Thank you NetGalley, Kira Jane Buxton, and Grand Central Publishing for a galley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't think I could fall in love with S.T and his friends anymore than I did in Hollow Kingdom, but here I am, loving this book even more than I loved Book 1.

If you enjoyed Hollow Kingdom, I highly recommend picking up Feral Creatures ASAP. I dare you not to be put under the spell of S.T and his beloved 'last MoFo' nestling as they journey from Alaska back to Washington to find S.T's murder with the help of creatures that you wouldn't expect while they also battle the changed ones. Kira once again knocked it out of the park with this clever interpretation of what happens to the animal kingdom when humans are basically erased due to a pandemic illness spread by technology screens.

With some reprises of many characters from Hollow Kingdom, I couldn't stop myself from shouting out the names of various characters I loved - I won't spoil who you'll meet again in this one. You'll have to see for yourself.

Feral Creatures will have you wondering, what does it mean to be a crow?

"I'm just a crow, standing in front of a penguin, asking him to help me rescue the last human on earth." If that humor and drama doesn't get you, then maybe this isn't the book for you. S.T. is a crow and is raising the last human who hasn't been infected with a horrible virus brought about from screens, like the one you are reading this review on. (Oh the irony!) And, contrary to his continual comments in Hollow Kingdom, S.T. has improved his opinion of my favorite flightless bird! Despite my persona feelings regarding penguins, this book is a wonderful balance between an adventurous thriller, a swashbuckling odyssey, and a book about family. But, not the biological family historically referred to. Instead this is a family of human and animals that come together to form their own "murder," to use the term to describe a group of crows. The writing is a wonderful blend of seriousness and humor so the reader is actually chuckling while biting their nails in worry. As always, I really recommend you read Hollow Kingdom first. I really do! If not, you will miss out on the foundation for this book in addition to a lot of sly cultural references. I also hope there is a third book in the series. I haven't quite driven my husband over the edge from reading quotes out loud to him.

I couldn’t wait to read this book! I was blown away by Kira Jane Buxton’s debut novel, Hollow Kingdom, so it was no surprise that I would want to read the newest book in the series just as soon as it became available to me. I am thrilled that this book was able to live up to my incredibly high expectations. This book had all of the humor, excitement, and relatable moments that I had hoped to find. I had a great time catching up with S.T. and the rest of the gang.

This story picks up some years after the events of the first book of the series, and I do recommend reading this series in order. S.T. is in Alaska with his bird friends focused on raising the last MoFo, Dee. It is not an easy job but S.T. is determined to keep his nestling safe at any cost. When things go wrong in Alaska, they must make their way to Seattle where they will encounter some familiar faces and more danger than you could imagine.

One of the things that I loved about Hollow Kingdom was the originality of the story. I wasn’t sure that there could be many more surprises in this new installment but I was pleasantly surprised. I could not have guessed the changes that have taken place in the world. It was really a touching story at times and I thought that the love that S.T. felt for Dee and the other animals really shone on the pages. This was a really heartfelt story that made me worry about the characters one moment and laughing the next.

I would highly recommend this book to others. This is an incredibly unique and original tale featuring a surprisingly relatable crow. I will definitely be reading more of this talented author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing.

“𝘼 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙𝙨.” — 𝙃𝙊𝙇𝙇𝙊𝙒 𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂𝘿𝙊𝙈⁣

⁣⁣
HOLLOW KINGDOM was one of my absolute favorite reads of 2019. With its mix of horror, zombies, anthropomorphic animals, and clever humor, it was a surprisingly poignant book that made readers reflect quite a bit on the state of the natural world and the abysmal ways that humans have found to destroy it. In the sequel, FERAL CREATURES, most animals have (or had already) lost faith in those horrendous 2 legged skinners, but not our S.T. Never him. He’s the self-proclaimed cheerleader of all the mofo’s of the world, and he’s also sitting on a giant secret, one that he’d move heaven and earth to protect. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
In this delightfully witty and affecting follow-up to Hollow Kingdom, Buxton once again brings her trademark humor and shrewd storytelling to deliver an incredible zombie-slash-dystopian story that also serves as a cautionary tale about humans’ devastating effects on the environment and the animals of the world. It’s an interesting and heartbreaking sort of thing to hear what these animals truly think of humans and their destructive nature, and I often found my mind wandering, wondering what nature would say to us if indeed nature used words. We know that nature is suffering, as she so often shows us, and I’m certain the words would be rather similar to what Buxton writes. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Bottom line — FERAL CREATURES is a fantastic sequel that brings heaps of joy and heartbreak in equal measure. Both of these books are truly something special — gorgeous prose alongside foul-mouthed humor, with a snarky and ever-so-hopeful crow at the center of it all. This book will make certainly make you laugh, maybe shed a tear or two, and most importantly, hopefully this book will make you stop and think about the world around you and how important it is for us all to try and protect it and take steps to undo the centuries of damage we’ve done.
⁣⁣
*ARC received courtesy of Grand Central publishing.

