The Birds of the Air

By: L. H. Arthur

Narrated by: Sandra Churchill

Urban fantasy meets historical fiction meets slow-burn horror in L. H. Arthur's genre-bending debut novel:

On a spring day in 1933, a strange man with a not-quite-friendly smile appears in Libby Barnett’s backyard. Like a figure from a dark fairy tale, he works a staggering transformation on Libby’s younger sister, and the little girl is lost.

Blaming herself, longing to win her mother’s forgiveness and love, 13-year-old Libby becomes unshakable in her determination to find her sister. When a young drifter offers help, she gambles on his trustworthiness and sets out with him into the dangerous vagrant underground of the Great Depression. She soon finds she has entered an underworld even more secretive and terrifying, where practitioners of a barbaric, costly magic use stolen children to harness power.

It is from the most lethal of these men that Libby must recover her sister.

She is willing to give everything.

It won’t be enough.

©2022 L. H. Arthur (P)2022 L. H. Arthur

First audible book

Not normally the genre of books I would read (supernatural) but I didn’t realize that before I downloaded it. Also I have trouble attending to podcasts so I didn’t expect to be able to stay focused However it kept me engaged and I enjoyed the story.

Emotion and detail is like watching in your head

Character development and the emotional detail make this story feel alive in your bones. The plot and storyline are fantastically unique. The heroes and villains play out like C.S. Lewis' The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe, or Madeleine L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time.
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The accents were well done and enjoyed the narrators voice, even when doing the grown ups

Was a decent storyline but needn’t have been drawn out so much. Still would recommend

Hidden Gem

Beautiful, unique, and compelling. Glad I found it. Will watch for more from this author.

The unusual story!

Great first book!! Enjoyed the characters and the unusual story! Will wait for her next book!