The Nightjar by Deborah Hewitt
Published 5th September 2019 by Pan Macmillan
Published 5th September 2019 by Pan Macmillan
Star Rating - ***
Goodreads Challenge - 56/50
I was gifted a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
The Nightjar by Deborah Hewitt is a stunning contemporary fantasy debut about another London, a magical world hidden behind the bustling modern city we know.
Alice Wyndham has been plagued by visions of birds her whole life...until the mysterious Crowley reveals that Alice is an 'aviarist' capable of seeing nightjars, magical birds that guard human souls. When her best friend is hit by a car, only Alice can find and save her nightjar.
With Crowley's help, Alice travels to the Rookery, a hidden, magical alternate London to hone her newfound talents. But a faction intent on annihilating magic users will stop at nothing to destroy the new aviarist. And is Crowley really working with her, or against her? Alice must risk everything to save her best friend--and uncover the strange truth about herself.
Alice Wyndham has been plagued by visions of birds her whole life...until the mysterious Crowley reveals that Alice is an 'aviarist' capable of seeing nightjars, magical birds that guard human souls. When her best friend is hit by a car, only Alice can find and save her nightjar.
With Crowley's help, Alice travels to the Rookery, a hidden, magical alternate London to hone her newfound talents. But a faction intent on annihilating magic users will stop at nothing to destroy the new aviarist. And is Crowley really working with her, or against her? Alice must risk everything to save her best friend--and uncover the strange truth about herself.
My Thoughts
I was really intrigued by the plot of this one. It was a great sounding concept and the ideas were really interesting however, I don't feel like they were executed in as much depth as I would of liked. I wanted more of the magic system and more information about aviarists and why they were so rare in this world. The setting was interesting too, I loved the idea of an alternate London however again, I didn't think this was explored as much as it could of been. We seemed to barely scratch the surface and I just wanted more.
The main character was really frustrating too. She was headstrong, which was great but, she often dived head first into bad situations without thinking which then resulted in her having to be rescued, a lot! There was also a lot of secrets and lies between our female and male main characters and I think the aim of this within the story was to keep you reading to find out more but this resulted in the above actions from the main character and this made for a bit of a frustrating reading experience. Also don't get me started on the romance! I didn't like it, it was far to tropey and cliche and in fact a little bit pointless.
The writing itself was fine. It was a bit slow to start and it did struggle to capture my interest in the beginning however, it did pick up the pace about half way through which kept me going until the end. The ending itself seemed to set up for a sequel too that explores more of the magic system but I'm not sure if I'll be picking that up.
Overall it was an okay read. One that, the more I read the more enjoyable it became however, I don't think I will be picking up any sequels.
The main character was really frustrating too. She was headstrong, which was great but, she often dived head first into bad situations without thinking which then resulted in her having to be rescued, a lot! There was also a lot of secrets and lies between our female and male main characters and I think the aim of this within the story was to keep you reading to find out more but this resulted in the above actions from the main character and this made for a bit of a frustrating reading experience. Also don't get me started on the romance! I didn't like it, it was far to tropey and cliche and in fact a little bit pointless.
The writing itself was fine. It was a bit slow to start and it did struggle to capture my interest in the beginning however, it did pick up the pace about half way through which kept me going until the end. The ending itself seemed to set up for a sequel too that explores more of the magic system but I'm not sure if I'll be picking that up.
Overall it was an okay read. One that, the more I read the more enjoyable it became however, I don't think I will be picking up any sequels.
Overall Rating
Love this review!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your review. It's a pity that this didn't fully hit the mark.
ReplyDeleteAnd I published without finishing my post.. *It's a pity that this didn't fully hit the mark for you. I hope your next read is more enjoyable. :)
DeleteI would have been frustrated with her as well - excellent review
ReplyDeleteGreat review, I can see why it didn't fully work for you.
ReplyDeleteFrustrating characters tend to make or break a book. Great review, though!
ReplyDeleteExcellent review. Yeah, she sounds a bit frustrating for sure.
ReplyDeleteGreat honest review I'm really sorry this book really didn't work out for you I hope your next read is a much better one. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.
ReplyDeleteI love an honest review!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that this didn't work for you. Hope your next read will be better
ReplyDelete