There was a period of about 2 years during the early pandemic where I wasn’t reading anywhere near the number of books I had before and as I am doing again now, which I know many people around me also experienced. This book, which I had desperately been waiting for as the first installment is still ranked as my number one favorite book of all time, unfortunately fell into that period. As such, I read it in fits and starts over a couple years, especially given how much heavier this one feels than the first for me. I even bought the physical copy when it was released and read between it and the ARC version, because I still love this book that much. The themes of family and care and learning to let those your love learn and grow and live their lives when you desperately want them just to be safe are so beautiful. S.T. Remains a favorite character of mine, so charming and stuck in his ways and funny. I saw that some readers preferred the first due to a decrease in humor and feeling that the plot is similar, however while those things are true I love how this one stands in contrast to the first. This one is darker, with a weight throughout the story you can feel. The relationship S.T. Has for Dee is different, parental, fearful after the incidents in the first book. And that exploration of how trauma impacts us, how relationships are different across our lives is profoundly beautiful here. I highly recommend this duo

Feral Creatures had such a clean ending I was satisfied, but Hollow Kingdom filled a hole I didn't know was left. What a great extension.

I adore this book! This follow-up to Hollow Kingdom exceeded my expectations. The characters that Kira Jane Buxton has created are endearing, hilarious, inspiring, and a joy to spend time with as they navigate the aftermath of an apocalypse. My favorite crow, S.T., returns in this book and leads us on an intense journey. We get other animal perspectives sprinkled throughout as stand-alone chapters that add to the overall world she’s created. Buxton weaves an imagined world with the natural world we know that is so creative. She can also make you laugh and cry in the same sentence! She is a truly gifted writer.

This book is full of friendship and found family. One of my favorite quotes was, “Family doesn’t have to look like you;…. What matters is that you’re loved for who you are in your heart. We survive when we are seen.” This book is also full of intense scenes that sometimes include fear, tension, danger, destruction, death, and explicit language, so tread lightly if you are a sensitive reader. I believe it's well worth a read if you want something unique and funny as well!

I both had to know how this book ended and didn’t want it to end. The best kind of book!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Well let’s be honest Kira Jane Buxton is awesome. Her books are fucking fantastic and all people should read them and worship at the alter of Shit Turd and Cheetos.
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To be 100% honest I was nervous about this one. I loved Hollow Kingdom so very much and the second book in a series can be brilliant or just okay. So second books are always nerve wracking. But this book was so well done! Shit Turd is a genuine hero and I will die for him.
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Kira Jane Buxton is known for her hilariousness and that is a well deserved accolade! She is a brilliant writer as well, I love the way she weaves a story. And the way her mind works. Feral Creatures is such an interesting examination of what happens “after” and I loved the way she presented it.

This second installment had a different feel to it then Hollow Kingdom, heading more into the realm of science fiction/fantasy than just post apocalyptic fiction. It was interesting to see how it was all presented. And I thought she did a really great job of starting this new world.
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All in all I enjoyed this a lot, though Hollow Kingdom hit harder for me. It was so nice being back with ST again and watching him take on the role of parent. Definitely this is worth the read and a truly fantastic follow up to Hollow Kingdom. I say read this fucking book!
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TW/CW: post apoplectic situations, nature violence, talk of blood, swearing,

While the idea of birds raising the last human on earth seems both brilliant and bizarre, I’m not sure it was necessary. The first book was a perfect standalone. That being said, if you read the first one and thought to yourself, “I want more zombie interaction,” then this book will indeed strike your fancy. The zombies are evolving into very different and weird creatures and Shit Turd and friends are still funny. A fun read (just not as good as the first.)

Kira Jane Buxton’s 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 was my favorite book of 2019. 𝘍𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 is her superb follow up that takes the wholly original post-apocalyptic world of the first book and doubles down on the magic and hope and wish for a sublime balance between animals and humanity in the natural world. The prose is no less beautiful, the humor is no less snarky, the poignancy is no less heart-piercing, the thrills are no less propulsive. ⁣
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This is a love story of found family between a foul mouthed Crow, the last human on Earth, a musk ox, a blizzard of Snowy Owls, a Bald Eagle, bees, and other feathered and furry friends. This story ultimately asks the age old question, can love conquer all?

Read it and find out.

This was such a fantastic follow up to Hollow Kingdom! I was so excited to be approved to read this, I loved every minute of it. I would highly recommend checking it out, especially if you read the first one.

I wrote about this on GoodReads, here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1758756-beth Because of travel and other issues, I didn't review this one on my blog.

