The Knight and the Butcherbird is an amazing dystopian fairytale that focuses on the transformation of humans. So much is packed into the short story, it’s dark, impactful and overall beautiful. I am unsure how so much emotion is created in so few pages, but the writing is lyrical and flowing, which always helps. I loved the story, the characters and the romance. Definitely a winner of a short story.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Thank you so much to Alix E. Harrow and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book!

Actual rating : 5/5

This was amazing!!! I loved all the characters and how they show their love through sacrificing. Such an emotional, beautiful, intriguing story.

Also appreciated the bit of goriness and weirdness as usual. Truly amazed how much of a punch this carried even tho it's so short!

Overall I loved it and would easily read a full length novel based on this story! Can't wait to read more of Alix E. Harrow's works.

I love a short story that packs a big punch, and The Knight and the Butcherbird did just that! Incredibly profound, deeply reminiscent of current events, and emotionally jarring, this short story is a MUST! It built an incredible but terrifying world, brave but flawed characters, and a satisfying conclusion all in 36 pages! I wish this was a full length book because I am hooked on this idea. The overall message behind it with change and survival was so impactful and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time!

This devastatingly beautiful short story is set in a near-future, post-apocalyptic Earth. It’s a tale of love and grief and change set under a poisoned sky. A knight rides into town, here to slay a demon that threatens the outlanders. A girl, raw with grief, is waiting for him.

I don’t want to spoil the plot, so all I’ll say is that I experienced what felt like a lifetime’s worth of emotions in just 40 pages. No one writes short stories like Alix E. Harrow writes short stories.

What a strange, beautiful story. A dystopian fairytale laced with commentary about the current state of our world and what it's like to chase freedom, peace, and love. A cautionary tale about complacency. A rebellious tale.

4.5/5 stars.

No notes! When a knight comes to town to kill a shapeshifting demon, Shrike the town secretary and historian makes it her mission to drive him out of town. This is the story of the lengths we go to for love. I adored this like every other Alix E. Harrow book and it's amazing what she does with so few pages!

I forgot how much I love Harrow’s writing- her ability to have me in awe but also creeped out is unparalleled. I don’t typically enjoy short stories but this one was so expertly done I was sucked in immediately. Her ability to weave a world that was so vivid in such a short period of time was incredible. So many lessons here on the environment, society, government - I’ll let you read it for yourself.

Also- the Animorphs reference was clocked immediately, and appreciated.

Sometimes you wanna go a on short bizarre quest to conquer some demons and you should always just choose Alix Harrow for that.

This was great. It was atmospheric and weird and really hit the spot. It’s a novella and the perfect length to really get into the themes and the post apocalyptic world.

I loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon original stories for an eARC.

Another gorgeous short story that plays on post apocalyptic communities in the vein of the Giver, with some absolutely amazing naming conventions, and leaves me wanting more. (Luckily, she's got a lady knight book coming out later this year!!)

Sometimes (now) the world is too much and you need to leave, so you pick up a story or a book, thinking oh this will be a fine escape, and then a few pages later your chest is heaving and you can't breathe because you're sobbing at the glimpse of things you thought you had forgotten how to feel.

That's what Alix E. Harrow will do for you. This is a short story that reads like a novel, a whole world in a few pages, a whole heart lain bare while still beating. What a good thing to have read over Valentines. Thank you, Alix and Netgalley.

Like Ovid's 'Metamorphoses,' this is a beautiful allegory about the power of change. It's also an apt and timely cautionary tale about the danger of consolidating power with those who cling to the past and not look forward to the future. A beautiful and heartbreaking story that I will be thinking about for awhile.

This was such a great short story, I wanted more! Good intro into the author's writing style, and will certainly recommend to my audience.

I'm starting to think that Harrow should only write short stories from now on!
This is a story about forbidden love in a post apocalyptic world with knights and radioactivity. A story as sharp as it is lovely, and I can't wait to read more of these knight stories.

Harrow, a fantasy writer, wonderfully crafted a post-apocalyptic story with supernatural elements and romances that left me hungry for more. The idea of the Shrike mimics The Giver. This world has a society of cities somewhat like our own and outskirts that seem to echo primitive villages. Recalls to pop culture from recent decades thrilled me for cultures who lack records. I feel the whole work is in part a social commentary for what we are allowing our modern world to slowly morph into. Knowing this is only a short story and discovering what Harrow can do with a knight character has me even more amped than before for her novel that involves a knight releasing later this year.

Yes, hello, my brain chemistry has been altered and the trajectory of my life has been changed once again in a span of 40 pages by Alix Harrow.

At its core, The Knight and The Butcherbird asks you how far you’ll go for love. The horrors, actually, of how far you’ll go for love. It blends tragedy, horror, and fantasy so seamlessly in a post-apocalyptic setting while inserting a myriad of metaphors and allusions relevant to our current reality. Alix Harrow’s writing is truly beautiful—coming up with a thrilling and well-developed story is no small feat.

Thank you to Alix E. Harrow for the early copy! :>

A lovely short story set after the future apocalypse. Such an interesting world that Harrow managed to build in less than 40 pages - I was fully immersed immediately.

A great quick short story of demons, love and acceptance. I thought this was a fantastic read and enjoyed my time with it!

Thank you to Alix E. Harrow, NetGalley, and the publisher for the advanced copy!

This was such a beautiful love story. Alix has this incredible way of making us see beauty in the ugly, and this short story was a perfect example of that. She showed us how circumstances and people can change and evolve, but love will always remain. How it only takes one person to start changing peoples perspectives, and that just because something or someone is different, does not make them a monster.

The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow is an incredible story for 35 pages. Its set in a post-apocalyptic world where we have demon hunting knights.

The story starts with a demon hunting knight comes to town to kill a demon. The demon in question is main character Shrike, the local historian, used to be wife before she turned.

I find the book very intriguing due to the world building and hints of life outside of the town. Also I feel you can read this short story for several parables or messages for stuff like cancer and how far you can go to love someone.

And I might pick up more Alix Harrows books after reading this as it was my first time reading a story from her. I had to read it twice to get the deeper understanding of the story.

I received a copy for review via NetGalley and Amazon Short Stories, all opinions are my own.

A quick and easy read that drew me in right from the beginning and I don't think I even took a breath until it was finished. I loved it