Thank you to NetGalley and to Amazon Original Stories for the ARC of The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow.

I am a HUGE Alix E. Harrow fan, and she does not disappoint in this short story.

The Knight and the Butcherbird is a layered, dark urban fantasy set in a future dystopian version of America where some live safely ensconced in theocratic gated cities, and the remainder of Americans live out in the wild, subject to the dangers of a world that has been destroyed through the impacts of (presumed) climate change, loss of vaccines/medicine, poisoned/polluted water systems/air, etc. In the wilds, sometimes neighbors begin to turn into demons, vicious changing creatures that endanger all.

Shrike, a 17-year-old old beyond her years, is trying to protect her wife, May, who has turned into a demon. When the city sends a well-known, dangerous knight to eliminate May for the safety of all, Shrike fights back.

On the surface level, this is an entertaining, dark short story about what we will do for love. On a deeper level, Harrow has so much going on - the causes of the dystopia, the rise of theocracy, the historically stubborn survivors of Appalachia still waging the same battle against having their own land poisoned, the ideas behind what is evil and what is survival. I would love to spend more time in this world and more time with its people, but Harrow's small dose still packs a heavy punch that leaves you reflecting on it long after finishing it.

A wondrous magical world built by Harrow in a short span of pages. I absolutely adored the characters and development of the knight and the butcherbird. John and Shrike were both compelling character's. The overall moral of the plot was accepting those who are different, the monsters being deserving of love. This was a love story in the end - a touching one at that ❤️

A beautiful short story about monsters in love. Harrow just has a way with words in such a short span of time, it's a magical feeling to be immersed in a world as this ✨️

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review
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I adore Alex’s writing, but this is my first short story of hers. She does such an amazing job creating atmosphere in her books, and this one sucked me right in. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a short but impactful read.

The Knight and the Butcherbird is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a knight arrives in a small town called Iron Hollow after being hired to get rid of a demon problem. The towns storyteller just so happens to be protecting the very thing the knight was hired to destroy.

This was an engaging and haunting short story. The descriptions of the world and characters were easy to follow while still providing intruige. Both of the MCs had their own layers and reasons, but it was easy to see how their choices were parallel in ways. Overall, I would recommend this to any reader who loves short stories and post-apocalyptic settings.

—Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for sending this book for review consideration. All thoughts are my own.—

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for an arc of this book! This was so good! It’s really hard to talk about this without spoiling anything but it really holds a message, a message to today and what our world could be. It does what most fantasy books take 400 pages to do and this book does it in 40 pages. I highly recommend if you need a quick read this is your book. I’m definitely going to check out the author’s other short story.

A perfect short story. There was enough world building to allow you to understand without being bogged down and slowing the pace. The characters were so well realised for how little time we spent with them. Beautifully written as all the authors works are

The Knight and the Butcherbird is a quirky short story. It has apocalyptic elements to appeal to the fantasy readers, but also pulls at your heartstrings with its romance aspect. It tackles the question - what would you do for the one you love? A perfect palate cleanser by one of my favorite authors.

Final rating: 4 Stars

Recommended if you like: fantasy short stories

The Knight and the Butcherbird is a fantastic dystopian fairy tale that follows Shrike, a small-town storyteller, who is determined to keep a knight from killing a local demon - a demon that used to be Shrike's wife.

Wow - I was not expecting to love this as much as I did. I don't know how the author managed to fit so much story, worldbuilding and intrigue into such a small amount of pages.

The short story format is really where Alix E. Harrow shines!

‘In this gritty, haunting tale about doing whatever it takes for love, a small-town storyteller resolves to keep the local monster—and her own secrets—safe from a legendary knight.’

This was like a harrowing adult fairytale. The Knight and the Butcherbird is a short story that packs a punch and is downright imaginative from start to finish.

Thank you NetGalley and AOS for this arc in exchange for review.

Pub date: 3.11.2025.

The Knight and the Butcherbird is a post-apocalyptic short story that packs a powerful punch. I felt a strong range of emotions and thoroughly enjoyed this short story. At its heart, the Knight and the Butcherbird is a love story, and I found the ending to be utterly satisfying.

I received an ARC from Amazon Original Stories via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A compelling short story from the new to my auto buy list, author Alix E. Harrow. The Knight and The Butcherbird is a haunting and desolate dystopian fantasy fairytale of survival, resilience and love.

