A feather for my nest... My financial situation is beyond desperate and that stripper pole is looking better and better. But I refuse to put on the baby oil just yet, there’s got to be someone out there willing to hire me. Luck is not on my side, at least until I spot the Crow’s feather. The wind decides to try and keep me from my prize, so I’m left with no choice except to follow it. Two seconds later a truck plowed into my car, that I just got out of. A black feather saved my life. No, I'm not kidding, it literally kept me from being a can of spam. The feather, not done with me yet, takes off again. Driven to chase it, I do, and it takes me to this gloomy foreboding building that I don't recall ever seeing before. And as fate would have it... there's a now hiring sign on the front gate.
This book is a slow-burn, Urban Fantasy with a dash of unconventional romance.
Hello!! I want to thank you for perusing! First off, I didn't write Storage Diva--no idea who that is, lol. Second please know that any and ALL books that are upcoming or released that I write are on my website.
Thanks for reading my word vomit and I hope you're smiling at least once a day, it's good for you. A little monsters and mayhem is good for everyone too!
Fans of Zoe's dark Fae world are going to dig this new instalment into her world!
Its a little bit creepy, a dash of crazy and a lot unknown!
It really felt like a prologue to the series. An introduction to the world and characters if you will.
First thing that caught my interest, the MC is 38! yes a middle aged Heroine WTF I know! Unfortunately we spend far too much time in this unusual heroines head for me to really give this 4 stars. The inner monologue was much to lengthy and frequent. It interrupted actually interaction with other characters to give us useless information like all her failures in needlepoint
But all is not lost...if you find yourself wanting to DNF this at 20%...just hang on. Once Mel makes it to the asylum things start to get interesting. In a Zoe Parker deadly Fae want to eat you kind of interesting.
-----------------------------------------------
There is no release date No number of pages There's not even a blurb yet
WOOHOO - CAUGHT UP ON REVIEWS FROM THIS WEEKEND. It's the best feelings ever!
Up With The Crows was ehh. The cover and title intrigued me enough but I'm not going to lie. I did get bored here and there while reading it. Thankfully, this book went by so quickly. This book is dark, deep, and gives you the creeps. Which is probably why I was so drawn to it - even while bored out of my mind. Then there's Mel, and ugh.. she was okay but boring. I just wanted something drastic to happen and when I got a little bit here and there - then eh, I was done.
Besides Mel boring me, then there's Vale. He was cute and dark but eh at the same time. Honestly, things really picked up at the Unsylym world but by then I was just not really invested anymore. I am, however, glad that I stuck with the book because it did get a bit better. Just not enough to make me get all giddy and excited for the next book.
Overall, I might dive into the next book but I make no promises.
Zoe Parker has done it again! I am loving the start of this. The world of Unsylum is going to be a fun and interesting one to explore. My only complaint, it wasn't longer.
This series is a nice, short read. It's not amazing, but it's not bad either. It's that holiday type of series.
The MC is cute, although she has her very annoying momenta. I really enjoyed the side-characters though, without them I wouldn't have even bothered with this series.
All in all, it's a 'filler' series. You know what I mean, right? Between 2 amazing series, you need some downtime, so you go for a soft read. This is that kind of read.
I love this author’s Facets of Faerie series (see my review of book 1), so this was a bit of a disappointment for me. I like the idea of it (cool world), but I struggled with this book’s pacing, I didn’t fall in love with the main characters (even though the MC made me laugh a few times), and the writing mechanics were lacking.
I really struggled to get into this book because it felt like it took us forever to actually get to the story. The author spent a ton of time trying to establish this character as a “loser,� but I wasn’t sure why that was necessary. Maybe to explain why she needed this job? Even if that was the case, that entire eternity-lasting date scene at the beginning could have been cut.
A big part of the pacing issue involves the thing that I dislike the most about this MC: She rambles constantly, and her inner monologues are only relevant about 50% of the time. She just goes on and on about whatever pops into her head, and I. DO. NOT. CARE. about what she’s saying. She also repeats herself a ton, so we get the same monologues multiple times. I spent a significant portion of this book wishing that the MC would stop talking. The following isn’t anything objectively wrong with the character, but a lot of things about her hit a bit too close to home for me, so the first part of the book was not only slow but also depressing for me. Even so, I thought she was funny when she wasn’t derailing the story’s pacing.
As for the love interest, I didn’t really have strong feelings about him until the end when I started to dislike him. I don’t even remember his name, tbh. He was doing the whole dangerous and mysterious thing, which was fine. But then the MC had a very negative reaction to the idea of sleeping with him, and he said, “I will not be denied, Mel. I will never be denied when it comes to you. I will fuck you until I feel completely whole, I will lose myself in your body as many times as it takes to tie us together so irrevocably that for a time, we lose ourselves in each other.� I’m so sick of statements like that, which show a blatant lack of regard for consent, being romanticized. He turns my stomach now.
