A very interesting premise right from the start. Murder owls stalking a library building? Yes, please !

The protagonist, Mads, who is a chemist, is about to teach a sort of summer class on the library to a bunch of 11-12 year olds, as a favor to a friend. And then the owls attack, patrons get stuck in the library for a while, and bad decisions lead to a bunch of people hurt.

One of the high points for me in this book were the people in the library, both kids and adults. They felt very real, relatable in their response to the situation at hand. I was enjoying the read, and was invested in the workings behind the owl's odd behavior, but then soon realized that this was not the main focus of the book. The parliament focuses on Mad's PTSD ( something that happened to her as a child) and how she tries to deal with it and help the people on the library, which is an okay storyline, but not something I was interested in reading in detail.
I wanted to know more about the science of the birds, and the machinations to leave the library, but it all lost momentum too soon, and the explanations were superficial. Some readers will not have a problem with that, for sure, but I was here for the birds, so it fell short for me.
There is a romance subplot in here too, that I did not enjoy much, as it did not help further the story.

I also have to agree with some of the readers that we did not need the "book within a book" situation. "The Silent Queen" is a fairy tale book the protagonist reads to the kids to distract them, and it is interspersed within the actual main story. Although I can see why it was there, soon it became a bit too long and dull for me, and took away from the main plot line.

It's one of those cases where the book had a lot of potential, tries too many ideas/directions, and forgets to fleshed out what is important.

Thanks to TorDotCom and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This weird little book is really excellent. I love a book about a library, and I have a fascination with owls, so this seemed like the kind of book I would like. It was not at all what I expected, but delightfully so. I loved the story within the story, it was a solid fantasy novel woven into the contemporary narrative. I thought the author did a particularly good job of casting an oddball assortment of people trapped inside the library; the kind of cast of characters that seemed realistic to me, an actual librarian. I loved the group of kids at the centre of the story. I thought they were well developed and interesting. I liked that the author gave them credit for the intelligence that kids that age have, but is not often acknowledged. It did feel a little long. The pacing started out great and very page turning, but felt laggy in the back half. Still a super enjoyable and surprising read.

Aimee Pokwatka sort of just drops you into "The Parliament" and leaves you to flounder, making it at first read more like a novella than a full-length book because of the suddenness of the story’s take-off. There’s no setup, and she doesn’t give the reader time to get to know Mad, our protagonist, before plopping her into a library surrounded by deadly owls. And there are a lot of characters to get to know – a group of children, and also library employees and random library patrons.

All this gives the book a messy feel to it, because not only do you not understand why the owls are at the library and why they’re trying to kill people, you have a jumble of Mad, children, and library peeps in your head. Needless to say, it’s hard to ground yourself in the story, and I can’t promise the confusion will improve seeing as I finished the book without ever having the characters straight in my head.

Plus, there’s a book within the book, an additional fantasy tale called "The Silent Queen." Mad shares the story with the children as a way to pass the time, and I believe we’re meant to draw parallels between it and the main narrative thread. But the full circle connection never really happens, at least it didn’t for me.

Yet despite all the negatives – and I know I’m pointing out a good number of faults – I really liked Pokwatka’s latest. Somehow she makes it work. Mad's growth as a character is rewarding, and it’s a singular story that’s equal parts heartwarming and horrific. Never underestimate murder owls, Pokwatka makes that clear.

If you’re even the teeniest, tiniest bit intrigued by "The Parliament," I say give it a try. Just know what you’re getting into before you pick it up.


My sincerest appreciation to Aimee Pokwatka, Tordotcom, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

A dual storyline, with one setting a library being inundated with killer birds, and another setting a fairytale that the main character reads to the kids trapped inside the library.

I really enjoyed the fairytale! The characters were compelling , and I was interested in finding out what would happen. I quite enjoyed this fantasy world.

I didn’t care so much for the main story, and actually found it a bit dull. Also, some of the characters’ actions didn’t seem to make much sense. I had a hard time remembering which kid was which, because they all acted pretty much the same. Just like the book group people and the Terrys (Barrys? Jimmys? I’ve already forgotten).It is an intriguing plot, though. It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to the publisher and author for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely meant to remind readers of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" (originally a short story by Daphne du Maurier), Aimee Pokwatka's "The Parliament" is a tense and increasingly claustrophobic and frightening story about an unexpected attack by owls.

