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The Parliament
The Birds meets The Princess Bride in this tale of friendship, responsibility, and the primal force of nature.
“Murder owls are extreme,” Jude said. “What’s more extreme than murder owls?”
Madeleine Purdy is stuck in her home town library.
When tens of thousands of owls descend on the building, rending and tearing at anyone foolish enough to step outside, Mad is tasked with keeping her students safe, and distracted, while they seek a solution to their dilemma.
Perhaps they’ll find the inspiration they seek in her favorite childhood book, The Silent Queen ….
With food and fresh water in low supply, the denizens of the library will have to find a way out, and soon, but the owls don’t seem to be in a hurry to leave…
The Parliament is a story of grief and missed opportunities, but also of courage and hope.
And of extremely sharp beaks.
“Murder owls are extreme,” Jude said. “What’s more extreme than murder owls?”
Madeleine Purdy is stuck in her home town library.
When tens of thousands of owls descend on the building, rending and tearing at anyone foolish enough to step outside, Mad is tasked with keeping her students safe, and distracted, while they seek a solution to their dilemma.
Perhaps they’ll find the inspiration they seek in her favorite childhood book, The Silent Queen ….
With food and fresh water in low supply, the denizens of the library will have to find a way out, and soon, but the owls don’t seem to be in a hurry to leave…
The Parliament is a story of grief and missed opportunities, but also of courage and hope.
And of extremely sharp beaks.
359 pages, Hardcover
First published January 16, 2024
About the author
Aimee Pokwatka
4 books102 followersAimee Pokwatka grew up in Wheeling, West Virginia. She studied anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and received her MFA in creative writing from Syracuse University. Her work has been published in Fairy Tale Review, Outlook Springs, Hunger Mountain, and elsewhere. She lives in New York with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
February 13, 2024
Aimee Pokwatka sort of just drops you into The Parliament and leaves you to flounder, making it at first read more like a novella than a full-length book because of the suddenness of the story’s take-off. There’s no setup, and she doesn’t give the reader time to get to know Mad, our protagonist, before plopping her into a library surrounded by deadly owls. And there are a lot of characters to get to know – a group of children, and also library employees and random library patrons.
All this gives the book a messy feel to it, because not only do you not understand why the owls are at the library and why they’re trying to kill people, you have a jumble of Mad, children, and library peeps in your head. Needless to say, it’s hard to ground yourself in the story, and I can’t promise the confusion will improve seeing as I finished the book without ever having the characters straight in my head.
Plus, there’s a book within the book, an additional fantasy tale called The Silent Queen. Mad shares the story with the children as a way to pass the time, and I believe we’re meant to draw parallels between it and the main narrative thread. But the full circle connection never really happens, at least it didn’t for me.
Yet despite all the negatives – and I know I’m pointing out a good number of faults – I really liked Pokwatka’s latest. Somehow she makes it work. Mad's growth as a character is rewarding, and it’s a singular story that’s equal parts heartwarming and horrific. Never underestimate murder owls, Pokwatka makes that clear.
If you’re even the teeniest, tiniest bit intrigued by The Parliament, I say give it a try. Just know what you’re getting into before you pick it up.
My sincerest appreciation to Aimee Pokwatka, Tordotcom, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
All this gives the book a messy feel to it, because not only do you not understand why the owls are at the library and why they’re trying to kill people, you have a jumble of Mad, children, and library peeps in your head. Needless to say, it’s hard to ground yourself in the story, and I can’t promise the confusion will improve seeing as I finished the book without ever having the characters straight in my head.
Plus, there’s a book within the book, an additional fantasy tale called The Silent Queen. Mad shares the story with the children as a way to pass the time, and I believe we’re meant to draw parallels between it and the main narrative thread. But the full circle connection never really happens, at least it didn’t for me.
Yet despite all the negatives – and I know I’m pointing out a good number of faults – I really liked Pokwatka’s latest. Somehow she makes it work. Mad's growth as a character is rewarding, and it’s a singular story that’s equal parts heartwarming and horrific. Never underestimate murder owls, Pokwatka makes that clear.
If you’re even the teeniest, tiniest bit intrigued by The Parliament, I say give it a try. Just know what you’re getting into before you pick it up.
My sincerest appreciation to Aimee Pokwatka, Tordotcom, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
August 31, 2023
Oh my gosh, I loved this book so much. The Parliament has it all – some fantasy, a little bit of horror, lots of fantastic characters, an original plot … and murder owls. So many murder owls.
The Goodreads blurb describes this book as “The Birds meets The Princess Bride,” which is really an odd combo and left me kind of baffled as to what to expect. I mean, I might've imagined a owl hooting out “Never go in against a bird of prey when death is on the line!” as he pecked out someone's eyes, but that's about it. (Turns out I was way off base with that one.) What I definitely wasn't expecting, however, was for it to be such a heart-warming tale of friendship and love and bravery. There are definitely some horror-y parts – murder owls are not to trifled with – but it's also so much more than that.
There are really two stories at play in this book – Mad's fight against the owls at the library is interspersed with chapters from her favorite childhood book, The Silent Queen. At first I was slightly irritated that Queen Alala's adventures were getting in the way of me reading the “real” story, but over time this second storyline really grew on me. I loved the characters and their determination to improve the situation in their kingdoms no matter the personal costs.
Mad's storyline was also tremendously enjoyable in a “filled with murder owls” sort of way. The main characters were sympathetic and likable, and I really loved the way that Mad came into her own as far as taking responsibility for the children was concerned. I also thought that her relationship with Nash was so sweet and realistic, and I'm normally someone who hates romance in novels. I'll never admit to it in real life, but I might've even gotten a little teary-eyed at the end.
Really, this was just a well-written and original book and I can't think of a single bad thing to say about it. After all, “[Owls] cannot stop true love. All [they] can do is delay it for a while.”*
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.
*Yeah, yeah, I know it's a bit of a stretch, but I was a few keystrokes away from typing out “Hello. My name is Owlo Hootoya ...” so consider it the lesser of two quote-mangling evils.
The Goodreads blurb describes this book as “The Birds meets The Princess Bride,” which is really an odd combo and left me kind of baffled as to what to expect. I mean, I might've imagined a owl hooting out “Never go in against a bird of prey when death is on the line!” as he pecked out someone's eyes, but that's about it. (Turns out I was way off base with that one.) What I definitely wasn't expecting, however, was for it to be such a heart-warming tale of friendship and love and bravery. There are definitely some horror-y parts – murder owls are not to trifled with – but it's also so much more than that.
There are really two stories at play in this book – Mad's fight against the owls at the library is interspersed with chapters from her favorite childhood book, The Silent Queen. At first I was slightly irritated that Queen Alala's adventures were getting in the way of me reading the “real” story, but over time this second storyline really grew on me. I loved the characters and their determination to improve the situation in their kingdoms no matter the personal costs.
Mad's storyline was also tremendously enjoyable in a “filled with murder owls” sort of way. The main characters were sympathetic and likable, and I really loved the way that Mad came into her own as far as taking responsibility for the children was concerned. I also thought that her relationship with Nash was so sweet and realistic, and I'm normally someone who hates romance in novels. I'll never admit to it in real life, but I might've even gotten a little teary-eyed at the end.
Really, this was just a well-written and original book and I can't think of a single bad thing to say about it. After all, “[Owls] cannot stop true love. All [they] can do is delay it for a while.”*
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.
*Yeah, yeah, I know it's a bit of a stretch, but I was a few keystrokes away from typing out “Hello. My name is Owlo Hootoya ...” so consider it the lesser of two quote-mangling evils.
September 1, 2023
The marketing says it’s The Birds meets The Princess Bride, but I would say it’s a modernized Maurice Sendak fairy tale tucked into The Birds. It’s a casually diverse novel that follows a chemist trapped in a library with a class of teens as a ravenous flock of tiny owls is ready to descend on anyone who steps outside. Anyone who loves creature feature/natural horror is going to love the owls, but the narrative gets much deeper, exploring the ways we deal with trauma and loss in our lives.
Much like Pokwatka's previous protagonist -- Pepper of Self-Portrait With Nothing -- Maddy has interesting coping mechanisms that make her fascinating and relatable. Tiny murder owls would certainly have been fun on their own, but Maddy's characterization gives the plot such a strong backbone that I'm positive this will be one of my favorite 2024 releases!
And, I'm probably biased as a librarian, but I adore how well Pokwatka used the library setting in addition to creating a real feeling community inside it. A lot of authors love the idea of the library, but Pokwatka obviously truly understands libraries and librarians.
Much like Pokwatka's previous protagonist -- Pepper of Self-Portrait With Nothing -- Maddy has interesting coping mechanisms that make her fascinating and relatable. Tiny murder owls would certainly have been fun on their own, but Maddy's characterization gives the plot such a strong backbone that I'm positive this will be one of my favorite 2024 releases!
And, I'm probably biased as a librarian, but I adore how well Pokwatka used the library setting in addition to creating a real feeling community inside it. A lot of authors love the idea of the library, but Pokwatka obviously truly understands libraries and librarians.
January 16, 2024
There were no chapters in the survival guides she'd memorized as a kid about being trapped inside a library by murderous owls.
Owls.
They're often depicted as ADORABLE, big-eyed. huggie-wuggies.
Sometimes they're used as the symbol for preternatural intelligence.
But in actuality, owls are vicious killing machines.
Sharp, nasty beaks and frightful talons . . . all the better to rip apart rabbits, snakes, and maybe a hapless library patron or two.
That's right. When a parliament of pissed off owls sets up camp outside a library, those trapped inside are helpless, and running out of hope. It's a bit like Dawn of the Dead had a fledgling with The Birds. Things grow tense for our tiny band of survivors as food supplies dwindle, tempers flare, and owls take over the bathroom. To pass the time, some of the gang reads chapters from the main character's favorite childhood book, "The Silent Queen." This is where things fell apart for me, as I hated this book within a book. The main story is frequently interrupted by a chapter of this fantasy novel, and it completely blows any suspense the action scenes have built. I can take the fact that the characters are dull and nearly interchangeable, but, truly, one story was enough for this book.
IF you like "The Silent Queen" bits, you will probably enjoy this more than I did. It's odd though . . . I do have a craving for Tootsie Pops for some reason.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the read.
Owls.
They're often depicted as ADORABLE, big-eyed. huggie-wuggies.
Sometimes they're used as the symbol for preternatural intelligence.