The writing mechanics themselves had issues as well. For example, the story had tons of comma splices and sentence fragments, and it also had missing commas or commas where they shouldn’t be that really messed with clarity: for example, “The names, Connie. What’s yours?� instead of “The name’s Connie. What’s yours?� and “Live ones why this makes me more nauseous than brains I have no idea.� The book also had several typos—for example, “She also simple likes watching� instead of “She also simply likes watching� and “apparenty� instead of “apparently”—as well as issues with verb tense: for example, “You did showing me your true nature, but your eyes were not opened enough to this world� and “Are you sure you don’t still thinking you’re in a delusion?�
Side note, birds are definitely part of this story, as birds are the MC’s pets and the plot catalyst, but I don’t think they were important enough to get a shout out in the title and the epigraph of every chapter. I didn’t really get that.
Anyway, I was just expecting more from this book. I’ll probably still read the next one, but I don’t think it holds a candle to Facets of Faerie, even if this world is a cool idea.
PROGRESS UPDATES 7% It feels like the narrator has just been sort of pointlessly rambling so far. I want the story to hurry up and start.
10% I have to admit, I'm kind of wishing that this was an RH and that the deranged birds--the one with the hooker vocabulary, the blind one, and the bald one who insults people--were able to shift into humans. I'm not too proud to admit that I would read the shit out of that book. Oh wait, that's “Taming� by A.K. Koonce.
Love Zoe’s darkness and humor. This was such a good series starter and-bonus!- our MC isn’t a beautiful 20 year old. I’m excited to see where this story goes!
Okay...deep breath! I am not sure how to rate this, on one hand I was engrossed with the world, the unsylum and what's going on there. We don't get much information and I really want to know more. On the other hand our h is just annoying and a bit pitiful, her inner monologues were full of self-pity and it was just plain depressing. She waxes on and on about how crappy her life is and that it's not her fault with no explanation why these things happen to her....AND she's an older h so it seems even more pathetic I will read the next book but there needs to be some major character development - for everyone in the story, I need to be attached and we didn't get enough in this book (imo) to do that
By the end of the book I loved this! I do have to say that I really wasn't loving it at first, though. Mel's internal monologue was both irritating and dull. HOWEVER, once she got to the Unsylum things picked up massively. I understand why the first part was necessary, in a way, as it sets out Mel's character, but it sort of felt like something we had to suffer through.
One thing I have to say is that Zoe Parker writes amazing monsters. Phobe from her Facets if Faerie series is one of my favourite anti-heroes and she's hit is out if the park again with Vale and the other creatures of the Unsylum. I serious love him and all the creatures!
If you like her other books, then you'll love this, just be prepared to plough through the first 30% and then it gets oh so awesome! If it wasn't for the start this would almost be a 5 star read for me! Plus, the MC is 38? How cool is that?
God I LOVE Zoe Parker's imagination. It's such a breath of fresh air, I swear nobody creates stories like her. This book is no exception.
About the characters... Mel is awesome!! Some people may not like it, but I absolutely LOVE the internal dialogue she has going on for most of the book. She was seriously giving off best-friend-in-my-head vibes.
Vale. Oh. My. God. So sexy. So HOT. So drool worthy. And that little speech he gave at the end knocked my socks off. I was like oh Jesus, yes! (Lots of calling on God's name with this read)
Awesome side characters: Athena, the 3 crows who I'm really excited to know more about, Mel's mum.
Great everything. Honestly this book is a win for me. I cannot wait for the next one! Zoe Parker has easily became one of my favorite authors.
First of all I have to comment on the cover. It’s gorgeous! Just based on the cover alone you should go buy the book.
I really liked the book. I think it was great introduction to the characters and story. As for the main character Mel I love how relatable she is. She has shit days but just keep going. As for Vale you get this feeling that there is something dark about him and I love that - I always like my book boyfriends to have a bit of a dark side ;) I can’t wait to read more about the Unsylum world
One of my favourite authors has delivered again. Her stories are so original, you wont be able to put them down. Such an amazing story that will leave you begging for more!
Loved this book, the characters are great, Mel and her birds made me laugh more than once. Can't wait for the next book to see where this story goes, need to know more about Vale and all the characters in Unsylum.
Mel is funny and so relatable. Her clumsiness and bad luck is hilarious. Her thought process and view on life are hilarious. The fact that she is almost 30 makes it a good deviation from most heroines that are in their early 20s. A nice cup of coffee and this book, you can’t go wrong.
