Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Blackbirds Sing” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Blackbirds Sing

(The Ruadhan Sidhe Novels )

Aiki Flinthart (Goodreads Author)

4.84 · Rating details · 43 ratings · 35 reviews

Four-and-twenty extraordinary women; one chance to save a kingdom.

What would you sacrifice to save your family, your loved ones, yourself?

In September 1486, the reign of King Henry VII of England is again threatened by York loyalists. The only thing standing in the way is a four-hundred-year-old sidhe who just wants to be left alone, and a group of London women with a lo ...more

Get A Copy

ebook

Published December 1st 2019 by CAT Press (first published November 26th 2019)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Blackbirds Sing, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Blackbirds Sing

Lists with This Book

The Elixir Deception by Margena Adams Holmes

Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers

2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge

40 books — 1 voter

The Ninth Knight by Stephen James Wright

Until All Curses Are Lifted by Tim Frankovich

SPFBO 2020 Booknest

30 books — 1 voter

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.84 ·

Rating details

· 43 ratings · 35 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Blackbirds Sing

Jun 05, 2020 Katerina added it

Shelves: 2020-reads, fantasy, historical-fiction

Disclaimer: I reviewed this as one of the BookNest judges for the first round of SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) 2020 hosted by Mark Lawrence. You can read more for SPFBO here!

❝ Hush, pretty baby, don’t say a word.
Mama’s gone and called you a sweet blackbird.
When that little blackbird does come,
Mama’s gonna buy you a big war drum ❞

London, 1486.
The War of the Roses is over. Henry VII wedded Elizabeth of York, joining their noble families and putting an end to years of mindless bloods Disclaimer: I reviewed this as one of the BookNest judges for the first round of SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) 2020 hosted by Mark Lawrence. You can read more for SPFBO here!

❝ Hush, pretty baby, don’t say a word.
Mama’s gone and called you a sweet blackbird.
When that little blackbird does come,
Mama’s gonna buy you a big war drum ❞

London, 1486.
The War of the Roses is over. Henry VII wedded Elizabeth of York, joining their noble families and putting an end to years of mindless bloodshed and tragedy. Not everyone is happy though, and a disgraced Yorkist nobleman seeks retribution: the murder of the royal family in order to install on the throne the imprisoned Plantagenet boy. The setting of his plot? The festivities for the birth of the heir apparent. England’s only chance? A sidhe, descendant of the Morrigan herself, who arrives in England bound by the call of an ancient oath, and twenty four women. Common, like the blackbird of the lullaby. Common enough to thwart a conspiracy that threatens to wreak havoc on their world.

❝ Sing a song for sixpence
A pocketful of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie ❞

Blackbirds Sing is an unexpectedly refreshing novel. The format itself is extraordinary; twenty four pieces of a puzzle, twenty four seemingly unrelated stories whose threads are woven together by a woman straight out of Irish mythology, one of the tuatha dé danann with grief in her heart and the grave determination to do right by an old geas and the people who have suffered on the whims of their superiors. A prostitute, a former nun, an assassin, a midwife, a healer, a blind musician, a thief, a servant and so many more, a cast of diverse women, a canvas full of stars that form a bright constellation. There was nothing awkward or out of place in Blackbirds Sing. Every single story was solid; starting off slowly, giving you the time to adjust to the life of the new heroine, and then plunging into the events with a potential to unravel history, enhanced by the outstandingly detailed and beautiful illustrations by Caitlyn McPherson. The tremendous amount of research conducted by Aiki Flinthart is evident and infuses the novel with authenticity, offering great insight on the daily lives of medieval women. But there is more than historical accuracy in the persons, their clothing, their alimentation, their professions, their lifestyle. There is heart in this novel. Enough heart to make you connect with the characters, care for them, share their worries and their joys and their sorrows, even shed a tear or two for everything they have sacrificed.

