
Member Reviews

The ideal horror mystery to read for Halloween. This haunting novel reminded me a lot of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None," but with the twists of all the suspects being immortal. This is a quick read, with the first couple of chapters immediately throwing the reader into the middle of the action. The first couple paragraphs describe dead bodies, so if you're not interested in reading a bloody/gory murder mystery, then this may not be the right pick for you. An intriguing and unusual choice that I thought the author made in this book was to have the murder victim immediately identified, and the murder already having taken place. Instead of giving the reader time to become attached to the victim, the large cast of characters instead becomes the main focus. It took me at least a couple of chapters to get into a rhythm with this book - similar to heavy fantasy reading, it took a minute to make sense of this world - but then the story really picked up from there. This atmospheric, dark tale is perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Agatha Christie's books.

Sadly this book really isn’t for me, I found it confusing at times, the world building was sorely lacking and this added to the confusion, narratives mixed and overall I just found it couldn’t hold my interest at all. Not for me
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

this book initially started off great, but i had to drop it once it got so confusing—and not the good way. it just became messy and was trying too hard to come off interesting and mysterious, which backfired in my case. i can see why other readers would like this tho!
— thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital copy of this book.

I was really excited to read this book as the premise was so unique and has me intrigued.
However, this story was extremely confusing. The writing had me going back to reread passages and the first 30% is not the same plot that is given in the synopsis (I almost gave up purely because of this). The perspectives and plot were difficult to follow and I’m still not 100 percent sure I knew everything that happened.. Certain elements of the plot seemed like they needed fleshed out more. The whole magik system is not anything I’ve read before and therefore could’ve been useful to add more explanation about what exactly “telluric elements” were. Also felt like the immortal thing needed more explanation.
This book had a lot of promise if they had skipped the present timeline and focused purely on the dinner party plot. Really disappointing

Genre: YA Fantasy
Plot and Setting: 4 stars
Writing and Themes: 2 stars
Rating and Recommendation: 3 stars, and wouldn’t exactly recommend.
Published: 10.31.21
Thanks: Thank you to Little Blackbird LLC and Net Galley for the opportunity to review an advanced reader’s copy of Blackbird’s work.
Summary: Arnold Demeure is THE immortal. He can make your one true wish come true or call forth your worst nightmares. When he invites 8 people to a party, though, is everything exactly what it seems? His chosen must overcome their differences to figure out Demeure’s sinister plan and possibly save the world.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Character death, infant death, violence, and dismemberment and other forms of gore.
Overall Review:
I stayed up far too late to finish this book, and I don’t want to say it wasn’t worth because I genuinely wanted to know how it ended, but holy gore, people.
First, the content warnings on this one are important, and I don’t think I’d rate this YA. Is it my delicate sensibilities? Probably, but the infant death, gore, and underlying themes came across more NA, even if the writing fits the traditional YA age range better. These aspects were also not my cup of tea. It ventured too far into the darker parts of horror for me.
Other than that and a confusing multi-perspective start, the premise was interesting, a few characters were likable, and the writing was okay for the most part.
Plot and Themes:
Okay, M.L. Blackbird gets so many points for an original, promising plot that encouraged reading to the end for the sake of the resolution. It was an amazing story, and—even if I didn’t like the way certain things had to play out for the end to happen—the resolution was great! Blackbird wrote a believable and interesting solution to the larger problem. Throughout the book, he does better at establishing some plot lines than others, but generally nothing too distracting or that makes his ideas unrecognizable.
Blackbird’s magic system, though, is one of my favorite parts of the book. It had an interesting dual argument for and against the spiritual and scientific which made it more credible, but I wish he had explained why some immortals had wolves and others didn’t as well as the categories for defining immortals overall.
The themes are a little more NA just because they do deal with death, violence, and some religious ideologies and discussion that might be more understandable to an older audience. However, the found family and honor in the face of adversity themes were worked into the book well, and I am a sucker for the “we all have to get over ourselves and work together” trope is one of my favorites.
Writing and Setting:
The writing throughout was a little hit or miss. For the most part it fit with the expected age range for YA Fantasy. It just was awkward and forced in different areas, and there wasn’t exactly a consistency when it came to portions of the book. It was obviously all part of the same book, but Blackbird mixed excellent writing with writing that felt too young: particularly in the beginning. All in all, it was okay.
The setting was beautiful. Blackbird chose for his novel to take place in France, then wrote picturesque buildings on beautiful streets. The most unique of his settings is an idea you might be familiar with if you’ve read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. While his time loop isn’t exactly a loop, we see characters trapped away from their original timeline in a home created from Demeure’s thoughts and memories.
Favorite Quotes
No favorite quotes from A Wish Too Dark And Kind
http://www.alibrarymouse.com/2021/11/a-wish-too-dark-and-kind-review.html?m=1

