Book Review for The Death of a Songbird by M.R McCoy

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form.

The Death of a Songbird, by M.R McCoy, is a dark, dystopian fantasy about what it means to survive in a world of corruption and decay. The book begins with Gerolt, a young man who wants more than what New Geneva is prepared to give him. Trying to care for a dying father and blind mother, he decides to go into town to sell animal skin he sews together. While selling his products, he meets a girl named Harmony who, after seeing his crafts, trades him her family’s meat pies for his creation. After Harmony’s father learns that she has a frightening ability known as hysteresis, he attempts to sell her off to the League to become a Purity Maiden. She runs away with Gerolt then, and together, they begin a long journey of brutality, loss, and resilience.

The summary above cannot do this book justice. I absolutely love Gerolt and Harmony, and it saddened me when Gerolt loses himself in the fight to protect his family. True, New Geneva’s physical abuse towards its female members is downright cruel, but I can’t begin to imagine what it must feel like to lose your husband to the same regime you tried to escape. But, despite it, he regains himself, even though it’s too late. That being said, I feel that Gerolt and Harmony’s happiness survives within Wren. Wren, a strong young woman who has the strength to fight for what her parents cannot. Wren who, even though she witnessed the death of her older brother, was still willing to escape into the same world he died in. It certainly helps that she has friends along the way, and though I worry for her, I know that she’s in good hands. 

I also liked how McCoy parallels the strict doctrine of the League Fathers to the Bible. All the propaganda the League tries to perpetuate is similar to the political agendas of a lot of Southern Baptist churches (there’s a reason why so many people are leaving). Moreover, I like the economic struggles that New Geneva are going through as well; though  not their fault, the purity maidens are driving everyone out of the business. But of course, it doesn’t matter, as long as the League Fathers and their higher ups are having a good time, right? Similar to the tycoons in America, the elitists that run Wall Street, and even our own Senate; everyone exists to serve them, and if we come out of line, that’s another story entirely. 

I look forward to reading more from this series. I’d love to see how Gerolt and Harmony free themselves from the League, and how Nico’s rebellion pans out. And although I hate Solomon Pipher (with a passion), I am interested to see what his character development would look like. You’d think that, coming from nothing he has some empathy for the girls and for those living outside the walls, but unfortunately, absolute power corrupts. As such, I would give this book a rating of 5 stars out of 5.