In the Shadow of Blackbirds

Posted on 26 February 2017 by Cat Winters

In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion Sixteen year old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to s ances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts During her bleakest moment, however, she s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love a boy who died in battle returns in spirit form But what does he want from her Featuring haunting archival early twentieth century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time. Free Download [ In the Shadow of Blackbirds ] By [ Cat Winters ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr The lovely Cat Winters joined us over at the blog to talk about the inspiration for this novel and writing about women in 1918 Wow I thought this was fantastic one of the best books I ve read in a long while.When I think of 1918, I think of a world torn apart by war I think of trenches and Kaiser Willhelm and a general fear that your father, husband, brother and or son will never make it back to you When I think of death in 1918, I picture a bleak image of The lovely Cat Winters joined us over at the blog to talk about the inspiration for this novel and writing about women in 1918 Wow I thought this was fantastic one...This book is set in the year 1918, but feels quite Victorian in its immersion in spiritualism and s ances The author s note at the end confirms her interest in that era, as well as in the epidemic of influenza that killed 50 million people worldwide towards the end of the first world war In the Shadow of the Blackbirds is certainly steeped in her research of both those eras, and the mash up of time periods and genres work together beautifully, with historical drama, ghost story, and mystery al This book is set in the year 1918, but feels quite Victorian in its immersion in spiritualism and s ances The author s note at the end confirms her interest in that era, as well as in the epidemic of influenza that killed 50 million people worldwide towards the end of the first world war In the Shadow of the Blackbirds is certainly steeped in her research of both those eras, and the mash up of time periods and genres work together beautifully, with historical drama, ghost sto...What an original little gem this brilliant tale, served by a beautiful writing and a haunting atmosphere, is like nothing I ve read before From page one I felt connected to every one of these characters, first of all Mary Shelley, a strong and clever heroine I instantly loved I wish there wereYA leads like her, to be honest In my opinion Cat Winters perfectly nailed the characterization, making me care for characters even before meeting them how is that even possible Before I knew What an original little gem this brilliant tale, served by a beautiful writing and a haunting atmosphere, is like nothing I ve read before From page one I felt connected to every one of these characters, first of all Mary Shelley, a strong and clever heroine I instantly loved I wish there wereYA leads like her, to be honest In my opinion Cat Winters perfectly nailed the characterization, making me care for characters even before meeting them how is that even possible Before I knew it my heart was in my throat, my belly in knots, afraid to follow Mary on her journey But what won me over was the unexpected quality of the plot especially because I didn t read the blurb, which gives away too much in my op...The Nocturnal Library Guest post by Cat Winters, 10 Ways I Researched the Past for In the Shadow of Blackbirds Stop by to read it and enter to win a hardcover copy from The Book Depository.Some books should be sold with a companion novel, a cheerful, nonsensical one people would read immediately after the main story to lighten up their souls If there was ever a book that left me in urgent need of some cheering up and a cup of spicy hot chocolate , it s this one But would I change a single t The Nocturnal Library Guest post by Cat Winters, 10 Ways I Researched the Past for In the Shadow of Blackbirds Stop by to read it and enter to win a hardcover copy from The Book Depository.Some books should be sold with a companion novel, a cheerful, nonsensical one people would read immediately after the main story to lighten up their souls If there was ever a book that left me in urgent need of some cheering up and a cup of spicy hot chocolate , it s this one But would I change a single thing about it Not in a million years There are some things most people would rather not think about I dare say Spanish flu is one of them It s a nasty scar in human history, and October 1918 possibly the worst month humankind has ever endured Not only was the world desperate and exhausted by the Fi...It excites me so when I come across a novel that shows me there can still be books that thoroughly stand out from any other in its originality and outstanding story telling I can not even believe that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is Cat s debut novel What I love most from this book is how, through impressive research, Cat achieves an exceptionally poignant historical atmosphere from a time that saw through so much death and horror The fall of 1918 had not only the highest death toll from the Sp It excites me so when I come across a novel that shows me there can still be books that thoroughly stand out from any other in its originality and outstanding story telling I can not even believe that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is Cat s debut novel What I love most from this book is how, through impressive research, Cat achieves an exceptionally poignant historical atmosphere from a time that saw through so much death and horror The fall of 1918 had not only the highest death toll from the Spanish Flu whic...Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.War is never like the history books portray it I m not saying they lie I m saying they don t show you everything or what slike it, they tell you the stories, they don t t show it, and we readers know that by telling and not showing the majority of the emotions are drained I m not complaining about history books, by the way I m just using them as starting point for my review.History books tell you World War I started on 1914 and ended on 1918 History books tell you X amount of pe War is never like the history books portray it I m not saying they lie I m saying they don t show you everything or what slike it, they tell you the stories, they don t t show it, and we readers know that by telling and not showing the majority of the emotions are drained I m not complaining about history books, by the way I m just using them as starting point for my review.History books tell you World War I started on 1914 and ended on 1918 History books tell you X amount of people died, that there was crisis after, that it was true horror, etc When reading those books, I feel saddened, but the feeling is not the same if you found about all those things through someone else s experience or story, whether it is a true account, or a book movie In the Shadow of Blackbirds is one of those stories Mary Shelley Black named after the one and only author of the masterpiece Frankenstein is only 16 but she s already experi...4 stars Surely, though, I must have stolen into the future and landed in an H.G Wells style world a horrific, fantastical society in which people s faces contained only eyes, millions of healthy young adults and children dropped dead from the flu, boys got transported out of the country to be blown to bits, and the goverment arrested citizens for speaking the wrong words Such a place couldn t be real And it couldn t be the United States of America, the land of the free and the home of 4 stars Surely, though, I must have stolen into the future and landed in an H.G Wells style world a horrific, fantastical society in which people s faces contained only eyes, millions of healthy young adults and children dropped dead from the flu, boys got transpo...I think between the war and the flu, no one is going to escape being haunted We live in a world so horrifying, it frightens even the dead IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS is a great atmospheric ghost story set in 1918 during a time of pestilence, war, famine and death where a brave sixteen year old Mary Shelley BlackYep, named after the author tells her amazing tale of young love, loss and connection to the spirit world.This engaging young adult mystery is filled with wonderful haunting old phoI think between the war and the flu, no one is going to escape being haunted We live in a world so horrifying, it frightens even the dead IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS is a great atmospheri...Rating Four ghostly spirit starsI m not trying to sound un American, I said, but the aspirin rumor is stupid Influenza is an airborne illness The only way the Germans could have used the flu as a weapon is if they shipped boatloads of sick German people over here and let everyone cough on us Another siren screamed by That old bully Death breathed down my neck and nipped at my skin, warning, Don t waste one spare second of your time If there are things you want to accomplish while y Rating Four ghostly spirit starsI m not trying to sound un American, I said, but the aspirin rumor is stupid Influenza is an airborne illness The only way the Germans could have used the flu as a weapon i...

English
26 February 2017

Cat Winters