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The Bird
Stormy Terrabonne's life is about to be changed forever by a bright red cardinal. She soon finds herself being whisked away from all she's ever known to save an entire race of people known as Trobodytes. When she's presented to the Queen, Stormy learns how she's expected to help: By killing an evil wizard named Bordash Bladeslinger and stopping him from cutting down the sacred trees that bind Trogon to Earth.
Now, there are only two trees left. One of the trees presents a double dose of jeopardy: It's also tied to the renewed life of Stormy's mother. While Stormy learns more about the gifts she gained by becoming a Trobodyte, someone manages to poison that all important tree.
It's a race against time as she faces a legion of fairy tale creatures she never knew existed, learns to harness the power within herself to battle Bordash Bladeslinger, and tries to find a way to heal the dying tree before it collapses and takes her mother with it.
Now, there are only two trees left. One of the trees presents a double dose of jeopardy: It's also tied to the renewed life of Stormy's mother. While Stormy learns more about the gifts she gained by becoming a Trobodyte, someone manages to poison that all important tree.
It's a race against time as she faces a legion of fairy tale creatures she never knew existed, learns to harness the power within herself to battle Bordash Bladeslinger, and tries to find a way to heal the dying tree before it collapses and takes her mother with it.
247 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2013
1 person is currently reading
233 people want to read
About the author
Jo Michaels
91 books273 followersJo Michaels loves writing novels that make readers gasp in horror, surprise, and disbelief. While her browser search history has probably landed her on a list somewhere, she still dives into every plot with gusto, hoping "the man" will realize she's a writer and not a psychopath about to go on a rampage. Her favorite pastimes are reading, watching Investigation Discovery, and helping other authors realize their true potential through mentoring. She's penned the award-winning Pen Pals and Serial Killers series and the best-selling educational book for children, Writing Prompts for Kids, which has rocketed the kids that use it into several awards of their own.
Most of Jo's books feature the places she's lived: Louisiana, Tennessee, and Georgia. That's given her a special amount of insight to what makes those locations tick. Her works are immersive and twisty, and she wouldn't want it any other way.
Most of Jo's books feature the places she's lived: Louisiana, Tennessee, and Georgia. That's given her a special amount of insight to what makes those locations tick. Her works are immersive and twisty, and she wouldn't want it any other way.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 16, 2013
ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review
1.5 Stars
The first half of the book was actually much better than the second half. In fact until about 50% in I probably would have given this 2.5 - 3 Stars. Probably 3 Stars since it is written by an indie author and I like indie things.... and I think it way harder to get good editing. The second half sadly would not get more than half a star.
This book had me pondering quite a bit after finishing it- but sadly it wasn't much about the content and more about self-publishing. It's an interesting phenomena, isn't it? Something that was impossible for most aspiring writers just a decade ago has become a simple and easy possibility. And mostly I think that, it's simply fabulous. BUT - yep there is always a but- the more I read self-published books the more I start to respect and appreciate professional editing. Because honestly I don't think anybody is able to step back after spending hundreds of hours working at something and have a detached perspective... Many self-published books are let down by the lack of good editing.
Honestly - and here is why I am babbling on about this- The Bird could be significantly improved with good editing.
As example at towards the end of the book, one of the characters asks what had happened. So they are told and there is an entire summary of the plot of the last few chapters. And to top it, it doesn't happen once. No, no, no, that would have just made me role my eyes. NO, a few pages later a different character asks what she had missed while she was indisposed- and there is another summary as answer! I mean, come on! I just had read that, I honestly didn't feel like going through a summary of the plot!
I am not sure what the age group is that was aimed for.I was under the impression it was a young adult book. But at times this felt very much like it was for Kids. Then on the other hand it had content, that was for young adult, that would be totally unsuitable to talk about in a kiddies book. But as I said it was in my opinion to simplistic for young adults allot of the time.
The world building was ok. I've been reading fantasy for a really long time, and to be fair I have read far worse. I actually found the world Michaels created quite endearing, though it didn't wow me overly as well.
