This one tries to reach to far and falls short. Mediocre writing and characters I couldn't bring myself to be invested in.

ARC/e-book/ Absurd Fantasy:   First, I want to thank NetGalley for letting me have an advanced copy of this novel in lieu of an honest review.  This book will not come out for a while so no spoilers here.  I will tell you how I felt about the book. 
 
The book is written in first person, which is my favorite narrative.  I like the character of Amanda Gray.  I guess, because she reminds me of Meredith Gray on Gray’s Anatomy.   She seems meek at first but since the first person places you inside her mind, you come to realize how snarky and passive aggressive she is. 
 
This book is more like an epic novel and I hate to say probably about 100 pages too long.  It wasn’t that there is a lot of filler; it is that the author roles three adventures to finally get to the end.  Just when you think it’s over (and it can’t be because there is plenty of book left), it doesn’t wrap up the plot and keeps going.  It’s like that stupid Batman movie with Heath Ledger as the Joker.  You think it’s over and then Two-Face makes you sit through another hour.  Luckily, this book doesn’t have the boredom of that Batman movie.  It does have the absurdity. 
 
This is an absurd novel.  I saw some other reviews that said this book” wasn’t their cup of tea”.  I really enjoy absurd novels to a point.  If you like Christopher Moore, you will like this book.  It is a dark comedy.  Without giving anything away, I think the roommate and his evolution with all its grievances is the best part. 
 
I did like this book a lot.  It is a little too long, but it is pretty good.

I did not finish this book. After trying for a good month and 56 % in I finally gave up. Maybe this book is the right thing for people who liked "Ash vs. the Evil Dead" but clearly not for my. I did not care for the characters and as much as I tried I did not like Amanda or her down worn, useless angel upstairs. The only thing that dragged me on for a while was her demon roommate. While this book is supposed to be funny with a lot of sarcasm it didn't work for me.

Summary: Amanda Grey has unleashed seven shades from hell and one moved in with her; well she still needs a roommate.

Things I liked: Leyva has a way of writing that feels like you are having a conversation with him in a coffee shop. I personally enjoy this type of writing style. It puts you the reader into the author's headspace a bit. His characters are fleshed out and three dimensional. You don't know who are the good guys or the bad guys; which makes the story entertaining and keeps you guessing. The pacing of the story is fast and doesn't let up. You may get to take a breath here and there but the story just keeps coming. The writing is witty and intelligent...I found myself laughing out loud in many different parts of the story. I actually tweeted Alcy and asked what "ass plague" is. He so graciously responded.. (Thanks Alcy)!!

Things I didn't like: Honestly, there wasn't anything that I didn't like in this story.

Star Rating: 5 Go out and buy this book then buy the sequel!!

My Thoughts: Alcy Leyva is a great story teller. There is so much that is funny in this novel that yeah just yeah. Just read it. I want to talk about all the parts but alas no spoilers. If you want to read a fast paced, smart and witty story please with all that is bookish go out and buy And Then There Were Crows you won't be disappointed.

I didn't want to give it a star rating because I dropped it at 10%, as this is so so clearly not my cup of tea, but Netgalley doesn;t let me post a review without it, so I'm forced to go with 1*. Neither the writing, nor the action managed to get to me, despite the fact that the synopsis seemed very attractive to me..

This was a pretty fun read. I mean, the amount of sass and snark in this book was off the charts. Leyva should probably be writing for Deadpool. Just sayin’. 

The book starts off with our main character, Amanda Grey, trying to find a roommate so that she doesn’t lose the family apartment while her parents are on vacation. Grey is an anti-social weirdo who would rather punch you in the face and run away than talk to you. But she sucks it up and goes to Craigslist, cuz she’s gotta save the only home she’s ever known. And this is how her own personal (and literal) hell begins. 

I actually related to Grey in a lot of ways cuz I also deal with GAD and panic attacks. When you deal with shit like that, it is a lot harder meeting new people and hiding out in your room is really appealing. It was cool seeing Grey grow as a person and learn to overcome some of that through the loyalty she felt towards her family. She learned that she can trust people when they say that they care and that she can depend on others (so it’s not the end of the world if she opens up a little bit. That’s what the demons are for). And of course she does all of this while being sarcastic as hell. Her inner monologue was hilarious and I wish I could think up amazing comebacks like hers. 