Madigan "Mad" Purdy has spent her life, since surviving a school shooting when she was a kid, trying to not make connections, still feeling intense guilt that she survived, and that a good friend in her classroom did not. (When police arrived, they found her holding her dead friend's hand,) This moment looms huge in her memories, and keeps her cut off and lonely, by choice. Now an adult working as a chemist for a makeup company, she's arrived, reluctantly, at her hometown library to give a workshop, after a persistent request by another childhood friend, Farrah. And to make matters worse, Nash, Mad's former best friend and crush, and the brother of her dead classmate, is also at the library.

The kids attending the workshop have their own issues, one recovering from a dead brother's death, and other heavy things, and but all are smart, funny, intriguing, difficult to impress, and at times adversarial; i.e., kids on the cusp of adolescence.

When a massive number of owls descend on the library, and begin attacking and killing anyone who ventures outside, the library becomes both a place of temporary safety and imprisonment. To keep the kids' spirits up, Mad begins reading them a book called "The Silent Queen", a dark fairy tale about a mute princess of a land whose wealth comes from its mines. And a terrible beast that maims, mauls and kills the girls of all the lands in this story, but gives them each a gift afterwards. It's a gruesome, terrifying world, and tale (how does this in-story tale bear ANY resemblance to "The Princess Bride"??) that brought Mad comfort when young, and does so for her worried and stressed group. In fact, the kids are not only are captivated and calmed by the story, but also begin researching, at Mad's urging, ways to potentially calm the owls and send them away.

Mad feels responsible for the kids, as she knows that they're going through something life changing that will linger in their memories for years after. While she does her best to protect them, Nash does his best to maintain the kids' and the other patrons' health with very limited supplies and food, as he's a pediatrician. He and Mad also begin dealing, despite Mad's incredible reluctance to open up, with her childhood trauma, and its effect on their relationship.

This is definitely a horror-filled novel, from the murder owls, to Mad's early experience with violence, to the increasingly desperate situation for everyone in the library, to the various methods the town uses to deal with the incident.

At the same time, it's a terrific novel about friendship, people working together and supporting one another, and second chances. Mad is a likeable character, and her flaws and her behaviour all make sense. She's prickly, caring, and does her best to rally the kids; her journey from unwillingness to open up to Nash at the beginning, to her willingness to finally really reconnect with him, and to also going from wincing at the thought of spending an hour with the kids to inspiring them into their adulthoods was fantastic.

This was an unexpectedly enjoyable book. And much as I love going to libraries, I would hate to be forcibly confined in one, as the characters here were, but I still really liked spending time with Mad and the murder owls.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Tor Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I adore this book! The moment that things took a turn in chapter 3 (I won't say what) I audibly freaked out, confusing my dog and waking my partner. The mix of different traditional "horror"/thriller elements and "slice of life"/"cozy small town" feelings was such a fun combo.

Aimee Pokwatka has a tale of ordinary people surviving extraordinary circumstances. Madigan Purdy isa chemist who is persuaded to teach a small class of preteen girls in what had been her home town library, set in a former bank building, Then The Parliament (hard from Tordotcom) of murder owls attack the library in a swarm, killing any who try to leave. To confuse the reader, part of the tale is another tale about a monster who gives enhancements to young girls taking body parts in payment. Only The Silent Queen can save her kingdom. There is no reason given for the owl attack, but both tales are fascinating. Aimee Pokwatka is definitely an author to watch

Publisher Tordotcom described The Parliament as “The Birds meets The Princess Bride,” and it’s a pretty fair comparison. Aimee Pokwatka’s combination of fantasy and horror makes for a truly unique read. This fantasy/thriller bounces between adults and children sheltering in place and the book that keeps them calm during the crisis: a children’s book called The Silent Queen. The result is a story that’s more than just The Birds with owls.