But in actuality, owls are vicious killing machines.
Sharp, nasty beaks and frightful talons . . . all the better to rip apart rabbits, snakes, and maybe a hapless library patron or two.
That's right. When a parliament of pissed off owls sets up camp outside a library, those trapped inside are helpless, and running out of hope. It's a bit like Dawn of the Dead had a fledgling with The Birds. Things grow tense for our tiny band of survivors as food supplies dwindle, tempers flare, and owls take over the bathroom. To pass the time, some of the gang reads chapters from the main character's favorite childhood book, "The Silent Queen." This is where things fell apart for me, as I hated this book within a book. The main story is frequently interrupted by a chapter of this fantasy novel, and it completely blows any suspense the action scenes have built. I can take the fact that the characters are dull and nearly interchangeable, but, truly, one story was enough for this book.
IF you like "The Silent Queen" bits, you will probably enjoy this more than I did. It's odd though . . . I do have a craving for Tootsie Pops for some reason.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the read.
September 12, 2023
for the life of me, i could not figure out this novel at all. it's marketed as hitchcock's the birds mixed with the princess bride — both films i am familiar with. however, i was completely lost the entire time. mad is some kind of childcare worker when the owls (a group of owls is called a parliament) start attacking. the owls are ready to kill for... some reason. interspersed throughout the story is a princess-fairytale book that mad loved to read as a little girl.
and that's all i have to say. the writing has moments of being really insightful (like when mad holds a wounded child and knows it is too late), but most of it is just unintelligible. the way the novel ended was absurd to me. and the forced stupid jokes? yikes.
this novel had potential, it just needs some major editing and some plot development. like why owls? nothing is ever really explained.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
and that's all i have to say. the writing has moments of being really insightful (like when mad holds a wounded child and knows it is too late), but most of it is just unintelligible. the way the novel ended was absurd to me. and the forced stupid jokes? yikes.
this novel had potential, it just needs some major editing and some plot development. like why owls? nothing is ever really explained.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
February 1, 2024
Ahoy there me mateys! Murder owls trap everyone in the library. Of course I had to read this. The main protagonist of the story is Mad who returns back to her hometown begrudgingly to teach a chemistry class for kids. When the owls start attacking, Mad finds herself confronting her own traumatic past to try to keep the kids safe.
While there is a lot of good in this novel, I feel like it would have been better off as a novella. One of the reasons it is so long is because Mad reads a book called "The Silent Queen" to the kids to distract them. I actually liked this fairy tale interspersed within the story though it took some getting used too. I also enjoyed the relationships unfolding in the library. I loved Jolene the crayfish.
The problem for me was that the owls really don't do much. The focus of the story becomes Mad's PTSD and how the people in the library pass time. The majority of the action in the novel stems from bad choices made from people both inside and out of the library. If ye know the birds kill, then why would multiple people run out only to be eaten? Also the reason why it is so dire in the library is just because the town government is inept. They don't bring supplies and actively seem to be trying to kill the patrons stuck in the library. I really couldn't suspend me disbelief. I could think of dozens of ways problems could have been solved.
Plus the science behind the murder owls was light and some items were never explained (power going out?). I also didn't really care for the romance subplot. Additionally people panicked pretty quickly in the beginning. I feel like it should have taken much longer for people to lose their minds.
A lot of the problems I had were personal preference based (I think). If it was a novella, maybe a lot of the waiting around and angst wouldn't have gotten slightly tedious. That said, it was a quick read and the crew seems to like this one a lot. Arrrr!
While there is a lot of good in this novel, I feel like it would have been better off as a novella. One of the reasons it is so long is because Mad reads a book called "The Silent Queen" to the kids to distract them. I actually liked this fairy tale interspersed within the story though it took some getting used too. I also enjoyed the relationships unfolding in the library. I loved Jolene the crayfish.
The problem for me was that the owls really don't do much. The focus of the story becomes Mad's PTSD and how the people in the library pass time. The majority of the action in the novel stems from bad choices made from people both inside and out of the library. If ye know the birds kill, then why would multiple people run out only to be eaten? Also the reason why it is so dire in the library is just because the town government is inept. They don't bring supplies and actively seem to be trying to kill the patrons stuck in the library. I really couldn't suspend me disbelief. I could think of dozens of ways problems could have been solved.
Plus the science behind the murder owls was light and some items were never explained (power going out?). I also didn't really care for the romance subplot. Additionally people panicked pretty quickly in the beginning. I feel like it should have taken much longer for people to lose their minds.
A lot of the problems I had were personal preference based (I think). If it was a novella, maybe a lot of the waiting around and angst wouldn't have gotten slightly tedious. That said, it was a quick read and the crew seems to like this one a lot. Arrrr!
May 3, 2024
This book is very strange and it made me feel things, and sometimes those are the only two qualities I need in a novel.
January 24, 2024
The Parliament left me feeling equal parts perplexed and moved, and I’m still not entirely sure if I would recommend it.
What we have here is a book within a book, and the two stories are vastly different. In the main story, chemist Madigan (Mad) Purdy has returned to her hometown library to teach a group of young teenagers how to make bath bombs, as a favor to her childhood friend, who is the YA librarian. What she doesn’t expect is that the library will be surrounded by a parliament of murderous owls, who literally rip apart anyone who tries to leave. Trapped in the library, Mad introduces her charges to her favorite childhood book, “The Silent Queen,” as a way to pass the time while the group figures out what to do. “The Silent Queen” is a dark feminist fairy tale set in a fantastical, monstrous world, and its chapters are interspersed with the main narrative.
The Parliament straddles a line between whimsical and horrific, with heart-warming moments followed by scenes of extreme violence. I think The Birds meets The Princess Bride is a pretty apt description, as strange as that combination sounds. This is a book that doesn’t fit neatly into one genre, with a narrative that includes elements of horror, fantasy, romance, and survival thriller. It also delves into the devastating effects of childhood trauma and the way that trauma manifests in an adult’s responses and behaviors. Mad is a strong protagonist who shows a lot of growth over the course of the book as she is forced to come to terms with both her past and an uncertain present full of murder owls. But aside from Mad, the large cast of secondary characters weren’t developed enough, and I kept forgetting who was who.
The library storyline and “The Silent Queen” chapters deal, on the surface, with common themes: teamwork, resilience, bravery when faced with senseless violence, overcoming trauma. But I struggled to find the deeper connection between the two that I desperately wanted to be there. I enjoyed them both separately, and I thought the fantasy world was particularly well-developed and intriguing, but the two stories just didn’t come together for me in that impactful aha moment I wanted.
Also, it was difficult for me to suspend my disbelief when it came to the town’s ineptitude in dealing with the murder owl crisis – and as far as the owls themselves, there’s no real explanation for their origins or behavior. This is definitely one of the most original books I’ve ever read, but it didn’t all come together for me the way I’d hoped it would. Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the complimentary reading opportunity.
What we have here is a book within a book, and the two stories are vastly different. In the main story, chemist Madigan (Mad) Purdy has returned to her hometown library to teach a group of young teenagers how to make bath bombs, as a favor to her childhood friend, who is the YA librarian. What she doesn’t expect is that the library will be surrounded by a parliament of murderous owls, who literally rip apart anyone who tries to leave. Trapped in the library, Mad introduces her charges to her favorite childhood book, “The Silent Queen,” as a way to pass the time while the group figures out what to do. “The Silent Queen” is a dark feminist fairy tale set in a fantastical, monstrous world, and its chapters are interspersed with the main narrative.
The Parliament straddles a line between whimsical and horrific, with heart-warming moments followed by scenes of extreme violence. I think The Birds meets The Princess Bride is a pretty apt description, as strange as that combination sounds. This is a book that doesn’t fit neatly into one genre, with a narrative that includes elements of horror, fantasy, romance, and survival thriller. It also delves into the devastating effects of childhood trauma and the way that trauma manifests in an adult’s responses and behaviors. Mad is a strong protagonist who shows a lot of growth over the course of the book as she is forced to come to terms with both her past and an uncertain present full of murder owls. But aside from Mad, the large cast of secondary characters weren’t developed enough, and I kept forgetting who was who.
The library storyline and “The Silent Queen” chapters deal, on the surface, with common themes: teamwork, resilience, bravery when faced with senseless violence, overcoming trauma. But I struggled to find the deeper connection between the two that I desperately wanted to be there. I enjoyed them both separately, and I thought the fantasy world was particularly well-developed and intriguing, but the two stories just didn’t come together for me in that impactful aha moment I wanted.
Also, it was difficult for me to suspend my disbelief when it came to the town’s ineptitude in dealing with the murder owl crisis – and as far as the owls themselves, there’s no real explanation for their origins or behavior. This is definitely one of the most original books I’ve ever read, but it didn’t all come together for me the way I’d hoped it would. Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the complimentary reading opportunity.
January 20, 2024
Mad is stuck in the library with her lifelong crush, several teens who showed up for her bath bomb program, and a relatably miscellaneous group of library staff and patrons. Outside the library is a swarm, or parliament, of murder owls, and several local emergency personnel who are too afraid and incompetent to offer much help. Inside, they're running out of food and other resources. It becomes increasingly obvious that they are going to have to save themselves before the town authorities decide to start burning down libraries to stop the owls.
I loved this. Mad's internal monologue, informed by anxiety, past trauma, and probable neurodiversity. The depiction of a library not as a sacred space but as a building full of resources and strangers with a shared goal. The interspersed chapters of a made-for-this-novel fairy tale, which Mad reads to keep the children distracted but which ends up mobilizing them in a crazy scheme to escape. From now on, this is the only book set in a library that I'll recommend.
I loved this. Mad's internal monologue, informed by anxiety, past trauma, and probable neurodiversity. The depiction of a library not as a sacred space but as a building full of resources and strangers with a shared goal. The interspersed chapters of a made-for-this-novel fairy tale, which Mad reads to keep the children distracted but which ends up mobilizing them in a crazy scheme to escape. From now on, this is the only book set in a library that I'll recommend.
January 9, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!
I love a good locked room horror book; give me a premise where the characters are all stuck together, and I'm already hooked by the claustrophobia. When I read that this was a story centered around a bunch of characters locked in a library surrounded by thousands upon thousands of murderous owls, I was beyond excited! The contrast of a cozy hometown library setting with creepy owls intent on eating people just outside was such a fun setup. The Parliament is an interesting novel, featuring horror and fantasy elements, but it also holds a great deal of depth, as it explores grief, trauma, and surviving life's difficulties. I liked it!