The character building was lacking to say the least. I didn't connect with a single character I couldn't care less about them. They felt like total cardboard figures- not that they had no emotions- oh no! there was allot of totally over the top emotion going on. But I didn't feel them. In fact I found all the emotional outburst of each and every character rather annoying. I mean they all cried ALL the time.
As example:
He sobbed into her shoulder. "I love you, too. Would you hold me tonight? Can I stay? "
and
Tears rolled down Bordash's face as the embraced.
We talking about grown man here- and before you jump on my throat, I am ok with guys crying- but not ALL the time. I mean these are wizards and they supposedly are prepared to fight to the death? Uh. NO! Really not my cup of tea. I just was irritated by their cheap-soap-opera-like uber-emotionality.
The storyline was for the first half quite enjoyable. I loved how Michaels incorporated known Fairy Tales and I liked the idea of the new lease on life and all.
In the second half it became totally predictable and way over the top. So I spent allot of time snickering and rolling my eyes.
To be specific. Stromy is supposed to be 45, when she makes her decision to embark on this journey. Unlike her mother, she does keep her memories when going to Trogon. She does though half the time behave like a 13year old. And so does Michael. She was a mother and is divorced. But her behavior and her emotions just don't seem to be one of a grown woman.
And spending every night together in bed, BUT not being intimate, two people who are in lust and love... really??
Valetta- is a 13year old girl, who's mother doesn't really feature. Again totally odd and unrealistic since she is supposed to be living in our world and time.The fact that the situation with Gretchen was suddenly solved was also rather odd.
To be honest I am not sure why there was even a POV of Valetta. I think it was kinda unnecessary
All this stuff was happening and then all over sudden everything was back just all sorted and done. And there was the HEA.
OH and the worst bit of the story:
Sadly definitely not a book for me
1.5 Stars
The first half of the book was actually much better than the second half. In fact until about 50% in I probably would have given this 2.5 - 3 Stars. Probably 3 Stars since it is written by an indie author and I like indie things.... and I think it way harder to get good editing. The second half sadly would not get more than half a star.
This book had me pondering quite a bit after finishing it- but sadly it wasn't much about the content and more about self-publishing. It's an interesting phenomena, isn't it? Something that was impossible for most aspiring writers just a decade ago has become a simple and easy possibility. And mostly I think that, it's simply fabulous. BUT - yep there is always a but- the more I read self-published books the more I start to respect and appreciate professional editing. Because honestly I don't think anybody is able to step back after spending hundreds of hours working at something and have a detached perspective... Many self-published books are let down by the lack of good editing.
Honestly - and here is why I am babbling on about this- The Bird could be significantly improved with good editing.
As example at towards the end of the book, one of the characters asks what had happened. So they are told and there is an entire summary of the plot of the last few chapters. And to top it, it doesn't happen once. No, no, no, that would have just made me role my eyes. NO, a few pages later a different character asks what she had missed while she was indisposed- and there is another summary as answer! I mean, come on! I just had read that, I honestly didn't feel like going through a summary of the plot!
I am not sure what the age group is that was aimed for.I was under the impression it was a young adult book. But at times this felt very much like it was for Kids. Then on the other hand it had content, that was for young adult, that would be totally unsuitable to talk about in a kiddies book. But as I said it was in my opinion to simplistic for young adults allot of the time.
The world building was ok. I've been reading fantasy for a really long time, and to be fair I have read far worse. I actually found the world Michaels created quite endearing, though it didn't wow me overly as well.
The character building was lacking to say the least. I didn't connect with a single character I couldn't care less about them. They felt like total cardboard figures- not that they had no emotions- oh no! there was allot of totally over the top emotion going on. But I didn't feel them. In fact I found all the emotional outburst of each and every character rather annoying. I mean they all cried ALL the time.
