This is one of those YA books that are definitely geared toward that younger age group. While I liked the idea of this book and the world building was good, I was kind of bored for most of it and thought some parts to simply be ridiculous. The relationship between the two main characters was awkward at best and not all that interesting. I really liked the harbingers of death thing going on here and the beekeepers were something new. The harbingers are drawn to places were a lot of death is soon to happen, and when it finally does in this book is when this story got so much better. A lot of bad things happen, but there's finally something going on and it's enough to be semi entertaining. I was disappointed with some things and others were simply unbelievable, and not in a good way.

This book has a beautiful cover and a great idea, but the way it all went down just didn't work for me.

Black Bird of the Gallows is the debut novel by author Meg Kassel. Protagonist Angelina "Angie" Dovage is a survivor who carries heavy baggage, and no matter what she does, she can't remove the stigma from what happened to her while she was with her mother. Some have even resorted to calling her "Tabloid Freakshow." This comes from living in a world where nothing happens without someone shoving a camera in your face and demanding you answer their questions before running off to Twitter, Facebook, and complaining that you are untouchable or other names. 

I was drawn in right from the start after Angie meets her new neighbor Reece Fernandez. Reece and his family moves into the house next door to her and her father. The same house where something horrible took place. Angie notices that there are a whole lot of crows around her neighborhood since Reece arrived. Crows that don't seem to bother Reece at all. Pretty much the first thing Reece tells Angie is, Stay Away from the Bees. What that means, is anyone's guess. Crows also seem to be keeping an eye out for Angie and leaving her presents. But, why? 

I'll say that a very interesting twist happens right in the beginning, and that's because of a character named Rafette and the fact that he takes a keen interest in Angie after meeting her only one time. I won't go into spoiler territory, but I will say that his arrival makes the story even more dark, and even more twisted that without him. Angie becomes a bit obsessive over Reece, and perhaps a bit stalkerish as well. What she learns would make anyone else run to the hills, and ever come back. But, we're not talking about me. I read where someone has compared the beginning to Twilight. ::head desk::

Thankfully for Angie, she has two best friends in Dino and Lacey who are also into the music scene, and a father who never gave up finding Angie when she was gone. Angie is a DJ at a local mall where wears the persona of a girl named Sparo. Sparo is the polar opposite of Angie, and nobody knows who she really is. I would characterize this as someone doing their best to put a new face forward, while leaving her past, and the school bullies to their own vices. I liked Lacey a bit more than I did Dino. Lacy is the kind of person who believes in Omens & Signs, and the signs are that something horrible is about to take place in Cadence. 

This is a story that is complex, but also predictable. Not only do you have crows, but you also have harbingers of death, a creature called the Beekeeper, and an unseen ancient beings who we really don't really meet but feel their presence. Reece and Angie form a connection that isn't insta-lust. It's a connection born from the things that have happened to them both in the past. The publishers catalog classifies the story as a Young Adult, Paranormal with an intriguing romance. That's a pretty good description. According to Kassel's author page, there are two more books to come. A novella called Cleaner of Bones later this year which will feature Reece, and Keeper of the Bees which is supposed to be a full length novel coming sometime in 2018.

This is a 5/5 stars for me! If this book isn't on your radar it needs to be.

I believe this is a debut novel for Meg Kassel and she did an AMAZING job! I absolutely loved this book and I see there will be a novella and a companion novel which I cannot wait for.

The book starts out by following our main character Angie Dovage spying on her new neighbours moving into a house where lots of death has taken place. Angie heads down to the bus stop where she runs into her new neighbour Reece Fernandez who just happens to be a total hottie (hello potential love interest?). While waiting for the stop two weird things happen; a swarm of crows flies at them and encircles Reece and he is seen talking to a strange man with changing faces. Angie tries to convince herself that she is just seeing things and all the crows isn't weird but, as the story progresses crows seem to be drawn to her and to Reece and she needs answers! Later on in the book she learns that Harbingers of Death are real.

This first chapter had me hooked already, the concept of Harbinger's of Death is absolutely fascinating to me and I have never read a story like this, it is completely original. Not to mention Meg Kassel's writing was fantastic and easy to read.