Thanks to Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I initially picked this book up thinking it was going to be a blend of supernatural and a mystery party type of event, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It was an intriguing tale that follows numerous guests as they receive their invites from Arthur Demeure, who is a known immortal that can grant wishes and somewhat of a recluse it seems as well. Mixed into the chapters of the book are journal entries that are part of an investigation into an “event” that occurs. at some point.
While this book is about immortals, it blended numerous biblical references into the storyline as well, which threw me towards the beginning as I didn’t know what was happening (there was a lot to take in with the first few chapters). As the book progressed I started to form conclusions, but again nothing was blatantly said. Many things where inferred, rather than clear telling of the purpose of it all.
I felt like some of the characters while reading - no one really knows what’s happening and why they are there; they are just there trying to figure it out. While I was intrigued for a majority of the book and found the characters interesting, the ending was a very “I’m not sure what I just read…”. I never really got any closure as to the overall plot. What was the point of it all? What was Demeure’s grand plan and for what end? I found the book enjoyable, I just wanted a bit more closure.
*Also side note: For those who don’t like long chapters (because I know there are a lot out there) - one was almost 10% of the book so be prepared.

This was such a fun read!
Once you peel your eyes from that gorgeous cover, you can see that this book has many layers to it. We follow multiple perspectives as eight mortals are sent invitations to fulfil all their wishes and desires, but everything is not as it seems...
Although the pacing was slower than I would've liked, I enjoyed the changes in perspective. It kept me engaged and I was able to learn a lot more about the different characters and their motivations and roles in the story, The plot itself was okay, and the writing made it compelling to read. I would've liked it more if halfway through the ideas hadn't been all over the place. Although I enjoyed the multi-faceted plot, if the story had been clearer with less things going on, this would have made for an even more fantastic read!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-arc!

The cover for this book is stunning and I knew from first glance I wanted to read it. The description tells of immortals and in particular Arnaud, a man who can fulfil your one true wish or conjure your worst nightmares. Eight invitations are sent out to eight mortals and this begins the story. There were multiple narratives in the story and at times a little too much description but I found I was invested in each character's story as the book progressed and I loved getting to see into each person's life and decisions. The storyline moves between past and present. I enjoyed the author's style of writing and the mystery included in the story. I enjoyed the fantasy elements also and the complex magical system that was created. At times the mythology was a little confusing, but overall, this was an enjoyable read and it kept me intrigued throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Blackbird LLC for the arc of this book!
What would you do if you received an invitation to a gathering with someone who could grant you your wish? No one refuses the invite, but perhaps they will regret that decision...you never fully know what will be involved when magic and otherworldly beings are in attendance.
When I saw the cover, I was immediately intrigued, then I read the description and became even more curious about this book.
I was a bit slower to get going on this book as I had plans that got in the way, but when I could finally sit down and read, I just kept coming up with more and more questions pertaining to the book.
The book had some fresh ideas going and multiple perspectives, but I did sometimes need to reread sections here and there. I felt like there was so much story and detail in the author's mind, but not enough pages to portray it all. I became invested in each character and would love to get more of a backstory to how they each got to where they were as I feel, even after finishing the book, that I still do not have a complete picture of each individual and how they tie together with the others.
With the multiple perspectives and timelines, you really see how there are many sides to each character. Like in life, no one is fully good nor fully evil. It also gave us more insight into the different branches of this fantastical realm. As it was formatted, it does bounce between past journal entries to present day story-telling, but it did seem to tie more aspects together bringing forward the history of one main character.
I feel like I've only just dipped a toe into this universe rather than diving completely in. Ready to see what M.L. Blackbird comes up with next.

Thank you Little Blackbird and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was eager to read this before Halloween because it had the intense spooky vibes I was looking for based on the summary. However, when I read it, I got some of that but was often lost in the narrative. I think that this would have benefited from fewer characters and even less worldbuilding. There was too much information at times and not enough at others -- I could not get the characters to stick in my mind, nor could I keep track of all of the back and forth between the timelines. I think it was dark in the way that I wanted but when the climax (which we already knew about) occurred, I found that I didn't really have an attachment to the characters.
3 stars.