As example:
He sobbed into her shoulder. "I love you, too. Would you hold me tonight? Can I stay? "
and
Tears rolled down Bordash's face as the embraced.
We talking about grown man here- and before you jump on my throat, I am ok with guys crying- but not ALL the time. I mean these are wizards and they supposedly are prepared to fight to the death? Uh. NO! Really not my cup of tea. I just was irritated by their cheap-soap-opera-like uber-emotionality.
The storyline was for the first half quite enjoyable. I loved how Michaels incorporated known Fairy Tales and I liked the idea of the new lease on life and all.
In the second half it became totally predictable and way over the top. So I spent allot of time snickering and rolling my eyes.
To be specific. Stromy is supposed to be 45, when she makes her decision to embark on this journey. Unlike her mother, she does keep her memories when going to Trogon. She does though half the time behave like a 13year old. And so does Michael. She was a mother and is divorced. But her behavior and her emotions just don't seem to be one of a grown woman.
And spending every night together in bed, BUT not being intimate, two people who are in lust and love... really??
Valetta- is a 13year old girl, who's mother doesn't really feature. Again totally odd and unrealistic since she is supposed to be living in our world and time.The fact that the situation with Gretchen was suddenly solved was also rather odd.
To be honest I am not sure why there was even a POV of Valetta. I think it was kinda unnecessary
All this stuff was happening and then all over sudden everything was back just all sorted and done. And there was the HEA.
OH and the worst bit of the story:
Sadly definitely not a book for me
April 29, 2013
Alright, I want to start this off my saying I really wanted to like this book. But the writing style and voice just didn't work with me and annoyed me many times.
It starts off with Stormy (also, that name is not my favorite) sitting and drinking coffee. She then starts talking to it and finds that the bird reacts differently then most birds. She ends up following the bird and it turns into a gorgeous man.
We're totally fine so far, right? So then this guy—whose name is Michael, by the way—takes her to a magical and mystical place and doesn't answer any of Stormy's questions. Stormy just follows him anyway, without bothering to stop and force him to answer any of his questions. I have a big problem with her right there. I would not blindly follow this mystical dude who transforms into a bird.
Later, she meets Michael's mother, who turns out to be the queen. This queen tells her that they need her to save their world, etc, etc. They also tell her that they will give her something to make her dying mother turn thirteen again and will turn Stormy into an immortal 18-year-old.
This woman, who by the way has children, debates about it for like half an hour and then agrees. What? She doesn't really think about what her children will do without her. I mean, they do get financially supported by this strange race that she's found, but she's their mother . They need her. But she's just accepting of it. (Now, this gets clarified around the last third of the book, where she explains that her children are grown.)
Now the book's not so bad apart from this. It's got a good premise, and the setting is very original. But the way the author writes was not my favorite, and I was hoping for a longer book so things aren't so high-paced.
After Stormy wakes up with a new body, she sees that her mother's gone. A few chapters in, we skip from Stormy's mother's point of view—the thirteen-year-old's name is Valletta, by the way—to Stormy's point of view, which was a little confusing.
During the story, there are some things that aren't explained and I had to guess, like when the queen is explaining about the wizards and witches and then calls them the Ws. Nowhere before did she explain that they called them the Ws, that was just sort of assumed.
And then the attraction between Michael and Stormy. There's nothing and then all of a sudden she's thinking about a possible relationship with him (and it's obvious he likes her too). It felt too sudden—as if it was put there as a passing thought. After one kiss, they're calling each other “baby” and holding hands all the time. It felt too rushed.
Many times I felt that Stormy was impulsive—and not in the good way. Some things that she does happen without any inkling of what Stormy's thinking. We're supposed to be reading her point of view, but we don't really get what she's thinking all the time.
At about the last third of the book, when everything was explained and I got used to the way of writing, it was much better. It's what redeemed this book for me. The action was pretty good and things were flowing much better. And I have to admit, the twist near the end was kind of awesome. I was not expecting it whatsoever—and normally I'm really good at expecting twists.
