The Nightmare Birds by Amie Irene Winters
Published 7/28/2016
Ages 14+
“Only those who possess wild eyes, an impulsive heart, and a wandering spirit hunt for the Theater of Secrets—and once they witness the darkest of magic, they don’t return.
It promises to change your life forever—but is the mysterious Theater of Secrets legend or something more? Tasked to answer that very question, Daisy Darling sets out to uncover the truth and is thrown headlong into a life where inexplicably strange and dark things happen nightly. A life of deception and uncertainty. A life in the spotlight as the theater’s ringleader.
As Daisy assumes her new role, she not only discovers a surprising connection between herself and the previous ringleader, but also the haunting truth behind the theater’s limitless power. Determined to expose the theater and foil its wicked plan, Daisy must first embrace her heritage before she can defeat the dark forces at play.” – From Amazon
Story –
Fantastic
When we consider the story of any book, we try to consider it in context with stories like it, as well as what came before it. Miss Winters does not disappoint. In this sequel to Strange Luck, Daisy is thrust into a new adventure that proves to be at least as amazing as the last. This story pushes the boundaries of Daisy as a character, and for fans of Strange Luck, or just YA fiction in general, it is an impressive addition to the series, evolving an impressive character further and setting everything up in such a way to leave us yearning for the next book.
“Oddities like these – strange, rare and haunted things – were my shop’s specialty, and I never tired of acquiring peculiar new items like this.”
Style and Formatting –
Very Good
Miss Winters’ style is as impressive as always, and if anything has only improved. Her use of the language, the pacing of the story, the imagination behind her imagery, each is admirable in their own right, but together pushes her strong narrative to be even greater. Perhaps our only gripe is with the formatting; there are a couple of issues that keep it from being perfect, though it is nothing that can’t be fixed and overall isn’t distracting enough to detract from the powerful narrative.
“Although I was one to believe in supernatural occurrences after having encountered so many myself, the notion of monsters being held behind some iron gate below the theater for centuries sounded just plain strange – and unbelievable.”
Literary Value – Noteworthy
The journey of self-discovery is something of a staple of the YA genre. If Strange Luck was about coming of age, The Nightmare Birds is about understanding who we are as people. We all have things we do not know about ourselves, things we need to learn about ourselves as people. While some of these things are made a little more real for Daisy to increase dramatic tension, they are nothing we cannot identify with, and nothing we cannot enjoy. Miss Winters’ pushes a powerful message with this book, and we love it.
“His nonchalant lie had taken the wind out of me as I tried to swallow my grief without being noticed. I watched him with profound hatred beneath my eyes, thinking over and over again that I would get him back for what he had done.”
Overall –
4.75, A Must Read
We are not young adults, and we love this book. We think that says enough. Miss Winters had delivered another wonder tale in a fantastic series, and we cannot wait for more. Not only has she given us something fun and beautiful to read, she has given us something that makes us not only think, but also live again through a wonderful character. We hope to see much more from Miss Winters for many years to come.
Want to read The Nightmare Birds? It is available on Amazon.