A solid dark urban fantasy about a strange woman with a penchant for bad luck and rescuing birds, accidentally stumbling across a job as an orderly in a magical asylum. Working at the Unsylum opens Mel's eyes, literally, to a different dimension, full of pixies and fairies and vampires and all sorts of creatures. Mel is an interesting character - 38 years old, raised by a slightly unhinged mom who hoards cats and junk, constantly getting fired from jobs, living in a shack in her mom's back yard. The opening of the book, which took entirely too much time, details the miserable poverty in which Mel lives. Once Mel encounters the Unsylum, however, things move along quite nicely and the true plot begins to take shape.
The second book, which I haven't purchased yet, continues the story.
I enjoyed reading this book. Mel is a no filter having, shit talking barrel of laughs with none of that talking an extra long time to come to grips with the situation type heroine you usually find. Even though she's not quite sure she isn't having some type of mental break down she picks a course of action and sticks to it. I'll admit, I cannot wait for the prisoners of the Unsylum to revolt and kick ass...the fairy guards certainly deserve it. The birds were my favorite part of the book.
There were a few things I would have liked a little more clarification on, but overall a worthwhile evening read.
Certainly anticipating the next in the series and hoping for all kinds of chaos.
The introduction starts slow showing who Zoe is and how she became who she is. That may seem a bit boring to some,but I far prefer this kind of introduction to main character. Once she sets foot in Unsylum, the real story starts to form. It is a bit hard to follow,to understand. Characters are all monsters in their own way and most of story didn't really made a sense for me. I would have preferred a bit more clear understanding what and why is happening, but as it is the first book in trilogy,I assume understanding will come in next books.
Writing is enticing, nothing is rushed,atmosphere is bit dark and mysterious. Nice read,something fresh in very abused genre.
Really entertaining and fast read. The book kept me entertained the entire time and really resonated with me with my background in nursing. Though this is a made up world with supernatural beings the concept of humanity and humane remains the same, however, I did feel the book spent a lot of time focused on this aspect instead of the actual story.. and I see the roundabout way the author was using this time to introduce us to new characters and explain the horrors they were facing, I just honestly felt that it could have had the same effect without spending so much of the book on that aspect. I would have liked to get farther into the main story. I will say I thoroughly enjoyed the train wreck that was our FMC. I feel the author did a great job making this FMC have a super sarcastic personality about her miserable life without coming across whiney. I super appreciate that, as I can’t stand a whiner.
Our FMC Melanthra, is a train wreck in every sense. Lucky for her her air mattress on the hard cement floor of the outer building of her mother’s house has and electric pump.. because even it has a leak.. just her and her smut screaming porno birds against the world. Fired again and again from job after job for some really dubious reasons she’s at the end of her rope when, her car gets totaled mine after she steps out of it... strangely enough an odd crow leads her to a building that is hiring.. a nursing facility of sorts she thinks. After reading the very strange “rules� and being unable to turn down the job she reports to work to have her life flipped upside down and backwards by her job as an aide in a supernatural asylum.. both terrified by the inhabitants and strangely horrified by their treatment she sets out to do her job and discover her destiny.
This was definitely worth my time! I really hope in the next book we get a little more about this world and it’s characters and the roles they play!
The mistress of mayhem has done it again. She has taken any assumption you could make about things as basic as birds and hospitals and turned it on it's end. Don't read this if you want anything predictable or conventional, because this story is full of quirky characters, complex settings, and curious situations. I can't wait to see where her magic will take us this time!
This book was hilarious. It had me rolling in the first paragraph, no joke. I like the concept and the characters are likeable. AND the main character is a 38 year old normal looking woman instead of the usual 23 year old gorgeous virgin. Damn, that is refreshing.
However, be aware that is is, essentially, only half of a book. The plot does not resolve.
4.5 Stars I loved this book! From the very first couple chapters, I was hooked and did not want to put it down! The plot and the mystery behind it was just so intriguing and I fell in love with the dark and gloomy setting. I could not get enough! Plus the characters were so unique and interesting, I’m dying to know more! There are so many places that this story could go and I adore that!
First - the cover draws you in, then Mel draws you in - I love her wit! She has such a unique outlook on life, and such a run of bad luck. I like ho she just rolls with everything. Vale is intriguing and I can’t wait to see what will happen next in this series!
I repeat I hate Zoe Parker I spent a few seconds checking to make sure the damn book was done ... as usual she draws me into the story of the craziness that is Mel and I could not get enough and yes the lead male character does not disappoint...
After reading the first few chapters, I wasn’t sure I was going to like this. However I kept reading and found myself drawn into this creepy Unsylum world, and by the end of the book I already know that I’m going to cave and read book 2.
This is a good start to a new series! My only complaint is that it was a bit short. I’ll definitely keep reading though. I’m eager to find out what happens next!
Because it’s Zoe Parker and she can do no wrong 🤷🏻♀�
But seriously, Mel is a character I love to read about because her quiet fierceness is something no one wants to mess with! I cannot wait for the next book to be released 🥰💃🏽