REVIEW: In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's 1918 and the world is on the brink of collapse. People are dying from the Spanish Flu or being shipped overseas to die in the war over there. The Spiritualism movement is in full swing in the US and 16 year old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort. She never believed in ghosts herself, but when her childhood sweetheart, who had went off to war, begins to appear to her, she starts to question her previous beliefs. But what does he really want, and how is she supposed to help?

This is the second book I've ready by Cat Winters, the other being The Cure for Dreaming which I also enjoyed very much. She has such an evocative style of writing that really pulls you in and makes you feel as if you're right there living everything right alongside Mary Shelley. The depictions of the Spanish Influenza had so many parallels to our recent COVID-19 virus, but it also made me realize that the Spanish Flu was soooo much worse! I guess since medicine wasn't as advanced then, it would make sense that more people died. I really enjoy it when a book not only tells a very interesting story, but also teaches me a thing or two!

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