Fantasy novels can be hit or miss for me, but this one was a very fun spooky read right before Halloween. I enjoyed the writing style of Blackbird and it gave me a bit of Harry Potter vibes.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 50%
I’m sadly dnf-ing this book. The concept was so interesting but sadly the execution was lacking for me. The pacing was all over the place and I struggled through what I read. I was expecting to be hooked from the first few chapters but I really struggled to get invested, I know it’s important to get to know your characters but the constant changing of POV’s was just confusing. Although this didn’t work for me I still think it could work for other people.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Blackbird LLC for the opportunity to read and review this title before publishing! All opinions are my own.
I overall really enjoyed this book! A Wish Too Dark and Kind is packed with action and is basically a murder mystery with heavy fantasy elements. There are immortals, some of which are reminiscent of classic fantasy creatures like vampires and werewolves. There is also a really complex and unique magic system that I really enjoyed learning about. I loved that Blackbird was able to build the world and explain the magic system while moving the plot forward instead of just info dumping.
I mostly enjoyed the structure of the book which was narritive interspersed with documents from an investigation into the events of the party. This structure allowed for facts and characters to be revealed slowly and kept me guessing at what would happen next. What didn’t work for me with this structure was the introduction of the mythology in this world. I found the mythology incredibly confusing at times and even more so when switching between the narrative and investigation documents. It was difficult for me to keep things straight and honestly understand why the mythology was introduced in the first place. I mostly wish I had more time in the world prior to the party. I think it would have helped immensely to world build and introduce the mythology at the beginning of the book.
That being said, I’m giving this 4 stars. If you like mysteries and dark fantasy you should definitely check out this book! It has immortals, action, gore, and just the right amount of creepy - perfect for this time of year.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this!
I was instantly intrigued by the synopsis of this book. And this cover!!!! This book instantly drew me in, I got to explore through the eyes of our main character and this is always my favorite way to discover these details of the story and, it was done very well in this book. I really enjoyed this book and the plot. This author did amazing. I loved the writing style.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!
I LOVE this cover. But I have to say that's probably where my love for this book ended.
I was SO excited to read this book, but like many others, I was completely confused and lost with the jumping POVS. The plot seemed to be lost in the chaos, and it was just so confusing over all...

thank you to netgalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review!
this book had me enraptured from the very beginning. i was immediately drawn to this world by its building and characters. i think this may be a new favorite! will definitely be recommending.

Ummm....I was really confused by what was going on.
The chapters felt like they were completely mixed up and the plot (whatever that was) seemed to drag on. The cover and the premise looked and sounded wonderful but its execution was complicated and utterly perplexing.
There's not much more to really go on as the whole thing didn't make any sense.
On a positive note, the cover is stunning!
Thank you to Netgalley and Little Blackbird LLC for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for this eARC in exchange for my honest review, and in the spirit of being honest, I put this book down after 20%.
I loved the synopsis and the cover. So I was excited to start this book. It didn’t take long for that to fall short. The chapters were all over the place with the characters, even when you’re supposed to be introduced to a character I finished the character wondering what I was supposed to learn.
This book just wasn’t for me, it’s not interesting because there’s no story for I don’t know how long since I put it down because I had enough after the 20%.

While I loved much of the writing, mood and imagery in this book, I found the plot confusing. I couldn't keep up. It's not my usual genre, so it's quite possible that I am just not the right reader. I also picked up the book while on holiday, so it might have been better received at a different time. With this in mind, I won't be posting a review elsewhere. I really appreciate the opportunity to read it. I think the author clearly has a brilliant imagination and I will definitely keep an eye out for more of his work.

I was so excited to be able to read this book early in exchange for an honest review, the premise really intrigued me and the cover art is stunning! (The chapter art is also stunning.) For me, this book was a little confusing. I found the writing style to be more suited to a YA novel, but the content and themes of this book were definitely what I consider to be Adult.
The story was complicated, jumping between POVs and also timelines, but the language is what really muddled things for me. I found myself distracted often by odd grammatic choices or phrases that didn't seem to fit the situation quite right. I fully recognize I am nit-picking here, but for me, those stylistic choices pull me out of the story and I have a hard time getting invested in the plot or characters.
On to the positives! The best part for me is the magic system that was created in this book. I love magic that feels almost scientific and has such stunning visual elements. I also love an ensemble cast and this book totally delivers! Having so many players in this game who were all so different was really fun for me. Overall, I don't think I am the ideal reader for this book, I didn't have a great time, and for that reason, I will not be posting this review to my Goodreads.