Blackbird

The Children of Corvus, Book 1

By: L. E. Harrison

Narrated by: Winona Owen

Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

The classic tale of star-crossed lovers, Michael Singleton and Alena Andrick.

Book one in the award-winning contemporary fantasy trilogy about a tribe of shapeshifters in Northern Maine, USA.

Ten years after departing this world, Michael Singleton returns to the valley nestled along the Blackwater River. Michael suffers from a rare disease, the curse of his tribe. Because of this, Michael's soul will be damned to wander the Shadowlands, the domain of the Witch Goddess, for eternity. To escape this fate, Michael must unlock the spell that opens the portal to Corvus' kingdom, the Otherworld. It is a secret known to only one man, the powerful Guardian of the Dead.

Alena is the only child of the Guardian of the Dead. Her safe, predictable life is turned upside down when she meets Michael at the Solstice celebration. When Michael is accused of murdering the Captain of the Guard, Alena must choose between obeying her instincts or the laws of her people.

©2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 Lisa A Erb (P)2022 Lisa A Erb

Blackbird

Definitely a different look on werewolf. The jumping back and fort from past to present was confusing at times.


🎧 audio obsession

Incredibly unique blend of fantasy and mystery....

Blackbird is a difficult book to classify because it blends many genres together. It is a combination of mystery, fantasy/paranormal and romance. I found the concept of this separate world within our world of shape shifters and magical beings an intriguing one. However, I also found the story somewhat difficult to follow. I'm not sure if this is because the story is told from so many characters' viewpoints, or if the story had too many details without enough foundation for the world building. I enjoyed the story, and the author kept me guessing throughout the book. I find myself having finished the book and not really sure what happened. The ending is not a positive one, and it seems to leave many unanswered questions, so I am hopeful that the second book will make everything from this book more clear and resolved.

Winona Owen has a very pleasant voice, but she mispronounces a lot of words. I think this might have contributed to my overall confusion with the story. Owen doesn't differentiate at all between characters, so listeners need to pay close attention at the beginning of each chapter when she reads the name of the person speaking in that chapter.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request in exchange for this honest review.

Great 👍

I really wish I hadn't waited so long to write this review so I could remember more details. I got a pit pup and she had really put a kabash on my reading/listening/reviewing. But I couldn't leave this book out. It was great. Fascinating characters, never knowing what is coming next, and I've never read a book quite like this one. Awesome. I definitely hope/plan to read the next one. So excited!

Pretty Good

I got this story via audiobook boom and this is my voluntary review. First, the narrator was pretty good with the characters and each was distinguishable. The story overall was good. There were some parts that made me wonder how did I get to here from where I was. Michael's fate surprised me. The ending was not a cliff hanger but you know from the title there will be other books. This was a stand-alone complete story that leads the listener to wait for the next shoe to drop. This was also a perfect example of racism. Prejudice plus power. Overall a good story just a little disjointed. I am sure the next one will be even better.

Blackbird

This was a really good first book to a new series! Alena's father is the Guardian of the Dead.No one but he is allowed to read or know certain things.Alena falls for the wrong man and she encounters scrolls which get her into trouble.I am looking forward to the next book. Winona Owen was a fine narrator.

Great Read

Blackbird (The Children of Corvus #1) was a good read by L.E Harrison. This book is about a tribe of shape shifters in the forest of northern Maine, called Blackwater Hills. Alena is the only child of the Guardian of the Dead. She meets Michael cat the solstice celebration and it turns her life upside down. Michael is accused of murdering the Captain of the Guard, and Alena must choose between obeying her instincts and the laws of her people. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

Hard to follow at first

Great book, it was a little difficult for me to follow at first as I was listening with my dogs running around. I restarted the book and then was sucked in to it. Can’t wait to start the next one!

Young adult fiction

I am a fan of sci fi/fantasy and young adult fiction in general. This book was interesting but a little hard to follow at times. This was partly my fault as I did not have dedicated time to listen to the book consistently.

The story about a girl falling for someone her father does not support because he is an outsider is interesting but the lingo of a new world is a bit hard to get into.

The narrator did a fantastic job, however, and made the book easy to listen to. I will listen again when I have more time.

Winona Owen has a great voice, fitted to narrating books, and I will listen to more that she has narrated.

Good 1st Book

Great narration and a good story. For a 1st book there are good options with the story lines.

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

Good Story

well written. I enjoyed the story. Not your usual werewolf story. Narrator did a great job