The story follows Mad, a chemist who begrudgingly returns to her hometown's library in West Virginia to teach a class to middle schoolers as a favor to her childhood best friend. She had a traumatic event happen when she was growing up, and Mad's done everything in her power to leave home and never look back. On the first day of her class, thousands of owls swarm and surround the library, attacking anyone who exits the building. Mad is tasked with keeping the children in her class calm as she and the other adults in the library struggle to find a way out. To distract the kids, Mad reads them her favorite comfort fantasy story, The Silent Queen, which follows a woman trying to save the children in her kingdom from a monster. Chapters from the story are sprinkled throughout the novel.
This book has a lot going on, but I feel that it handled everything well. After glancing through some initial reviews, it looks like the novel is somewhat divisive - I'm not surprised. I anticipate that you'll like this book if you enjoy stories with multiple elements. If you're looking for a straightforward horror book, though, you may not be satisfied. While there is some horror in The Parliament, I wouldn't quite call it a horror novel. For as many horror scenes as there are, there are just as many heartfelt moments, silly dad jokes, and scenes exploring overarching themes. I also expect the chapters from The Silent Queen to work for some readers, but not everyone, as they are fairly tonally different from the main plot.
This book worked for me, because I found it really engaging in many ways.
The characters are interesting. I could connect with Mad, who is awkward and truly just wants to be back home eating pizza alone. She has trouble getting over the past and accepting the uncertainties of the future. She's a compelling main character. Her struggles feel authentic. I also liked the side characters. The love interest, Nash, and former best friend, Farrah, were my favorites. I thought the children in Mad's class were well-written, too. Their dialogue is realistic, and it's wholesome watching Mad grow from nervous around them to protective over the entire class as the story unfolds.
I also found the writing to be pretty good. It's smooth to read. Aimee Pokwatka has a clear voice for Mad (even though it's written from a third-person perspective); I had fun following her and reading about all of her random knowledge and survival skills. While the prose wasn't flowery, there were a handful of meaningful lines that stood out.
The last thing that worked well for me was how serious themes were explored with care. Sometimes authors try to take on too many themes at once in their stories, and none of them are given the time or attention that's necessary. That didn't happen here. The author selected a few key ideas and explored them beautifully. I appreciated watching Mad grow to be more vulnerable. At times, it felt like I was reading a cozy literary novel, while two chapters later, I was reading a fast-paced thriller story. I liked all of the moving pieces and how they connected to the larger themes. Although, I can see how it could be too much for some readers.
There are a couple of things I have minor complaints about, so I can't give this a perfect rating.
First, I didn't mind the chapters from The Silent Queen, but they could have been developed a little better. Alala's story is interesting, and by the end, it becomes clear how some of her struggles relate to the main story at the library. However, the fantasy chapters are quite long, so sometimes it feels like they stall the momentum that Mad's plot is building. If I were editing this, I would have trimmed the first half of The Silent Queen story quite a bit; they spent too much time journeying to the monster. I also wish that the author had tied Alala's plot more closely to Mad's. There are thematic threads connecting them, but they aren't clear at first. I think you could ultimately skip these chapters if you were really unhappy with them and only wanted to read the main story. You would be a little confused when the characters talk about The Silent Queen, but that's it. So, I wish that there had been more substantively relevant there, so that The Silent Queen wasn't so skippable.
Additionally, while I think this book is pretty good as it is, I would have loved the other adults at the library to be developed more and the overall mystery to be explained just a teensy bit more. The children and Mad's friends are easy to keep track of, but I was sometimes confused about which of the other library visitors were which. The owl mystery doesn't need a clear explanation - one of the messages of the story is about living to the fullest when life throws unexpected twists at you... but still... I wouldn't have minded a few more sentences explaining the owls' motivations and what happened to them after the conclusion.
Despite my small issues, I had a great time reading The Parliament! If you're looking for a story with some scary moments and some magical moments, but that is largely centered around human connections and overcoming grief and trauma, then I would highly recommend this. If you're looking for a true horror novel or something more focused on action, then you may not like this one as much as I did. I'll definitely check out other work by Aimee Pokwatka in the future.
4 out of 5 stars.
I love a good locked room horror book; give me a premise where the characters are all stuck together, and I'm already hooked by the claustrophobia. When I read that this was a story centered around a bunch of characters locked in a library surrounded by thousands upon thousands of murderous owls, I was beyond excited! The contrast of a cozy hometown library setting with creepy owls intent on eating people just outside was such a fun setup. The Parliament is an interesting novel, featuring horror and fantasy elements, but it also holds a great deal of depth, as it explores grief, trauma, and surviving life's difficulties. I liked it!
The story follows Mad, a chemist who begrudgingly returns to her hometown's library in West Virginia to teach a class to middle schoolers as a favor to her childhood best friend. She had a traumatic event happen when she was growing up, and Mad's done everything in her power to leave home and never look back. On the first day of her class, thousands of owls swarm and surround the library, attacking anyone who exits the building. Mad is tasked with keeping the children in her class calm as she and the other adults in the library struggle to find a way out. To distract the kids, Mad reads them her favorite comfort fantasy story, The Silent Queen, which follows a woman trying to save the children in her kingdom from a monster. Chapters from the story are sprinkled throughout the novel.
This book has a lot going on, but I feel that it handled everything well. After glancing through some initial reviews, it looks like the novel is somewhat divisive - I'm not surprised. I anticipate that you'll like this book if you enjoy stories with multiple elements. If you're looking for a straightforward horror book, though, you may not be satisfied. While there is some horror in The Parliament, I wouldn't quite call it a horror novel. For as many horror scenes as there are, there are just as many heartfelt moments, silly dad jokes, and scenes exploring overarching themes. I also expect the chapters from The Silent Queen to work for some readers, but not everyone, as they are fairly tonally different from the main plot.
This book worked for me, because I found it really engaging in many ways.
The characters are interesting. I could connect with Mad, who is awkward and truly just wants to be back home eating pizza alone. She has trouble getting over the past and accepting the uncertainties of the future. She's a compelling main character. Her struggles feel authentic. I also liked the side characters. The love interest, Nash, and former best friend, Farrah, were my favorites. I thought the children in Mad's class were well-written, too. Their dialogue is realistic, and it's wholesome watching Mad grow from nervous around them to protective over the entire class as the story unfolds.
I also found the writing to be pretty good. It's smooth to read. Aimee Pokwatka has a clear voice for Mad (even though it's written from a third-person perspective); I had fun following her and reading about all of her random knowledge and survival skills. While the prose wasn't flowery, there were a handful of meaningful lines that stood out.
The last thing that worked well for me was how serious themes were explored with care. Sometimes authors try to take on too many themes at once in their stories, and none of them are given the time or attention that's necessary. That didn't happen here. The author selected a few key ideas and explored them beautifully. I appreciated watching Mad grow to be more vulnerable. At times, it felt like I was reading a cozy literary novel, while two chapters later, I was reading a fast-paced thriller story. I liked all of the moving pieces and how they connected to the larger themes. Although, I can see how it could be too much for some readers.
There are a couple of things I have minor complaints about, so I can't give this a perfect rating.
First, I didn't mind the chapters from The Silent Queen, but they could have been developed a little better. Alala's story is interesting, and by the end, it becomes clear how some of her struggles relate to the main story at the library. However, the fantasy chapters are quite long, so sometimes it feels like they stall the momentum that Mad's plot is building. If I were editing this, I would have trimmed the first half of The Silent Queen story quite a bit; they spent too much time journeying to the monster. I also wish that the author had tied Alala's plot more closely to Mad's. There are thematic threads connecting them, but they aren't clear at first. I think you could ultimately skip these chapters if you were really unhappy with them and only wanted to read the main story. You would be a little confused when the characters talk about The Silent Queen, but that's it. So, I wish that there had been more substantively relevant there, so that The Silent Queen wasn't so skippable.
Additionally, while I think this book is pretty good as it is, I would have loved the other adults at the library to be developed more and the overall mystery to be explained just a teensy bit more. The children and Mad's friends are easy to keep track of, but I was sometimes confused about which of the other library visitors were which. The owl mystery doesn't need a clear explanation - one of the messages of the story is about living to the fullest when life throws unexpected twists at you... but still... I wouldn't have minded a few more sentences explaining the owls' motivations and what happened to them after the conclusion.
Despite my small issues, I had a great time reading The Parliament! If you're looking for a story with some scary moments and some magical moments, but that is largely centered around human connections and overcoming grief and trauma, then I would highly recommend this. If you're looking for a true horror novel or something more focused on action, then you may not like this one as much as I did. I'll definitely check out other work by Aimee Pokwatka in the future.
4 out of 5 stars.
January 11, 2024
It is me, here with nothing but love for a book with a whole bird on the cover. You know why? Everyone in the book hates these assholes just as much as I do! And not even just after they attack- no, main character Mad hates them before they even get extra awful. I have found my people, hidden in the pages of this bird book. Anti-bird book, if you will. So yeah, this book has birds, I loved it. This book has a story-within-a-story, which I usually do not like, but I loved it. How do I even begin to tell you why? I'll try.
►I adored Mad. From the start, she won me over. I mean, sure, partly because she "never liked birds", obviously. But beyond that, I just clicked with her whole character. She's been through some stuff, and she's done a crap job of healing, and she shuts people out because she's scared, and it's a whole relatable thing. So Mad finding herself teaching a bunch of teens? Yeah, not exactly what she'd expected she'd be doing, but she also never expected she'd be trapped in Bird Hell™ either, so.
►Speaking of, Bird Hell™! I mean- don't misunderstand, I did not like Bird Hell™, but I was certainly entertained by it. You know that is the apocalypse I'll find myself front and center in, right? Well, it isn't cute. And Mad isn't really equipped to handle it, and frankly, neither is anyone else who happened to have the bad fortune to be in the library that day.
►I actually liked the story! Mad started reading this story to the group, and it was actually really entertaining and it fit really well- I loved how all the kids in the group sort of had a different perspective on it too, the author did an amazing job using this story to really give us insight into the characters, and I thought that was genius.
►It's exciting! I mean. Duh. I was very much on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next, how they were going to get out of there, who would make it, etc. It's high stakes, compelling stuff!
►At the same time, I never wanted it to end! I loved getting to know Mad, and the other townspeople we get to know. I mean, I was glad that it had an appropriate ending and everything, don't get me wrong, but man did I enjoy being in this world. No worries, this one will be on my re-read list for sure!
