and say that I don't care much for reading about the paranormal. I'm more content watching it because I get more scared that way or something. I don't know why I torture myself with paranormal stuff. But this book has changed my mind. By instilling a little bit of Supernatural-esque lore like harbingers of death and the Beekeepers, this kept my attention from start to finish.

What I really loved about this book was the MC, Angie. She was a girl that was into DJing. Like how cool is that? I have yet to read a book where a MC girl is interested in something like that. Secret time: I used to want to be a DJ. I thought that controlling music like that was so cool. Perhaps I'll get back into that. ;) But moving on, Angie was a real solid MC. She didn't make dumb decisions and even when there were girls being nasty to her, she was still incredibly strong. Given what her past was, I'm amazed she didn't break down.

I liked Reese as well. Yeah, he tried to be the whole I'm not going to tell you stuff because I'm macho and need to save you thing but that quickly dropped, which I am thankful for. He trusted Angie and what she was doing and that was refreshing. He let her make decisions, even if he didn't agree with him. Even at the end, he was still letting her make decisions and accepting them, regardless if he liked them or not. I don't know about you guys but that is a winner in my book.

A couple of other things that I really like was the dad/daughter relationship between Angie and her dad. He cared about her so much and let her be who she wanted to be. Their relationship was so open and refreshing. The friendships Angie had with Deno and Lacey (!!! I squealed excitedly when I saw my name (misspelled) in this book) were awesome too. Shout out to Meg Kassel for proving that guys and girls can be friends with no romantic overtures.

Overall, I am thoroughly pleased with this book. I took a chance on a genre I never read and it paid off in spades. I was just sucked in by that beautiful cover. I'm going to have to buy the physical copy when this book is released so I can stare at it all day. You all should do it too.

Black Bird of the Gallows is such a unique fantasy story! (and I think it’s a standalone too) We follow Angie Dovage as she gets to know her new neighbor, Reece Fernandez in a town that’s primed for disaster. With the town’s crow and bee populations increasing, Angie thinks Reece might have answers. The atmosphere is dark and the world building is fantastic, Black Birds of the Gallows is a reading experience you won’t soon forget.

Things I Liked
I really love all the mythology we get in the story! We learn so much about the Harbingers and the Beekeepers; we get their origins,how they live, what their life is like, and I LOVED it all. It was so unique and really kept me turning the pages. I was hooked!

I also really enjoyed the creepy vibe the story has going on. There’s just a really great atmosphere to the story that is dark and gritty and a bit dangerous. The story does not shy away from danger and aggression. And really tries to hook you with mystery in the beginning of the story. The overall vibe makes this a seriously perfect book for fall.


Things I Didn’t Like
I was completely satisfied with the world building in the story, it just felt like it took a little too long to get to get to all the fantastic world building. We really get most of the world building at around the halfway mark. I definitely would have been hook into the story quicker if I got some worldbuilding in the beginning.

I thought that Kiera really lacked depth. She was just another incarnation of the bratty mean girl. She never really seemed like a character to me, so her semi resolution with Angie didn’t carry much weight.

Even though I didn’t connect with any of the characters, the world building made this book unforgettable. This is such a unique concept that stands out in a sea of paranormal creature books. It was so easy to read, and I just can’t get enough of the mythology. Black Bird of the Gallows is a strange but compelling tale of bravery, sacrifice, love, and tragedy.

This was a refreshing change of pace in my paranormal reads. The story of the beekeeper and the harbingers of death (crows) were very interesting to me. I liked that the harbingers of death were actually good and family oriented. Angie and Reece did have a romantic connection but it was in the background of the story. Main focus was on Reece saving Angie from the beekeeper. The action was pretty continuous and Angie seemed to be handling it like a typical teen would, not super-heroish. I really enjoyed this story and read it in pretty much one day. This was a first for me by this author but I cannot wait to read more by her. I received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

Just going by the cover and the title I was expecting something completely different than I got. I pictured a darker, grittier story in more of an urban fantasy setting, not that this one is not dark or gritty but still. However I liked it nonetheless and for it being YA it has a lot of gruesome elements.

