Black Bird of the Gallows

"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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

The house next door to Angie's has been vacant ever since her ex-neighbour came home from a business trip, then set to work killing his entire family and himself. Not many people want to live in a home where a murder-suicide took place. So when Reece Fernandez moves in with his mother and siblings, she's intrigued, especially since after meeting him odd occurrences start to happen. It certainly doesn't hurt that he's very tall and extremely attractive, either.

As Angie gets to know Reece it becomes apparent that he has some dark secrets. It is clear to her that he has suffered a terrible tragedy in his past. He wears an open expression of grief and despair that she instantly recognises and is drawn to. He is intense, mysterious and displays an unusual affinity with the mass of large black birds that have recently started to swarm on their street.

Angie has a painful history that affects her and makes her vulnerable. She is a multidimensional young woman and like Reece, is not as she appears on the surface. Only her two close friends know that she is Sparo, a popular DJ at a local night club. With prophetic warnings and ominous signs appearing around her, she has to pay attention. She finds herself in increasingly dangerous situations as she is unwittingly drawn into a battle between good and evil.

Black Bird of the Gallows is filled with omens, curses, frightening otherworldly beings, menacing creatures and brooding, creepy atmosphere. There were some outstanding visuals involving bees that reminded me of the wonderful film Candyman. The relationship between the two central characters was slightly familiar, but this was offset by the originality of the story's mythos. The book contained enough chills to keep me riveted, not to mention the stunningly beautiful cover! I thoroughly enjoyed this darkly delicious YA and would recommend to readers who love thrilling tales, gothic romance and fantasy.