Bottom Line: I am actively begging you to read this bird book, so I think you have to?
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
►I adored Mad. From the start, she won me over. I mean, sure, partly because she "never liked birds", obviously. But beyond that, I just clicked with her whole character. She's been through some stuff, and she's done a crap job of healing, and she shuts people out because she's scared, and it's a whole relatable thing. So Mad finding herself teaching a bunch of teens? Yeah, not exactly what she'd expected she'd be doing, but she also never expected she'd be trapped in Bird Hell™ either, so.
►Speaking of, Bird Hell™! I mean- don't misunderstand, I did not like Bird Hell™, but I was certainly entertained by it. You know that is the apocalypse I'll find myself front and center in, right? Well, it isn't cute. And Mad isn't really equipped to handle it, and frankly, neither is anyone else who happened to have the bad fortune to be in the library that day.
►I actually liked the story! Mad started reading this story to the group, and it was actually really entertaining and it fit really well- I loved how all the kids in the group sort of had a different perspective on it too, the author did an amazing job using this story to really give us insight into the characters, and I thought that was genius.
►It's exciting! I mean. Duh. I was very much on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next, how they were going to get out of there, who would make it, etc. It's high stakes, compelling stuff!
►At the same time, I never wanted it to end! I loved getting to know Mad, and the other townspeople we get to know. I mean, I was glad that it had an appropriate ending and everything, don't get me wrong, but man did I enjoy being in this world. No worries, this one will be on my re-read list for sure!
Bottom Line: I am actively begging you to read this bird book, so I think you have to?
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
January 8, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
The Parliament.
I wanted to read this the moment I read the premise.
I really liked Hitchcock's The Birds when I first saw it at an age I shouldn't have been watching it and the premise of The Parliament was right up my alley.
I didn't know a group of owls is called a parliament, which is interesting but nothing beats what a group of crows is called. Murderrrrr.
There are scenes of terror and blood so readers with sensitive stomachs should be aware.
But, this didn't capture my interest for a number of reasons:
First, I wasn't a fan of Mad; I understand she was traumatized as a child after surviving a horrific school tragedy, and has never been the same since.
But, I didn't connect with Mad, nor really care about her.
Second, in the beginning I enjoyed the excerpts from The Silent Queen, but then soon found it distracting from what was happening in the present.
Third, there's a romance-y angle when Mad's crush and eldest brother of the school shooting victim from the past is also trapped in the library with her.
A romance or even a hint of a romance isn't required in every book, nor did I believe it moved the narrative forward.
The writing was good, but the characters were unmemorable (I forgot who was who), the pacing dragged at times, became repetitive, especially when we're in Mad's head.
I did like how the author gives the readers at how the survivors are doing after the attack by the parliament.
The Parliament wasn't scary (not to me but it takes a lot to spook me) and is a story about survival, resilience, and teamwork so if you like those types of stories, give this a go.
I wanted to read this the moment I read the premise.
I really liked Hitchcock's The Birds when I first saw it at an age I shouldn't have been watching it and the premise of The Parliament was right up my alley.
I didn't know a group of owls is called a parliament, which is interesting but nothing beats what a group of crows is called. Murderrrrr.
There are scenes of terror and blood so readers with sensitive stomachs should be aware.
But, this didn't capture my interest for a number of reasons:
First, I wasn't a fan of Mad; I understand she was traumatized as a child after surviving a horrific school tragedy, and has never been the same since.
But, I didn't connect with Mad, nor really care about her.
Second, in the beginning I enjoyed the excerpts from The Silent Queen, but then soon found it distracting from what was happening in the present.
Third, there's a romance-y angle when Mad's crush and eldest brother of the school shooting victim from the past is also trapped in the library with her.
A romance or even a hint of a romance isn't required in every book, nor did I believe it moved the narrative forward.
The writing was good, but the characters were unmemorable (I forgot who was who), the pacing dragged at times, became repetitive, especially when we're in Mad's head.
I did like how the author gives the readers at how the survivors are doing after the attack by the parliament.
The Parliament wasn't scary (not to me but it takes a lot to spook me) and is a story about survival, resilience, and teamwork so if you like those types of stories, give this a go.
January 14, 2024
CW: gore, blood, death, medical content, (discussion of) child death, (discussion of) shooting in a school
I received a digital ARC for free via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Mad does her best to avoid returning home whenever possible. Despite this, she finds herself agreeing to teach a science class to middle schoolers at her hometown public library. Then, the evening plans drastically change when a owl dives through the window.
Told as a story within a story, The Parliament is a tale of modern and fantastic survival.
You'll see a lot of reviews quoting The Birds meets The Princess Bride," which is admittedly what drew me to this story initially as well. The Birds I will give it. The Princess Bride....? Not so much. I think there's a lot better fantasy to compare The Silent Queen to. I'd probably be more inclined towards The Princess Academy, if I were to make a comparison immediately after reading.
On The Birds end, though, that's a very apt comparison, and also the primary story.
Opposed to The Birds, which is just kind of weird and deeply unsettling, this story hinges more on the realism of a horror survival situation, which I think will be very appealing to many readers. Personally, I was hoping more for the weird, unsettling, and unexplained, but, y'know. You get what you get with a premise as intriguing as that one!
In terms of the secondary story, chapters from Mad's favorite childhood book, The Silent Queen, I've seen there be some division between those who enjoyed the pauses in narrative and those who were bored by it. I'm honestly somewhere in the middle. I enjoyed the ending chapters much more than the early ones, and I found myself skimming quite a lot of it, but never felt like I missed too much.
Overall, I would say I enjoyed this story, but more so the beginning and the end. The middle just dragged a bit for me. In terms of the characters, while the child cast was generally cute, none of them really stuck out to me, mostly because there were so many of them. I did really like Mad, though.
I received a digital ARC for free via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Mad does her best to avoid returning home whenever possible. Despite this, she finds herself agreeing to teach a science class to middle schoolers at her hometown public library. Then, the evening plans drastically change when a owl dives through the window.
Told as a story within a story, The Parliament is a tale of modern and fantastic survival.
You'll see a lot of reviews quoting The Birds meets The Princess Bride," which is admittedly what drew me to this story initially as well. The Birds I will give it. The Princess Bride....? Not so much. I think there's a lot better fantasy to compare The Silent Queen to. I'd probably be more inclined towards The Princess Academy, if I were to make a comparison immediately after reading.
On The Birds end, though, that's a very apt comparison, and also the primary story.
Opposed to The Birds, which is just kind of weird and deeply unsettling, this story hinges more on the realism of a horror survival situation, which I think will be very appealing to many readers. Personally, I was hoping more for the weird, unsettling, and unexplained, but, y'know. You get what you get with a premise as intriguing as that one!
In terms of the secondary story, chapters from Mad's favorite childhood book, The Silent Queen, I've seen there be some division between those who enjoyed the pauses in narrative and those who were bored by it. I'm honestly somewhere in the middle. I enjoyed the ending chapters much more than the early ones, and I found myself skimming quite a lot of it, but never felt like I missed too much.
Overall, I would say I enjoyed this story, but more so the beginning and the end. The middle just dragged a bit for me. In terms of the characters, while the child cast was generally cute, none of them really stuck out to me, mostly because there were so many of them. I did really like Mad, though.
September 16, 2023
"The Parliament" is a novel with horror and fantasy elements written by Aimee Pokwatka.
The story follows chemist Madigan Purdy, better known as Mad, returning to her hometown to teach a class to middle schoolers at the local library. When tens of thousands of owls descend on the building, ripping and tearing at anyone foolish enough to go outside, Mad is tasked with keeping her students safe and distracted while the others present look for a solution to their problem. Inexperienced in dealing with curious and responsive teens, Mad begins reading to them her favorite childhood book, "The Silent Queen," found among the shelves. However, what they hoped would be a temporary situation continues to drag on, quickly worsening. With food and fresh water in low supply, the denizens of the library will have to find a way out, and soon, but the deadly owls do not seem to be in a hurry to leave.
This book pleasantly surprised me! As a lover of "The Birds" and "The Princess Bride," I was intrigued by the blurb that describes it as "The Birds meets The Princess Bride." I admit I started reading expecting the story of a group of unfortunates, suddenly stranded in a library by a group of murderous owls, forced to fight to survive and escape. But it was not so! Or rather, the killer owls are there, with victims and various aggressions, but the book does not stop at just that. No, "The Parliament" is a story about loss, trauma, remorse and guilt. It is a story about affection, friendship and love. It is a story of growth, courage and recovery. It is an intense and compelling tale, at times macabre and claustrophobic, that surprised and conquered me completely!
I loved the writing! Evocative, lyrical and at times gory, characterized by vivid descriptions and effective dialogue, it kept me glued to the pages! I loved the more horror parts, in my opinion handled very well. Yes, the plot is about killer owls, and no, they are not present just as embellishment. The owls attack, peck and tear, with some particularly bloody scenes. I felt the tension of the situation, the oppression caused by a closed place surrounded by threats. Likewise, I enjoyed the more fantasy part, with this sort of tale within a tale, which convinced me with its fairy-tale tints mixed with a darker component. I think the author did an excellent job in handling this mixture of fantasy and horror, to which is added a more emotional and deeper part. It is a rather dense prose, full of scientific anecdotes, perhaps not exactly easy to follow. Personally, I enjoyed it quite a bit and was very satisfied.
The plot definitely surprised and intrigued me! As mentioned above, I was expecting a horror story and that's it. Instead it turned out to be much but much more! Basically, the book is a kind of tale within a tale, with two stories taking place simultaneously. On the one hand we have Mad and the denizens in the library, besieged by aggressive crows. On the other hand, we have the events of Queen Alala, protagonist of "The Silent Queen," the book Mad reads to the kids to keep them engaged. The first tale is the one with more horror traits, while the second is the one with more fantasy traits. The chapters of both alternate during the reading, in a way that I found quite skillful. I cannot talk about the second narrative strand because I'm afraid of making spoilers, but I enjoyed it very much. Moreover, the book deals with serious issues such as grief, trauma, guilt, with an intensity that touched me quite a bit. It is a story full of emotions, of feelings, with the presence of gory scenes. I admit that I was moved at certain moments, as well as felt anxiety about certain situations! It is a storyline that convinced me from beginning to end, without moments of boredom or heaviness. I warn that not all questions in the book are answered, several mysteries remain as such, creating a cryptic atmosphere that in my opinion suits the text.
