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Blackbird
(Blackbird Duology #1)
by
From the author of the Eve trilogy comes the breathless story of a girl racing to figure out who she is—and how to stay alive. When a nameless girl wakes up on the subway tracks, she knows only one thing for sure: people want her dead. Can she find them before they track her down? This pulse-pounding contemporary thriller is perfect for fans of The Maze Runner, The Darkest
...more
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Paperback, 256 pages
Published
September 16th 2014
by HarperTeen
(first published September 1st 2014)
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Start your review of Blackbird (Blackbird, #1)

May 11, 2014
Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
You wake up. You yawn. You look around. The room is still dark. You turn on the lights. You go to the bathroom. You brush your teeth. You stare at yourself in the mirror. A bleary-eyed face looks back at you. Where did that tattoo come from? Were you that drunk last night? You walk downstairs. You're hungry. You're hung over. You want food.
You pick up an apple. You change your mind. You reach for a bar of chocolate and donuts instead. Hell, you pick up a bottle of vodka and take a swig. It's onl ...more
You pick up an apple. You change your mind. You reach for a bar of chocolate and donuts instead. Hell, you pick up a bottle of vodka and take a swig. It's onl ...more

Yeah I'm DNFing this. The 2nd person tense is hard to get used to, but the bigger issue is how unrealistic - and cheesy - it is. Some random guy just shot a woman from a few stories high (who knew it was that easy to hit a target? >.<), kills her, and he's just like ok with it because she was going to kill someone else anyways. Then I hear he randomly gets eaten by a dog or something odd like that. Anyways, I put this one down a month ago bc I was bored and I don't ever plan on finishing it.
...more

It is very common in novels (mostly dystopia or mystery) where the main character is suffering from amnesia (scientifically-made or not). Not that I can blame the authors for that since it was a good device to conceal the truth about the main character itself and probably, the world. So, you'd probably guessed that the main character didn't remember anything in this book and did gather some information about her as the time went by? You are right. Yay!
Blackbird started with a bang when the main ...more
Blackbird started with a bang when the main ...more


*sighs* This was easily one of my most anticipated reads of the month, and just as easily one of the most disappointing. The concepts are there, but the execution and the final reveals were disappointing.
Blackbird follows a girl as she wakes up on some train tracks, with a train heading right towards her. All her memories are gone, and she doesn't know who she is or how she got there. The one thing she is completely sure about is that people are trying to track her down and kill her...
The p ...more

Where is the rest of the book?
Admittedly this was my first experience reading a book written in second person and because of which I had a little trouble getting a grip over the whole narrative technique of the book. it is kind of weird with lines like "you are now doing this" " you are now about to do that.” It was more or less like my mom. Running and shouting around “miss, you are going to do this, right NOW”.
Blackbird is exactly like Jason Bourne, waking up with no recollection of who you ...more
Admittedly this was my first experience reading a book written in second person and because of which I had a little trouble getting a grip over the whole narrative technique of the book. it is kind of weird with lines like "you are now doing this" " you are now about to do that.” It was more or less like my mom. Running and shouting around “miss, you are going to do this, right NOW”.
Blackbird is exactly like Jason Bourne, waking up with no recollection of who you ...more

Full Review from On The Bookshelves
2.5 / 5 STARS
Blackbird is a thrilling and action packed story by Anna Carey and it is the first installment in the Blackbird duology.
A girl wakes up on the train tracks and soon realises there is a train hurtling towards her so she prepares herself as the train speeds over her. The girl does not know her name, where she is or who she is. As she flees the incident in a panic, the only thing she knows is that she must not contact the police and she has a tattoo ...more
2.5 / 5 STARS
Blackbird is a thrilling and action packed story by Anna Carey and it is the first installment in the Blackbird duology.
A girl wakes up on the train tracks and soon realises there is a train hurtling towards her so she prepares herself as the train speeds over her. The girl does not know her name, where she is or who she is. As she flees the incident in a panic, the only thing she knows is that she must not contact the police and she has a tattoo ...more

Putting this one to bed for now. Just Couldn't get into it. Probably pick it up later
...more