❝ For every woman who had lost a son or a husband or a father. For every innocent victim of these stupid men’s games of war and power. ❞

With the blackbirds’ song, Aiki Flinthart lends her voice to the nobodies and the nothings throughout the centuries, the women who lost everything in men’s pursuit of power and money, the women who were abused, manipulated, raped and manhandled, who were downright prohibited from pursuing their goals, whose dreams were beaten out of them, whose spirits were crushed and battered, who were forced to give up the ones they loved, who were sold like merchandise and yet persisted. And it is sad when you realize that, even after all these years, inequality and injustice are the society’s answer to the ones considered weak. The ones who are different. The ones who don’t fit the mold. It’s exactly this kind of injustice that Aiki Flinthart and her blackbirds fight tooth and nail, in small acts of rebellion to full-blown revolution.

❝ Maybe there’ll come a day when saving babies and mothers is easy. When keeping them alive is more important to men than killing each other over thrones and all. ❞

The only thing that slightly bothered me was the occasional difficulty to follow the different names and their capacities, but I suppose that’s to be expected from a scatterbrained lawyer who spends her days floating among contracts and loans while daydreaming of shedding her suit and donning her nerd-wear (i.e. her awesome pajamas). And, on a side note, if you’re not familiar with the basics from the War of the Roses, you may find yourself a little disoriented.

While reading Blackbirds Sing, you can feel it in your bones that Aiki Flinthart poured her soul into this novel, she sang her characters to life and the result was a powerful and inspiring historical fiction with just the right pinch of magic that was the best way to start this year’s SPFBO. I wish the author all the best in the competition and her future endeavors. ...more

flag 30 likes · Like · see review

May 05, 2020 Emma rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fantasy, historical-fiction

A triumph for the women of medieval Britain! I loved the individual short stories and how they linked together into a bigger picture. Normally with short stories, some are weaker, some stronger. However all of the individual women’s stories were interesting and unique, a fascinating insight into life for medieval women. I learned many new historical facts, and much of the language seemed authentic to the time period. Thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this charming book.

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Dec 17, 2019 Shelley Nolan rated it it was amazing

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book, but what I got was an engrossing read that made me smile, grit my teeth, cry and cheer. Each story read well on its own and then together they were a masterfully crafted tale of love, loss, sacrifice and heroism. In a time when women had no power, these ladies showed that only they had what it took to stop England from being plunged into devastating civil war once more.
It was fascinating to read on as the stories weaved together to ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2020 Gene Flynn rated it it was amazing

One of those books you read in a gulp, then emerge, grinning and crying at the same time.
Flinthart weaves history and fantasy into a compelling tale of the rebellion against King Henry VII, from the viewpoint of those who had the most to lose but who were most often unseen and unheard: women. Each individual story is in turns heartbreaking and inspiring, coalescing into the final triumphant climax. Clever, fast-paced and beautifully written. A definite must-read.

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 28, 2020 Cathy Geha rated it it was amazing

Blackbirds Sing by Aiki Flinthart
A Ruadhan Sidhe Origin Story

Intriguing, compelling, complex and enthralling this book drew me in and kept me reading till 3am. I could not put it down!

The idea of taking a nursery rhyme-song and then weaving a story around it was an interesting take but that idea, plot it out, create so many wonderful characters threading the whole into one large wonderful story was delightful beyond measure!

What I liked:
* The women...all but one
* The introduction of each woma ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 05, 2020 B.P. Marshall rated it it was amazing

I was impressed quickly and often with this. Recommended.

I was hooked by the other reviews, and wanted to see if Flinthart could pull off the literary equivalent of a reverse quadruple somersault; a narrative with 24 main protagonists - with every chapter jumping track to a new character.

It shouldn't work. It should be disruptive to the main narrative, should stop the reader finding deeper empathy with the characters, and fail to develop any of them in any kind of arc. The narrative structure ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2020 Steph rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

4.75 out of 5 stars!
Thank you, NetGalley and CATpress for the ARC during these self-isolated times.

First off, I loved how interwoven the stories were, and how the built to the deeper, larger picture. Many of the characters, in their short span of pages, seemed so extremely individualistic, and did not seem too alike. Twenty-five different points of view, with only one repeating point of view. Characters were mixed about and it was easy to trace reoccurring characters. The romantic LGBTQ sub-subp ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 03, 2020 Rebecca Bowyer rated it it was amazing

Blackbirds Sing is the story of the attempted assassination of King Henry VII of England. Set in 1486, it’s inspired by true events and imagines that the assassination plot is foiled by a network of ordinary woman doing extraordinary things, led by one slightly magical sidhe.