Though the ending was good, it wasn't enough to redeem the book for me.
It starts off with Stormy (also, that name is not my favorite) sitting and drinking coffee. She then starts talking to it and finds that the bird reacts differently then most birds. She ends up following the bird and it turns into a gorgeous man.
We're totally fine so far, right? So then this guy—whose name is Michael, by the way—takes her to a magical and mystical place and doesn't answer any of Stormy's questions. Stormy just follows him anyway, without bothering to stop and force him to answer any of his questions. I have a big problem with her right there. I would not blindly follow this mystical dude who transforms into a bird.
Later, she meets Michael's mother, who turns out to be the queen. This queen tells her that they need her to save their world, etc, etc. They also tell her that they will give her something to make her dying mother turn thirteen again and will turn Stormy into an immortal 18-year-old.
This woman, who by the way has children, debates about it for like half an hour and then agrees. What? She doesn't really think about what her children will do without her. I mean, they do get financially supported by this strange race that she's found, but she's their mother . They need her. But she's just accepting of it. (Now, this gets clarified around the last third of the book, where she explains that her children are grown.)
Now the book's not so bad apart from this. It's got a good premise, and the setting is very original. But the way the author writes was not my favorite, and I was hoping for a longer book so things aren't so high-paced.
After Stormy wakes up with a new body, she sees that her mother's gone. A few chapters in, we skip from Stormy's mother's point of view—the thirteen-year-old's name is Valletta, by the way—to Stormy's point of view, which was a little confusing.
During the story, there are some things that aren't explained and I had to guess, like when the queen is explaining about the wizards and witches and then calls them the Ws. Nowhere before did she explain that they called them the Ws, that was just sort of assumed.
And then the attraction between Michael and Stormy. There's nothing and then all of a sudden she's thinking about a possible relationship with him (and it's obvious he likes her too). It felt too sudden—as if it was put there as a passing thought. After one kiss, they're calling each other “baby” and holding hands all the time. It felt too rushed.
Many times I felt that Stormy was impulsive—and not in the good way. Some things that she does happen without any inkling of what Stormy's thinking. We're supposed to be reading her point of view, but we don't really get what she's thinking all the time.
At about the last third of the book, when everything was explained and I got used to the way of writing, it was much better. It's what redeemed this book for me. The action was pretty good and things were flowing much better. And I have to admit, the twist near the end was kind of awesome. I was not expecting it whatsoever—and normally I'm really good at expecting twists.
Though the ending was good, it wasn't enough to redeem the book for me.
April 18, 2013
See original post here!
I received a copy for an honest review.
Initial Reaction:
After reading this review I was really skeptical as to whether I was going to like this book or not. The story line seemed like it was going just another fairy tale redo.
The Plot:
When Stormy Terrabonne went to visit her dying mother the last thing she expected was to sitting outside and talking to a cardinal that leads her into the woods, only to turn into a man named Michael and bring her to a magical land, a land where people age slowly and were people have powers, and a land that’s dying.
When the Queen of the Trobodytes asks for Stormy’s help she makes her a deal. If Stormy goes back home and gives her mother a soup, along with Stormy taking it, it will give Stormy’s mother a new chance at life, with no memory of her past one. The soup also gives Stormy renewed youth and turns her into a Trobodyte.
Returning to the palace Stormy begins training and finds she has the power of weapons. Stormy continues on many trials to save the sacred trees that keep these people alive. When Stormy begins to see through the lies and deceit that have been covering the land and palace for more than fifty years Stormy knows it’s up to her to save everyone, including her now youthful mother who is now tied to one of the only trees left.
Overall reaction:
I thought that the story was definitely interesting and was a quick read. The story did move a bit quick with no real lead up to events or much emotional insight to many of the big things such as Stormy and Michael’s relationship. The story was well written with lots of detail and character interactions, and dialogue. Stormy’s story was full of action, fairy tale stories, and evil creatures. The story is full of magic, deceit, and love.
