Miriam is on the road again, having transitioned from "thief" to "killer".
Hired by a wealthy businessman, she heads down to Florida to practice the one thing she's good at, but in her vision she sees him die by another's hand and on the wall written in blood is a message just for Miriam.
She's expected...
My Thoughts :
Miriam Black is one of those people who have had more than their fair share of problems in life. To add to the messed up parenting skills and teenage relationship gone wrong she also has the gift/curse of being able to see how people will die. This ability has brought her even more trouble and the roller coaster ride that is her life is not for the faint hearted or people with a delicate stomach. It is a dark, dismal and brutal trip that you will never forget.
There is a lot of bad language and things get very brutal but as always the story is just too compelling to turn away. In this third installment Miriam is trying to figure out if she can change the course of someones destiny but stopping their death. A death she has already seen happening. Meanwhile she is busy answering questions for some dodgy federal agents and being set-up by an old acquaintance. It isn't an easy story to follow at first and it feels like the ramblings of a crazy person (which it kind of is) but the twists and turns are just the perfect curve of mayhem to keep you reading.
This isn't a book or series that likes to wrap up all the loose ends in a nice little package covered in ribbons and bows. This isn't a story that will make you feel good when the end comes. This is a harsh reality type of tale that leaves the lead character knee deep in just as much crap as we found her in at the beginning of the book. It all sounds horrible, ghastly and not your cup of tea but it is actually quite refreshing. Miriam is an honest character that has been dealt a rubbish hand of cards and is just fighting to get by. There is no typical happy ending in sight and it is actually what she needs and deserves.
As Miriam's gift/curse brings done more trouble on her it is interesting to see how she deals with it. The possibilities have not yet been stretched to the limit and I am eager to see how the author will proceed with Miriam's story. There was a new aspect to her ability that was very creative and also not what I was expecting. I wonder if the author always had it planned.
I don't suggest reading The Cormorant on public transport unless you don't mind missing your stop. This is a book that will pull you in and won't let go till the very end. It is psychically paranormal in more ways that one and there is an amazing plot waiting for you. To be absolutely truthful I like Miriam a lot and will keep following her till the end. Her strength, determination and unpredictability are inspirational and the way she is trying to kick life and death in the guts is just amazing. She is and remains on my must read list. This is a series that deserves a chance and an open mind. Try it. It might surprise you like it surprised me!
** The Cormorant releases at the end of December. The first two books in the series Blackbird & Mockingbird need to be read to understand this third book. **
Didn't win this time? Check out the next contest. You can find more info in the sidebar --->
Even if you didn't win make sure you check out the Miriam Black Series!
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How to claim your prize!
Please contact me via email - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu within the next 7 days to claim your prize. Your claim will go quicker if you send me your address. If you won a contest where you can choose your prize, then please make sure you state in your email which book you would like. This will help things go alot quicker! If you won an e-book please make sure you send me the email address you would like the book sent to!
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Please also note that I can not be held responsible for prizes that come direct from authors. I will check with them for you if you haven't received your prize but I can not hunt down your mail! Any prizes that come from myself could come from a 3rd party eg. Amazon or Bookdepository. If I am sending a prize myself please be aware that it could take a few weeks to reach you as it is coming from Europe.
But this whole "settling down thing" that Louis has going for her just isn't working out. She lives on Long Beach Island all year around. Her home is a run-down double-wide trailer. She works at a grocery store as a check-out girl. And her relationship with Louis--who's on the road half the time in his truck--is subject to the piss and vinegar Miriam brings to everything she does.
It just isn't going well. Still, she's keeping her psychic ability--to see when and how someone is going to die just by touching them--in check. But even that feels wrong somehow. Like she's keeping a tornado stoppered up in a tiny bottle.
Then comes one bad day that turns it all on her ear.
My Thoughts :
It wasn't that long ago that I came across a book called Blackbirds. The cover made me want it. The blurb made me read it. I absolutely loved it and now a few months later the sequel is gracing us with its presence. Mockingbird makes Blackbirds look tame. Which I didn't think was possible. The sequel has all the dark and wonderful content of the first book but manages to be darker and even more wonderful.