I gave the book 3.5 stars because it was a quick, easy read with some interesting concept and I enjoyed it despite my recent reluctance regarding YA stories. But I wasn’t over the moon for it either.
The writing style is flowing and really expressive. I also loved the little titles for each chapter; they foreshadow the things to come in each chapter.
I liked the idea with the whole harbinger and beekeepers mystic element without making the story too supernatural if it makes sense. And not just because that but they are not really commonly used magical entities so it was a unique theme too.

The plot is kind of fast paced or more like busy. Things, especially supernatural ones happen practically from the very first pages and they don’t build up gradually to a point of conflict wich creates a rushed feel to the events. Basically the whole storyline was one big conflict everything happens o fast.
The characters are good but for me neither of them was outstanding. I didn’t feel a bond to either of them.
We see a lot of different reactions, personalities from Angie. She is creative, curious, talented, strong, troubled and caring. She runs headfirst into trouble if its feeds her curiosity. She is also the sole narrator of the story so the reader feels her more.
Then there is Reece, her love interest who is handsome, nice and charming with a lot of secrets. We don’t get to know him as deeply and Angie but I feel that both him and Angie are both the typical teenage YA characters so its not hard to put them in place.
Also I just didn’t see the chemistry between them so I couldn’t help and feel that Reece only role in the book is introducing Angie to the supernatural world. I missed the attraction or the emotional connection between them.

This was a cute, easy and mysterious summer read for me. Yes, you read it right, cute despite the gothic theme, mayhem and destruction going on.

P.S.: For some reason this story reminded me of Twilight, especially in the first third of it.

"Black Bird of the Gallows" is a truly unique and enthralling YA paranormal romance. Angie has had a tough life. She spent the first part of it living with her drug-addicted mother in a van without a stable home and came to live with her father right before her mother overdosed. It's a past she is unable to live down, as people at school won't let her forget. She carries the weight of it with her always. Aside from her kind father, she enjoys making music with her friends and DJs at THE hang-out spot in Cadence, The Strip Mall, as her alter-ego Sparo.

Her life begins to change when a new boy moves in next door, and she finds herself undeniably attracted to him. Although Reece seems to fit into a different crowd (the popular, athletic one), he seems to have taken an interest in Angie as well. As the book develops, we learn there is so much more at play with the harbingers of death and beekeepers. Although mildly scary, I think it is tempered by the YA category and appropriate for all teens- this is definitely not a horror although there is significant death as suggested by the summary.

The romance between Angie and Reece was just about perfect with the right amount of build-up plus context that makes it believable and not just insta-love. The paranormal aspects of the book are where this novel really shines, as it is incredibly creative/clever with a whole new context for the paranormal category. I don't think I have read anything like it before, and it was enthralling! I don't want to say too much about it, because I think it's better if the readers get to experience the reveals for themselves. It did honestly surprise me in the end (I had all sorts of predictions about what would happen/how it would resolve), and I love that I couldn't figure it out. Although it appears that there will be more books in this series, it absolutely reads as a stand-alone (good for people who like closure!).

Fans of Stiefvater will delight in this engaging and clever YA paranormal romance. I found it impossible to put down and enjoyed every twist and turn in this enthralling novel. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one, the mix of paranormal and real life issues was very well done with a balance that will keep you glued to the page wondering what will happen next.  I look forward to reading more books by Meg Kassel.

This was a new take on YA urban fantasy, at least for me. I've read books having Death/ Thanatos taking souls to the afterlife, but never a harbinger of death. I liked how the author develops this mythos and flushes out the plot with it. The main guy Reece is swoonworthy, and Angie takes all the supernatural news well. There were a couple of Twilight-esque moments, such as when Reece tells Angie to 'say it' confirming what he is, and when they show up together to school and everyone stares. But otherwise, this was a fun, original read.

Leaving review on goodreads and amazon.