I enjoy a dark story and this filled that role. All the crows gave a creepy feeling to the book as crows are associated with death because they are carrion birds so you know there has to be lots of death if crows are everywhere! Besides the creepy dark feeling to the book there was a bit of romance too that didn't overpower the story. this book is a good read for anyone who enjoys a darker magical realism story with a bit of romance. And for those of you who do not like romance don't worry you'l still love it!

I urge everyone to give this a shot, you wont regret it!

I was kindly sent an e-arc of this book for review from Netgalley.

Let me start off with that cover! It is just beautiful.
I truly enjoyed that this story created a whole world full of new myths and creatures. The harbingers felt like a revamped vampire, sucking energy rather than blood. As if I didn't have a fear of bees already, the description of the beekeepers and their background was enough to keep me up late at night. really loved how both have a complicated relationship. Well written, hard to put down. A majority head me on the edge of my seat.
Lost one star because I felt like the resolution needed a few more answers. Otherwise, applause for a debut!

So. Think of every trope in paranormal YA (except a love triangle, which I'm just now realizing) aaaaand you've basically got this book. I was really excited for this one, but I could tell from the first few chapters that it wasn't going to be a good fit for me. I was still curious about how things would play out though, so I went ahead and finished it, but my initial "this isn't a Brittani book" feeling was correct. Honestly, it just reminded me a lot of Twilight, which isn't necessarily a bad thing in and of itself... it's just a "we've been there, done that" thing. The idea behind the book was interesting, but the execution left a lot to be desired for me. The characters fell mostly flat and I just really didn't care. I seem to be in the minority with the ratings on this so far though, so give it a shot if you think it sounds interesting (which it does! I was excited about it! it just ultimately left me disappointed). Hopefully you'll be able to tell within the first couple chapters if this is a book for you, like I did.

What a fun, exciting read! Angie had a rough life when she was growing up. Her drug addicted mom took off with her. Shortly after her dad found her again, her mom died from an overdose. She moved in with her dad in a small Pennsylvania town. While she had a couple amazing friends, Deno and Lacey, she was sort of an outcast. Angie was a band geek, but on the weekends, she transformed herself into a popular DJ. I actually loved the story of her music and how it made her feel like she was better than what the bratty high school girls thought of her.

Angie’s new neighbor, Reece, is attractive, but strange. Angie sees something odd with him and there seem to be crows everywhere since his family moved in. It doesn’t take long for Reece to come clean with her and explain that he’s a harbinger of death and that there are also beekeepers around. Her town is going to have a major tragedy and they are all there for it. Reece and Angie start to fall in love, but he’s cursed and will need to move on after the deaths. But the beekeeper thinks he can make Reece take his curse and figures a way to use Angie to do it.

The pacing of this book was great. I sat down to read for thirty minutes tonight and ended up reading for an hour and a half to finish. I just couldn’t put it down. I found the myths of the harbingers and beekeepers so interesting. Lacey and Deno were favorites. I also really love Angie’s dad and their relationship. I will admit to freaking out hoping that her dog would be safe, too. What can I say? I’m obsessed with happy endings for pets.

I can’t really get into too much more without giving away important parts of the book. I just hope everyone goes out and gives this one a chance. Black Bird of the Gallows is set to be published September 5th 2017 by Entangled Teen. I definitely plan on buying this one.

Thank you to the author, Entangled Teen, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book. I gave this five stars.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year! I have promoted it whenever I had a chance to sign up for a promotion post. So imagine my delight when I spotted this one on Netgalley. I just had to have it.

Sadly.... I got to about 17% and then I had to stop. I struggled for most of the day (whenever I had time) with the book. I tried again and again. I wanted to like this book, I wanted to love the characters, I wanted to shrug my head at the annoying standard YA tropes that filled the book. But in the end... I just had to stop.

I just couldn't see the world, I just couldn't like the characters, I hate the mean-girl trope and the fact that arty people/band people are on the lowest parts of school hierarchy, the instant OMG hot guy and swoon swoon but then also not wanting to swoon swoon... the bees warnings (really, at least give us some idea why instead of saying it all the time).. the mysterious shape shifting dude.. our MC the DJ who apparently no one can recognise because she wears wigs, make-up, especially that bubblegum pink lipstick (really, don't forget that one). She told us in several sentences about her one time kiss with her best friend (really, we get it, no need to go into it so much).

I am sure that someone else will love this book, but it is sadly not for me.