I love this series so much, and am hoping to see a third installment. For anyone that enjoyed the first book, Hollow Kingdom, you will love this one too. If you haven't picked up the first one, do it now!

The author creates an amazing web of characters, none more noteworthy than our crowtaganist S.T., brilliant and handsome crow responsible for raising the last Mofo (human). In this book they must battle zombie hoardes and confront climate change.

Aside from the characters, my favorite part of these stories is the connection the author brings to the natural world. When I read the dialogue she writes for an animal, it sounds exactly like what I imagine that animal would think to themselves. She also weaves interesting facts about the natural world throughout the books.

The adventures of ST continue! This sequel to Hollow Kingdom had me laughing out loud several times. Take an absurdist idea of talking animals after a viral pandemic wipes out or changes mankind add a smart mouthed, vulgar talking crow and you have yourself an adventure. This sequel has ST(the crow) protecting something very special to him while trying to protect against the “changed ones”. I especially loved the parts where he would flashback to his former life with his owner Big Jim. A prequel would be wonderful to read!!

Funny, bewitching. LOVED the footnotes. An amazing continuation into the journey of our favorite post-apocalyptic crow. (Disclaimer: Kira Jane Buxton is a debut author friend, and I served as an interlocutor for one of her book events for Feral Creatures).

I have to admit, I have been disappointed with this one. It simply was too much. It tried too hard to be all the unique and fun things the first one was but fell short. I had to make myself finish it. I didn’t like ST in this book and could have cared less what happened to Dee by the end.

Kira Jane Buxton's follow up to her first dystopian novel about a sentient crow named Shit Turd (or ST) is just as inventive and language driven as its predecessor. ST is a great narrator, and his language and perceptions are fascinating. In this book, he undertakes an epic quest to deliver the last living MoFo (a human girl he calls Dee) to safety.

The quest is difficult, as such quests should be, full of dangers and unexpected allies. There is a touch of horror here, especially when he encounters mutated MoFos (the crab mutation really creeped me out.)

Overall a really good book filled with wonderful writing.

It truly pains me to assign this one three stars, compared to the four that I gave Hollow Kingdom (four is my common high rating; five are quite rare for me).

I loved Hollow Kingdom and many in-real-life friends who aren't "readers" in the same way I am have read Hollow Kingdom based solely on my nagging recommendations. They loved it, too.

We still have our beloved S.T., and it was his beautiful, witty, heartfelt, scathing observations that carried me through Feral Creatures:

"He didn't answer because he was a fucking jerk, no better than an arrogant aquatic breast implant. But mostly it was because he wasn't a jellyfish. He was actually a plastic bag."

"Keep it together, S.T. Be super smart and stuff."

"I had a black belt in running away from things and I wasn't afraid to use it."

"There was Genghis, with greasy punk rock fur and an arthritic gait purchased at heavy discount from the Ministry of Silly Walks."

These thoughts from S.T. are so solid and loved that, honestly, they were strong enough to carry me through the entire book... because the plot wasn't. I hate to say this because I love Buxton's writing, I love S.T., I love the concept and the world she has created.

But I really lost focus after page after page of descriptions of one horrific - and yet distinctly different from the one before - zombie creature after another. About halfway through, I had to start skipping over some of these - picking up just enough pieces to orient myself to the action - because there were just so many of them, and they really started to blur together, which lessened the impact for me. There was battle after battle, and while I loved the characterizations of many of the animals, these were shiny nuggets to be plucked from the otherwise meanderingness.

And although I loved S.T., and still won't hesitate to at least consider another book with S.T. as the star, I didn't enjoy this adventure nearly as much as the first. S.T.'s entire focus is fawning over Dee, a MoFo he found as a baby and raised. I had a lot of difficulty fully feeling - or even understanding, to be honest - his whole I-will-sacrifice-the-whole-world-for-this-MoFo-after-the-MoFos-tried-to-destroy-us-and-did-destroy-themselves dedication.

I was so happy to request and receive an ARC of Feral Creatures from Grand Central Publishing. Unfortunately, my review is a few weeks after the publication date and this was primarily because I struggled a bit to invest myself in it. Again, I love Buxton's writing and will certainly try her again, particularly if it stars S.T. - and he hasn't lost half his personality in fawning after a MoFo that I was never sure deserved his love.

I was a bit disappointed as I really loved the first book. I'm thinking this may have been better left as a standalone. Then again, maybe I'm just in a different place or reading moon than I was for the first book. For whatever reason, the humor didn't land as much for me this time around. I also found the general storyline to be less interesting to me than the first book. The prose felt a little overwrought (enough with the alliteration!), which occasionally took me out of the reading experience. Overall this one didn't ring my bell the way the first book did.