I liked all the secondary characters as well (except for one, but I guess that was fine cuz they turned out to be a real dick anyway). Grey’s demon roommate, D, was probably my favorite. Even though he doesn’t talk for like the first half of the book, his mannerisms were enough to endear him to me. I even came to like Grey’s kid sister who also got a bit of development as well. 

The plot was a roller coaster of gore and sarcasm. It was gross (in a good way), but also comical so it made all of the crazy stuff happening really entertaining. I feel like it would be a real awesome horror movie, like on the same level as Evil Dead. It has that same combination of disturbing and ridiculous. My only critiques are that the story lagged a bit in the middle and the plot got a little fuzzy, but the beginning was strong and the last third of the book really picked up. I felt like the fight scenes could also be finessed a bit cuz I found them a bit confusing at times. But overall, it was a really cool and funny read and I’ll be looking for a sequel.

Although I enjoyed the blurb, I'll be honest and admit it was totally the cover that drew me to this one. I have a thing for corvids to begin with, but the cover and title were a definite advantage for me picking this one up.

It took me longer than I thought to read. The beginning is great and it hooks you, but soon I got tired of the endless metaphors and similies. Don't get me wrong, some of them were very clever and funny, but after the hundredth one it got tedious. I ended up putting the book down a few times. I did pick it back up and in the end finished the novel.

In the first half of the story our protagonist asks several times how she could screw up so badly, which is irritating because none of it is her fault. A couple of times the author lost me since I've never lived in, nor visited, New York city. His familiarity with the location is obvious but skipping over the details of where they were didn't detract too much from the story. There were a couple of places that only made sense after finishing the book that probably could have been given a bit more oomph had the narrator pointed out their strangeness at the time. (mild spoiler: Mandy breaks her wrist and binds it with ducktape, to keep the "loose bone from sliding too much" but no mention is made of pain or the weirdness of the lack thereof.)

One thing Leyva did in excellent fashion was describing Mandy's mental health. As a sufferer of anxiety and depression I found myself wishing I could fist bump this novel in solidarity several times. This passage is especially resonant:

    "The point, Barnem, is that sometimes I feel fine and sometimes I feel broken, less than, possibly dead. Sometimes I hear so many damn voices in my head that I forget what mine sounds like. Sometimes I get so angry that I want to tear my flesh up to let out the pressure. Sometimes I fall so deep into my own head that I don't eat or shower for days."

In the end I found this to be an entertaining read with a few standout passages, an interesting if not wholly original plot, a cast of sympathetic characters, and an abrupt ending that is disappointing though not unexpected.

Do NOT read this book in public. You WILL get odd looks when you inexplicably burst out laughing at random moments. Trying to explain those moments to other people...can be difficult. Don't ask me how I know this. I just do. Anyway...

The world is ending, and it's all Grey's fault. All she did was run out of money and put an ad on Craigslist for a roommate. No big deal. Well, when that roommate happens to be a Shade host that tries to kill her 5 minutes into the story, things get complicated. Throw in an anti-social Seraphim, a crazed TV show host running for mayor, the pope, and some cultists...there's a big chance Grey won't make it out of this intact. 

I loved this book. I went a little outside of my norm for this one and I am 100% glad I did. Started it late Wednesday night and finished by Thursday. Dark humor is a steady lifeline throughout the book and it makes the story move quickly. 

Amanda Grey's growth as a character is beautifully done. She starts as a young woman with severe social anxiety--just the act of meeting a roommate seems enough to send her into a panic attack which is a running theme throughout the book. We see glimpses into the mind of a person with severe anxiety who pushes herself through it, forces herself to interact with "people" despite her aversions and grows into a person willing to die to fix her mistakes. 

Given the cast and situations, this book reminds me a lot of "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. The style of humor is very similar so if you enjoyed that one, you'll likely enjoy this as well. It's not the book for people who take their religion seriously, or who are easily offended by language or violence as it has a lot of both.

Overall: definitely recommend (and have recommended to like-minded friends). 

**I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading And Then There Were Crows.  Part satirical urban fantasy, part black comedy - the end of the world begins with a Craigslist ad for a roommate.  In this case roommate from hell is an accurate description.  Amanda Grey has agoraphobia and panic disorder.  Dealing with the everyday is hard enough, but now she has shades trying to kill her, a disturbing excuse for an angel blaming her for the oncoming apocalypse, and a new neighbor trying to be her friend.  Odd things are happening in New York, and somehow it is up to Amanda to save the day.

