A great beginning to a new YA series. Wonderful characters, creative world building, and a well paced plot kept me reading late into the night. I can't wait to revisit these characters in the next installment. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Nancy Paulsen Books for an advanced reader copy.

Nightbirds is a complex and compelling book that follows young women with different kinds of magic trying to stick together and survive in a magic hating world. The magic system is very compelling and grabbed my attention from the start. I really loved that this book followed 3 young women's stories and that we got a really good look at their characters. Readers who enjoy compelling magic systems and complex fantasies are going to eat up Nightbirds!

What a pleasure to have read Nightbirds! It is a refreshingly great story that moves quickly, with twists you wouldn't expect.

The book starts out with very lush, magical, historical world. It feels like it is real, except there is magic in it. The Nightbirds, are magical girls, that work in "houses" by selling their kiss to a paying customer to share their magic/gift with them. Obviously, where there is power, there's ones that want to take it. As things get revealed, the girls are learning more and more about their powers, the city's secrets, and about things being not as they seem.

This book was reminiscent to me of Six of Crows, due to the illegality of magic, underground secret groups dealing in "illegal" magic. All this connects to a deep theme of women being villainized and called a witch for having magic powers, tied to the religion of their world. It is reminiscent to real life, and how women were always scrutinized for being different.

This one is very addictive read - adventurous, magical, fast paced page turner that you will want more of. Cannot wait for the second book and how the girls will deal with the after affects of their choices in this book.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and PRH Audio for gifted copies of this book. All opinions are my own.

THIS BOOK IS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE READ THIS YEAR.

The magic system, the characters, the multiple POV's, the plot twists, all the little love triangles were *chefs kiss*

This book is 450 pages and I read it in 2 days. I couldn't put it down! The story just kept developing with more magical elements being introduced in such a flawless way. The magic system is complex but the author writes it so it's easy to understand. Each character is really fleshed out with their own distinct personalities and adventures. 450 pages sounds a lot but with this story, it's just not enough because I'm eager to know what happens next!

This book gets a 5 star rating from me if it wasn’t obvious. I’ll be picking up the hard copy when it comes out because the cover is stunning!

This book turned out to be such a lovely surprise. I loved every suspenseful moment and would definitely read a second book. It’s an intricate story full of tons of intrigue and emotions. Highly recommend.

This started as an off-read for me because of the long chapters, but as the book progressed I enjoyed it more and more. I definitely have my favorite Nightbird *cough* Sayer *cough* but I liked how all 3 of the main characters came from different backgrounds and finally realized that they are stronger together than separately. Each of them brings their own flaws to the story and that makes it more interesting. I liked that there was romance but it wasn't the main focus of the story.

The Nightbirds, teenage girls from the Great Houses with magic courting through their veins, are the best kept secret since magic is outlawed. They are protected and known as treasures among the Great Houses. Each one is meant to marry a Great House lord, but three of the girls have other plans. They soon learn their magic is much more than what they were told.

I love this sweeping fantasy full of magic and feminism power. I also loved that the story actually provided detail of how the magic and courts worked. Some books always leave you not enough information, but not this book. Each girl has their own traits and personality’s to make them unique. There’s also a nice amount of twist and turns.

I really just enjoyed the story as a whole. A story of what courage takes.

Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong is resplendent with magic, back stories and world building. I never felt confused and felt the scene was perfectly set for the next books to come. I wasn’t anticipating to be so surprised by the situations that happened but Armstrong did a really great job jolting me out of the expected. Getting to know these characters was a ride, a fun one.

This is definitely one of the most unique books I've read in 2023 so far! A fantasy world that has a slight roaring 20's vibe?! Where magic is outlawed by a bunch of religious zealots?! And the wealthy elite are hoarding the girls who still have magic to use for themselves?! Yeaaaah its as cool as it sounds.

In this book we are brought into the fantasy world of Sitma and introduced to three girls Matilde, AEsa and Sayer. These three girls all come from different backgrounds but they all have magical abilities and are wards of the same elite family. In Sitma women with magical abilities are called Nightbirds and are hidden by the wealthy Houses to "protect" the Nightbirds from the religious zealots who want to persecute them but put to work by having to transfer some of their powers to the Houses through a kiss. As the book goes on the Nightbirds start to realize that what they've been told by the Houses and the religious sect might not be the whole truth and they start to question their whole world.

