Rich and creative fantasy tale, a world of magic, discovery, secrets, betrayal, lies, and change. The world so detailed it feels real, almost as if you could step into it. Well developed characters and non-stop action, intrigue and sacrifice really keep you hooked to the very end, or end for now

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in anticipation of the sequel's release

The Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong is a third person multi-POV YA fantasy combining themes of the magical girl genre and the Prohibition period. The Nightbirds are a mysterious group of young women blessed with magic by the Wellspring, the source of all power, who give the people they kiss the use of their specific powers for a brief period of time but are limited by not being able to use their powers on their own. Their magic is sold for a price to members of the Great Houses who exchange their secrets for a kiss, the means of transferring magical power.

With beautiful worldbuilding reminiscent of Prohibition-era New York, the story takes us everywhere from secretive elite clubs, to aristocratic masquerade balls, to the slums populated by gangs vying for power. The magic system and method of selling kisses to give powers set up an excellent allegory for sex work, as can likewise be seen by the secretive nature of the Nightbirds and the church's hatred of their power.

All three of the main characters, Matilde, Sayer, and Aesa each have their own histories and reasons for being Nightbirds and selling their magic kisses, and all three of them are fantastically written characters who grow and change throughout the story. Of the three, Matilde was definitely my favorite of the Nightbirds, and I am already looking forward to the sequel.

Content warning for brief depictions of sexual assault

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an excellently written YA fantasy book inspired by the magical girl genre in a Prohibition setting

I might have liked this if I wasn't in a reading slump, but ultimately, I was not able to get hooked into this book so I decided to cut my lose and start with a new book. I hopefully will come back to it when I'm out of my slump because it does seem up my alley.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the e-arc!
First off I have to say I love this new paperback cover! The premise of this book is super interesting with the 'nightbirds' being girls with unbelievable magic. Matilde, Sayer and Æsa are amazing characters! This book really succeeds and making you feel so connected to not only their struggles but what's going on in this world. There is definitely a slower build up but once the story and the characters pick up speed, you are unable to put it down.

amazing book . Love the plot line and character development. So good will definitely recommend. Love the book

I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to the sequel, At first I was afraid I wouldn't be as interested in the different POVs, but ended up enjoying all the POV characters. The plot was interesting, though the magic system and setting could have been fleshed out a little bit more. The biggest downfall for me was the formatting of the eARC - there was zero separation of warning or indications that the POV was changing, so it was hard to keep up with. Not sure if this is just an issue with the eARC formatting, but it took away from the reading experience.

The nightbirds are a well kept and protected secret. Girls who gift their magic to well paying customers with a kiss, Matilde, Sayer and Æsa hide behind their gilded masks and magic. When they realize their secret isn't as secure as they thought, the girls bond together to stay safe.

Their entire world is turned upside down in one night, revealing that their secret isn't as well kept as they believed, and their safety was in fact more control than anything. As they discover a brand new works, their powers begin to change as well.

Thank you @prhaudio for my audio copy of NIGHTBIRDS by Kate J. Armstrong. I read this in anticipation of reading the second book in the Nightbird Series, Fyrebirds, which releases at the end of August.

I kept hoping these “birds” would actually turn into birds, alas, it doesn’t appear they do…the 4 Nightbirds just have magic powers.

There is a heavy amount of world building in this first novel, which is to be expected, but interestingly it is character driven. Many, many interactions between characters that build the friendships and connections between the four Nightbirds with powers (power that others have been trying to take from them).

It had the vibes of Serpent and Dove with the church members hunting down the “witches” for their powers. Of course, it ends on a bit of a cliff hanger, since this is the first book in a series.

I am going to roll right into the next story to see how it goes.

"Revenge doesn't fix what's past, it doesn't heal what's broken. It just blinds you to what matters."- Fenlin Brae

+The three leads are great, and help with letting us see more of the world than if we just had one single POV
-The story starts off slow, but once it finds its pace this is less of an issue.
+The ending is great, and it makes me want to read the second book right away!

*This review is based on an ARC copy, the quote may be different in the finished book.*

Nightbirds has all the vibes of a 20's eras book and it's not just the Prohibition. But their prohibition isn't against alcohol, but magic. A mix of Handmaid's Tale in here where the girls are the only ones not allowed to possess magic and the church is on a literal witch hunt to find the girls with magic and extract it from them by any means necessary. The Nightbirds are able to "gift" their magic for a brief time with a kiss. The ones we meet initially are essentially in a "magic" brothel meant for a high houses with deep pockets and secrets. There's a large cast of characters which can make it hard to keep track of and the pacing is a little off, but not a bad read, and I look forward to the sequel.

DNF @ 20%. This one didn't work for me. I found it overwritten and found our main characters indistinguishable from each other. Plot shows promise, but I think it needs...work. Not for me.

I haven’t read a lot of fantasy books lately so this was my first one in a while and I loved it! I loved that the fmc is a strong female lead and I loved that!

From the very first page, I knew that this book would not work for me, due to the writing style. It is probably right up a lot of folks’ alley, but it’s not up mine. The premise is interesting, and least.

Thank you for this Arc.

Loved the cover and the blurb.

The story was a slow go for about 30 odd % but then picked up and I was sucked in.

Ready for the sequel

The vibes of this book were great. The strong female leads, the era, the sisterhood. This debut novel was a great introduction to the author, and while the book wasn't perfect, I'd be interested in reading more. Sometimes the characters felt too predictable (and I'm not sure where the major character arcs are) and the magic system could have been worked out better. Considering the time in which I was reading it, it became a little too poignant in discussions about religious intolerance. Overall, 3.5 stars. I'll still read the sequel!

I love the book the characters.
Very unique characters and story.
The political aspect was great.
Highly recommend.

Thank you for the opportunity to read Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong.
I wasnt exactly sure what i was getting myself into reading this book. But of a slow, plodding plot until about 30%. A lot of world building and character development. If you can get passed the 30% mark you are golden!

The first 30% was rough to get through but after that it got much more interesting because the magic system is further explained

I was very intrigued by the first few chapters. I liked the characters we met (the ones whose POV we would follow) and thought the magic system was interesting. However as the story went on I thought the characters were continually making the dumbest decision possible, which made it hard to root for them. Also, some of the way things were worded and how often those words were used got old quickly;; Between all the Sires, Dames, and all the bird metaphors I found myself losing interest.
Overall the story while intriguing just wasn't for me.

I selected nightbirds as its cover was intriguing to me, also the different time era and the form of magic. I enjoyed the main 4 girls being the magic weilders and the mystery that surround them. I have to be honest though I got quite confused in the beginning and wasn’t sure whose point of view I was reading as it switched between the girls.

For me this made it really hard to get into. It gave me 1920s prohibition but in this case magic is what is outlawed. Also the delivery of magic was very interesting and not something I’ve come across before!