It’s true that there are plenty of gruesome owl attacks throughout the story. Anyone foolish enough to leave the library is almost instantly dismembered. But the real tension is psychological. The people trapped inside are completely cut off from the world and reliant on each other to survive. They’re also quickly disillusioned by the rescue attempts, which focus on destroying the owls even at the cost of the survivors’ lives.

Our protagonist, Mad, survived another terrible event as a child. This experience impacted every aspect of her life. She knows thousands of survival skills and useless tricks, but hasn’t allowed herself to connect with anyone else. Her background makes her uniquely suited to help the kids in the library, but she isn’t able to fully connect with them because she hasn’t dealt with her own trauma.

Instead, she relies on her favorite book from childhood, The Silent Queen, to keep everyone calm. Between attempts to communicate with the town, we read chapters of the fairy tale alongside the children. It’s an engrossing, unique story that easily keeps readers in and out of the book. Reading the story allows the kids – and adults – in the library an opportunity to take their minds off of everything going on outside. While The Parliament is definitely a work of psychological horror, it’s also a love letter to the power of literature.

The Parliament is an engrossing story of grief, courage and hope. Pokwatka’s new novel is well-written and original: I don’t think you’ll find another book like it.

tl;dr, carnivorous birds attack a public library. great, fantastically absurd premise that aimee pokwatka excels at, plus a soft boy character (another element she excels at). the dialogue was fantastic and realistic, the book had such a standout voice to it, and i was on edge the entire time. the pacing raised the stakes perfectly and the descriptions were visceral and chilling. i just love this author’s writing and will read everything she ever writes. this one reminded me a bit of seanan mcguire. the parliament is out now! thank you so much to Tor for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Parliament left me feeling equal parts perplexed and moved, and I’m still not entirely sure if I would recommend it.

What we have here is a book within a book, and the two stories are vastly different. In the main story, chemist Madigan (Mad) Purdy has returned to her hometown library to teach a group of young teenagers how to make bath bombs, as a favor to her childhood friend, who is the YA librarian. What she doesn’t expect is that the library will be surrounded by a parliament of murderous owls, who literally rip apart anyone who tries to leave. Trapped in the library, Mad introduces her charges to her favorite childhood book, “The Silent Queen,” as a way to pass the time while the group figures out what to do. “The Silent Queen” is a dark feminist fairy tale set in a fantastical, monstrous world, and its chapters are interspersed with the main narrative.

The Parliament straddles a line between whimsical and horrific, with heart-warming moments followed by scenes of extreme violence. I think The Birds meets The Princess Bride is a pretty apt description, as strange as that combination sounds. This is a book that doesn’t fit neatly into one genre, with a narrative that includes elements of horror, fantasy, romance, and survival thriller. It also delves into the devastating effects of childhood trauma and the way that trauma manifests in an adult’s responses and behaviors. Mad is a strong protagonist who shows a lot of growth over the course of the book as she is forced to come to terms with both her past and an uncertain present full of murder owls. But aside from Mad, the large cast of secondary characters weren’t developed enough, and I kept forgetting who was who.

The library storyline and “The Silent Queen” chapters deal, on the surface, with common themes: teamwork, resilience, bravery when faced with senseless violence, overcoming trauma. But I struggled to find the deeper connection between the two that I desperately wanted to be there. I enjoyed them both separately, and I thought the fantasy world was particularly well-developed and intriguing, but the two stories just didn’t come together for me in that impactful aha moment I wanted.

Also, it was difficult for me to suspend my disbelief when it came to the town’s ineptitude in dealing with the murder owl crisis – and as far as the owls themselves, there’s no real explanation for their origins or behavior. This is definitely one of the most original books I’ve ever read, but it didn’t all come together for me the way I’d hoped it would. Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the complimentary reading opportunity.

4.5 rounded up

Thank you so much @tordotcompub Publishing for the complimentary DRC.

If you’re looking for a tense, weird book, that will have you whisper screaming WTF, OMG, and oh no oh no oh no oh no, then pick up The Parliament. Thousands of owls descend on the library and from there on everyone is stuck. Being trapped in a library sounds ideal to all of us, right? But there’s the tiny issue of food and meds, and eventually water. Anyone who tries to leave is torn apart by the owls. As Madeleine tries to keep the kids calm, she begins to read them a story from her favorite book as a child, The Silent Queen. I almost loved the Silent Queen as much as The Parliament. The only issue I had is that the chapters are so long, it took me a bit to get back into things when it swapped between the two stories. There’s a great cast of characters, with some funny moments to give you a breather from the severity of this situation they’re all in.