Recommend:
Anyone who is looking for a quick read, and has a love for fairy tales, and happy endings.
I received a copy for an honest review.
Initial Reaction:
After reading this review I was really skeptical as to whether I was going to like this book or not. The story line seemed like it was going just another fairy tale redo.
The Plot:
When Stormy Terrabonne went to visit her dying mother the last thing she expected was to sitting outside and talking to a cardinal that leads her into the woods, only to turn into a man named Michael and bring her to a magical land, a land where people age slowly and were people have powers, and a land that’s dying.
When the Queen of the Trobodytes asks for Stormy’s help she makes her a deal. If Stormy goes back home and gives her mother a soup, along with Stormy taking it, it will give Stormy’s mother a new chance at life, with no memory of her past one. The soup also gives Stormy renewed youth and turns her into a Trobodyte.
Returning to the palace Stormy begins training and finds she has the power of weapons. Stormy continues on many trials to save the sacred trees that keep these people alive. When Stormy begins to see through the lies and deceit that have been covering the land and palace for more than fifty years Stormy knows it’s up to her to save everyone, including her now youthful mother who is now tied to one of the only trees left.
Overall reaction:
I thought that the story was definitely interesting and was a quick read. The story did move a bit quick with no real lead up to events or much emotional insight to many of the big things such as Stormy and Michael’s relationship. The story was well written with lots of detail and character interactions, and dialogue. Stormy’s story was full of action, fairy tale stories, and evil creatures. The story is full of magic, deceit, and love.
Recommend:
Anyone who is looking for a quick read, and has a love for fairy tales, and happy endings.
April 3, 2013
I’m normally not a fan of fantasy novels. Blame it on my ADD, but I have a hard time keeping all of the characters and world building straight. The Bird is a fantasy novel, but I never felt overwhelmed by information dumps or elaborate back-stories that were hard to follow. It was a great read and I thought it was creative the way Jo worked in themes about feminism and nature into the narrative.
The Bird has parallel plots going on. The first plot centers on a woman named Stormy and her quest to bring down a wizard in an alternate world. At the same time, Stormy’s mother is given a second chance at life and is reborn as a thirteen year old. I liked the way Jo tied the two worlds together and how things occurring in Trogon affected her mother in the human world.
What I always enjoy about Jo’s books is that she writes strong female characters. The men usually take a backseat and the women shine. The Bird was no exception. Stormy is a force to be reckoned with and that’s even before she becomes a master of weapons. As tough as she was on the outside, I liked how her romance with Michael was able to bring out a softer side.
The plot’s pacing was good and the action started quickly. Some of the character’s choices were rash and I felt myself wanting to yell at them through the book. But it only shows how invested I became with the story.
There were a few great twists I didn’t see coming and the ending tied everything together nicely. This is a wonderful indie fantasy novel and I highly recommend it to all readers.
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
The Bird has parallel plots going on. The first plot centers on a woman named Stormy and her quest to bring down a wizard in an alternate world. At the same time, Stormy’s mother is given a second chance at life and is reborn as a thirteen year old. I liked the way Jo tied the two worlds together and how things occurring in Trogon affected her mother in the human world.
What I always enjoy about Jo’s books is that she writes strong female characters. The men usually take a backseat and the women shine. The Bird was no exception. Stormy is a force to be reckoned with and that’s even before she becomes a master of weapons. As tough as she was on the outside, I liked how her romance with Michael was able to bring out a softer side.
The plot’s pacing was good and the action started quickly. Some of the character’s choices were rash and I felt myself wanting to yell at them through the book. But it only shows how invested I became with the story.
There were a few great twists I didn’t see coming and the ending tied everything together nicely. This is a wonderful indie fantasy novel and I highly recommend it to all readers.
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
January 10, 2014
This book will take you to another world. LITERALLY!