A weird and wonderful follow-up to last year's Hollow Kingdom, we once again experience the world through the eyes of ST the crow, who narrates a post-apocalyptic / post-human landscape that's scary, unpredictable, and even funny.

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Ms. Buxton for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This is the sequel to Hollow Kingdom, which I absolutely adored, and picks up immediately where HK left off. We rejoin the intrepid, potty-mouthed, Mo-Fo (human)-loving crow S.T., short for Shit Turd, lovingly so named by his deceased former Mo-Fo partner Big Jim, as he raises his nestling Dee [also known as the last living Mo-Fo on earth]. S.T. is raising Dee with a proverbial AND literal village of animal helpers. This book has the same exquisite wordsmiths as its predecessor; perhaps even more so. It CAN be a little dense and flowery at some points; I personally enjoyed following S.T.'s labyrinthine thinking and speaking in all its crass, zany, zig-zag ebullience but I can see that it wouldn't be for everyone. Basically, if you liked Hollow Kingdom, you will LOVE this; if HK wasn't for you, this won't be, either.

This story was just as bittersweet and painful to read as HK, perhaps more so, because the average Mo-Fo reader can read between the lines with regards to global warming and species eradication. There are also several poignant moments with characters that quickly become favorites (I won't give any spoilers). We do get to revisit some fan favorites from HK but there are also some terrific new ones (I loved Budiwati, and of course Oomingmak). The offset chapters with seemingly random animals around the world (a dolphin, a hermit crab, a tegu, a charming Scottish donkey, etc) give the story some extra lyricism and some perspective outside the main narrative.

Here are some of my favorite passages:


Grief can slam into you like a well-waxed window. But it means the ones you love aren't lost or forgotten. They've made a home in your heart, which is the most permanent place of all.

<<>>

Nerves and whiskey were in a vein-popping arm-wrestling match over who could embarrass me the most.

<<>>

"Yes," I said, standing before her like a Spirit Halloween wig that had been repeatedly brutalized by a Segway.

<<>>

Budiwati - legs made of electrical springs and the intensity of the Napoleons (Bonaparte and Dynamite) - leapt effortlessly over the wall of the Chateau, snatching me up in her beak and flinging me onto her shaggy back with manners akin to a coupon-clipping hippo at a Walmart on Black Friday.

<<>>

Love is the sun. It burns tiger bright, illuminating the hart and searing away sadness. What a beautifully brave act to hand over a heart. To risk the burns of a blister-skinned sovereign. Dee was my sun. Just as bright. Just a one. Without her, the world would turn black. Without her, I would wither and die.

<<>>

But they are still fakish faking beasts and I'm f*cking Genghis Cat. They are imitation crab and Genghis is filet mignon Fancy Feast, b*tch.

<<>>

Dee stroked my head and allowed me to chew on her arm. I claimed her by rubbing my face on her finger. This is a binding contract of ownership, throughout the universe, in perpetuity.


Really, you can find something to highlight on practically every page. I must say it did strike me as a little ironic to read this book on my Kindle, seeing as the poor Hollow MoFos of the story fell victim to a screen-related virus. But to me this book was *magic* and I'm sad to see S.T. go. It's possible, I suppose, that a book 3 could happen, considering how the story ended, but if it doesn't work out, this book ended in the perfect bittersweet way.

This book is just as imaginative and hilarious as the first one. I really hope we'll get to hear more from ST.

The nitty-gritty: Kira Jane Buxton does it again in this funny and poignant follow up to Hollow Kingdom, a unique genre mash-up that made me laugh and cry.

Kira Jane Buxton is a gift to the writing community, and I’m so grateful to have experienced her wisdom and humor once again. Her sparkling prose brings the story to life, and her love and respect for animals leaps off the page. Just as she did in Hollow Kingdom, Buxton manages to combine humor, emotion, horror and thoughtful moments of beauty together into one thrilling adventure, told in the unique voice of a crow who was raised by a human.

You must read Hollow Kingdom first, as this is a direct sequel and references many of the events and characters from that book. And there will be mild spoilers for the first book, so do beware!

Note: “MoFo” is S.T.’s word for “human.”

Once again, the story is narrated by the intrepid potty-mouthed, MoFo-loving crow known as Shit Turd, or S.T. for short. The story picks up about a decade or so after the events of Hollow Kingdom, when S.T. left his beloved home of Seattle, Washington for Alaska. The first book ended with S.T. finding a baby MoFo, the last human on earth, and since then he has been protecting and raising his “nestling,” a girl named Dee, along with a group of owls and a musk ox named Oomingmak. S.T. is determined to raise Dee to be a proper MoFo, but Dee has an almost magical connection with the natural world and is able to communicate with bees and birds and even flowers. As the years go by, S.T. is afraid that his fervent teachings about the glorious wonders of the MoFo world have become lost on Dee, as she becomes more and more of a wild child.