Vivid and bold imagery and descriptions quickly create a world filled with fully realized characters in this well paced, magical tale.

I can’t get enough of Alix E. Harrow’s writing!

Many Thanks to NetGalley, Alix E. Harrow and Amazon Original Series for access to an eARC. All opinions are my own.

Wow, I absolutely loved this. For such a short story, it delivered an incredible emotional punch. The writing was beautiful, and I was completely drawn into its world. I love post-apocalyptic stories, and this one explored themes of change, resistance to change, and resilience so well. It also captured the lengths we go to for love. Honestly, I’d love a longer version set in this world. And the Animorphs reference was great!

Alix Harrow will always be an auto-buy auto-read author. Every single book of hers has hit right home, as if it was the story I was waiting to read at that time. I'm glad I discovered her with A Witches Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium from Portal Magic and just at that same time I decided she was going to be my favorite, and she has never ever let me down.
This is a short story but as every Alix book is nuanced and full of a world that feels bigger. Post apocalyptical, full of disease and microplastics and people living in the wilds. But then we also find the Enclaves where rich and pampered people live behind walls.
There is something lurking in the shadows in the wild, some people at some point turn to demons, but what are demons and why are they changing? And most of all Alix leaves us with a hopeful message full of love and love for the power of stories.

First off, I’m not usually a fan of short stories but I wanted to give Alix E. Harrow another chance after not liking Starling House.
And I am so glad that I did!
This is such a well crafted beautiful tale about the power of stories and love and why we change. It is rooted in our world and paints a picture of a post apocalyptic future version that felt horrifyingly real.
I really do not want to say too much since it is such a short story and I could not put this down after going in blind.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

It was a bit hard for me to get in the story, because I didn’t understand the world building. I still don’t know where the story takes place, is it 100 years in the future? Is it 20? And I didn’t understand the beginning with the knight, but the more I read the more I got into the story. The story was beautiful, but also very emotional. It was very interesting how the demons came to be but how they also could control it eventually. <spoiler>It was a very emotional moment when sir John died but I loved how he’s able to fully be with his wife now. I also really like the thought of shrike becoming a demon and being at mays side again</spoiler>

Thank you netgally for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

Thanks so much for the arc!

Alix E. Harrow is a master at writing short stories!

I read ´The six deaths of the Saint´´ and fell absolutely in love with the story, so when i saw that the author wrote another short story i could not help but immediately request it. And i was not dissapointed. I´m amazed how Harrow is able to capture to much with so little words.

This book set in a dystopian, post-apocalpytic world has so much bite and leaves one hungry for more of Harrow´s work. This is a story about doing whatever it takes for the people that you love. Shows us how far we are willing to go for the people that we love. It´s a very real book and will leave many readers being able to relate to, especially in a world like ours that is constantly changing due to climate change. A world where we are exposed to toxic waters and polluted air, radiation seeping through the grounds under our feet, microplastics in our food. Change upon change upon change. But when do we change? What more does is take?

What if the world has changed so drastically that there is no way we can´t change with it?

We have to change in order to surive in the world we live in.

But change is scary and many do not want to change and so perhaps it´s easier for them to live a life filled with lies. Tell us change is demonic and that they only want what´s best for us. So what happens when a small-town storyteller finds out what causes these demonic transformations and still keeps on fighting with tooth and nail for those that she loves?

The way this book answers all the questions above with such heart and love, and all that only in 32 pages.

I know that i will reread this story many a times!

“They were a new kind of creature, born for a new kind of world.”

Sir John, knight and demon hunter, answers a small town’s call for help with a demon that has been terrorizing its inhabitants. When the hunt begins so does the unraveling of past stories and mysteries.

Alix E. Harrow weaves together a brilliant short tale of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, myths, legends and most importantly, love.

I’m amazed how much world building, character development, storytelling and emotions this short story contained. I only wish I could have stayed longer.

It’s funny, beautiful, haunting and bittersweet. I don’t want to reveal anything else as it’s best to jump straight in and explore it on your own. Enjoy!

A big thank you to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited when I saw this short story after reading The six deaths of the Saint by the same author, which I loved !
And not to changed you’re already transported into the world she creates, even with just 30ish pages.
The lore around the world and her characters was really interesting and new to me, I highly recommend!

Alix Harrow is truly the master of the short story. Her ability to pack such a gut punch into so few pages is incredible - the emotional poignancy, the artful prose, the fantastical subject matter. Gets me in the heart every time.