The concept is a unique one. When Miriam Black touches a person she sees how they will die. She also sees when. If she tells you that in 9 months you are going to get run over by a cow driving a tractor she is most likely pulling your leg (she's like that) but the fact remains, she knows. Of course Miriam has been trying not to touch anyone. It isn't a nice 'gift' but there is an itch and she has to scratch it sometimes.
As is natural in Miriam's life, things kind of go to hell one day at work and things just seem to cascade and avalanche from there on. The journey Miriam takes this time is full of hurt, blood and a huge cheeky potty mouth. This may sound extremely 'not your thing' but to be honest I didn't think it was really my kind of thing. However now I am ready to say I heart Miriam! She maybe totally messed up and sometimes annoying but she kicks ass and totally rocks.
This is definitely a book (and series) that many readers will find offensive. Some will want to stop reading within a few pages. However the fact is that the majority will keep reading till the end because Chuck Wendig has an amazing talent. He can write an extremely compelling story. Once you pop open this one you won't stop.
So read this. Borrow, beg or steal a copy if need be but you really need to meet Miriam and see her for what she really is. A person like you and me. She has just adapted to her situation and is dealing with it the same way we all would if we were her.
Gritty and dark but still managing to shine, Blackbirds and Mockingbird are destined to both be in my top ten reads for 2012. I want more and I can't see where Miriam's antics take her next. Highly recommended all that is left for me to do is quote my Blackbirds review "All Hail Chuck Wendig!".
His latest book in the Miriam Black series, Mockingbird, releases next week. I was lucky enough to get an early copy and am totally engrossed in the dark, unique and weird tale.
The contest is open till Sunday! So don't forget ;) You really don't want to miss out on this series. It is unforgettable!
For more chances to win -
Post about this giveaway somewhere on the internet eg. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc. Make sure you post the link here so I can confirm your extra entry.
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One of my favourite reads this year was a book that not only had the coolest cover but it had an amazingly surprising unique concept. Blackbirds took my breath away and I am extremely excited about the sequel Mockingbird which releases later this month. I wonder if both books will make it into my top ten of 2012. I know Blackbirds will!
I contacted the author, Chuck Wendig, and he was nice enough to answer some of my questions. I hope you enjoy reading about the books and maybe you will even pick up a copy. I can only highly recommend Blackbirds and keep raving about it whenever possible.
Maybe you want to win a copy of Blackbirds? Make sure you enter the contest when you are done with the interview!
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Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as a guest! Could you start things off by telling us a little about your book, Blackbirds?
Chuck - Miriam Black can see how you’re going to die, just by touching you. For a long time she believes she can’t change fate, can’t sway the Reaper’s scythe, but she meets a man, a good man, and discovers that somehow she’ll be complicit in his demise. And so begins her last ditch effort to see if she can avert the waters of fate or whether she’ll drown in them like everyone else.
Amber - How did you come up with the idea for Blackbirds? Was it a long process or did it just come to you?
Chuck – Blackbirds comes out of the helplessness we have in the face of death. Not just ours, but the deaths of those we like and love. The premise was not a long process; the writing of the novel most certainly was.
Amber - Miriam is an amazing character! How did you manage to write such a fascinating female character? Is she based on someone you know?
Chuck – Not any one person, no. She’s a profane pastiche of people I’ve met (and a little bit of me) slopped together with a glue made of whiskey and nicotine.
Amber - Miriam is quite a 'potty mouth'. Was it a problem with the publishers to have so much bad language inside the book? Are you a 'potty mouth' too?
Chuck – I am not a potty mouth. I am chaste as the untouched snow, pure as a mountain brook, I am –
Okay, you can stop laughing. My mouth is so foul it could gag a buzzard.
The book was a problem for some publishers. I received way too many “Editor loves this book, loves loves loves it, but we think it’s too dark, too foul, we can’t sell it, etc.” letters.
Thankfully, Angry Robot was comfortable with the book’s, erm, tone.
Amber - How do you pick the names for your characters? Do they have any special meanings?
Chuck – The names just often come to me. The names in Blackbirds are somewhat inadvertently appropriate (though obvious to me now). Mostly in the last names. Black. Darling. Gaynes (“gains”).
Amber - If the book was going to be made into a TV series or Film, who could you imagine playing Miriam?
Chuck – I’ve had a great many actresses in mind – the cover version of her has a little Anne Hathaway in there. I also like Lizzy Caplan, Mila Kunis. You need someone young but old at the same time.