But in a changed world without humans, overrun by grotesque creatures, their idyllic life can't last forever, and one day their lives implode when an unexpected disaster forces them to flee their safe cabin in the woods. Even more distressing, S.T. has lost touch with the Aura, the communication network he shares with other birds. Back in Seattle, S.T. is terrified at how much his city has changed—his murder is gone, and everywhere are the Changed Ones, hideously malformed creatures who used to be MoFos. The creatures seem to want Dee for some nefarious purpose, and S.T. knows that a crow with a broken wing is going to need a lot of help to keep her safe.

I have to admit I loved Hollow Kingdom just a little bit more than Feral Creatures, although I’m still giving this five stars because it deserves it. And I think part of the reason is that Dennis (S.T.'s beloved bloodhound friend) isn’t in this story. Luckily, S.T. does a lot of reminiscing, so we do get a few sweet memories of the times spent with Dennis. And because S.T. has raised Dee on stories about Big Jim and Dennis, it was as if he was keeping Dennis’ memory alive. We also learn more about Big Jim—S.T.’s human owner who turned into a zombie—and his sometimes girlfriend Tiffany S. from Tinder (that’s how S.T. always refers to her). S.T.’s love of his MoFos hasn’t died with them, and he often manages to slip memories of them into the conversation.

Once again, animal lovers will really connect with this story, especially if you love animal POV narratives, like Watership Down, for example. And boy does Buxton give us a bunch of animals! There are plenty of new ones (Tom Hanks the cockatoo and Oomingmak the musk ox were two of my favorites!), and we are reunited with some old favorites from Hollow Kingdom as well (like Orange the Orangutan).

Just like she did in Hollow Kingdom, Buxton includes short chapters from the points of view of various creatures besides S.T., mostly as a way to show how the apocalypse is affecting the wider world. For example, we hear from a baby humpback whale in Western Australia and a Myrmarachne jumping spider from Borneo. My favorite was Nubbins, a Scottish donkey with a lovely brogue. Other than acting as nice interludes, these short chapters seem to reinforce Buxton’s theme of climate change and how it’s threatening the world, a serious topic that I think works well up against some of the more lighthearted moments.

But as far as themes go, this is really a story about parenthood and watching your child grow up and leave the nest (so to speak). For most of the story, S.T. is determined to raise Dee as the MoFo he knows she can be, a human who loves all the human things that S.T. loves. And the more Dee fights S.T., the more wild and animal-like she becomes. As Dee slips further away from him—for example, she refuses to speak MoFo but rather buzzes like the bees or caws like the crows—both S.T. and Dee seem to sink into a depression, what S.T. calls “the Black Tide.” It isn’t until much later in the story, and the wise counsel of some of S.T.’s animal friends, that he realizes how miserable he’s making her. There is a wonderful moment at the end of the book between the two, an emotional connection that both broke my heart and gave me warm fuzzies, and it’s these moments I treasure most from this book.

Fans of Hollow Kingdom need not worry: Feral Creatures is a heartwarming and satisfying follow up from one of the most interesting and unique writers I’ve ever read. Highly recommended for MoFos everywhere.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

If you thought Hollow Kingdom was phenomenal, then Feral Creatures is going to blow your mind!!
Our story continues with our wonderful narrator ST and chronicles his story of survival after the annihilation of humans and the creation of a new “race”. I would not attempt to read this book as a standalone. There are too many spoilers, so I’ll try to keep this brief.
We are introduced to many new characters. I really enjoyed how they worked together as a family to save one special character. The author does a wonderful job of explaining how animal, plant and insect worlds are all connected and how those worlds are mutated after the apocalypse.
I am not really a fan of apocalyptic fiction, but this was a very eye-opening story about how the choices made by humans are impacting the world around us.
Thank you so much to Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing for sharing this eARC with me to review

Genre: Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Can I give it more than 5 stars?)

When you have written the best book in the world, there must be a lot of pressure when writing the sequel. So, I honestly wondered, “Would Feral Creatures live up to the heart-wrenchingly profound Hollow Kingdom? Could Kira Jane Buxton do it again?” The answer is yes… she most definitely did it again!

I don’t know that I could ever love a book as much as Hollow Kingdom. Trust me, your first time meeting Shit Turd is not something you easily forget. However, Feral Creatures is just as wonderful, adventurous, and honestly, indescribably beautiful, as Hollow Kingdom. I truly could not imagine a better follow-up to my all-time favorite book.