I’ve been waiting for Feral Creatures since the minute I heard it was going to be published, and my friends, it did not disappoint. Hollow Kingdom was one of the funniest and most surprising books I think I’ve ever read, and Feral Creatures brings all the same greatness to the table.

This is a true sequel, so if you haven’t read Hollow Kingdom yet, do that first. The duology is about a sweary, domesticated crow named S.T. (which stands for Sh*t Turd — his owner was rough around the edges lol) who thinks humans are called MoFos, lmao. In the first book, humans start turning into screen-hunting zombies, and S.T. embarks on a mission with his friend Dennis the dog to save all the domesticated animals. In Feral Creatures, it picks up a short while later, with S.T. in parental mode trying to save his “nestling” from her fate in this new, changed world.

These books are magic because Kira Jane Buxton is SO WITTY. They’re full of impeccably timed swear words (without being crass), and I promise you’ll laugh out loud. Then, sometimes even in the same paragraph or sentence, she’ll turn around and squeeze the heck out of your poor little heart. So, if you like laughing and tearing up all at the same time, these books are for you.

It’s also really beautiful the way Buxton weaves in her deep knowledge and love for the animal kingdom, with interstitial chapters told from the point of view of animals all over the world — each with their own personality (and, in the audiobook, accent!). Still in love with the dog from the first book who spoke about herself in the third poodle.

I would take a bullet for S.T. the crow. Read these books. Kthanksbye.



CONTENT WARNINGS:
Lots of profanity; Body horror/zombies; Animal death; Rape/assault (alluded to)

5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2021/08/30/feral-creatures-hollow-kingdom-2-by-kira-jane-buxton/
Wow – mind blown. With dubious feelings I picked up Hollow Kingdom just shy of a year ago and managed to completely fall in love with a strange crow known as ST. Such a unique concept, an apocalyptic world, destroyed by humans, or mofos as we are known in the Hollow Kingdom, and a story told by animals as they try to survive. A world where nature is slowly reclaiming her lost territory, until further changes and abominations begin to slowly surface. I really enjoyed this strange mix of refreshingly original, darkly funny and sometimes slightly horror soaked storytelling and I highly recommend it.

Again, with a dubious heart, I picked up Feral Creatures. Dubious simply because, well, firstly, I wasn’t expecting a second book so it was a surprise – a very welcome one of course – but then, let’s be honest, sometimes second books suffer the dreaded Middle Book Syndrome and I had such good memories of the first in series – anyway, hold the phone because this book was even more of all the goodness that made Hollow Kingdom such an excellent read. More animals, more emotion, more fantastic writing. I loved it. Now, I know you’re all super excited and want to pick this one up right now, but, listen to my wise words – if you haven’t already read the first then pick that up before reading this- also spoilers may be present for book one so be warned, if you haven’t yet started the series, stop reading now.

Feral Creatures starts almost immediately where Hollow Kingdom left off. ST is looking after a young human nestling, a baby if you will, known as Dee. Between ST and the owls they take care of this fragile little human who seems to attract wildlife and nature with apparent ease. In certain respects you could call this a coming of age tale, also a tale of a parent letting go of their beloved child. This is a dangerous world and ST doesn’t want to let go, he wants to run and hide with his beloved mofo. Dee has other ideas. She thinks she’s part crow, part owl, part bee, well, basically she’s a carefree and wild young woman simply trying to win the approval of her strange family. At the same time as all this ‘coming of age’ tale is taking place the world is changing, humans are changing, and the nature of the wild is in danger. Dee could be the key to maintaining balance but ST, having already lost two beloved family members, is more intent on keeping her hidden and out of harm’s way. At the end of the day ST is about to come to terms with the lesson that most parents eventually learn – your children grow up, they want to become adults, they want you to be proud but they want to make their own choices.

In one word I can tell you what I loved about this: everything. The story itself is again intriguing. The author manages to bring to you a story of family and the difficulty of letting go of your fledglings. Dee is a fantastic character but she’s supported by a wonderful cast of animals and birds that simply makes the goosebumps stand up on your arms. Imagine being beloved of such a range of critters. It gives me happy feelings. Then Dee. Desperate for acceptance, longing for approval, making bold strides forward when ST simply wants to hide her under a rock. I just loved this dynamic. How on earth can we have a post apocalyptic world of, quite possibly the strangest make up I’ve ever read, and yet have a completely domestic, family feel between such a discordant bunch of characters. It’s absolutely mind blowing and I loved it.

