3.5, well written with a wonderful distinctive voice but uneven--the ending felt like a very abrupt mood shift from the darker themes of the novel. the terror of being unable to trust yourself after years of disbelief was real and oppressive and i commend the author for her portrayal. i would die for cú.

Creature Publishing knocked it out of the graveyard by publishing The Scald Crow this fall. This is a must read for me as someone who absolutely loves Irish folklore and Grace Daly weaves the lore so eloquently. From each page I needed to read what was going to happen next and I like how this mimicked Cú Chulainn journey in the Ulster cycle. And finally, a narrative that does not reduce the Morrigan to a watered-down version of herself but truly shows the power in the Morrigan’s spirit.
More books with Irish mythology please! Daly really modernized the Irish myths and how they are incorporated into the psyche of a girl facing constant pain. What is constant pain and what does it mean to experience the world with that pain? This is the manifestation of slow agony that has been neglected because society refuses to listen. A metaphor for the way society bashes women’s healthcare beneath the fabric – because it is deemed unworthy!
Reading this book partially was hard because the struggles the protagonist endures with her uterus are almost identical to my personal journey. The descriptions were grotesque but also honest. Going down the health journey with her felt like my own and the way the world isolates you with this pain is how the world falls behind you. This is a girl bonding with her cat, a girl navigating pain beyond period cramps, a girl who is thrown into hallucinations that merely touch the tip of the pain women experience.
The descriptions are ghastly and alluring. Each simile and metaphor are so carefully chosen and really sets the world around the unreliable narrators quest. The Catholic guilt and sapphic undertones truly reflect society and the horrors of repression. Cats are a gift just like this narrative. Thank you Net Galley and Creature Publishing for this advanced copy for this honest review.

Combining a wicked sense of humor, a terrifying Irish folklore legend, and a main character who you can't help but root for, this debut novel is fantastic.

Brigid is a young woman with a lot of issues. Chronic abdominal pain which sometimes renders her unable to do anything, a low self esteem solidified by her abusive mother, and a non existent love life. Her father left twenty years earlier and her mother's car was found in a lake and she's presumed deceased. Now Brigid is back and moves into her old family home despite never wanting to return.

Things get weird almost right away. A peculiar bird which has followed her since she was a child is back. It harrasses her, always there, always watching her every move. There's a picture of Jesus which appears to have a mind of its own. No matter how she tries to get rid of it, it keeps showing back up in strange places.

She also suffers chronic pain. Doctors tell her there's nothing wrong so it must be in her head. Between the stress of moving, the pain, the bird, and the Jesus painting, she feels like she might be going crazy. Not to mention the body parts she finds around the house. But once the horrifying truth is revealed, a monster from Irish folklore come to life, she will need to find something within her if she wants to survive.

This book hits a lot of great notes for a debut novel. It expertly combines a dark tale imbued with humor while also dealing with very real issues of chronic invisible illness and the effects of childhood emotional abuse.

I loved that it was set in Chicago and involves some truly freaky Irish legends! That Midwestern attitude and dialogue shone through and I can relate, being from that area myself. It's always nice to see in a horror book.

Since it's told from first person perspective, it was very easy to slip into Brigid's world and experience all of this with her. I highly recommend it.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, Grace Daly, and publisher for the advanced copy. I really enjoyed the humor and chronic invisible illness representation as a former sufferer. Brigid is a lovable, relatable character which made reading exceptional. The combination of gross and humor was the perfect. I definitely recommend.