This sensational sequel follows our beloved S.T. as he raises and cares for the last MoFo…, I mean human, in the world. As the human species adapts into unrecognizable and vicious monsters in order to survive, S.T. is faced with the Party-Sized-Cheeto-Bag task of sheltering his precious Dee. When Dee doesn’t fit into S.T.’s preconceptions of what a MoFo should be how can he protect her and preserve the legacy of MoFos?

So what can you expect from this phenomenal book? Just about everything! The intricacies of this novel are so detailed that I feel as though I could read it 100 times and still discover a new miraculously genius concept each time. First of all, Kira Jane Buxton has an unparalleled ability to create the most hilariously unique jokes. I don’t think anyone else could come up with her original analogies, metaphors, and descriptions, that literally make you laugh out loud.

The humor that Kira introduced in Hollow Kingdom and developed further in Feral Creatures, is so strangely specific in such a satisfying way. Her talented writing is so distinguished and comical that it is like her own brand of humor. There are certain singers, that when you hear their voice you can immediately identify them: Elvis, Johnny Cash, Billie Eilish. Similarly, if you read part of Hollow Kingdom or Feral Creatures that brand of hilarity is immediately identifiable as Kira Jane Buxton!

Once again, Kira invented a ragtag team of animals that simply tug at your heartstrings. Dennis and S.T. were the best friend duo ever, and S.T. and his murder, the owls, Oomingmak, the tigers, primates, cats, Dee, and so many more are an iconic combination. All the characters are diverse and, while reading, you feel in your heart that they belong together; they are a family.

Also, an extremely important detail in the book is that the animals all stay true to their nature. Frequently in fiction that involves animals, the creatures are so anthropomorphized that it feels insincere and false, but Feral Creatures is the opposite. The animals don’t hug or cry. When they are on a mission they might get held up because it’s in their nature to wander. While some of them have uncanny intelligence, such as dolphins, this intelligence is not over-exaggerated in other species. Although this might be a minor detail it felt vital to the story and its authenticity. Obviously, it was necessary to anthropomorphize the animals to some extent, but Kira Jane Buxton played off of these human traits to emphasize the animals’ as they are in reality.

Finally, Hollow Kingdom and Feral Creatures are two of the only books that toy with my heart like a bird with a french fry, and yet I keep coming back for more. During the emotional turmoil I always ask myself, “Why do I keep doing this to myself?”, then a minute later, “This is the most wonderful story ever written.” I can’t help myself. These two books are so beautifully unbearable, any booklover wouldn’t be able to resist their charm. So, whatever is next on your TBR, do yourself a favor and pick up Hollow Kingdom if you haven’t read it. I can guarantee you will immediately want to read Feral Creatures, and while you’ll probably hate me at first, I’m sure you’ll thank me later!

“Feral Creatures” (Hollow Kingdom #2) by Kira Jane Buxton. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Dystopian Fantasy. Location: All over the world with an emphasis on the Seattle, Washington, USA area. Time: Near future. Note: You must read “Hollow Kingdom” first to understand the true magnificence of this novel!-
-
S.T. Is a Cheeto-addicted, humanity-loving, spectacularly handsome and foul-mouthed crow. He is also known as “The One Who Keeps” because he found and protects something so awesome and beautiful that the world can’t handle it. The problem is-the world is rapidly discovering what ST keeps, and it’s coming for him.-
-
In book 1, the world was overrun by the flesh-eating Changed Ones, thanks to an apocalyptic event triggered by electronic devices. Book 1 explores ST’s incredible journey across Seattle to save all living things from this menace. Book 2, “Feral Creatures”, continues the saga, taking S.T. on a truly epic adventure across North America, ending up back in his hometown of Seattle.-
-
You’ll catch up with old friends such as Migisi the Bald Eagle, the Penguins, and the ever irascible Ghengis Cat. You’ll meet new friends such as Oomingmak the Musk Ox, a pod of majestic Killer Whales, and the Jurassic-like and ferocious Budiwati the Cassowary.-
-
The adventures of this group of heros are funny, scary, and poignant. Interspersed throughout the book are mini chapters featuring other animals across the world. Their comments on survival In a post-apocalyptic world are lyrical, beautiful, and thought-provoking.-
-
READ THIS BOOK! Read this book twice! If you ever lived or hung out in Seattle, read this book a third time! Read this book! It’s a blazing 5 stars from me! 🌵📚👩🏼‍🦳 I read this book thanks to NetGalley. Grand Central Publishing’s publication date is August 23, 2021.”

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

I didn’t think I needed another book about Shit Turd and his motley crew but I did. This was such a heartfelt and humorous delight.

Every bit as good as Hollow Kingdom. These quirky books are a recommended first purchase for most general fiction collections.