Now, add to this the writing. Oh my giddy aunt. The writing is beautiful. It’s funny There are references aplenty. But, more than that, the writing is simply bewitching. Like, every little bit of what is on the page feels ‘animalistic’ or ‘birdlike’ or from the realm of insects. It’s simply wonderful. I feel completely in awe of the writing because every element feels as though it was chosen to help you delve into the wonder of nature. The animals and their movements are described with a charming simplicity but on top of that all the descriptions have a natural feel to them that brings another element to the story. Also, wow, so clever. Don’t be thinking to rush through this because although it is actually a quick read – you need to pay attention or else you will miss so many of the little plays that are going on and they’re just delightful.

My emotions ran riot. I did actually cry whilst reading this and that is not something that I do lightly or actually admit to very often. It was the emotional impact of what was going on. I just couldn’t help myself. There’s a beauty to this, a simplicity and at the same time it just resonates. How that can actually be possible? I don’t know. Basically the author has tapped into something here about all creatures and the roles they play. It’s touching, it’s familiar and it’s insightful.

And of course there are still the horror elements. This is a world altered beyond recognition. The beauty of this story is that we don’t really follow or reflect on the human struggle as such and that’s what makes this so gloriously original.

Look, I’m going to stop here. I think I’ve quite possibly gushed enough. Frankly I think this will be one of my top reads of the year. It certainly surpassed the first and if there is a further instalment, which I suspect might very well be a possibility (please make it happen), well, consider me here for that. In fact just give me the book, now. Pretty please.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Feral Creatures is the follow up novel to Hollow Kingdom. If you haven't read this series yet, do it, immediately! I would describe this series as Jay Kristoff writes The Jungle Book WITH ZOMBIES! Honestly, who doesn't want to read that?!

So, Buxton has a very unique, humorous and profanity filled way of writing and I'm SO here for it! In her signature voice we continue the story of Shit Turd or S.T., a crow who is well versed in "mofo" also known as human. S.T. is hell bent on keeping his nestling safe and making the world liveable and safe for all the creatures in the process.

This story, as with the last, it filled with wonderful life lessons and the true meaning of humanity. Every creature has a gift, a place and brings meaning to the world as they come together to protect each other and try to save the world from the single minded zombies that have ravaged the world. Remind you of anything?

There is so much more I want to say about this story and it's creature characters, but I really think it's best not to spoil anything as I know you're going to want to enjoy this one for yourselves! I'll leave off by saying that I will literally read anything Buxton comes out with, an auto buy author for sure. Now GO, READ THESE BOOKS, you won't regret it. And if you're into audiobooks, I HIGHLY suggest them.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review

“Love is the sun. It burns tiger bright, illuminating the heart & searing away sadness. What a beautifully brave act to hand over a heart. To risk the burns of a blister-skinned sovereign.”

Happy Pub Day Feral Creatures! 💙🖤💚

If you haven’t heard of my love for Kira Jane Buxton ummm… WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! I was enamored with S.T. & Dennis after reading her debut novel, Hollow Kingdom. I have never sobbed harder over two fictional animals saving domesticated pets during a zombie apocalypse than with these two unlikely heroes. (Okay, that’s a very specific category but you get the point.) Now we have been blessed with the *chefs kiss* of a sequel, Feral Creatures. How the heck did Buxton write a perfect follow up to an already perfect book?!

Our favorite shit talking, Cheeto loving crow is back & he’s now a father to humanity’s last hope. S.T. & Dee try to survive their post-apocalyptic world with the help of both old, beloved friends as well as new ones. (I want to hug Oomingmak forever & have Budwati as my badass sidekick.) Like Hollow Kingdom, Feral Creatures is a beautiful, hilarious & terrifying ode to the unbreakable connection between animals, insects, plants & water. Buxton is the only author I know who can tell an entire story from an animal’s viewpoint & make it hit home so hard for humans. I highlighted almost the entire book, marking my favorite quotes. I was actually really surprised how emotional I got during the flashbacks of Big Jim & Tiffany. I truly love that stupid, giant-hearted man 🥺

I don’t want to say too much more because there are lots of potential spoilers & I want everyone to read both of these books. Neither of them fit neatly into any one genre & nothing I say will do them justice. Please just go read Buxton’s works so we can talk about them & cry together 🥲

Thank you Kira Jane Buxton for being the coolest Mofo on Earth & sharing your incredible talent with us. Another big thank you to NetGalley & Grand Central Publishinh for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!