I really liked Mad, the protagonist with her third person pov! Mad is a chemist, returning to her hometown to teach a class to middle school students at the local library. Suddenly attacked by thousands of aggressive owls, she finds herself trapped in the facility. Mad is an introverted, shy and reserved person who struggles to relate. Socializing often makes her uncomfortable, so much so that she prefers to spend her days at home, eating pizza safely in her living room and watching TV, rather than interacting with others. She doesn't know how to console people, doesn't know how to support them, and certainly has no idea how to deal with teens. However, soon Mad finds herself protective of the kids in her care, so much so that she is willing to do anything to protect them. Beneath her insecurities, Mad is a loyal and sensitive person scarred by deep traumas. A person immersed in a sea of pain and remorse, which constantly threatens to suffocate her. Mad is a character I enjoyed a lot, for whom I was moved repeatedly, characterized by an excellent growth path.
Queen Alala, protagonist of the tale "The Silent Queen" with her third person pov, grabbed me a lot. I can't say anything more specific, but she really impressed me.
The secondary characters satisfied me! Not all of them are equally deepened, but overall I found them functional and efficient. I especially enjoyed the teens and Nash! I confess that I don't expect the presence of a little romance component, however I enjoyed it very much!
All in all, this is a book that pleasantly surprised me and that I recommend to those who want to try to read something particular!
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows chemist Madigan Purdy, better known as Mad, returning to her hometown to teach a class to middle schoolers at the local library. When tens of thousands of owls descend on the building, ripping and tearing at anyone foolish enough to go outside, Mad is tasked with keeping her students safe and distracted while the others present look for a solution to their problem. Inexperienced in dealing with curious and responsive teens, Mad begins reading to them her favorite childhood book, "The Silent Queen," found among the shelves. However, what they hoped would be a temporary situation continues to drag on, quickly worsening. With food and fresh water in low supply, the denizens of the library will have to find a way out, and soon, but the deadly owls do not seem to be in a hurry to leave.
This book pleasantly surprised me! As a lover of "The Birds" and "The Princess Bride," I was intrigued by the blurb that describes it as "The Birds meets The Princess Bride." I admit I started reading expecting the story of a group of unfortunates, suddenly stranded in a library by a group of murderous owls, forced to fight to survive and escape. But it was not so! Or rather, the killer owls are there, with victims and various aggressions, but the book does not stop at just that. No, "The Parliament" is a story about loss, trauma, remorse and guilt. It is a story about affection, friendship and love. It is a story of growth, courage and recovery. It is an intense and compelling tale, at times macabre and claustrophobic, that surprised and conquered me completely!
I loved the writing! Evocative, lyrical and at times gory, characterized by vivid descriptions and effective dialogue, it kept me glued to the pages! I loved the more horror parts, in my opinion handled very well. Yes, the plot is about killer owls, and no, they are not present just as embellishment. The owls attack, peck and tear, with some particularly bloody scenes. I felt the tension of the situation, the oppression caused by a closed place surrounded by threats. Likewise, I enjoyed the more fantasy part, with this sort of tale within a tale, which convinced me with its fairy-tale tints mixed with a darker component. I think the author did an excellent job in handling this mixture of fantasy and horror, to which is added a more emotional and deeper part. It is a rather dense prose, full of scientific anecdotes, perhaps not exactly easy to follow. Personally, I enjoyed it quite a bit and was very satisfied.
The plot definitely surprised and intrigued me! As mentioned above, I was expecting a horror story and that's it. Instead it turned out to be much but much more! Basically, the book is a kind of tale within a tale, with two stories taking place simultaneously. On the one hand we have Mad and the denizens in the library, besieged by aggressive crows. On the other hand, we have the events of Queen Alala, protagonist of "The Silent Queen," the book Mad reads to the kids to keep them engaged. The first tale is the one with more horror traits, while the second is the one with more fantasy traits. The chapters of both alternate during the reading, in a way that I found quite skillful. I cannot talk about the second narrative strand because I'm afraid of making spoilers, but I enjoyed it very much. Moreover, the book deals with serious issues such as grief, trauma, guilt, with an intensity that touched me quite a bit. It is a story full of emotions, of feelings, with the presence of gory scenes. I admit that I was moved at certain moments, as well as felt anxiety about certain situations! It is a storyline that convinced me from beginning to end, without moments of boredom or heaviness. I warn that not all questions in the book are answered, several mysteries remain as such, creating a cryptic atmosphere that in my opinion suits the text.
I really liked Mad, the protagonist with her third person pov! Mad is a chemist, returning to her hometown to teach a class to middle school students at the local library. Suddenly attacked by thousands of aggressive owls, she finds herself trapped in the facility. Mad is an introverted, shy and reserved person who struggles to relate. Socializing often makes her uncomfortable, so much so that she prefers to spend her days at home, eating pizza safely in her living room and watching TV, rather than interacting with others. She doesn't know how to console people, doesn't know how to support them, and certainly has no idea how to deal with teens. However, soon Mad finds herself protective of the kids in her care, so much so that she is willing to do anything to protect them. Beneath her insecurities, Mad is a loyal and sensitive person scarred by deep traumas. A person immersed in a sea of pain and remorse, which constantly threatens to suffocate her. Mad is a character I enjoyed a lot, for whom I was moved repeatedly, characterized by an excellent growth path.
Queen Alala, protagonist of the tale "The Silent Queen" with her third person pov, grabbed me a lot. I can't say anything more specific, but she really impressed me.
The secondary characters satisfied me! Not all of them are equally deepened, but overall I found them functional and efficient. I especially enjoyed the teens and Nash! I confess that I don't expect the presence of a little romance component, however I enjoyed it very much!
All in all, this is a book that pleasantly surprised me and that I recommend to those who want to try to read something particular!
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 16, 2024
A dual storyline, with one setting a library being inundated with killer birds, and another setting a fairytale that the main character reads to the kids in the library.
I really enjoyed the fairytale! The characters were interesting, and I was interested in finding out what would happen.
I didn’t care so much for the main story, and actually found it a bit dull. Also, some of the characters’ actions didn’t seem to make much sense. It is an intriguing plot, though. It just wasn’t for me.
I really enjoyed the fairytale! The characters were interesting, and I was interested in finding out what would happen.
I didn’t care so much for the main story, and actually found it a bit dull. Also, some of the characters’ actions didn’t seem to make much sense. It is an intriguing plot, though. It just wasn’t for me.
January 10, 2024
Magical realism takes fantastical events and portrays them in a realistic tone. So you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t agree with categorizing The Parliament as a fantasy novel like it’s being marketed. Because this isn’t a fantasy novel, dark or otherwise. This is a magical realism novel, first and foremost, with philosophically dark themes and horror tropes.
It was everything I hoped for from Aimee Potwatka’s second novel: The prose soared, I sobbed, I felt all the feelings, and I was completely swept away by this incredibly immersive story.
Calling this book “The Birds meets The Princess Bride” (as it states in the marketing material) is a gross oversimplification and absolutely does this book no justice. In mythology, owls symbolize everything from evil omens to talismans of wisdom. In fantasy, a parliament of owls has been used more than once as an unbiased council of judgment. In real life, they are beautiful and peaceful by day but chaotic and bloodthirsty by night.
“In the night, when the owl is less than exquisitely swift and perfect, the scream of the rabbit is terrible. But the scream of the owl, which is not of pain and hopelessness and the fear of being plucked out of the world, but of the sheer rollicking glory of the death-bringer, is more terrible still. When I hear it resounding through the woods, and then the five black pellets of its song dropping like stones into the air, I know I am standing at the edge of the mystery, in which terror is naturally and abundantly part of life, part of even the most becalmed, intelligent, sunny life—as, for example, my own. The world where the owl is endlessly hungry and endlessly on the hunt is the world in which I live too. There is only one world.” - Mary Oliver
I chose to view the titular parliament as a combination of that fantastical body of judgment and symbols of the underworld. It seems to best fit the themes of this book: grief, regret, anger, violence, abandonment, desolation, loneliness, helplessness, and trauma. Of losing your voice, not having a voice, fighting to have a voice, regaining your voice, and what comes after regaining your voice. Of flight, fight, and freeze. Of responsibility, fault, and blame. About sacrifice.
Aimee Potwatka delivers an amazingly complicated novel containing hugely emotional themes with a deft hand and sweeping prose that carries you away. You’ll feel drawn in and ensconced with these characters as they contemplate how to escape their judgment and survive the parliament of owls.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Body Horror/Disability Rep/Horror/Literary Fiction/Magical Realism
It was everything I hoped for from Aimee Potwatka’s second novel: The prose soared, I sobbed, I felt all the feelings, and I was completely swept away by this incredibly immersive story.
Calling this book “The Birds meets The Princess Bride” (as it states in the marketing material) is a gross oversimplification and absolutely does this book no justice. In mythology, owls symbolize everything from evil omens to talismans of wisdom. In fantasy, a parliament of owls has been used more than once as an unbiased council of judgment. In real life, they are beautiful and peaceful by day but chaotic and bloodthirsty by night.
“In the night, when the owl is less than exquisitely swift and perfect, the scream of the rabbit is terrible. But the scream of the owl, which is not of pain and hopelessness and the fear of being plucked out of the world, but of the sheer rollicking glory of the death-bringer, is more terrible still. When I hear it resounding through the woods, and then the five black pellets of its song dropping like stones into the air, I know I am standing at the edge of the mystery, in which terror is naturally and abundantly part of life, part of even the most becalmed, intelligent, sunny life—as, for example, my own. The world where the owl is endlessly hungry and endlessly on the hunt is the world in which I live too. There is only one world.” - Mary Oliver
I chose to view the titular parliament as a combination of that fantastical body of judgment and symbols of the underworld. It seems to best fit the themes of this book: grief, regret, anger, violence, abandonment, desolation, loneliness, helplessness, and trauma. Of losing your voice, not having a voice, fighting to have a voice, regaining your voice, and what comes after regaining your voice. Of flight, fight, and freeze. Of responsibility, fault, and blame. About sacrifice.
Aimee Potwatka delivers an amazingly complicated novel containing hugely emotional themes with a deft hand and sweeping prose that carries you away. You’ll feel drawn in and ensconced with these characters as they contemplate how to escape their judgment and survive the parliament of owls.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Body Horror/Disability Rep/Horror/Literary Fiction/Magical Realism
January 24, 2024
4.5 rounded up
Thank you so much Tordotcom Publishing for the complimentary DRC.
