Publisher:
S&S
Release
Date: 26th
February 2015
Edition:
UK e-proof,
NetGalley review copy
Other
Titles by this Author: Aquamarine, Indigo, Green
Angel, Green Witch, The Red Garden, The Dove Keepers, The Museum of
Extraordinary Things and
lots more
Twig
lives in a remote area of town with her mysterious brother and her mother,
baker of irresistible pies. A new girl in town might just be Twig’s first true
friend, and an ally in vanquishing an ancient family curse. A spellbinding tale
of modern folklore set in the Berkshires, where rumours of a winger beast draw
in as much tourism as the town’s famed apple orchards.
A dangerous secret, a town
monster and a family curse, Nightbird has
it all.
Alive Hoffman has a gorgeous
writing style. I read Green Angel by
her many, many years ago and the thing that lingers most is the magical
lyricism of her prose and that’s what I’ll most likely remember Nightbird for as well. The gorgeous
Massachusetts town of Sidwell is brought vividly to life with the Gossip Group
collecting at the General Store every day, the horror of graffiti (even though
it’s promoting environmental issues) and the secret world of the orchard and
woods that Twig’s house backs onto paint a lovely picture of small town
American life. I want to live there. But Hoffman also gives us a bittersweet
picture of Twig.
Our heroine is tall, clever and
a tree-climbing genius. But the family secret she must keep hidden from the
rest of Sidwell means that she has no friends and is virtually invisible. Her longing
for friendship and a life without secrets makes you ache along with her, it’s
beautiful and sad and makes her friendship with Julia, her new next door
neighbour, even more poignant. Her fears of Julia finding out that she’s not
very cool and abandoning her for someone else was so sad and it kind of
explained Twig’s connection with the orchard and nature; they could never
desert her or tell her secrets.
The threat of Sidwell’s monster,
a major tourist attraction for the town, spirals to epic proportions once the
monster starts to raise issues with the town in an unconventional way. So naturally,
during a long, hot summer, Twig and
Julia vow to uncover the identity of the monster and break the Fowler family
curse while becoming the very best of friends. It’s the summer of
twelve-year-olds that we dream of now: endless bike rides, swimming in lakes,
solving mysteries and baking your mum’s famous pies.
Nightbird
is a beautiful
tale of friendship, magic, acceptance and home and I loved every page of it. Gorgeous!
Thanks to S&S and NetGalley
for the review copy!
Sophie
Sounds like a great read, definitely going to give it a go! I've nominated you for the 'Versatile Blogger Award', head over to my blog for further details. (Post will be up ASAP)
ReplyDeletehttp://cheekybookloverreviews.blogspot.co.uk/p/welcome.html
This is a middle grade level book, but I definitely believe adults and teens can enjoy it too. After all, I'm in my 20s and I loved it. I recommend it to fans of books such as Matilda, or anyone who wants a little more magic in their reading list. This was my first reading experience by Hoffman (despite the fact that I know I own at least two other titles), but it definitely will not be my last.
ReplyDeleteMica
Air Conditioning Service Richardson reviews