Writing an entire book in the second person point of view was a risk. I'm all for creativity and writing outside the lines. You win some, you lose some. In this case, for this reader, however, it was a firm loss. The entire feel was just "off".
I would have let this novel slide through with three stars, but the ending was a big fat middle finger at me: nothing but an abrupt cliffhanger for book two of the "duology", with no answers, no explanations and no resolution of any of the important questi ...more
I would have let this novel slide through with three stars, but the ending was a big fat middle finger at me: nothing but an abrupt cliffhanger for book two of the "duology", with no answers, no explanations and no resolution of any of the important questi ...more


My thanks to HarperTeen & Edelweiss
Point of View: Multiple
Writing Style: MC's POV is told in second person, and the rest are in third person | Present Tense
Setting: Los Angles
Genre: Young Adult | Mystery Thriller
In a nutshell: A nail-biting suspense with a mind-blowing plot twist.
I still cannot believe how much I loved this book since I was really reluctant at first when I started reading and found out it is written in second person (it's multiple POV book, but mostly it's told from MC's POV, so ...more

Initial Thoughts: About a 3 star read for me. I must admit that I am not used to second person narratives, so this book took a little time to get used to. Blackbird was unlike any book I've read before and the mysterious elements kept me guessing throughout. The book begins with a girl who has no memories, only a strange tattoo on her wrist. She doesn't know her name, only that people are following her with bad intentions. She slowly gets some memories back, but she still doesn't know who she is
...more

Jun 30, 2014
Rayne
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult,
romance,
thriller,
mystery,
between-3-and-4-stars,
survival,
better-than-expected

3.5 stars
Whenever I think back on this book, it is, I kid you not, like an explosion of awesome in my brain. I know, very eloquent of me, but that's exactly what it feels like. When I think about the mystery behind this novel, the big reveal, the explosive ending, I get giddy and start praying to the gods of YA for a quick release for the sequel. And yet, when I start tearing it apart in my head, when I go to the details instead of looking at the whole picture, there's just something missing ...more

Mar 31, 2015
Dark Faerie Tales
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed-by-kaitlin
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: My expectations weren’t high, but this suspenseful novel surprised me with its grit and originality.
Opening Sentence: The sun holds the heat of the sun, even an hour after it has sunk beneath the pavement, pushing its way below the sprawling city.
The Review:
I’ll admit that I have been holding off on reading Blackbird. Bad review after bad review rolled through my Twitter feed and the Goodreads page, making me hesitant to even crack the cover. An ...more
Quick & Dirty: My expectations weren’t high, but this suspenseful novel surprised me with its grit and originality.
Opening Sentence: The sun holds the heat of the sun, even an hour after it has sunk beneath the pavement, pushing its way below the sprawling city.
The Review:
I’ll admit that I have been holding off on reading Blackbird. Bad review after bad review rolled through my Twitter feed and the Goodreads page, making me hesitant to even crack the cover. An ...more

REREAD
This is one of those books that no one knows, and that's kind of sad.
I remember it more scary but it still gave me the chills for the second time. I only didn't like one thing about this book, and it's the POV and the writing. It's way too fast and you need to read it a few times to understanf what happened. And there are a lot of plot holes. There are a lot of plot twist too so if you like it, read it.
This deserves a little more recognition. ...more
This is one of those books that no one knows, and that's kind of sad.
I remember it more scary but it still gave me the chills for the second time. I only didn't like one thing about this book, and it's the POV and the writing. It's way too fast and you need to read it a few times to understanf what happened. And there are a lot of plot holes. There are a lot of plot twist too so if you like it, read it.
This deserves a little more recognition. ...more

Unfortunately, I couldn't go on with this one any further because the 2nd person POV wasn't working AT ALL for me. DNF.
...more

I really really struggled with this book. It started with the fact it's written in 2nd person. Perfect for when I would want to give my students both an example of 2nd person AND an example of why it's difficult to read. I tried super hard to get past it and get used to reading a book written in this style. In the end I just couldn't get beyond it. I couldn't take reading things like "you wake up slowly and look around" - "you" do this and "you" do that. I just found it very distracting to me. I
...more