If you're looking for a tense, weird book, that will have you whisper screaming wtf, omg, and oh no oh no oh no oh no, then pick up The Parliament. Thousands of owls descend on the library and from there on everyone is stuck. Being trapped in a library sounds ideal to all of us right? But there's the tiny issue of food, and meds, and eventually water. Anyone who tries to leave is torn apart by the owls. As Madeleine tries to keep the kids calm, she begins to read them a story from her favorite book as a child, The Silent Queen. I almost loved the Silent Queen as much as The Parliament. The only issue I had is that the chapters are so long, it took me a bit to get back into things when it swapped between the two stories. There's a great cast of characters, with some funny moments to give you a breather from the severity of this odd situation they're all in.
Thank you so much Tordotcom Publishing for the complimentary DRC.
If you're looking for a tense, weird book, that will have you whisper screaming wtf, omg, and oh no oh no oh no oh no, then pick up The Parliament. Thousands of owls descend on the library and from there on everyone is stuck. Being trapped in a library sounds ideal to all of us right? But there's the tiny issue of food, and meds, and eventually water. Anyone who tries to leave is torn apart by the owls. As Madeleine tries to keep the kids calm, she begins to read them a story from her favorite book as a child, The Silent Queen. I almost loved the Silent Queen as much as The Parliament. The only issue I had is that the chapters are so long, it took me a bit to get back into things when it swapped between the two stories. There's a great cast of characters, with some funny moments to give you a breather from the severity of this odd situation they're all in.
February 8, 2024
Definitely meant to remind readers of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" (originally a short story by Daphne du Maurier), Aimee Pokwatka's "The Parliament" is a tense and increasingly claustrophobic and frightening story about an unexpected attack by owls.
Madigan "Mad" Purdy has spent her life, since surviving a school shooting when she was a kid, trying to not make connections, still feeling intense guilt that she survived, and that a good friend in her classroom did not. (When police arrived, they found her holding her dead friend's hand,) This moment looms huge in her memories, and keeps her cut off and lonely, by choice. Now an adult working as a chemist for a makeup company, she's arrived, reluctantly, at her hometown library to give a workshop, after a persistent request by another childhood friend, Farrah. And to make matters worse, Nash, Mad's former best friend and crush, and the brother of her dead classmate, is also at the library.
The kids attending the workshop have their own issues, one recovering from a dead brother's death, and other heavy things, and but all are smart, funny, intriguing, difficult to impress, and at times adversarial; i.e., kids on the cusp of adolescence.
When a massive number of owls descend on the library, and begin attacking and killing anyone who ventures outside, the library becomes both a place of temporary safety and imprisonment. To keep the kids' spirits up, Mad begins reading them a book called "The Silent Queen", a dark fairy tale about a mute princess of a land whose wealth comes from its mines. And a terrible beast that maims, mauls and kills the girls of all the lands in this story, but gives them each a gift afterwards. It's a gruesome, terrifying world, and tale (how does this in-story tale bear ANY resemblance to "The Princess Bride"??) that brought Mad comfort when young, and does so for her worried and stressed group. In fact, the kids are not only are captivated and calmed by the story, but also begin researching, at Mad's urging, ways to potentially calm the owls and send them away.
Mad feels responsible for the kids, as she knows that they're going through something life changing that will linger in their memories for years after. While she does her best to protect them, Nash does his best to maintain the kids' and the other patrons' health with very limited supplies and food, as he's a pediatrician. He and Mad also begin dealing, despite Mad's incredible reluctance to open up, with her childhood trauma, and its effect on their relationship.
This is definitely a horror-filled novel, from the murder owls, to Mad's early experience with violence, to the increasingly desperate situation for everyone in the library, to the various methods the town uses to deal with the incident.
At the same time, it's a terrific novel about friendship, people working together and supporting one another, and second chances. Mad is a likeable character, and her flaws and her behaviour all make sense. She's prickly, caring, and does her best to rally the kids; her journey from unwillingness to open up to Nash at the beginning, to her willingness to finally really reconnect with him, and to also going from wincing at the thought of spending an hour with the kids to inspiring them into their adulthoods was fantastic.
This was an unexpectedly enjoyable book. And much as I love going to libraries, I would hate to be forcibly confined in one, as the characters here were, but I still really liked spending time with Mad and the murder owls.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Tor Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Madigan "Mad" Purdy has spent her life, since surviving a school shooting when she was a kid, trying to not make connections, still feeling intense guilt that she survived, and that a good friend in her classroom did not. (When police arrived, they found her holding her dead friend's hand,) This moment looms huge in her memories, and keeps her cut off and lonely, by choice. Now an adult working as a chemist for a makeup company, she's arrived, reluctantly, at her hometown library to give a workshop, after a persistent request by another childhood friend, Farrah. And to make matters worse, Nash, Mad's former best friend and crush, and the brother of her dead classmate, is also at the library.
The kids attending the workshop have their own issues, one recovering from a dead brother's death, and other heavy things, and but all are smart, funny, intriguing, difficult to impress, and at times adversarial; i.e., kids on the cusp of adolescence.
When a massive number of owls descend on the library, and begin attacking and killing anyone who ventures outside, the library becomes both a place of temporary safety and imprisonment. To keep the kids' spirits up, Mad begins reading them a book called "The Silent Queen", a dark fairy tale about a mute princess of a land whose wealth comes from its mines. And a terrible beast that maims, mauls and kills the girls of all the lands in this story, but gives them each a gift afterwards. It's a gruesome, terrifying world, and tale (how does this in-story tale bear ANY resemblance to "The Princess Bride"??) that brought Mad comfort when young, and does so for her worried and stressed group. In fact, the kids are not only are captivated and calmed by the story, but also begin researching, at Mad's urging, ways to potentially calm the owls and send them away.
Mad feels responsible for the kids, as she knows that they're going through something life changing that will linger in their memories for years after. While she does her best to protect them, Nash does his best to maintain the kids' and the other patrons' health with very limited supplies and food, as he's a pediatrician. He and Mad also begin dealing, despite Mad's incredible reluctance to open up, with her childhood trauma, and its effect on their relationship.
This is definitely a horror-filled novel, from the murder owls, to Mad's early experience with violence, to the increasingly desperate situation for everyone in the library, to the various methods the town uses to deal with the incident.
At the same time, it's a terrific novel about friendship, people working together and supporting one another, and second chances. Mad is a likeable character, and her flaws and her behaviour all make sense. She's prickly, caring, and does her best to rally the kids; her journey from unwillingness to open up to Nash at the beginning, to her willingness to finally really reconnect with him, and to also going from wincing at the thought of spending an hour with the kids to inspiring them into their adulthoods was fantastic.
This was an unexpectedly enjoyable book. And much as I love going to libraries, I would hate to be forcibly confined in one, as the characters here were, but I still really liked spending time with Mad and the murder owls.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Tor Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my review.
January 14, 2024
Billed as a cross between ‘The Birds’ and ‘The Princess Bride’, ‘The Parliament’ by …. has all the makings of a fun and entertaining read.
It centres around Mad (Madigan) who has somewhat reluctantly returned to her home town, and whilst there is plagued by memories and guilt from her childhood past. A trained Chemist, she is asked to lead a workshop for local children in the town library. There she is greeted by an old friend and the brother (also ex-crush) of her best friend from the age of 11.
What starts off as a relatively normal evening teaching middle school kids, soon turns into an ornithophobe’s nightmare when a flock of owls (known as a parliament) descends, torments (with murderous results) patrons of the library. Trapped inside, food and water running in short supply, with no exit, Mad and the remaining patrons are left at the mercy of a town seemingly incompetent at the task of evacuating them.
Whilst I enjoyed parts of the book, unfortunately there were elements that just didn’t fit, which left me feeling it could’ve easily have been a lot shorter. The most glaring element in question is the inclusion of a separate storyline in the form of another book within. The MC reads this book to the children, which doesn’t add up to the main story, and serves little towards developing the plot. Other reviews I read disgree, but it had me checking how many pages I had left to endure.
I was hoping this book within a book might act as a metaphor for capitalism or injustices towards women, highlighting the struggles girls face in their rise to womanhood, and the experiences they suffer just to have their voices heard. But frankly I don’t think it’s that clever.
The characters are sadly lacking and not fleshed out as I would’ve liked, which left me not caring much for any of them; and whilst I appreciate a dad joke (or three) the book is laden with them which just becomes grating and dull.
Overall I wouldn’t say it was bad… some of the scenes are quite tense and even thrilling in parts, but it could have been about 150pp shorter.
Thanks to TorDotCom and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It centres around Mad (Madigan) who has somewhat reluctantly returned to her home town, and whilst there is plagued by memories and guilt from her childhood past. A trained Chemist, she is asked to lead a workshop for local children in the town library. There she is greeted by an old friend and the brother (also ex-crush) of her best friend from the age of 11.
What starts off as a relatively normal evening teaching middle school kids, soon turns into an ornithophobe’s nightmare when a flock of owls (known as a parliament) descends, torments (with murderous results) patrons of the library. Trapped inside, food and water running in short supply, with no exit, Mad and the remaining patrons are left at the mercy of a town seemingly incompetent at the task of evacuating them.
Whilst I enjoyed parts of the book, unfortunately there were elements that just didn’t fit, which left me feeling it could’ve easily have been a lot shorter. The most glaring element in question is the inclusion of a separate storyline in the form of another book within. The MC reads this book to the children, which doesn’t add up to the main story, and serves little towards developing the plot. Other reviews I read disgree, but it had me checking how many pages I had left to endure.
I was hoping this book within a book might act as a metaphor for capitalism or injustices towards women, highlighting the struggles girls face in their rise to womanhood, and the experiences they suffer just to have their voices heard. But frankly I don’t think it’s that clever.
The characters are sadly lacking and not fleshed out as I would’ve liked, which left me not caring much for any of them; and whilst I appreciate a dad joke (or three) the book is laden with them which just becomes grating and dull.
Overall I wouldn’t say it was bad… some of the scenes are quite tense and even thrilling in parts, but it could have been about 150pp shorter.