"Everything I deserve. What is that, exactly? And who gets to decide?"

An wonderful story full of romance, mysterious crows and creepy bees.

When Reece Fernandez enters town Angie Dovage finds herself drawn to him. What she doen't know is that he and his family are harbingers of death, traveling between towns which are marked for chaos to come and lots of people to die. Angie's town is marked as well. But that is not her only problem. When the chaos is over Reece and his family have to leave again because of the magical curse binding them. And another magical creature, the Beekeper, is after Angie, determined to break his own curse with Angie and Reece in the middle.

This books is awesome! While reading I was totally glued to the pages. It grew more and more exciting with every page. I hoped so much for a happy ending for Angie and Reece and was sad that even Angie didn't really believe in one at a certain pointnin the story. Their love grew throughout the stoey starting of as attraction but there is an aspect later in the story. What I liked very much was the mysticism about crows and bees. I will never look the same again at them after reading this book. It was refreshing to read about other mystic creatures than the usual vampire and werewolf where you already know which signs to look for.

Morover the book is really funny in the beginning. At this point I would have given the book five stars. As the story's events grow more serious. Epic events change everything but at the end I was just sitting there and feeling that the story was lacking something at the end for five stars.

All in all a greats tory about romance, crows and bees. Be ware! I am going to buy a paperversion now since I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review via Netgalley. I am also excited for Cleaner of Bones and Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel.

Basically, anytime the words "harbinger of death" or even just "harbinger" (which implies harbinger of death) appear, I'm immediately sold. Like, I am going to read it. No matter what. Its a weakness. It's also kind of rare, so I take what I can get.

I was really hoping this book carried a bit of darkness with it, which to me is implied by the description and title, and cover. And in many ways it did. I was so grateful for that. The characters are all really likable, from the main couple to the friends and family. One of my favorite characters may have been the bad guy - the Beekeeper. (He does have a name in there somewhere but just calling him the Beekeeper is so much more interesting). I dont want to go into too much detail on him, I just hope that you all experience the eerieness of him yourself. Everything about him seemed so grim, like scary in a sad way. His description is so easy to build up in your head, and just so creepy. I loved it.

Once all the shit really hits the fan, everything becomes a disaster. Its insane, and heart breaking, and everything just feels so.... dreadful. So doomed. So sad. But as with most books, a light shines through in the end.... and that is where my issue is, and why this is actually 4.5 stars and not 5 stars.
While most of the ending wrapped up nicely, there are two things that do not. First, a person, or entity, rather, that apparently supper powerful, but barely explained or brought up in the book, and has a hand in the ending... and secondly, the big event - like, BUT WHY. HOW? This thing happens that saves the day, and you literally give almost no explanation about it. Its basically glossed over in a few sentences. I guess it was a bit rushed? Maybe not thought all the way through? I don't know. I just know I would have enjoyed a further explanation and how it was involved in the mythology of the creatures and events in the book. I can definitely put together what the general idea there was, but it just would have been nice to hear it explained in context.

Anyway, I still really enjoyed this book!! Definitely recommend.

**A huge thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Teen for providing this ARC in exchange for a honest review!**

Black Bird of the Gallows
Meg Kassel
My Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ +
Holy hell! I couldn't get enough of this book. This takes the human/monster romance to a whole new level. The story is original and captivating.


I would recommend Black Bird of the Gallows to everyone that likes monster stories and love a taboo romance.


The house next door to Angie's is tainted. Would you want to live in a house where an unforgivable crime happened? Reece is new in town and has just moved into the creepy house. Now there are all theses crows surrounding it too and Angie is certain something isn't right.

Reece is everything Angie isn't. He fits into popularity at school without any effort. He plays sport and the girls are interested in getting to know him. He isn't someone Angie would normally notice but somehow they are drawn to each other. He has a secret and she wants to know even if it could be deadly.

This book is a teen read and not scary (It's just hard to describe without giving anything away). It's about truly loving someone no matter what. There are more strange happenings in this story than romance but it is necessary. The ending is perfect and the story was action packed. I loved this book. 5+ stars.