As I read The Parliament by Aimee Pokwatka was pulled me in the most was the compelling drama of both the situation in the library but also the tale of The Silent Queen. Both pieces of the narrative were engaging and dynamic, with a distinct voice from both the characters and the trials they face.

One of the most interesting elements to the story is the mystery of why the owls are attacking which kept me guessing throughout the novel. The situation for Mad and the other people trapped is especially harrowing and intense. The author has infused the story with the emotions and hardship but also love and determination. Mad is engaging, because she has endured trauma as have the children and adults with her. That connection in the novel is part of the intriguing mystery of the owls.

What the story focuses on is dealing with trauma and how we each individually face it, ultimately how each person faces the aftermath. The author focuses on that loss but also the ability to hold onto joy, how to find it when you have endured trauma. Ultimately the story gave me a compelling drama with engaging characters and an interesting resolution. There is magic but it is used to infuse the narrative, to enhance the duality of the story and adds to the drama. If you love drama and mystery, I highly recommend The Parliament.

I would give this more stars if I could! I laughed, I gasped, I clutched my chest. This book put me through all the emotions! The comps to The Birds is accurate! The Princess Bride comp is a little less accurate, but there is a unique group of people who don’t understand the full range of their skills that come together to fight for something.
I ended up falling in love with several characters and that surprised me. When I began reading the book, I wanted to know how they were going to get out of the situation. I didn’t expect to care so much about the characters. Some of them really annoyed me. Some of them felt like good friends. There were a range of characters ad would be expected.
There was a touch of gore. It was just enough to make me fear the owls and fear for the characters.
The outside people were very inept and even heartless. So the people in the library were really all on their own. That definitely increased the tension because I did not know if everyone would get out safe or not.
Mad’s tragic backstory was scary and unexpected. It was used to effectively throughout the book to influence her behavior and decisions.
I was impressed with the way the characters got information and ideas about how to save themselves. They used the library effectively. Then the way they implemented those ideas! That was impressive. And then ultimately the solution! So good.

- THE PARLIAMENT is two books in one: a claustrophobic horror novel with a YA fantasy novel tucked inside.
- The imagery in this book is truly terrifying, and the sense of creeping panic in both stories was excellent. Also, the story within the story felt like it could have been a real YA novel from the ‘90s-‘00s.
- Unfortunately, beyond the atmosphere a lot of this book fell flat for me. The younger characters in the library were mostly interchangeable. Similar events repeated themselves multiple times without much new information coming from them. And the main character spent most of the book keeping a “big secret” that very obviously wasn’t going to be a big deal.

I wasn't sure what I was in for, but I was quickly engrossed with both storylines. Trust, grief, survival - all explored with care up against the overwhelming.

I was so excited about this book and thought the premise was a unique and exciting one. I saw a few reviews saying the interspersed ‘Silent Queen’ book that the main character reads was divisive for readers and I think I should have heeded those notes. Books within books is not really my thing and knowing the story was going to be a children’s book the main character had read growing up and I struggle with YA/Children’s lit, I should have passed this over. But I was just too pumped about the rest of the story!

And I loved the writing of the rest of the story, the ominous tone and dread, the owls, the gore, the slice of life-type feeling of watching everyone figure out what to do and all the little interpersonal stories coming out of being stuck together with family and exes and friends and strangers. But the ‘Silent Queen’ bits were so far outside of the style I like to read that they ended up bogging my reading down, making it so I could only read in fits and starts, and would end up putting the book down every time ‘Silent Queen’ chapters came up. I ended up wanting to skim or skip them entirely.

That all said, I think this book will find its readers and many will really enjoy both aspects of the story. It was just that only one half of this story was for me, and that’s okay!

Owls.