Amanda isn’t the most likable heroine, but she is perfectly believable as a young woman with serious anxiety issues. Her main methods of coping are avoidance and driving people away by being unpleasant.   But she is the perfect heroine for this unique novel and difficult to classify novel.

My only complaint is that there are times when the novel drags.  Otherwise it is an excellent and unusual read.

4 / 5

I received a copy of And Then There Were Crows from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

— Crittermom

When I first saw the plot and the title of the book, And Then There Were Crows, I found it way too intriguing. Once I received the book and started reading it, I found it rather absurd. The book was fine but it took me a long time to finish it because of its slow pace. Few instances I didn't even feel like ending it. Reading the blurb on Netgalley made me get excited, I thought the book would be different than the usual YA genre, but it was disappointing to me. The writing style was way too dull. The story tends to get a little tangled up at times, but in like a quirky and endearing way.

About the character, if I talk about the main character Amanda, she was a mess and I suppose that was the only aspect handled by the author nicely. A young woman coping with mental illness, but not in a sad-but-pretty way was something that made me pull on with the book. Although the plot or the idea about the entire book wasn't that bad the execution was horrible. It could have been written in a much better manner with a fast pace and intriguing structure. Other than that, the front cover was interestingly chosen including the title name. I suppose most of the bookworms would get this book just cause of its title "And Then There Were Crows" and the front cover kinda gives you the creep.

I found the plot very intriguing after reading  a summary of "And Then There Were Crows" on NetGalley. It sounded like something new and fresh, unique from all the fantasy YA books I had been reading lately that all seemed to have the same plot somehow. 
       While I loved the concept, the writing got very dull, the pacing was a little slow,  and the main character, Amanda, was very unlikeable for me. 
I only got about 25% done with this book before I gave up. I just wasn't motivated to read it anymore due to annoying Amanda and the slow progression of the plot.
  I hope other readers can find enjoyment from this book, as I can see how other people could like it, but ultimately this wasn't the book for me.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

The Good:  Um, everything. Grey, the main character is a young woman coping with mental illness, but not in the sad-but-pretty way I usually see depression and anxiety portrayed. She's kind of a mess. And I someone with those same issues, I can seriously relate and loved the way Leyva wrote her. And, when she accidentally kicks off the apocalypse, she doesn't always handle it well, but she learns to confront her problems, albeit with a potentially unhealthy level of violent rage.
The side characters are also great, each with their own distinct personality. I especially loved Petty, because loving your sibling fiercely and also really wanting to strangle them is another thing about Grey that I can relate to. Grey's demon roommate was my second favorite, but to get into why would bring up too many spoilers.
The snark was also great. 
The Bad: The story tends to get a little tangled up at times, but in like a quirky and endearing way. That's really all the bad I have.
The Verdict: I absolutely loved this book. The style reminds me of Neil Gaiman a bit, which is, of course, high praise.
Read this if you like shows like Supernatural and books like American Gods.
Warnings: There is a lot of violence, a fair amount of language, and a heaping ton of sacrilege.

I received a copy of And Then There Were Crows by Alcy Leyva from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by the summary and really wanted to like this novel, but it was a chore at times to keep reading. The storyline could have been pulled together better and the characters (especially the main character) developed better. There were flashes of real goodness, but then the story would get bogged down or off track a little. 

I would try reading another book by Alcy Leyva to see if the writing/storyline would improve with more experience, but I don't think I would recommend this novel unless further editing to tighten it up happened.

So, despite my five star rating, this may not be the book for you.

You have cursing (lots of it), gruesome violence (lots of it), just general weirdness (a whole freaking lot of it), and snark (pretty much the entire book).

Added to the above mentioned virtues (lol - no, not vices), you've got a rocking adventure of a story that made me smile more than once, laugh out loud (literally a few times), and snort unattractively (many, many times).

I loved our main character.  Somehow, our author managed to make her snarky without making her sound like a teenager.  D was beyond awesome and even the Pope made me laugh.  (Note: if you can't take a rather tongue in cheek view of religion, you might want to skip.)

My first reaction when I started reading it could best be described as a rather stunned what-the-heck-am-I-reading expression, but the book quickly became just pure fun.

So, probably not for everyone (because severed body parts), but definitely for me!