*ARC received in exchange for a fair review*

300 pages. Kindle Price £5.61
Expected publication: September 5th 2017, by Entangled Publishing

BLACK BIRD OF THE GALLOWS instantly hooked me with a unique premise and concept I haven't seen much of in YA. I mean, who would see "the boy next door is a harbinger of death" and not want to read it right away? Not me, certainly. I have to hand it to Kassel for incorporating different lore and original mythos into the paranormal fantasy genre, because it's these elements, more than anything, that make her novel stand out from the rest. Unfortunately, that's about the only thing I did enjoy. Everything else felt like a well-worn pastiche. The characters felt too thin, the romance accelerated too quickly for me to be emotionally invested in it, and I was able to predict just about all of the twists and turns it took. Had I read this at 14-15 without having already read loads of YA fantasy, perhaps I might have enjoyed this more. After all, I'm still all about that premise even if the execution left me wanting. As an introductory to YA paranormal romance, it's not half bad, but not for me.

Angie Dovage is like most people would be, a bit curious as to who her new neighbors are and what they will be like. When Angie runs into Reece Fernandez at the bus stop her curiosity is piqued even more by the good looking strange boy. Angie takes it upon herself to follow Reece and find out just what is behind the mysterious new boy.

What Angie ends up finding about Reece would send most people running and screaming. Reece is not a normal human boy, he’s a harbinger of death. When a death happens Reece feeds off the energy of the dying due to a curse he’s been living with for centuries. But Reece is not the only supernatural in town and Angie finds herself in danger with Reece vowing to protect her.

The one thing that I would complain about with Black Bird of the Gallows is that starting off it definitely had that feel of let’s check off all the young adult fantasy expectations. The beginning of the story had flashes of Twilight to it which had me wondering if I’d find any originality buried within the pages. Of course too that brings me to the warning of the instalove that bother a lot of people since it’s a typical oh the new boy is cute start but eventually there are more reasons added to the relationship.

Thankfully the story of the battle between good and evil within the pages of this one did bring a bit of newness to it which made this one an interesting read. After reading this one I’ll certainly be looking at crows and bees a bit differently so the author certainly got a bit creative with the supernatural side of the story which ended up making this one worth the read instead of just checking off what is expected in a young adult novel.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Thank you so much for the approval of this title. I loved the premise, but unfortunately, the writing ended up not being a good match, and I will pass on reviewing it. However, I have added it to the YABC database, so that readers will still see it and have the option to post reviews. Thank you again!

Where can I find more paranormal YA like this? Seriously, this was so good! I'm going to be honest and say that I don't care much for reading about the paranormal. I'm more content watching it because I get more scared that way or something. I don't know why I torture myself with paranormal stuff. But this book has changed my mind. By instilling a little bit of Supernatural-esque lore like harbingers of death and the Beekeepers, this kept my attention from start to finish.

What I really loved about this book was the MC, Angie. She was a girl that was into DJing. Like how cool is that? I have yet to read a book where a MC girl is interested in something like that. Secret time: I used to want to be a DJ. I thought that controlling music like that was so cool. Perhaps I'll get back into that. ;) But moving on, Angie was a real solid MC. She didn't make dumb decisions and even when there were girls being nasty to her, she was still incredibly strong. Given what her past was, I'm amazed she didn't break down.

I liked Reese as well. Yeah, he tried to be the whole I'm not going to tell you stuff because I'm macho and need to save you thing but that quickly dropped, which I am thankful for. He trusted Angie and what she was doing and that was refreshing. He let her make decisions, even if he didn't agree with him. Even at the end, he was still letting her make decisions and accepting them, regardless if he liked them or not. I don't know about you guys but that is a winner in my book.

A couple of other things that I really like was the dad/daughter relationship between Angie and her dad. He cared about her so much and let her be who she wanted to be. Their relationship was so open and refreshing. The friendships Angie had with Deno and Lacey (!!! I squealed excitedly when I saw my name (misspelled) in this book) were awesome too. Shout out to Meg Kassel for proving that guys and girls can be friends with no romantic overtures.

Overall, I am thoroughly pleased with this book. I took a chance on a genre I never read and it paid off in spades. I was just sucked in by that beautiful cover. I'm going to have to buy the physical copy when this book is released so I can stare at it all day. You all should do it too.

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.