They're often depicted as ADORABLE, big-eyed. huggie-wuggies. Sometimes they're used as the symbol for preternatural intelligence. But in actuality, owls are vicious killing machines. Sharp, nasty beaks and frightful talons . . . all the better to rip apart rabbits, snakes, and maybe a hapless library patron or two.

That's right. When a parliament of pissed off owls sets up camp outside a library, those trapped inside are helpless, and running out of hope. It's a bit like Dawn of the Dead had a fledgling with The Birds. Things grow tense for our tiny band of survivors as food supplies dwindle, tempers flare, and owls take over the bathroom. To pass the time, some of the gang reads chapters from the main character's favorite childhood book, "The Silent Queen." This is where things fell apart for me, as I hated this book within a book. The main story is frequently interrupted by a chapter of this fantasy novel, and it completely blows any suspense the action scenes have built. I can take the fact that the characters are dull and nearly interchangeable, but, truly, one story was enough for this book.

IF you like "The Silent Queen" bits, you will probably enjoy this more than I did. It's odd though . . . I do have a craving for Tootsie Pops for some reason.

I loved the premise for this book: getting trapped in a small town library when a group of owls descends on the town. Part survival story part sci-fi/fantasy and thoroughly enjoyable. This was my first book by the Aimee Pokwatka and I'm excited to read more! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I will never forget watching the TV-edited version of The Birds as a kid and being equally horrified and intrigued. The thought of something so commonplace and benign turning on you was so fascinating to me and one of my first forays into the horror/magical realism genre. Fast forward a few decades, and I was delighted to see a book published by my favorite publishing house with a similar premise, only the birds were owls and were terrorizing the patrons trapped inside a public library! Yes, please! (That being said, The Parliament is definitely more magical realism than horror, so this won’t really deliver if you want a horror book).

The premise of this book definitely delivered, and the characters, especially the middle school students, were wonderful. The story is told in tandem with a subversive fantasy novel being read aloud to the kids, and while I think I understand what the author was trying to do, I could have done without those chapters entirely. I felt like the book ran too long, and eliminating the second storyline would have fixed that issue. That being said, the two storylines are definitely connected, although I had to force myself to read slowly through the story chapters in order to connect the dots while I was very much tempted to skim them.

I also could have done without the romance plot - in fact the male lead was annoying as hell with the stupid jokes - but I’m pretty sure that’s just because I wanted more murder owls and less kissing/hand holding. There are strong themes of grief and shared trauma which are powerful, but I was expecting more of a social commentary about groupthink that was lacking at the end of the book.

I did enjoy most of this book! It’s deeply unsettling and mysterious with a great story and intriguing themes. It would have benefited from some stronger editing and more focus on the owl mystery, but it was still a really good read!

Mad does her best to avoid returning home whenever possible. Despite this, she finds herself agreeing to teach a science class to middle schoolers at her hometown public library. Then, the evening plans drastically change when a owl dives through the window.
Told as a story within a story, The Parliament is a tale of modern and fantastic survival.

You'll see a lot of reviews quoting The Birds meets The Princess Bride," which is admittedly what drew me to this story initially as well. The Birds I will give it. The Princess Bride....? Not so much. I think there's a lot better fantasy to compare The Silent Queen to. I'd probably be more inclined towards The Princess Academy, if I were to make a comparison immediately after reading.
On The Birds end, though, that's a very apt comparison, and also the primary story.

Opposed to The Birds, which is just kind of weird and deeply unsettling, this story hinges more on the realism of a horror survival situation, which I think will be very appealing to many readers. Personally, I was hoping more for the weird, unsettling, and unexplained, but, y'know. You get what you get with a premise as intriguing as that one!

In terms of the secondary story, chapters from Mad's favorite childhood book, The Silent Queen, I've seen there be some division between those who enjoyed the pauses in narrative and those who were bored by it. I'm honestly somewhere in the middle. I enjoyed the ending chapters much more than the early ones, and I found myself skimming quite a lot of it, but never felt like I missed too much.

Overall, I would say I enjoyed this story, but more so the beginning and the end. The middle just dragged a bit for me. In terms of the characters, while the child cast was generally cute, none of them really stuck out to me, mostly because there were so many of them. I did really like Mad, though.