Amber - Mockingbird, the sequel to Blackbirds, is due out in August. What can we expect from the next part?
Chuck – Miriam finds herself at a girl’s school in Pennsylvania, there initially to help a teacher confirm or deny her hypochondria, but then poor Miriam gets dragged into a serial killer murder mystery that’s been going on for years – and, given Miriam’s power, she sees it will go on for years, too. So, she’s set to try to once again solve murders before they happen, this time armed with the knowledge of how to stay Fate’s bloody hand from killing these poor girls.
Amber - How come we are being made to wait a year for the second part? (Thank you!) Will there be more books about Miriam? Will we have a longer wait for them?
Chuck – You have been lied to! Blackbirds released in the end of April, and Mockingbird releases at the end of August! So, only four months. It will be a year until the third part (The Cormorant) releases – but I don’t control the release dates, I’m afraid.
Amber - You have written quite a few other books. What can you tell us about your other work?
Chuck – Dinocalypse Now features 1930s pulp heroes (including a kilted professorial gorilla) fighting a plague of psychic dinosaurs; Bait Dog features a teenage detective-slash-vigilante going up against bullies and corruption in a small town; Double Dead features an irascible vampire who wakes up during the zombie apocalypse.
Amber - The cover for Blackbirds and the upcoming sequel, Mockingbird, really make an impact and look extremely cool. Did you get to pick the covers? or have any say in the look?
Chuck – I did not get to pick them and it’s a good thing I didn’t – Joey Hi-Fi did work well beyond my wildest dreams. I did have some say in what went on those covers in terms of the little images embedded in Miriam’s crazy head and hair.
Amber - I am sure that being an author has its ups and downs. What experiences have you had so far?
Chuck – It’s been pretty much all awesome. All up’s for me. The downs that have happened have been ironed out and lost in the haze of pure unbridled joy that I get to do this for my living.
Amber - Alot of authors have 'soundtracks' for their books. Is there any music that influenced your books?
Chuck – Blackbirds was strongly influenced by music. Particularly Butterfly Boucher’s first album and the music of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s.
Amber - What books do you enjoy reading? Do you have any favourite authors/series?
Chuck – I’ll read anything by Joe Lansdale. He could write a Denny’s menu and I’d read it three times.
Amber - If you could be any paranormal creature, what would you be and why?
Chuck – Unicorn. Because unicorns get all the ladies. I know, you’re thinking, “It’s the horn.” But really, it’s their gentlemanly demeanor.
Amber - Thanks for visiting Amberkatze's Book Blog!
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Contest Time!
I am giving away a copy of Blackbirds to one lucky winner!
How To Enter
Blackbirds & Mockingbird. You see the pattern evolving? What birds do you like? or/and don't like?
No Answer = No Entry
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The contest will stay open until 4pm on Sunday 26th of August (Central European Time) and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.
Miriam Black knows when you will die. She’s foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, and suicides.
But when Miriam hitches a ride with Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be murdered while he calls her name. Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim.
No matter what she does she can’t save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she’ll have to try.
My Review :
All hail Chuck Wendig! I am not even sure I can do this book justice with a review. Wow! Seriously WOW!! I had a feeling this one was going to be good. The blurb didn't give away too much but it made me feel like that this could be one of the best books I would read this year. The cover was just too special for words and I couldn't resist it very long. I had to have it.
Within the first couple of pages I was well and truly hooked. I read this book in a day and it was a day full of other things but all I could think about was reading this book. Miriam caught me by surprise with her foul mouth, strangeness and unusual ability but her story telling and the events that take place in this book just left me hungry for more.
A lot of people will be put off by the bad language and the blood but I found it to be fresh and real. Chuck Wendig isn't trying to make friends with this book by pussyfooting around the way people in Miriam's situation would react. He tells it like he believes it would be and I totally love him for it. There is a depth and darkness in this book that may not agree with some people but if you make it past the first few chapters then you will enjoy the ride till the end and want to get back on for a second go.
This is Urban Fantasy as it should be. Raw, special and written with feeling. If I had the second book I would have read it by now. I can't believe how good this story was. Once again, All Hail Chuck Wendig! Hopefully he has some more of this greatness up his sleeve.