This was a refreshing change of pace in my paranormal reads. The story of the beekeeper and the harbingers of death (crows) were very interesting to me. I liked that the harbingers of death were actually good and family oriented. Angie and Reece did have a romantic connection but it was in the background of the story. Main focus was on Reece saving Angie from the beekeeper. The action was pretty continuous and Angie seemed to be handling it like a typical teen would, not super-heroish. I really enjoyed this story and read it in pretty much one day. This was a first for me by this author but I cannot wait to read more by her. I received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

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

Just going by the cover and the title I was expecting something completely different than I got. I pictured a darker, grittier story in more of an urban fantasy setting, not that this one is not dark or gritty but still. However I liked it nonetheless and for it being YA it has a lot of gruesome elements.

I gave the book 3.5 stars because it was a quick, easy read with some interesting concept and I enjoyed it despite my recent reluctance regarding YA stories. But I wasn’t over the moon for it either.
The writing style is flowing and really expressive. I also loved the little titles for each chapter; they foreshadow the things to come in each chapter.
I liked the idea with the whole harbinger and beekeepers mystic element without making the story too supernatural if it makes sense. And not just because that but they are not really commonly used magical entities so it was a unique theme too.

The plot is kind of fast paced or more like busy. Things, especially supernatural ones happen practically from the very first pages and they don’t build up gradually to a point of conflict wich creates a rushed feel to the events. Basically the whole storyline was one big conflict everything happens o fast.
The characters are good but for me neither of them was outstanding. I didn’t feel a bond to either of them.
We see a lot of different reactions, personalities from Angie. She is creative, curious, talented, strong, troubled and caring. She runs headfirst into trouble if its feeds her curiosity. She is also the sole narrator of the story so the reader feels her more.
Then there is Reece, her love interest who is handsome, nice and charming with a lot of secrets. We don’t get to know him as deeply and Angie but I feel that both him and Angie are both the typical teenage YA characters so its not hard to put them in place.
Also I just didn’t see the chemistry between them so I couldn’t help and feel that Reece only role in the book is introducing Angie to the supernatural world. I missed the attraction or the emotional connection between them.

This was a cute, easy and mysterious summer read for me. Yes, you read it right, cute despite the gothic theme, mayhem and destruction going on.

P.S.: For some reason this story reminded me of Twilight, especially in the first third of it.

"Black Bird of the Gallows" is a truly unique and enthralling YA paranormal romance. Angie has had a tough life. She spent the first part of it living with her drug-addicted mother in a van without a stable home and came to live with her father right before her mother overdosed. It's a past she is unable to live down, as people at school won't let her forget. She carries the weight of it with her always. Aside from her kind father, she enjoys making music with her friends and DJs at THE hang-out spot in Cadence, The Strip Mall, as her alter-ego Sparo.

Her life begins to change when a new boy moves in next door, and she finds herself undeniably attracted to him. Although Reece seems to fit into a different crowd (the popular, athletic one), he seems to have taken an interest in Angie as well. As the book develops, we learn there is so much more at play with the harbingers of death and beekeepers. Although mildly scary, I think it is tempered by the YA category and appropriate for all teens- this is definitely not a horror although there is significant death as suggested by the summary.

The romance between Angie and Reece was just about perfect with the right amount of build-up plus context that makes it believable and not just insta-love. The paranormal aspects of the book are where this novel really shines, as it is incredibly creative/clever with a whole new context for the paranormal category. I don't think I have read anything like it before, and it was enthralling! I don't want to say too much about it, because I think it's better if the readers get to experience the reveals for themselves. It did honestly surprise me in the end (I had all sorts of predictions about what would happen/how it would resolve), and I love that I couldn't figure it out. Although it appears that there will be more books in this series, it absolutely reads as a stand-alone (good for people who like closure!).

Fans of Stiefvater will delight in this engaging and clever YA paranormal romance. I found it impossible to put down and enjoyed every twist and turn in this enthralling novel. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one, the mix of paranormal and real life issues was very well done with a balance that will keep you glued to the page wondering what will happen next.  I look forward to reading more books by Meg Kassel.

This was a new take on YA urban fantasy, at least for me. I've read books having Death/ Thanatos taking souls to the afterlife, but never a harbinger of death. I liked how the author develops this mythos and flushes out the plot with it. The main guy Reece is swoonworthy, and Angie takes all the supernatural news well. There were a couple of Twilight-esque moments, such as when Reece tells Angie to 'say it' confirming what he is, and when they show up together to school and everyone stares. But otherwise, this was a fun, original read.

Leaving review on goodreads and amazon.