Thanks to TorDotCom and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 7, 2024
As a library worker and a lover of the movie “The Birds”, this book was absolutely perfect for me! It had a little bit of everything-suspense, horror, fantasy, a story-within-a-story, and then it’s also about how trauma can root deep inside one’s body. I don’t know if the author was a librarian herself or just knew any, but her depictions of library life are SPOT.ON! Even today while reading I did a double take around my library and evaluated how safe we all would be if there was a random owl attack 😅
I do admit I skipped over the chapters containing the fantasy story-I’m sure they were great and really added more to the overall story, but fantasy just isn’t my jam, and I felt like I got the gist of it from the main plot.
I do admit I skipped over the chapters containing the fantasy story-I’m sure they were great and really added more to the overall story, but fantasy just isn’t my jam, and I felt like I got the gist of it from the main plot.
February 4, 2024
Murder owls? Sure, why not. But try to make me believe that a mother and toddler unexpectedly get trapped in the library for days on end and do not EVEN ONCE run out of diapers?
Not to mention that the toddler throws only one tantrum, at the very beginning, but is otherwise a cheerful beacon of good will and smiling joy as he remains trapped in the same location, with limited toys and seriously dwindling food supplies that include none of his favorite snacks??
Has this author met a toddler???
Not to mention that the toddler throws only one tantrum, at the very beginning, but is otherwise a cheerful beacon of good will and smiling joy as he remains trapped in the same location, with limited toys and seriously dwindling food supplies that include none of his favorite snacks??
Has this author met a toddler???
January 23, 2024
Hmmm....I don't think this book quite worked. I was super interested because it was a disaster book about a public library getting swarmed with murderous owls. That part was mostly fine. What bogged it down was the alternating chapters that were from a fantasy book that the main character really loved as a kid. I don't know what this was supposed to add to the original murder-owls plot, but it REALLY interrupted the action and flow of the main storyline. After about 100 pages, I decided to just skip those chapters completely, and was thus able to finish the book.
As for the murder-owl plot....it was OK. As with "The Birds" (which this has been compared to), there's no real explaination for while a bunch of birds suddenly swarmed and then because intently murderous in one very specific location.
Some of the actions that the local government took were absolutely puzzling, like they didn't provide the list of medications that the people trapped in the library asked for, and instead gave them crappy MREs and bottled water. Then they started doing things like trying to gas the whole area to kill the owls, with no regard at all for the people inside the library . It was just...odd. I feel like I could have thought of half a dozen other ways to try to ground the birds without endangering the people they're allegedly trying to rescue. Then again, we find out that similar swarms had happened elsewhere in the world, and in each of those cases the local authorities had just lit the swarmed building on fire to kill the owls (and the occupants). Why though? Why would that even work? Wouldn't the owls just fly away from the flames?
Then, in the end
Oh, also, there was an unneccesary romance. Also, most of the characters were hard to distinguish from each other. There was the main character, Mad, and then the guy she had a crush on....And then a few librarians. And a bunch of teenage-ish kids. Also a mom and a toddler? Also an unknown number of lawyers? And also an unknown number of book club ladies? I don't know.
ALSO, the main character's crush (whose name I've already forgotten) had a SUPER FUN habit of telling terrible "dad jokes" all the time. Like, ok, the first couple of times were cute. He's trying to distract the kids from the horror going on! Fine. But then it became, like....way too much. Like if there was a pause in the conversation, he'd tell a joke. I mean, I know sometimes we say that guys are bad at expressing their feelings, but this guy was REALLY bad at it. Oh, the two of them are sharing a tender moment? Better tell a dumb joke. Is it a really stressful situation and you might be about to feel some intentse feelings? Better tell a dumb joke. I started to wonder if maybe this guy was on the spectrum or something, and telling bad jokes was his way of deflecting emotions during social interactions? I don't know, but when the literally the last line of the book was a dumb joke, I just had to shake my head. So cringey. Do you know how to tell when a joke has become a dad jokes? When it's full groan.
Ok, so I did intend to go back and read the fantasy book chapters all back to back, the way I read the murder-owl chapters. Maybe without interruptions from the other story line, it would come togethe in a way that would make sense and explain why it was included in the book? Maybe, but alas I didn't get that far. I only read a few more of the fantasy chapters before deciding I just didn't really care. The fantasy plot was just....kinda boring. And also (as with the other storyline) there were just moments that didn't quite make sense. Even just little moments, like this part when a kidnapped queen (who happens to be mute, btw) has her hands tied, but she wants to communicate with her captors.
Alala, having gained Desparta's attention, snaked herself belly-first onto the ground and, with bound hands, took hold of the nearest stick. With it, she drew a map in the dirt--first a tower, a tree stump, then a river, a road..."
Her drawing goes on from there, but it's irrelevant to my issue. My issue is WHY did she slither belly-first onto the ground in order to pick up a stick? Why didn't she just kneel? Did she stay on her belly to draw this elaborate map in the dirt? Seriously, I re-read that part several times, and even went back to see if I missed a description of exactly how her hands were bound that would have explained this weird posture. Nothing. She just...got on her belly in order to pick up a stick. I don't.....What?
So, thereine lies the overall problem with this book. There were too many unexplained whys and too many moments that tested my credulity. I think this would have worked better as two seperate novellas (murder-owl plot and fantasy plot), with tighter writing, and a good honest objective friend to read this and point out bits that don't quite make sense.
I think if you like the fantasy chapters in this, and you don't find them distracting/disruptive, and you're able to suspend some disbelief about the owls....Then this would be a find book for you.
As for the murder-owl plot....it was OK. As with "The Birds" (which this has been compared to), there's no real explaination for while a bunch of birds suddenly swarmed and then because intently murderous in one very specific location.
Some of the actions that the local government took were absolutely puzzling, like they didn't provide the list of medications that the people trapped in the library asked for, and instead gave them crappy MREs and bottled water. Then they started doing things like trying to gas the whole area to kill the owls, with no regard at all for the people inside the library . It was just...odd. I feel like I could have thought of half a dozen other ways to try to ground the birds without endangering the people they're allegedly trying to rescue. Then again, we find out that similar swarms had happened elsewhere in the world, and in each of those cases the local authorities had just lit the swarmed building on fire to kill the owls (and the occupants). Why though? Why would that even work? Wouldn't the owls just fly away from the flames?
Then, in the end
Oh, also, there was an unneccesary romance. Also, most of the characters were hard to distinguish from each other. There was the main character, Mad, and then the guy she had a crush on....And then a few librarians. And a bunch of teenage-ish kids. Also a mom and a toddler? Also an unknown number of lawyers? And also an unknown number of book club ladies? I don't know.
ALSO, the main character's crush (whose name I've already forgotten) had a SUPER FUN habit of telling terrible "dad jokes" all the time. Like, ok, the first couple of times were cute. He's trying to distract the kids from the horror going on! Fine. But then it became, like....way too much. Like if there was a pause in the conversation, he'd tell a joke. I mean, I know sometimes we say that guys are bad at expressing their feelings, but this guy was REALLY bad at it. Oh, the two of them are sharing a tender moment? Better tell a dumb joke. Is it a really stressful situation and you might be about to feel some intentse feelings? Better tell a dumb joke. I started to wonder if maybe this guy was on the spectrum or something, and telling bad jokes was his way of deflecting emotions during social interactions? I don't know, but when the literally the last line of the book was a dumb joke, I just had to shake my head. So cringey. Do you know how to tell when a joke has become a dad jokes? When it's full groan.
Ok, so I did intend to go back and read the fantasy book chapters all back to back, the way I read the murder-owl chapters. Maybe without interruptions from the other story line, it would come togethe in a way that would make sense and explain why it was included in the book? Maybe, but alas I didn't get that far. I only read a few more of the fantasy chapters before deciding I just didn't really care. The fantasy plot was just....kinda boring. And also (as with the other storyline) there were just moments that didn't quite make sense. Even just little moments, like this part when a kidnapped queen (who happens to be mute, btw) has her hands tied, but she wants to communicate with her captors.
Alala, having gained Desparta's attention, snaked herself belly-first onto the ground and, with bound hands, took hold of the nearest stick. With it, she drew a map in the dirt--first a tower, a tree stump, then a river, a road..."
Her drawing goes on from there, but it's irrelevant to my issue. My issue is WHY did she slither belly-first onto the ground in order to pick up a stick? Why didn't she just kneel? Did she stay on her belly to draw this elaborate map in the dirt? Seriously, I re-read that part several times, and even went back to see if I missed a description of exactly how her hands were bound that would have explained this weird posture. Nothing. She just...got on her belly in order to pick up a stick. I don't.....What?
So, thereine lies the overall problem with this book. There were too many unexplained whys and too many moments that tested my credulity. I think this would have worked better as two seperate novellas (murder-owl plot and fantasy plot), with tighter writing, and a good honest objective friend to read this and point out bits that don't quite make sense.
I think if you like the fantasy chapters in this, and you don't find them distracting/disruptive, and you're able to suspend some disbelief about the owls....Then this would be a find book for you.
December 21, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC of this book!
If “The Silent Queen” was written into its own book I think I’d be interested, but as it stands, this book was not my thing. I wasn’t expecting the students to be annoying middle schoolers or most of the adults to be grown-up awkward kids that never actually grew out of that stage, and I definitely wasn’t expecting such sparse depictions of the more horrifying things the owls did in a horror/thriller. The first time we see how dangerous the birds were was hardly descriptive at all and I think that’s a consistent problem.
I take that back—everything that should be super descriptive isn’t, but things that don’t need to be are. For example, instead of showing that it’s chaos with the students and saying that everyone was talking over each other, we see every piece of each back-and-forth happen. That first incident, though? Barely anything. We have to read out all of Nash’s bad jokes, though.
If “The Silent Queen” was written into its own book I think I’d be interested, but as it stands, this book was not my thing. I wasn’t expecting the students to be annoying middle schoolers or most of the adults to be grown-up awkward kids that never actually grew out of that stage, and I definitely wasn’t expecting such sparse depictions of the more horrifying things the owls did in a horror/thriller. The first time we see how dangerous the birds were was hardly descriptive at all and I think that’s a consistent problem.
I take that back—everything that should be super descriptive isn’t, but things that don’t need to be are. For example, instead of showing that it’s chaos with the students and saying that everyone was talking over each other, we see every piece of each back-and-forth happen. That first incident, though? Barely anything. We have to read out all of Nash’s bad jokes, though.
January 15, 2024
Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!
