Very pretty novella. I loved the themes and concepts. The setting felt rough but perfect. A blend of future with a blend of apocalypse rugged.

Definitely one to read and re-read in order to think of the bigger implications of what is being said.

As always I love Harrow's prose and voice. Would highly recommend.

"The Knight and the Butcherbird" by Alix E. Harrow - Out Now! 4-Stars

This future-set short story is an excellent little quick read, to remember why Alix Harrow is so good at character and world building in between releases of her longer works of fiction (here's hoping we get another one soon as I loved January, Witches, AND Starling House).

I loved ... the main characters dedication to her calling and her love, as well as her commitment to doing what she thought was best, not what was just or right. She was flawed and openly and knowingly so, which was a nice element in a short story where character building words are limited.

I liked... the future world culture and how they reflected on the past, mentioning current cartoons and Christianity as all part and parcel of an civilization long-gone and only remembered by the tales told.

I could have done without...the Knight. I just didn't like him, and his love story foil was a bit meh for me. But I liked the Butcherbird, so that was enough for one story.

Thank you to the author, and to Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read and review this short story. Thoughts and opinions are my own and intended for use by my friends and followers when choosing their next book. #alixharrow @theknightandthebutcherbird #shortstory #fiction #netgalley #netgalleyreview

Thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy of this short story. This has not affected my review at all, which are my own thoughts.

I have yet to read anything of novel-length from Alix E. Harrow, but her short fiction? I'll pump that into my veins any time, because both her other work "The six deaths of the saint" and now this one are A-Ma-Zing.

In The Knight and the Butcherbird, we are presented with Iron Hollow, a rural community nestled deep in the mountains and beset by demons, one of which turns out to be the wife of our protagonist, Shrike. Eventually, a knight of legend appears to get rid of the problem by order of his superiors, and Shrike can't just let that happen.

What I most like about both Harrow's short-stories is that, no matter how gritty, no matter how much the characters suffer, and surrounded by an spectacular world each time, in the end, they're stories about love. What would the characters doe for their loved ones, how it affects their thinking and their decisions and how, ultimately, love is powerful enough to shape the world through people's actions for their loved ones. Because Shrike can't let go of May, her wife, ans she doesn't care that may is now a demon, because it is still May, and she may recognize Shrike still, for a while at least, There's hope, there's love, there's desperation, and Shrike won't let the knight of legend just take all of that from her in one go.

And, as usual, these themes are shrouded in amazing worldbuilding, places that Harrow creates with a few strokes, giving us the necessary details here and there to visualize it without saturating the page.

Shrike and the knight have a push-pull dynamic that kept me glue to the pages. I would read something longer featuring these characters any day, really, and I'll be thinking about them for a while, as they're so well crafted that they stick with you for long. The supporting cast is also worth mentioning because they add to that world they inhabit, giving us clues of how our world developed into this dystopia without Harrow having to dump a 20 page document onto us with the details, which I'm always grateful for no matter the length of the story😂

So, this is probably one of the best short-fictions I've read in a while and I completely recommend it. If you've read The Six Deaths of the Saint, this one scratches a different need, but it leaves you as equally devastated as TSDOTS, believe me.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Much like everything Alix E Harrow writes, I loved this short story to pieces. The premise of “town storyteller struggles to protect local demon from knight sent to kill it” is so delicious and I’m impressed with how much Harrow was able to fit into such a short space. The world felt real and lived in and frankly harrowing, but the atmosphere was top notch and the emotional core of the story (loving and protecting your wife even to your own detriment) shines through so, so well. Harrow’s short fiction is always a treat to read and I’m glad to have gotten this one early.

My first Alix E Harrow - I can't believe I've slept on such a talented voice for so long!

A story about love and loss - and clinging to the other person when they've changed so far beyond recognition, sometimes to your detriment.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. All opinions my own!

5 stars!

I am astounded by how much a 36 page book made me feel. I was highlighting every single line because it was so beautiful. I think it is best to go into this book completely blind and just let yourself be along for the ride. I will definitely be reading more from Alix E. Harrow.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

An enjoyable, short read. The worldbuilding and character development the author was able to convey through this short story was impressive.

A dark fairytale short story from Harrow about love, sorrow, and sacrifice. A very grounded feeling world, in which a young woman’s love for her wife comes up against a creeping plague, and a world weary hunter must decide if love is enough. While this short story in complete in itself, and more than enough, I do wish that it could have been extended into a novel that would have made it easier to sell, and to get into the hands of readers.

A beautiful short story of love and change set in an apocalyptic world that feels almost too familiar for comfort. I absolutely adored it.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing, addictive, and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

There is lot of complexity in this short story. I found Harrow’s writing very beautiful, and this tale of loss and longing was really lovely. Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for this ARC

Set in a dystopian post COVID-19 future where society has collapsed and people are turning into demons, this novella packed a lot into less than 50 pages. Shrike was a great protagonist and I loved how Harrow connected all of the dots in the end. The cause of the demons? Brilliant.

While this is a complete story and doesn't feel like it needed more pages, I would have happily read a full size novel set in this world. It's a shame this is an Amazon Original because that will severely limit how many people can read it... and it's a novella that would do well on library shelves.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories in exchange for an honest review.

Utterly obsessed with this. Such a beautiful piece of writing. The emotion and depth and character creation in 30 pages was incredible. I was sad that i cant dive more into this world!!! i adore a queer story told so amazingly and the detail of the demons and this mix of old and new/future world was addictive. I would have read a thousand more pages of these characters. Stunning book. Horrifying, queer and delicious

I am a big fan of Alix E. Harrow! I have loved the author’s last three books! Granted, this is a novella, but it still counts. Since this is a novella, I’m keeping this short and sweet. All you really need to know is that you need to read this!

I think Harrow did an amazing job getting her points across with a short amount of pages. From the very beginning, I was into it. It’s a love story and how love endures. It’s also heartbreaking when everything comes to light. Harrow blends different periods flawlessly. I thought we were in medieval times with the knight and nods to an apocalyptic future. It’s thought-provoking, which I was not expecting! I thought this would be a cute little fantasy story, but it’s so much more than that.

I highly recommend this little novella! It has a lot to offer and think about. I am such a fan of Harrow’s work and can’t wait to see what she comes out with next!!

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories and Netgalley for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book may have been short, but it was beautiful and haunting! I am shocked by how much I loved this book and by how gorgeous it was. I wish this was a full length book because this world is so intriguing. I loved the apocalyptic world and the idea that demons are not actually monsters, but are what humans change into to adapt to the horrific world they inhabit to survive. This book delivered and I am in love with it!

2.5 stars.

Very interesting premise and would have loved to read this as a full length novel, but the short story just felt like an epic smashed into 36 pages.

Thank you for NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this story - the mix of love story and horror was perfect.

The setting was vivid and the post apocalyptic time frame really set up the story.

I love Alix E. Harrow down, ok? Auto-buy author for me. This story was really cool and I thought fit very well as a short story. As always, it was very different from the other kinds of books out there and I respect it.

This is another masterpiece from Alix E. Harrow! Wonderful short story with surprisingly great character development. This was a dark, weird, wonderful short story!

Alix E. Harrow is a master of short stories, my god. This was amazing, so much detail and depth packed into 32 pages. We got a whole fleshed out world grappling with what grief means and the ramifications of inequality. This is an incredible dystopian short story, and I highly recommend it.