Stormy is visiting her dying mother when a small bird comes to visit. Stormy much like me, decides to just sit there and have a chat with the bird. When the bird acts as if he wants her to follow him, she does. Personally I would have too and I've been known to follow wild animals into the woods. Haven't had one turn into a man yet but hey one can hope!
I loved the story of the Trobodytes and their world. I suspected who the bad guy was very early on, and I absolutely knew something but wasn't positive and just simply won't share my knowledge with you since it was infact confirmed and I wouldn't want to spoil it for you.
Now I know some people will question Stormy. She gave her mother new life by giving her a drink of a potion, she left her children to go help the Trobodytes. Now her children were NOT babies, they were adults. As someone who left her children to move to a new country I can understand why she did that. I can also relate to the fact that she still wants to make sure they are being taken care of, and they are, so I see nothing wrong in her choosing a new life while making her children's life better.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and I think anyone who enjoys fantasy books will too. There are some major twists and turns in this book, and I truly think you will enjoy reading it as much as I did.
Stormy is visiting her dying mother when a small bird comes to visit. Stormy much like me, decides to just sit there and have a chat with the bird. When the bird acts as if he wants her to follow him, she does. Personally I would have too and I've been known to follow wild animals into the woods. Haven't had one turn into a man yet but hey one can hope!
I loved the story of the Trobodytes and their world. I suspected who the bad guy was very early on, and I absolutely knew something but wasn't positive and just simply won't share my knowledge with you since it was infact confirmed and I wouldn't want to spoil it for you.
Now I know some people will question Stormy. She gave her mother new life by giving her a drink of a potion, she left her children to go help the Trobodytes. Now her children were NOT babies, they were adults. As someone who left her children to move to a new country I can understand why she did that. I can also relate to the fact that she still wants to make sure they are being taken care of, and they are, so I see nothing wrong in her choosing a new life while making her children's life better.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and I think anyone who enjoys fantasy books will too. There are some major twists and turns in this book, and I truly think you will enjoy reading it as much as I did.
January 17, 2015
The Bird is a cute fantasy novel for teens. When Stormy is given the opportunity to walk away from her hum-drum life as a forty-five year old divorcee to become eighteen again and live in another world and get a second chance at her life, she practically jumps at the chance. There's a lot to this story that would be attractive to a younger set of readers. There's a little action and adventure as she and her companions travel through the world and come face to face with the characters fairy tale stories are based on. There are a couple of different love stories between different sets of characters. And of course, with any fantasy novel, lots and lots of magic and new mythology. The characters behave impulsively and more with their emotions and hearts rather than taking the time to think things through which makes this story very relatable to a younger audience that is struggling with the same life struggles.
March 26, 2014
Forty-five year old Stormy worries over her mother’s impending death. Then a cardinal appears and, with the promise of a long life for both women, transforms Stormy into a young woman and her mother, Vall, into a thirteen year old. It is Stormy, however, who often overreacts as if she were much younger than her real years. Cliched expressions run rampant in a tale that is both complex and simple. Unbeknownst to either, Stormy embarks on a fairy tale adventure in an alternate world that often affects Vall in what one may call the real world, for the two stories of Val and Stormy are cleverly connected with surprising twists. While Stormy fights wizards and the like, Vall fights snobs. The tone is light and at times humorous. There’s plenty of romance for those who thrive on it and plenty of fantasy for its fans.
April 7, 2013
I enjoyed this book. Sometimes I wish I could be whisked away into a fantasy world. Stormy is visiting her sick mother when she is lead into the woods by a bird. That bird turned out to be Michael, a Trobodyte, who tells her that she is the only person who can save his world. She agrees to help, and falls in love with Michael along the way. I wasn't in love with how their relationship evolved, but I did enjoy the storyline of The Bird. I took away half a star because I felt like the author could have gone into more detail with a lot of the book. Sometimes I felt like I was reading the shorthand version. Overall 3.5/5 stars.
March 11, 2016
I really enjoyed this... I'm a sucker for any combo of fantasy & romance and this was perfect for me! :)
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews