Yes, hello, my brain chemistry has been altered and the trajectory of my life has been changed once again in a span of 40 pages by Alix Harrow.

At its core, The Knight and The Butcherbird asks you how far you’ll go for love. The horrors, actually, of how far you’ll go for love. It blends tragedy, horror, and fantasy so seamlessly in a post-apocalyptic setting while inserting a myriad of metaphors and allusions relevant to our current reality. Alix Harrow’s writing is truly beautiful—coming up with a thrilling and well-developed story is no small feat.

Thank you to Alix E. Harrow for the early copy! :>

A lovely short story set after the future apocalypse. Such an interesting world that Harrow managed to build in less than 40 pages - I was fully immersed immediately.

A great quick short story of demons, love and acceptance. I thought this was a fantastic read and enjoyed my time with it!

Thank you to Alix E. Harrow, NetGalley, and the publisher for the advanced copy!

This was such a beautiful love story. Alix has this incredible way of making us see beauty in the ugly, and this short story was a perfect example of that. She showed us how circumstances and people can change and evolve, but love will always remain. How it only takes one person to start changing peoples perspectives, and that just because something or someone is different, does not make them a monster.

The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow is an incredible story for 35 pages. Its set in a post-apocalyptic world where we have demon hunting knights.

The story starts with a demon hunting knight comes to town to kill a demon. The demon in question is main character Shrike, the local historian, used to be wife before she turned.

I find the book very intriguing due to the world building and hints of life outside of the town. Also I feel you can read this short story for several parables or messages for stuff like cancer and how far you can go to love someone.

And I might pick up more Alix Harrows books after reading this as it was my first time reading a story from her. I had to read it twice to get the deeper understanding of the story.

I received a copy for review via NetGalley and Amazon Short Stories, all opinions are my own.

A quick and easy read that drew me in right from the beginning and I don't think I even took a breath until it was finished. I loved it

The reason this doesn't hit 5 stars is I have a loved one with terminal cancer and there's 2 paragraphs on page 15 which discuss cancer in a way I didn't appreciate. Now, it is just two paragraphs and I really don't think it was done intentionally. I just happen to be in a position where it was a little triggering.

On to the good stuff! This packs a ton into a little package! Surprisingly complex world building. The world feels like a fairy tale but backwards. It's the fairy tale world version of our world that the fae would describe for their kids.

*Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this story through NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own

I love Alix E Harrow and all of her work. For such a short story, the Knight and the Butcherbird had beautiful prose and fully fleshed out characters. The way she is able to tell a story in such a short number of pages and not only make it entertaining but leave you with lingering emotions is what makes her one of my favorite authors. I’ll continue to read anything she writes.

I love Alix E. Harrow's writing. I adore both her full-length stories and her short stories. One of her short stories, The Six Deaths of the Saint, remains one of my favorite things I've ever read. So, I was excited to dive into her latest short story which will be released in March.

The Knight and the Butcherbird is a post-apocalyptic and Dystopian story about a knight who is hunting a demon and a girl who wishes to protect the demon. Alix E. Harrow always manages to pack so much into her short stories. This story is less than 40 pages but still has so much heart, worldbuilding, and messages to absorb. The world it is set in is grim but the two romances (one queer!) at the center are the heart of the story. It reads like a dark and futuristic fairytale with mild horror elements. Mostly, it is a story about love, loss, changing to cope with difficult circumstances, and the power of stories.

This is a wonderful and quick read that will leave you thinking about it long after finishing.

Favorite Quote: She came to us as any apocalypse does: slowly at first, and then all at once.

Story Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic USA, a young woman, aged beyond her years, confronts a demon-slaying knight to question why he’s a demon-slayer.

Why does this book beguile? I love a short story (read this in about 30 minutes) and Alix Harrow’s work. The Knight and the Butcherbird is a fabulous take on a fairytale but with a much darker twist. Not Grimm Brothers dark, but brooding, provocative, and questioning type of dark. The Knight and the Butcherbird will make you question what love is and the lengths you’re willing to go for love.

This was a beautiful post-apocalyptic short story about a world in which shape-shifting demons exist. There are themes of love, devotion, health and illness, and duty.

I adored the writing of this story. This built believable, tragic characters within in just a few pages. I could have followed Shrike and May’s story for so much longer, but thought the length was honestly perfect.

I broadly and highly recommend this to all readers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Short stories aren't always a medium that works for me but in Harrow's deft hands, this one really did! With themes of love, survival, and the need to evolve, The Knight and the Butcherbird is both engaging and thought provoking!

Le cose che si fanno per amore. Proteggere. Cambiare. Aspettare di cambiare.
Un'ambientazione distopica, suggestiva, credibile, una scrittura ricca e lussureggiante, personaggi credibili, tutto contenuto in poche, efficacissime pagine.
Non avevo mai letto Alix E. Harrow, ma questo gioiellino mi ha stuzzicato l'appetito.

I am a fan of Alix E. Harrow but this short story didn’t work or me. It is a post-apocalyptic story exploring what happens as humans in the Outlands change into demons. Themes of love, climate change, survival and sacrifice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This short story is as gripping and delightful as every other Alix Harrow story. There was so many details in such a small amount of space. Highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an ebook version of this short story. Opinions are my own.

"I couldn’t stop smiling—the euphoric, hysteric smile of a woman who has been lying on her lover’s grave and has just felt the earth move beneath her."

(Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an eArc in exchange for a review, it was an absolute pleasure)

4.75 ⭐rounded to 5

The Knight and the Butcherbird is a phenomenal dystopian novella set in a distant post apocalyptic wasteland of a future. It features a survivor, Shrike who is Iron Hollows' oral historian, and the infamous demon killing knight, who is hunting her possessed wife.

Dark and Dreamlike. The Knight and the Butcherbird masterfully intertwines many of Harrow’s signature storytelling elements—emotionally rich lyrical prose, the blurred lines between myth and reality, with a touch of gothic allure The Knight and the Butcherbird embraces the melancholic, where tragedy and romance intertwine like ivy on an nature-consumed ruin.

There's a real aching pull of love against destiny in this novella - basically everything I loved about Starling House in miniature. And, of course, every good fairy tale begins with Once upon a time—but not every fairy tale promises a picture perfect happy ending.

Rich with Mythological References. Strikes' story is woven with echoes of ancient legends, forgotten gods. I enjoyed seeking out each individual one, like an easter egg hunt. Each detail feels like a thread pulled from an overarching tapestry.

"Once upon a time there was a woman who became a tree to escape a hunter"

Short and Sweet. The Knight and the Butcherbird is a bite sized 36 pages, and I’d eagerly devour a full-length novel set in this world. I was left with wanting more.

Singular Critique: During the worldbuilding, Shrike mentions the toils of being an outlander. "Did he think we didn't know how many people we love every year to flash floods heatwaves, COVID and cancer". Which gave me a bit of an ick. The modern reference to Covid 19 broke my immersion to the dystopian folkloric setting. A more generalised mention to plague or sickness may have done the same thing.

Fans of early supernatural episodes (like the one where Bobby's wife is possessed), Fall out 4 brotherhood of steel, - and if you haven't read Starling House by Harrow but enjoyed this one, definitely pick up a copy. ( Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia may also be a good fit).

Alix E. Harrow was able to make me care deeply about characters I only knew for 36 pages and I can only stand up and applaud.
I don't think I should say much about the story itself since it's so short; go into it knowing nothing.
What I want to mention is the versatility in her writing and her stories in general. Depending on your own mood when picking this up, it can be a fun what-if, a tragic tale or a very funny, laugh-when-you're-not-supposed-to story. For me, it was all three at the same time.

anyways; keep your wife away from your ears.

❝No one ever notices a shrike, until it's too late.❞

The Knight and the Butcherbird - Alex E. Harrow
★★★★☆

Thank you Netgalley for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The thing that sold me the most about this book is the blurb. A tale about a Knight, someone who was sent to hunt demon, meets a girl Secretary named Shrike who is trying to hide and protect the said demon—her wife. Imagine the contradictory, secrets, and hidden emotion lies beneath their masks along the hunt.

What i didn't expect is that the setting to be more advanced and futuristic, with the mention of cancer, microplastic, concrete, etc. I thought it would be set in the fantasy setting i know when i take the details about Knight and the way he spoke. Kinda confusing to begin with, made my progress with this book kinda slow.

The value this book is trying to bring just hits me so hard. Definition of demon could be different depends on to whom you talk to, depends on which perception did you see things. I like how the story proceed and concluded. The idea is authentic and feels refreshing to this genre. Also that ending was perfect, beautiful in its on way. It made me want to explore more of the author's work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC.

I would have read this simply for the vibes based on the description alone but this story just got better and better with each layer it peeled back. Everything from the atmosphere, plot, and dialogue just meshed together perfectly. It's a dark fantasy in a sweet treat packaging.

I've been curious about Alix E. Harrow's work for some time and thought I'd try a short story first. This solidifies that I will definitely be picking up other works!

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for an advance copy.

Gonna be real honest and tell you I understood less than nothing. Pretty though.