I remembered starting this book and getting side-tracked as I began to read anew. The opening scenes are captivating and I'm not sure why I didn't finish this book the first time I cracked it. However, I'm glad I returned to it and started at the beginning.

Sadie Smith finds herself smack in the middle of intrigue she didn't know existed. She ends up partnering with Killian Quinn, an agent for the Theta Defense Agency, which is working with harnessing and protecting from exploitation those with unusual powers of the mind. The book sets up for a subsequent book and I am looking forward to its arrival as this book left a lot of little breadcrumbs that need to be captured.

I love a good dystopia especially when coupled with a good murder mystery, though I did see the culprit before I was meant to, I think. Still, that didn't disappoint me. I delieve my students would enjoy this book, especially because of the dystopian features and sci-fi elements.

This book sounded really interesting when I saw it on Netgalley, and I was happy that I was able to read it! Definitely a quick paced book that is easy to read through. This book has a fun cast of characters and a lot is happening, so I'm sure a big audience will like this book. This has been a debut for Elle M. Holmes, and I think it's a pretty good one! Sadly it has been silent on her socials for two years now...



Pros
Half chapters: I have never seen half chapters in a book, and I found that to be very original. We follow the POV of Sadie, but sometimes we get a sprinkle of different information through half chapters. I thought it was unique and something I had not seen done before.
Sadie: One thing that really irks me in books is when characters are dumb or very naive. Things can be RIGHT in front of a character and we as readers clearly understand what is happening and the character will not have a clue... Luckily, in this book we have Sadie! She is really smart and not like a naive character AT ALL. I could really appreciate that!


Cons
Coincidence: I did love the story in this book, but some parts felt like they weren't all that cohesive. The story actually started pacing because of coincidences. If those things hadn't happend, we would not have a story. Throughout the book there were some errors as well, like the wrong name or place in a sentence... So, yes, the story was fast paced and fun, but it did make me feel like some things were lined up perfectly to happen.
Thoughts: It was really weird and awkward to read the thoughts of people. I feel like no person thinks the way these people do and it made it feel very unnatural in places where there were really big parts of thoughts that we were reading.

Overall
A fun, quick paced story that felt unique and original. The little sparks of humor and the friendships in this story were a nice addition as well. If you're looking for a quick, fun science fiction read, this is one to pick up!

I really wanted to like this book more than I did.
The idea was a great one, I enjoyed the characters, but it just didn’t draw me in like a really good book does.
I will give it 3 stars though because I did enjoy the plot.

I couldn't get into the book...I tried. I began the book skipped ahead, skimmed a bit and read the end but decided that as I could not relate to the characters or the story I would not read from beginning to end. I wish you luck on publication day. Sorry this book was not for me. (DNF)

Faced past fantasy fiction.

A fun book filled with humour, adventure, action and mystery with some great characters and a well-considered plot. Sadie – the main character, just seems to roll with the motions happy with the course life is taking her until suddenly she gets caught up in the world of secret agents. There are twist turns and depth to the many characters Holmes has written about. This was a well written book with the fabulous characters that each have their own quirks.

I await a sequel where we can continue to see the characters develop and grow.

Thank you to #NetGallery for the option to read this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A weak entry which at times is a chore to get through. Although there is strong setup for a sequel, the motivation to read it is just not there.

There are so many good things that I like about this book. I loved the main character, Sadie, because she always picked herself back up and kept moving forward even though her life was in jeopardy. I loved how the supporting character especially Petey. The plot was so interesting and I loved it. I am a huge sucker for books about secret organizations and conspiracies so I loved how this all played out.

That being said, I found it hard to get into the story at the beginning. I don't know why that was but it probably was that at the beginning, it was a little bit harder for me to follow the plot but eventually it got clear enough to the point that I could enjoy the book.

Thank you so much to the author for providing me with a copy of The Silent BIuebird through NetGalley.

