Blackbirds

Probably 4.5 stars and not the full 5 but anyway. I don't even know why I love this so much. It's written in present tense which makes it very immediate for me. The protagonist Miriam Black is vulgar, there's a lot of violence and it always left me feeling a bit dirty, reading about the seedy life of Miriam, drifting by highways and motels, with the power to know how people die, and glimpses of a dark past. It read like young Stephen King and was a page turner for me. Definitely not for everyone though.

I have been following Chuck Wendig for a few years now, and I have come to enjoy his writing style immensely. The story of Blackbirds is dark, following the story of a troubled young woman who can see when you die, and can't do anything to change it. The writing is fluid, the characters are interesting, and the plot is riveting.

My only critique is that the main character sounds much like Chuck, or at least sounds like the voice he presents during interviews and on his blog. This is not a bad thing, per say; but, it distracted me from remembering that the character was in fact a troubled woman, and not the middle aged self proclaimed pen monkey that entertains almost daily.