I will never forget watching the TV-edited version of The Birds as a kid and being equally horrified and intrigued. The thought of something so commonplace and benign turning on you was so fascinating to me and one of my first forays into the horror/magical realism genre. Fast forward a few decades, and I was delighted to see a book published by my favorite publishing house with a similar premise, only the birds were owls and were terrorizing the patrons trapped inside a public library! Yes, please! (That being said, The Parliament is definitely more magical realism than horror, so this won’t really deliver if you want a horror book).
The premise of this book definitely delivered, and the characters, especially the middle school students, were wonderful. The story is told in tandem with a subversive fantasy novel being read aloud to the kids, and while I think I understand what the author was trying to do, I could have done without those chapters entirely. I felt like the book ran too long, and eliminating the second storyline would have fixed that issue. That being said, the two storylines are definitely connected, although I had to force myself to read slowly through the story chapters in order to connect the dots while I was very much tempted to skim them.
I also could have done without the romance plot - in fact the male lead was annoying as hell with the stupid jokes - but I’m pretty sure that’s just because I wanted more murder owls and less kissing/hand holding. There are strong themes of grief and shared trauma which are powerful, but I was expecting more of a social commentary about groupthink that was lacking at the end of the book.
I did enjoy most of this book! It’s deeply unsettling and mysterious with a great story and intriguing themes. It would have benefited from some stronger editing and more focus on the owl mystery, but it was still a really good read!
I will never forget watching the TV-edited version of The Birds as a kid and being equally horrified and intrigued. The thought of something so commonplace and benign turning on you was so fascinating to me and one of my first forays into the horror/magical realism genre. Fast forward a few decades, and I was delighted to see a book published by my favorite publishing house with a similar premise, only the birds were owls and were terrorizing the patrons trapped inside a public library! Yes, please! (That being said, The Parliament is definitely more magical realism than horror, so this won’t really deliver if you want a horror book).
The premise of this book definitely delivered, and the characters, especially the middle school students, were wonderful. The story is told in tandem with a subversive fantasy novel being read aloud to the kids, and while I think I understand what the author was trying to do, I could have done without those chapters entirely. I felt like the book ran too long, and eliminating the second storyline would have fixed that issue. That being said, the two storylines are definitely connected, although I had to force myself to read slowly through the story chapters in order to connect the dots while I was very much tempted to skim them.
I also could have done without the romance plot - in fact the male lead was annoying as hell with the stupid jokes - but I’m pretty sure that’s just because I wanted more murder owls and less kissing/hand holding. There are strong themes of grief and shared trauma which are powerful, but I was expecting more of a social commentary about groupthink that was lacking at the end of the book.
I did enjoy most of this book! It’s deeply unsettling and mysterious with a great story and intriguing themes. It would have benefited from some stronger editing and more focus on the owl mystery, but it was still a really good read!
January 2, 2024
Thank you Netgalley for this truly unexpected ARC!
I love a creature feature and a "group of people have to band together to protect each other during a disaster or certain doom" story, so this was right up my alley, and murder owls, count me in!
Synopsis: Madeleine returns to her hometown after a childhood trauma as an experienced chemist who has been roped by friend Farrah, a children's librarian, to provide an intro to the chemistry of self-care course. However, during the class, the library is surrounded and attacked by a mysterious parliament of owls who are bent killing and consuming everyone inside. The visitors of the library must find a way to survive! This storyline is interspersed with a story that Mad reads to the children she is caring for called "The Silent Queen," which took me a minute to get into, but once the book's themes began to connect with the action of the survivors in the library, I was interested.
The way that the author rendered Mad, her stilted awkwardness and her interactions with the kids in her class, which goes from begrudging to a strong sense of trust throughout the book, felt very real to me, being a teacher myself. I also really loved how this book oscillated between the horrific violence and gore of the murder owls who attack anyone trying to escape the library and the tenderness with how the adults and children come together to protect and care for one another. The way that Mad navigates the triggers of her trauma from witnessing her childhood friend die in a school shooting and her feeling of helplessness as she tries her best to care for these children was one of my favorite parts of the book. While there, she has to confront her complicated feelings for Nash, the local town pediatrician and her former love interest who is also the brother of the friend she lost.
The romance that is rekindled between Mad and Nash while in the library sometimes felt a bit forced, but the emotional arch had me connected in the end. Mad's reluctance to be connected to the town also seemed forced in the beginning, but damn if this book didn't have me fully crying by the end. As someone who works with kids, the way that the adults in the book do whatever is necessary to protect the children and grapple with the preemptive grief of knowing that we can't always protect the most vulnerable, and the ones we love was incredibly moving.
This book was a big surprise for me, as I stumbled upon it accidentally, but I am so glad I read it!
I love a creature feature and a "group of people have to band together to protect each other during a disaster or certain doom" story, so this was right up my alley, and murder owls, count me in!
Synopsis: Madeleine returns to her hometown after a childhood trauma as an experienced chemist who has been roped by friend Farrah, a children's librarian, to provide an intro to the chemistry of self-care course. However, during the class, the library is surrounded and attacked by a mysterious parliament of owls who are bent killing and consuming everyone inside. The visitors of the library must find a way to survive! This storyline is interspersed with a story that Mad reads to the children she is caring for called "The Silent Queen," which took me a minute to get into, but once the book's themes began to connect with the action of the survivors in the library, I was interested.
The way that the author rendered Mad, her stilted awkwardness and her interactions with the kids in her class, which goes from begrudging to a strong sense of trust throughout the book, felt very real to me, being a teacher myself. I also really loved how this book oscillated between the horrific violence and gore of the murder owls who attack anyone trying to escape the library and the tenderness with how the adults and children come together to protect and care for one another. The way that Mad navigates the triggers of her trauma from witnessing her childhood friend die in a school shooting and her feeling of helplessness as she tries her best to care for these children was one of my favorite parts of the book. While there, she has to confront her complicated feelings for Nash, the local town pediatrician and her former love interest who is also the brother of the friend she lost.
The romance that is rekindled between Mad and Nash while in the library sometimes felt a bit forced, but the emotional arch had me connected in the end. Mad's reluctance to be connected to the town also seemed forced in the beginning, but damn if this book didn't have me fully crying by the end. As someone who works with kids, the way that the adults in the book do whatever is necessary to protect the children and grapple with the preemptive grief of knowing that we can't always protect the most vulnerable, and the ones we love was incredibly moving.
This book was a big surprise for me, as I stumbled upon it accidentally, but I am so glad I read it!
April 10, 2024
3.5, because this book didn't want to end, omg.
I thought this was a relatively enjoyable thriller that built up tension well. I unfortunately found some of the elements of it lame, like Mad's "secret" from Nash (give me a break), and the whole dual narrative between the real world and the YA book they are reading from... yeah, could've done without that. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time I just didn't see how it was connected to the other part of the story. And I literally have no idea why this is marketed as anything remotely close to "The Princess Bride". I think the ending was a bit too cheesy and would've liked to actually see the stakes that we had been anticipating pay off in the way that would've felt dramatic, and not just some happy ending where everyone is A-OK. Because really, how can this be categorized by "horror"?
I don't know why my review is so bitter, because I actually had a lot of fun reading it lol. Always great to read something from a WV author and I thought this idea was creative. Just a bit lukewarm in the delivery.
I thought this was a relatively enjoyable thriller that built up tension well. I unfortunately found some of the elements of it lame, like Mad's "secret" from Nash (give me a break), and the whole dual narrative between the real world and the YA book they are reading from... yeah, could've done without that. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time I just didn't see how it was connected to the other part of the story. And I literally have no idea why this is marketed as anything remotely close to "The Princess Bride". I think the ending was a bit too cheesy and would've liked to actually see the stakes that we had been anticipating pay off in the way that would've felt dramatic, and not just some happy ending where everyone is A-OK. Because really, how can this be categorized by "horror"?
I don't know why my review is so bitter, because I actually had a lot of fun reading it lol. Always great to read something from a WV author and I thought this idea was creative. Just a bit lukewarm in the delivery.
December 6, 2023
The Parliament follows a woman who returns to her hometown to teach a class at the library. She left as an adult because she has a traumatic past. While at the library, a pack of killer owls haunts the library and everyone is trapped inside. While they are trapped, they also read Mad’s favorite book from childhood so we get chapters from that as well.
This book had a very interesting premise and is not like anything I have read before. I feel like the owl part was similar to survival stories like bird box. However, the other chapters thrown in were totally unique. I didn’t quite like the other story thrown in. I wish it was just the owl story. I liked the characters and the high stakes. I don’t think the other story needed to be there at all, it just took away from the story for me.
I know others love that part of the story so it might just be me. Thanks so much to netgalley and tor for the arc of this in exchange for an honest review!
This book had a very interesting premise and is not like anything I have read before. I feel like the owl part was similar to survival stories like bird box. However, the other chapters thrown in were totally unique. I didn’t quite like the other story thrown in. I wish it was just the owl story. I liked the characters and the high stakes. I don’t think the other story needed to be there at all, it just took away from the story for me.
I know others love that part of the story so it might just be me. Thanks so much to netgalley and tor for the arc of this in exchange for an honest review!
October 26, 2023
2,75⭐️
Received an arc from NetGalley, thanks!
From my perspective "The Parliament" would make a great, cozy movie/mini-series, as it's very dialogue driven type of story. It works as a concept, but not really as a book. I couldn't quite devoted my whole attention to the story. For the bright side, I really enjoyed kids' characters and how they were written. There was care put to that. And I don't find rest of them bland, quite the opposite – it's a mix of interesting backgrounds and motives. It just didn't work as it wished it did.
Received an arc from NetGalley, thanks!
From my perspective "The Parliament" would make a great, cozy movie/mini-series, as it's very dialogue driven type of story. It works as a concept, but not really as a book. I couldn't quite devoted my whole attention to the story. For the bright side, I really enjoyed kids' characters and how they were written. There was care put to that. And I don't find rest of them bland, quite the opposite – it's a mix of interesting backgrounds and motives. It just didn't work as it wished it did.
February 24, 2024
Great book! Loved the murder owls. Loved the themes of dealing with personal trauma in the main narrative while the themes in the embedded story seem to relate the personal with generational trauma, which makes it function beautifully as mise-en-abîme, I think. Which, in my opinion, sets this book apart from the many other horror books that have dealing with trauma as their theme. Characters were great, plot was enjoyable.
Side note: does it bother anybody else that the main character was named Madigan, but the description on Goodreads calls her Madeline?
Side note: does it bother anybody else that the main character was named Madigan, but the description on Goodreads calls her Madeline?
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