I wasn't sure what to expect when heading into The Silent Bluebird, as this is Elle M. Holmes debut novel. But I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. While I did give it 3 stars, it was very nearly 4.

The Silent Bluebird follows Sadie, a curator at the Smithsonian, as she becomes embroiled in a secret agency. I liked Sadie as main character and found her to be realistic; she had no clue what was going on and just went with the flow. I also liked how she didn't do anything stupid or dramatic when she found out about the agency; it was all very measured. The other main character, Killian, was a character that I grew to like the longer that the book carried on. To start with, I found him to be very annoying and didn't really feel there was much to his personality. But the more that I read, the more that I became intrigued with his Pov's. I look forward to seeing what developments are going to be made in the sequel's, especially in their relationship.

I found the plot became more intriguing the further into the book that I got. To start with, I thought that it was going to be one dimensional, without any little sub-plots. But the further we got in the more outside information that we got. One thing that I would have loved was even more information about the side characters, as I felt like there were bits of information missing that would have enhanced my reading experience. It did feel like the side characters were undeveloped, and I think that by adding this extra information, they would feel more well rounded.

I would have also liked to have had a bit more of an explanation behind the powers/secret agency. I think that the world-building could have been a bit more in-depth, as even though it repeatedly mentioned that it is set in Washington DC, I didn't really understand the setting because I have never been to the US. It would have been nice to have got a bigger description of the setting, and the buildings as I felt it was lacking. I think that this would have enhanced my reading experience and allowed me to feel more invested in the series.

I think this contributed to the beginning of the story feeling very slow for me. The beginning did feel very stop-start, and it took me quite a while to get into the story. But I think the things I've mentioned above could have helped me get into the story a bit quicker.

Overall, I enjoyed The Silent Bluebird and am looking forward to the release of the sequel in 2021 and can't wait to find out what is going to happen to Sadie next.

I enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were compelling and the plot was interesting. The writing and the book's pacing were both well done.

I would have liked a bit more development of the romance though.

I read an ebook version and I wasn't a fan of the font it used.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

The Silent Bluebirds follows Sadie Smith, a stereotypical introvert who works at the Smithsonian and likes to spend her weekends relaxing with a good book. However, throughout the book she gets involved with a Killian, an agent at a super secret agency. The events of this book test Sadie's understanding of her world and may lead to answers about her past.

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book! I think I have decided that I like the trope of classic bookworm enters into what should be a fantastical book plot but is real. Sadie is an enjoyable main character to follow and the intrigue with the secret agencies is right up my alley!

I will say that the beginning is a little slow and I honestly couldn't care less about the romance subplot but that may change as the story continues and the characters have more interactions.

The Silent Bluebird is one of the most imaginative books I've probably read this year. The twists and reveals at the end were very surprising and, when I first found out who the mole was, I literally said "No!" out loud lol. If you love these five things in a book, consider picking it up when it comes out November 17th:
1. Secret agents
2. Mysterious societies
3. Mind powers
4. Smart and bookworm main characters
5. Charming powerhouses

All that being said, I had a couple of issues with the book that I can't overlook. The characters were a bit too simplistic for my liking. Killian and Sadie, for instance, had this connection that just felt too...dramatic to have any real substance. Killian Quinn, in general, lacked dimensions and could almost not seem to fail in a fight, which reduces the stakes considerably. No matter what perilous situation occurred, I never truly felt like the characters were in danger and I think some big, unnecessary stops were pulled in the end to try and fix that issue.
The answers in this book felt a little too perfect at times. On the one hand, you could argue good foreshadowing. On the other, you could argue that it also took away from the stakes and drive of the book.

I felt bad for Allyn the whole time and couldn't tell if he was just really over the top nice or had something for Sadie, but it made me uncomfortable either way. In general, the way multiple characters would have done literally ANYTHING for Sadie was just too much.

We never got a resolution on Michael. Where was he in the end? No idea. Additionally, the way he mumbled about his name made me feel like there was a deeper and better reason for him not liking the nickname Mike, and I was intrigued by that more than some of the other things going on. Poor Michael, though. He had a rough go of it in this book.