I absolutely loved the characters and that they all had different personalities and struggles. I loved the strong, badass sisterhood vibe of this book! It left me wanting to kick some ass! I also loved the political intrigue/drama! It was fun to read and try to guess what everyone's motivations were and what the plot twists could be. It also needs to be said I really appreciated the pacing of this book and writing style I was completely consumed!

I can't WAIT for the next book in this series! Thanks so much to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Here is a video I made for the book:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRnyGDKu/

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

This is a fun YA fantasy with witches. Think prohibition era, but instead of alcohol being banned, it’s magic. Women with magic are called Nightbirds and are coveted in a world where enchantment is forbidden. In magical speakeasies, women’s power can be bought. As they age the magic is saved for their offspring or so they are told. Three witches decide to change societal rules and find out they are not the only ones with magic.

This is the first book in the series. If you like The Gilded Wolves and Witchlands, you will like this. It has political intrigue and witches on the run trying to uncover secrets. There is a touch of romance with the promise of more in the next book. It is told from the POV of three different girls. With any book I never like the politics, so I wanted a little less of that, but it was still good. (Probably just me). I will definitely be reading the next book!

Thank you Penguin Teen for the ARC! 🖤🪶

There's nothing particularly wrong with it, it's just not keeping my attention. I am 10 percent of the way through but I will not be continuing with it..

This book was an amazing fantasy debut with lovable characters, a sprinkling of politics, and powerful women with powerful magic. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time and here i thought it was going to be a standalone! But i couldn't be happier that we get to see these characters and this world in another book because I really couldn't get enough. Kate J. Armstrong created something fabulous with this story that will make its way into many peoples hearts and make a place for them in its pages.

Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Teen Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In Simta, magic is banned and any who use it – particularly women – are persecuted as witches by the city’s religious faction. But the Great Houses have long protected the Nightbirds, teenage girls born into these Houses who have magic and the ability to gift it to others with a kiss, and their identities are hidden from everyone, making them but a myth to any not of these circles. Matilde, Aesa and Sayer, are enjoying their Season by day and performing their Nightbird duties by night, but all of them seek a life beyond the confines and closely dictated future of a Nightbird who has finished her Season. A series of events leads to their identities being revealed, and the three girls are forced to flee their luxurious lives and go into hiding, now that the zealous religious group, various unscrupulous characters and even the ruler of Simta are after them for their own ends. When they discover that there are other girls out there with magic just like them, they begin to realize that the Nightbird system is build of lies to keep them in line and and they must decide if they will return to their gilded cages or use their powers to make a difference the way their ancestors of legend did.

The premise of this book reminded me a little of The Belles (a series for which the third book is finally coming this year), especially in terms of the magic, so that alone made me quite curious to know more. I’ve seen a good amount of hype for this book so I was excited to get an ARC of this. The concept of the Nightbirds was a truly fascinating one and I really liked the plot that the author has woven around them. The story has so many facets apart from just the magic with various parties grappling for political power, a sect of the religious faction somewhat resembling the witch hunts growing bolder in their tactics by the day, and the system that the Great Houses have invented for the Nightbirds, ostensibly to keep them safe and make sure the magic stays secret and within their circles, but is soon enough revealed to be something of a gilded cage.

The magic system was very clear right from the beginning and quite simplistic and easy to grasp. The world building on the other hand, felt rather lacking. With the book jumping right into things from the beginning, much of the information about the world was told rather than showed and I couldn’t visualize the setting or imagine a comparative time period to draw inspiration from either though I suppose 1920s would be a close fit. Given the map at the beginning, I’m curious to see if the story will shift focus to some of the other places depicted there and what the views on magic are in those parts

The pacing was decent, it did slow down in some parts and speed up drastically towards the end, but otherwise it was balanced enough to keep track of what was happening and what each character was up to. The writing style was pretty good and it was an engaging enough read that I didn’t feel the need to take breaks from it.

Narrated from the perspectives of the three Nightbirds, Matilde, Aesa and Sayer were all interesting characters, their voices distinct, and each of their arcs well developed. Not only was there a good amount of backstory for them all, each girl’s journey was depicted in a realistic manner. As girls from drastically different backgrounds and upbringings, they all had a lot to come to terms with as many shocking facts were revealed and they dealt with it in different ways as they learned to trust and rely on each other despite not starting off on the best foot.

Matilde, I feel, had the best arc, mainly because as the most naive of the three, she had the most adjustment to go through with her worldview basically turned on its head and so many key facts of her privileged life so far proven to be false. Sayer wasn’t the most likeable character and her quest to get revenge has already shown to have severe consequences as she tended to let it cloud her vision and make reckless choices. I wasn’t fond of Aesa either, having been raised with strict religious beliefs by a father who thinks magic is blasphemous, she is kind of scared of her magic and that it might corrupt her. For the majority of the book, she felt like a very passive character to me, too worried to actually do anything – though once the girls found the Underground and others like them, her arc started to move a little and by the end there was the potential of her growing into a much stronger character.

To be honest, all three of them made some reckless and unwise choices which led to their identities being revealed to various people both trustworthy and not, and basically set the ball rolling for the entire plot. Not all of them were avoidable, but the most damaging ones were and that was largely Matilde’s fault and to an extent Sayer’s – and these are going to have repercussions going forward, especially for Sayer. The romances were all right, but I didn’t enjoy those arcs as much because there was already so much going on that all my concentration was towards the plot and these just felt like interruptions.

The ending was quite packed with so much going on on so many different fronts, but it didn’t lack for action and left a lot of unanswered questions and a cliffhanger too. I’m really curious what Matilde’s plan is going forward as it’s clear she isn’t just going along with what’s being demanded of her – she has something up her sleeve. I’m hoping the next book will have more development relating to the original fyrebirds, their abilities, how that might affect the three girls and also perhaps introduce some of the previous Nightbirds as well.

Overall, this was an interesting read, and I believe this is a debut novel, so considering that, a rather good one too. It did feel a little unnecessarily long and could have been trimmed down a bit (But then again, I can say that for a large number of recent novels – they’re all inching towards and past the 500 page mark where the average length used to be around 350 pages a couple of years ago. I’m not sure I entirely like this trend, unless the plot is really so dense as to merit it, books should be as concise as possible). While I didn’t feel there was anything particularly stand out about this book, I’m looking forward to reading the sequel and finding out where this story goes next. If you’re a fan of fantasy novels, I would definitely recommend this book! It was a solid start to a new series and an entertaining read.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Publishers for sending me this e-arc in return for an honest review.

This book took me by surprise, at first I thought I would not enjoy it as much when I read the synopsis, but as I began reading the book it quickly pulled me into its world of forbidden magic, high societies, and and dangerous dealings.

I loved reading the different povs of Matilde, Sayer, and Æsa. Æsa was I think the one I enjoyed the most, she feels so much for each of the Nightbirds and is the first to try and help them work together. I also love her story with her guard, I fell in love with his character and the way he helps.

It was intriguing to see a different spin on the Prohibition period, instead of it being alcohol, this time it being the use of magic. And with the use of magic we have those that are the Nightbirds who can use magic without having to use alchemy. I loved the dynamics of the alchemy, the Nightbirds, and the history of the magic. Seeing the differences of those that are born of the Great Houses, and those who are of lower class caught with alchemy.

I felt like I was stepping into this glamorous world lurking with danger behind the curtains, and lies seeping out from all the characters, as each plays a game.

I loved the ending of the book, and seeing how each character grew by the end. I can't wait for book 2.

"Perhaps courage is a thing you choose, like friendship, it means trusting the voice within"

1920's prohibition but with *magic*. Imagine the film noir vibes of speakeasys, forbidden magic, fanatical religious sects, and political parties.

Plot: 4/5
This story was really solid. I felt that the pacing was fairly good, it only lagged a bit around a quarter of the way through. The overall theme of women's rights was really compelling and topical.

Characters: 4/5
Matilde, Sayer and Æsa were great main characters, they all had really unique personalities. The found family aspect brought some much needed lightness to the story. I think there was a bit of a miss in some of the character development but that will probably come with later installments in the series.
Fairly solid side characters as well, most of them were used really well in the plot

Writing: 4/5
The chapters are fairly long so it took me a while to feel invested and with multi-povs, that is hard to avoid. Armstrong has a really good style. I'm excited to see how she does in future works.

Overall: 4/5

I loved this book and I cannot wait for the next one! What a different fantasy world, with characters that were so easy to fall for, and beautiful writing.

Wow. That was one heck of a LUSH world that I can’t wait to explore more of! It had so many of my favorite bookish locations from slums to palaces to ships.. this book had such a vivid world that I was in awe for most of it. Also the 1920’s prohibition theme but with MAGIC being the illegal substance.. like how freaking smart and creative?!

Nightbirds had me from the start, even though it started off with extremely long chapters (in my opinion) but they eventually evened out and stayed on the medium-short side. I’m a short chapter kind of girlie lol.

