Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel

Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

We passed the school, where children strove
At recess, in the ring;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.

Or rather, he passed us;
The dews grew quivering and chill,
For only gossamer my gown,
My tippet only tulle.

We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.

Since then ’tis centuries, and yet each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses’ heads
Were toward eternity.

— Emily Dickinson

Black Bird of the Gallows was exactly what I longed for: a new twist on death, or more precisely, that which feeds on death . . . and chaos. Drawn with a rich, Hitchcockian flair, readers are quickly hauled into Meg Kassel’s debut story.

Set in a small town which feels every minute of winter’s dying days, readers are treated to musically-inclined teen, Angie Dovage, who is satisfied enough with her daily life, all of which is tucked into the shadows of coal-mined mountains.

But when new neighbors arrive, finally laying claim to a house with a murderous past, Angie is immediately intrigued by all of them, especially handsome Reece. But for all of Reece’s tempting allure, the constant flicker of blackness in the trees from the sudden arrival of so many crows, sets Angie’s nerves on edge. Soon Angie understands the haunting birds far more than she ever wanted to and the truth about the handsome boy next door is far darker than any of their feathers.

A page turner that blends bits of King with Hitchcock, Meg Kassel tempts and terrifies the reader in equal measures with Black Bird of the Gallows.

** I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

about meg kassel

Meg Kassel is an author of fantasy and speculative books for young adults. A graduate of Parson’s School of Design, she’s always been creating stories, whether with visuals or words. She worked as a graphic designer before realizing the thing she did
for pleasure (writing) was something she should do for real. Meg is a New Jersey native who lives in a log house in the Maine woods with her husband and daughter. A fan of ’80s cartoons,
Netflix series, and ancient mythology, Meg has always been
fascinated and inspired by the fantastic, the creepy, and the futuristic. When she’s not writing, Meg is reading, hanging out with her family, hoarding peanut butter cups, or playing video games. She is a two-time finalist and the 2016 winner of the RWA Golden Heart© contest in YA.

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