Apr 29, 2014
Sarah Elizabeth
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
netgalley-edelweiss,
romance,
r2r-complete,
as,
contemporary,
young-adult,
mystery,
read-2014
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
A teenage girl wakes up paralysed on a railway track with no idea what her name is, or how she came to be there. She finds a note in her back that says to call a number for information, and when she bumps into a boy in the process of making this call, she uses the alias ‘Sunny’.
Who is ‘Sunny’ really? How did she end up on the train track? And why can’t she remember anything ...more
A teenage girl wakes up paralysed on a railway track with no idea what her name is, or how she came to be there. She finds a note in her back that says to call a number for information, and when she bumps into a boy in the process of making this call, she uses the alias ‘Sunny’.
Who is ‘Sunny’ really? How did she end up on the train track? And why can’t she remember anything ...more

Now now, this story might have been stupid, unbelievable, contrived, illogical, without sequence and any number of shit that I hate in other books. BUT! But perhaps it was a stroke of luck or the vagaries of my mood; I ended up really enjoying it.
There was action! Boom yeah!
There are secrets! Boom yeah!
Betrayals so fucking obvious that yet take me down convoluted paths! Boom yeah!
And ending that had just the bare amount of emotion! Boom yeah!
The fact that it's written in second person present wi ...more
There was action! Boom yeah!
There are secrets! Boom yeah!
Betrayals so fucking obvious that yet take me down convoluted paths! Boom yeah!
And ending that had just the bare amount of emotion! Boom yeah!
The fact that it's written in second person present wi ...more

Feb 10, 2014
Morgan
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
If you are looking for something different, and mysterious!
I had no idea this book hd sequel! The whole time I was wondering how it could possibly end and then there it was blackbird number one. Anyway I love the second person point of view. For me it did not disconnect me from the main character. Sometimes it was scary because "you" almost die and you can really picture yourself as the main character.
Speaking of characters I really liked "you", she was really smart and funny at points. Her not knowing anything about herself even her name made everythi ...more
Speaking of characters I really liked "you", she was really smart and funny at points. Her not knowing anything about herself even her name made everythi ...more

Wow this was scary and creepy. I don't think I've ever read a book in second person before. It was so interesting and different. I just wanted to reach through the pages and save this girl. Talk about edge of your seat action. Love the end! I hope this means there's a sequel. The reveals at the end. Did not see that coming!
...more

Nov 04, 2015
Adriana Espada leyton
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
series-that-i-finished,
2015
3.25
weird, interesting... i need the second one in this duology
raro, interesante... necesito el segundo en esta duologia
weird, interesting... i need the second one in this duology
raro, interesante... necesito el segundo en esta duologia

A girl wakes up on the train tracks with a train baring down on top of her. With only seconds before it hits, she puts her arms down at her side and hunkers down, hoping to survive. Thankfully she does but she has no recollection of who she is, where she is or how she got to the station. She has a backpack with her and a tattoo on her wrist of a blackbird in a box with letters and numbers below it. She doesn't remember getting it nor what it means.
The only thing she knows is that if the police ...more
The only thing she knows is that if the police ...more

Feb 18, 2014
Nereyda (Nick & Nereyda's Infinite Booklist)
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
This book was so different than anything else I've read. I'm not sure yet if that's a good thing or bad thing. Other than the cover, this book never really caught my eye until I found out that it was written in 2nd person tense. I don't think I've ever read a book written this way and this intrigued me enough to try out the audio. While the style it is written might not be for everyone, I think it worked for me because it was so different, and because it was on audio. I can see how this would be
...more

When I saw that Anna Carey had a new series out, I had to get it. I adore her Eve trilogy and expected the same caliber of writing from this one. I admit that I wasn’t as gripped as I was with Eve, but it still was an enjoyable read!
I think the main issue I had with this novel is that it’s written in second person. It was hard for me to relate to the heroine because I kept thinking of myself. Once I got the the middle, it was easier to identify with her and by the end I really grew to love her. ...more
I think the main issue I had with this novel is that it’s written in second person. It was hard for me to relate to the heroine because I kept thinking of myself. Once I got the the middle, it was easier to identify with her and by the end I really grew to love her. ...more