There’s some budding romance that I think will fully bloom in the next book, a beautiful growing sisterhood that brought some tiny tears to my eyes and the 1920’s theme with speakeasies?! I don’t know what’s not to love about this one. How could I forget to mention there are multiple POV’s that truly help us to learn about different backgrounds, struggles and help to get a more rounded out picture of this world.

Also, I need more of Willan please and thank you.

I don’t know, when I’m reviewing fantasies, my reviews tend to be hectic and all over the place but read if you like:

- the song All that Glitters by Earl
- 1920’s magic prohibition
- Speakeasies and Jazz
- Multiple POV’s
- Unique magic system/elemental magic
- Found family trope
- Black market shenanigans

I really enjoyed Nightbirds and everything the story brought to the table. I really fell in love with the characters and the roaring 20s vibe the entire story gives off. The story is lush and mysterious creating a wonderful atmosphere for the book. I felt the end of the story was a little slow and for that reason I struggled to want to finish it.

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for my Physical ARC!

"Perhaps courage is a thing you choose, like friendship, it means trusting the voice within"

This new fantasy series definitely falls under unique stories because of its interesting take on the 1920's prohibition era where only women have magical abilities, at least that is what got my attention first. The world of Nightbirds where magic is forbidden but often bootlegged is glamorous yet dangerous, with a sect of religious faction constantly putting a tight leash on any magical activity and political parties using the secretive magic to serve their own purposes three girls Matilde, Aesa, Sayer are living a dangerous incognito lives by sharing their magic with kisses- yes! you heard it right, it's kissing magic ;)

It took me a while to get into the story because the initial chapters were longer with quite a bit of information, however once I understood the workings of the world I was able to read the rest of the book real fast. The multiple POV from all the three girls is actually one of the strong suits for the book, I loved how Matilde, Aesa and Sayer had begun the journey with their own prejudices and reservations and how they ended with a strong sisterhood bond that is going to save the world and bring out a new revolution

The story is intricate because we are navigating the lives of three different girls with three different backgrounds that are brought together by fate to be united on a mission that is larger than any of their own issues. I absolutely adored their backstories and their unflinching, albeit blinded beliefs at times and how they form a tentative alliance with each other after realizing there is something stronger when they use their magic together, we have a lot of ongoing questions and I loved how each of these answers played into the plot and made sense towards the end.Although it is a YA fantasy, it read like a NA/Adult high fantasy for me but in the most positive way, there is romance although it is not the focal point amidst of betrayals, revelations and self discoveries but I enjoyed it regardless

Overall I really enjoyed the story that has a strong female badass witches/ sisterhood energy, imagine the show Charmed but make it more dangerous because real people are worse than demons ;) So excited to read Feyrebirds!

<u>What to expect</u>
-1920's prohibition period but magic is prohibited instead of alcohol
-Flapper dress, glamorous Jazz parties and illicit speakeasies with magic
-Multiple POV's,Kissing magic where only woman possess magical abilities
-Strong Feminine warrior energy stomping patriarchy
-Legends,Betrayals and elemental magic
-Read if you liked The Witchlands series, Stories about witch trials, Charmed but more dangerous!

Reviews Posted: Feb. 11, 2023
Goodreads
Storygraph

Was a little unsure about this book at the start but by the end I just could not put it down. It was a magical world that enchanted me at every turn.

I am a sucker for multiple POVs. So I loved seeing each girl's journey and how they were all able to come together. It was interesting seeing them all come to terms with change and learning who in their life they could and could not trust. At times I loved all the girls and at others, I wanted to strangle them all, but that is what made me love them more. It was a great representation of how many can go through the same trails, yet react to them in completely different ways.

I felt that the romances were so cute and that the couples who were meant to be together complimented each other well. I just wish that they didn’t have to face so many bumps in the road. Each couple was so different from the next and I loved that.

I think there was also some interesting commentary on how religion can be used as a dangerous weapon in politics and create a mob mentality. I think it was pretty clear that the author drew inspiration from the witch trials, which just fit this book perfectly.

While I loved so many aspects of the book there were some downfalls. The beginning was choppy at times and it took me a while to feel fully invested in the story. I do also think that when it comes to the world-building that too much of it was told outright instead of figuring more out as the story went along.

The plot was slow at times, but I was actually okay with that because it allowed me as a reader and the characters to process what was happening to them. The only time I felt this was lacking was at the end. So much was going on that it was hard to process everything, but I am still excited to see what happens in future books.

Overall I loved this fantasy world that the author built. With a captivating world, an intriguing magic system, and beautifully written characters there is so much to love about this book.