There was one inconsistency that really stood out to me and took me out of the story. At one point, someone takes away the glowing disk from Sadie for safekeeping and then, suddenly, she has it in her pocket later on as if she never gave it up. I wish they had also given more of an explanation about that piece of technology since it got quite a bit of page time.

Overall, though, this was an entertaining read with some definite potential to have an entertaining and interesting sequel. Very creative story, bravo.

I really liked the idea behind this book, and so I was very excited to pick it up. The world building is pretty good, and I thought everything was well set up for a very promising story.

Unfortunately, it ended up falling a little bit flat. I didn't like Sadie at all and that made her difficult to root for. There was a good vein of humour running through the book which redeemed it somewhat, but in the end I found myself not particularly keen to pick it up and finish.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"If you never expect anything, you'll never be disappointed."

And right then I knew I'd found my bookish alter ego for the fist time. Sadie is all I am and all I want to be. She's a History major –like me–, she works at the Smithsonian (yes, the Smithsonian!! I mean, Bones!!) in the Exhibitions and Collections Management Department, and sometimes being a tour guide. What a dream came true for someone like her –and someone like me, honestly. Also, she's a bibliophile –again, like me–, her love life is a mess –like mine, *shrug*– and she's clearly and introvert, she has only one –maybe two?– friends. And she's smart and intuitive, which is related to the story in some way.

So the story goes around Sadie, who casually finds an e-reader in a pub and start reading one of the stories in it, and after some events she finds herself in the story she was reading. That takes her to a parallel world filled with intrigues, speculations, spies, technology and secret agencies she'd never thought could exist. And once she's fallen into that story, it will be impossible to her to forget about it and return to her normal life.

"If the universe can continue to spin amid the like of black holes and exploding stars, I can keep on breathing and moving forward."

Elle M. Holmes's writing style is very curated, easy to follow and fast paced, which makes the book a perfect read to get you out of a reading slump or to evade you of your own life for some hours. And even though this is the first book in the Bluebird series, it's clear that she already has the story well thought out and tied, with no loose ends.

I'm giving The Silent Bluebird four stars mostly because Holmes's writing can be exploited and improved, because as you read you can see how it evolves through the story, and it changes quite a lot from the beginning to the end of the book. That makes me think that her next books will be even better. And also because I don't enjoy much the cliffhangers at the end of books, even if they're part of a series, because if I don't want to keep reading them I want to be able to leave the series without that intrigue of what's going to happen next. But I can assure you that I will want to read the next Bluebird book, because I've fallen into Sadie's story just like she's fallen into Killian's.

Thanks to Elle M. Holmes and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed going on the journey.

I recieved a digital arc from the publisher IBPA via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was quite disappointed with this story it promised an adventure when it didn't really have that. It talks about one book changing everything and yet it wasn't a book at all.

I had a relaly hard time liking Sadie. She started off as just another beoken girl which I had zero problem with and I was excited to see her grow as a person... And yet she finds something that ended up being left in her home and turns it on and reads it... Because its an old school ereader... How dumb can she be?!? Not only that but it is a total invasion of privacy I could understand being curious and turning it on to find out what it is... But she didn't know what the hell it was, it could have been a bomb or anytbing... Maybe I'm just to cautious a person... But to then treat it like your own property and continue to invade someone else privacy like that really rubbed me raw... And then the action... Which was short lived and not overly exciting... Poor Killian constantly getting shot... The end was just rushed and left me with more questions than answers. It's nice to find out about Sadie parents not leaving her deliberately, but then what happened to them?


Sadly I will probably not pick up any more books in this series... I just don't care about the characters enough to continue

As far as science fiction/fantasy goes, the first book in a new series, hopefully, starts off with a bang. A great cast of characters and a unique plot line. I just can't wait for the next book. Definitely worth your time! I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.