This was barely a four for me. Let's be clear here. This is not an easy book to read. It is dark and very few good things happen in it. A lot of violence. None of these things bother me but something about this book kept me moving forward in the story. It is well written but not going to be for everyone. ( )

It was somewhat entertaining I guess.
The Audiobook narration by Emily Beresford is superb.
The book is neither subtle nor complex. All the mystery comes from stuff the reader is simply not told and can not guess either.
It's filled with B-Action-Movie stereotypes and a LOT of unnecessary cursing and generally incredibly crass language.
The premise and the resulting philosophical deliberations were interesting and together with the dark past™ this could've been a lot more interesting but the book wastes a lot of time with pointless shit-talking as well as body horror insertions.
Furthermore, I find the weird usage of chapters just jarring.
This book tries hard to be novel and different in many ways but I think it just suffered for it because all the departures from the conventional are superficial details but at its core, it's obviously a stereotypical run of the mill story anyway.
I am not yet decided if I will try the second one but probably not. ( )

I've got some mixed feelings about this book. I loved - LOVED - the first third or so but then things crept up that made me love it less. By the end, I liked the book alright but don't feel any desire to go forward with the series.

Some of the things I loved: Wendig's voice and writing style. Love much of the language and imagery and the pacing. Very gory and graphic but in a way that drew me even more into the story.

Some of the things I didn't like: The only time anyone's race was specifically stated was two Black peripheral characters. I'll keep pointing this out whenever I see it because only mentioning the race of people of color continues to perpetuate the idea that white is the norm and everyone one else is "other." White authors need to stop doing this. Thank you.

I also didn't like the small bit about the woman with super short hair either being a lesbian or someone who doesn't give a shit about her appearance anymore. Could be I'm sensitive to perpetuating that shitty stereotype but, yeah, that made me like Miriam less.

There were also some moments toward the very end that relate to Harriet and Miriam that seemed completely unbelievable to me but I won't go those here due to spoilers. Let's just say I would expect Harriet to be smarter and more cautious than she was.

I still did mostly enjoy the story. The premise was great even if I thought the resolution was pretty much what I expected the end of the journey to be. No matter what, I'm glad I finally read a book by the author. He's one of my favorite Twitter people. ( )

As an old school Dead Like Me fan, I have a soft spot for grim-reaper-esque fiction. Miriam Black, ultra-foul-mouthed anti-heroine of Blackbirds, isn’t a reaper per se, but with skin-to-skin contact, she knows how people are going to die.

The skill is an uncomfortable one, but it serves a purpose in her scavenger life where she takes from the recently deceased what she needs to sustain. Until she meets Louis, a kind-hearted trucker on borrowed time… and maybe it’s her fault? His impending death tests her vow not to interfere with fate. Throw in a con, a drug dealer, a mysterious suitcase, a couple of thugs, and the ghosts of the departed (past and future) and you have an action-packed, irreverent ride to the edge of the afterlife.

Blackbirds is an addictive page-turner. Written in descriptive-but-efficient prose, the writing style reminds me a little of John Locke’s books, another reader whose books I burn through. Chuck Wendig gives just enough on every page, flowing seamlessly from one chapter to the next. I’ll definitely be reading the rest of the series.

( )

She is just so... Broken, but... I want to give her coffee and a (clothed, careful) hug! Then, you know, back far away to watch what happens next. Because [see first part of review]. I've read all the Miriam Black books and I will have read all the Miriam Black books because damn. She's my favorite messed up heroine. ( )