I loved that this book was written in 2nd person POV. It is definitely unique, or at least I don't recall reading a book in 2ndperson before.
The main character, known as "you" finds herself in quite a predicament due to amnesia. She is hunted by killers who she somehow manages to escape. My early prediction was that she had amnesia due to being traumatized when witnessing a crime. Of course, I won't say if I was right or not.
I'm ready for book 2, and it JUST came out! Lucky me!
Recommendation: ...more
The main character, known as "you" finds herself in quite a predicament due to amnesia. She is hunted by killers who she somehow manages to escape. My early prediction was that she had amnesia due to being traumatized when witnessing a crime. Of course, I won't say if I was right or not.
I'm ready for book 2, and it JUST came out! Lucky me!
Recommendation: ...more

The second person narrative really threw me off and I just couldn't get into it.
Full review: http://bibilophilegathering.com/2015/... ...more
Full review: http://bibilophilegathering.com/2015/... ...more

*3.5*
This book definitely grabbed my attention and entertained me. The amnesia aspect made for a fun and mysterious read. I enjoyed trying to figure everything out along with the main character.
This book is also unique because it is told in second person. I can't decide how I feel about this. At first it was off-putting and took some getting used to. Once I did get used to it, it didn't really make that much of a difference to me. I'm not sure if it is really necessary. I think I would have enj ...more
This book definitely grabbed my attention and entertained me. The amnesia aspect made for a fun and mysterious read. I enjoyed trying to figure everything out along with the main character.
This book is also unique because it is told in second person. I can't decide how I feel about this. At first it was off-putting and took some getting used to. Once I did get used to it, it didn't really make that much of a difference to me. I'm not sure if it is really necessary. I think I would have enj ...more

Blackbird took me completely by surprise, in the very best of ways. The opening scene sets the feeling for the whole book – mysterious and intense, and it pretty much never lets up from beginning to end. It’s been a long long time since I read a book written in second-person narrative, and not because I specifically avoid them, they just don’t seem that prevalent in the types of books I read. In Blackbird however it works almost flawlessly because it’s so easy to connect the narrative style to t
...more

Jul 06, 2017
Kerryn (RatherBeReading)
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio-books
3.25 stars
I listened to this on audiobook and, I will say, it did take a while to get into the narration and I found the story quite hard to focus on.
I also really didn't like the kind of, not insta-love, but insta-connection that Sunny has with Ben.
I really love the commentary that Izzy makes at one point about slut shaming of teenage girls who have been the victims of a boy sharing intimate pictures of them.
The ending had some many reveals and WTF moments that I couldn't wait to pick up book t ...more
I listened to this on audiobook and, I will say, it did take a while to get into the narration and I found the story quite hard to focus on.
I also really didn't like the kind of, not insta-love, but insta-connection that Sunny has with Ben.
I really love the commentary that Izzy makes at one point about slut shaming of teenage girls who have been the victims of a boy sharing intimate pictures of them.
The ending had some many reveals and WTF moments that I couldn't wait to pick up book t ...more

Apr 29, 2014
Mlpmom (Book Reviewer)
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kindle-books,
arc-book-read
If there is one thing you can count on about me is that I am always on the lookout for something new, something different and something truly stand out. Sometimes, and more often that not, it can get me into trouble but once in awhile instead it can lead me to new adventures and stories and authors that I have might not otherwise have discovered.
While Carey isn't a new discovery, her writing in this book is.
This book starts off in the second person point of view and I am not going to lie, it t ...more
While Carey isn't a new discovery, her writing in this book is.
This book starts off in the second person point of view and I am not going to lie, it t ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Crazy for Young A...: Blackbird (#1) by Anna Carey → Start Date: June 16th, 2015 | 55 | 140 | Jun 17, 2015 07:18PM |
Anna Carey has been a gift wrapper, face painter, nanny, horrific cocktail waitress, sofa saleswoman and children's book editor. She graduated from New York University and has an MFA in fiction from Brooklyn College. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she can be found writing, reading, and referencing 90s pop culture.
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Other books in the series
Blackbird Duology
(2 books)
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