Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel, Angie Dovage gains a new neighbour, Reese Fernandez, who is attractive and athletic, and at the heart of some strange occurrences. Although he isn't Angie's usual type, she is intrigued and begins to shadow him, seeking to unravel the enigma. Her curiosity leads her to discover more than she anticipated, including paranormal events involving non-human entities and ominous gatherings of crows. ( )

I've read the books in this series out of order, and it turns out to have been a Very Bad Idea, because where this book should have been tense, I was all 'hah! I know what is going on here!'. It is also the case that this is not as strong a story as Keeper of the Bees - the writing isn't as tight, and the plot not quite as well knitted together - but I probably wouldn't have noticed that as much if I'd read them the other way round. Having said that, I may not have ever picked up Keeper of the Bees if I had read this one first, because it has a couple of plot points that I really wish I hadn't had to encounter (see the content warnings)

Light on the horror, heavy on the teen romance.

content warnings contain spoilers:

So many details, I'm not going to capture all but the ones that bothered me the most. What looks like a school shooting incident, but the shooter is outside the school and is killed by the police with no indication that there was anything concerning about that. The implication that a semi-immortal 'fell in love' with a six year old. The one note teenager who seems very Spoiled Rich Girl, until they get a walk on part in the disaster, with the implication that they have been raped. ( )

Thank you so much to Entangled and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this AWESOME paranormal treat by Meg Kassel! Wow, this was so different from anything else I've read lately and I really loved Meg Kassel's originality in creating this supernatural world and plot elements.

Angie hasn't had the easiest past with a neglectful mother, and now lives with her father. When a new family moves in next door, into a house where there was a grisly murder, she's immediately curious about their teenage son, Reese. Of course, as we can expect, things don't turn out to be quite what they seem with Reese, and Angie soon finds herself drawn in to a super-creepy world inhabited by crows and beekeepers.

I loved the chemistry between Reese and Angie. Angie is independent enough that her entire life doesn't go by the wayside over Reese, and their outlook on the reality of what's going on makes their relationship refreshing and enjoyable. The paranormal side of what's going on is at times... well... creepy. I don't want to give too much away. But definitely not straight up Edward Cullen "you're my heroin" romantic. And I was completely okay with that because I liked the way it added conflict.

This was very well-paced, and the world-building was nicely done, too. Just a very enjoyable read.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.

Please excuse typos. Entered on screen reader. ( )

3.5 Stars

“I hold my breath and watch the crow glide away. It melts into the blackness, silent as a ghost. Lonely as the night.
Dark as a boy’s eyes.”

Black Bird of the Gallows is such a unique fantasy story! (and I think it’s a standalone too) We follow Angie Dovage as she gets to know her new neighbor, Reece Fernandez in a town that’s primed for disaster. With the town’s crow and bee populations increasing, Angie thinks Reece might have answers. The atmosphere is dark and the world building is fantastic, Black Birds of the Gallows is a reading experience you won’t soon forget.

Things I Liked
I really love all the mythology we get in the story! We learn so much about the Harbingers and the Beekeepers; we get their origins,how they live, what their life is like, and I LOVED it all. It was so unique and really kept me turning the pages. I was hooked!

I also really enjoyed the creepy vibe the story has going on. There’s just a really great atmosphere to the story that is dark and gritty and a bit dangerous. The story does not shy away from danger and aggression. And really tries to hook you with mystery in the beginning of the story. The overall vibe makes this a seriously perfect book for fall.


Things I Didn’t Like
I was completely satisfied with the world building in the story, it just felt like it took a little too long to get to get to all the fantastic world building. We really get most of the world building at around the halfway mark. I definitely would have been hook into the story quicker if I got some worldbuilding in the beginning.

I thought that Kiera really lacked depth. She was just another incarnation of the bratty mean girl. She never really seemed like a character to me, so her semi resolution with Angie didn’t carry much weight.

Even though I didn’t connect with any of the characters, the world building made this book unforgettable. This is such a unique concept that stands out in a sea of paranormal creature books. It was so easy to read, and I just can’t get enough of the mythology. Black Bird of the Gallows is a strange but compelling tale of bravery, sacrifice, love, and tragedy.

I received a copy of the book from Entangled Teen via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

When a new family moves into the ‘murder house’ next door, Angie Dovage, 17 is intrigued by Reese, the oldest boy and not only because he’s good looking. For one thing, crows seem to be attracted to him and now one of them has started bringing her little presents. Then there’s his eyes that seem to become completely black at odd moments.

But Angie has a secret. At high school she tries to stay in the shadows but at night, she puts on a disguise and takes on the persona of a popular DJ at a local club. When Reese shows up, she is worried that he will recognize her. Later outside the club, Angie is approached by a strange figure. His face keeps changing shape as she watches, even morphs into her mother who died of an overdose, and bees seem to surround him, even crawling out of his mouth. When Reese sees this, he comes to her aid and it is clear that he knows this strange creature.

Angie starts following Reese trying to discover his secret. Eventually, as their mutual attraction deepens, he tells her his story. He and his family are harbingers of death, and have come to town ahead of a huge disaster. And the strange man at the club is a Beekeeper. They follow harbingers although the two supernatural beings are not friends: harbingers follow death but the Beekeepers seem to exist only to create terror and mayhem.

Black Bird of the Gallows is a YA paranormal romance by author Meg Kasse, a genre I usually avoid. However, when I read the publisher’s blurb. I was intrigued and decided to give it a shot. And I’m glad I did. Not to say it’s perfect – there was for example the ubiquitous mean girl, a trope that seems to be mandatory for this genre and at least in this case, doesn’t seem to add much to the story. But I found the harbingers and the murders of crows that seem to accompany them interesting. And I have never heard of the Beekeepers or seen anything like them anywhere else. It was this originality that kept my interest throughout wondering where Kasse would take the story and wanting to know the outcome.

Thanks to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review ( )