Black Bird of the Gallows: Volume 1

This is the same review I posted on Amazon. Ugh. First, I haven't even finished this book. I'm about 1/3 of the way in--I fully intend to finish it, but at this point I don't think my main criticism will change much. That criticism being: the Author does not trust her readers. Every single detail is explained. And not just once, but every single time it comes up. I get it: bee's are evil, harbingers aren't entirely human, and magic isn't normal. I don't need to be told every. single. time. one of them happens to show up in the story. Which is a lot, since it's sort of the point of the story. To me, this is a huge fail on the authors part, which simply makes this book painful to read. Trust your readers: we can remember things you told us 5 pages ago, or even ten pages ago! Hell, even things you told us chapters ago! If it's important, we'll remember it. You do not have to explain every little detail. Beyond that, it's your typical YA paranormal romance. It's filled with stereotypes and cliche's, and the characters aren't exactly interesting. MC Angie is more worried about hiding her "super cool alter ego" from everyone at school, and our Male Lead is your typical "dark and mysterious newcomer who won't answer any questions." It's bland, standard, uninteresting. The only saving grace for me is that the concept itself is intriguing. Harbingers are a new and interesting take, and the Beekeepers are something I've not seen before. Like I said, I do intend to finish the novel--and if it somehow improves by the end, I'll adjust my review. But my issues aren't so much with the plot, as they are with the craft. I think if the Author spent some time honing her craft a little more, cutting out the over explaining and giving us some characters that aren't straight up cliche's, it could be quite good. As it stands right now, there are just too many issues to call this anything but brain candy. If all you're after is an entertaining, typical YA paranormal romance with mediocre prose, then this is the book for you. If you *don't* want to be rolling you're eyes multiple times a chapter for being told--yet again--that Reece isn't quite human, than look elsewhere. tl;dr the concept is good, the execution isn't.

It was so good hope their is going to be a second book