This book is for you if you love historical fiction from this period that’s conversational and really gets into the day-to-day details – and very well researched details they are, too!

I absolutely adored this novel. It’s tec Blackbirds Sing is the story of the attempted assassination of King Henry VII of England. Set in 1486, it’s inspired by true events and imagines that the assassination plot is foiled by a network of ordinary woman doing extraordinary things, led by one slightly magical sidhe.

This book is for you if you love historical fiction from this period that’s conversational and really gets into the day-to-day details – and very well researched details they are, too!

I absolutely adored this novel. It’s technically a cycle of short stories, each one told from the point of view of a different woman. The narrative is moved along by handing the storytelling from one woman to the next, sort of like a baton race, piecing together the puzzle bit by bit. Once you’ve left a character’s point of view, you never get to go back again. You do, however, see previous ‘main’ characters pop up again from others’ points of view.

This, in itself, is really quite fascinating. Sometimes a woman won’t reveal something about herself to the reader because it’s just so ingrained in her life that it doesn’t occur to her to mention it. To an observer, however, that trait might be the absolute most important thing about the person.
Each story is a fabulous snippet of the hidden lives of ordinary women in these times. A nun, a lady in waiting, a prostitute, a tavern wench, a street musician, a bee keeper and more. I loved the stories of their lives every bit as much as I enjoyed the central narrative.

Aiki Flinthart is that author where, once you’ve read one of her books, you’ll want to go and read them all. Her writing is very readable but divinely descriptive:

“Far in the distance, huddled up against the Thames, London’s misery of buildings squatted beneath a miasma of smoke and hid behind the old Roman wall.”

Or this one:

“Dusty gold beams of light played through the leaves and blackbirds warbled and sand in the undergrowth. Sounded like dozens of them, all callin’and singin’ like their little hearts would break with the joy of livin’.”

I loved the diversity and small jabs at the attitude to women in the fifteenth century. Of course, disabled and abused women have existed throughout history. They don’t usually make it into the history books. This is where historical fiction can try to fill in the gaps. I loved this particular retort to a man who described a group of women as ‘a handful’:

“That’s because you’re a man and you think in terms of controlling women. They’re not horses or dogs. They want only respect and to be heard.”

Thanks to writers like Aiki Flinthart, these silent women of history can finally be heard. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 14, 2019 Tanya Nellestein rated it it was amazing

You know those classic opening lines that everyone quotes? This book has one of those. Hooked from the first line! Historical fiction and the Tudors are my favourite genre - which makes me a pretty harsh critic. I could not put this book down. Aiki Flinthart has masterfully brought twenty four women to life and takes the reader on an extraordinary journey. I cared about every single character. Each chapter highlights one woman but each story is woven beautifully throughout the book. This is a ta ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Dec 03, 2019 Clare Rhoden rated it it was amazing

I thoroughly enjoyed this alternative-fantasy medieval story. We hear directly from women in first person voice; there is a great plot with time a-ticking away; and the characters are very relatable. For readers of fantasy, especially if you like Sidhe novels, medieval London, Irish magic, dastardly deeds and plucky women.
This is one not to miss. I'll definitely be looking for more from this author. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 14, 2019 Pamela Jeffs rated it it was amazing

Blackbirds Sing- a stunning read. Flinthart’s gift for prose gives a world gritty enough to taste and characters who transcend the limit of the page. Her women are built with cores of iron and the men should be pitied for their ignorance of that strength. With the true skill of an artist, Aiki Flinthart has woven a captivating and sincerely clever novel.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 19, 2019 Carrie rated it it was amazing

Stunningly unique, uplifting and unforgettable: what an amazing feat to weave so many brilliant (female) POV characters into a story. This is truly a masterpiece. I love this book.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 21, 2020 Serene Conneeley rated it it was amazing

Blackbirds Sing by Aiki Flinthart is incredible! I absolutely LOVED it. It’s a historical fantasy novel, set in London in 1486 and based on real events and real people – with some licence taken, a couple of characters invented, and a little enchantment added. There’s love, loyalty, treason, royalty, herbalism and midwifery, intrigue, plots-within-plots, courage and ancient Irish magic, and it’s told in the most ambitious way possible – each chapter is a short story in itself, focused on one of t ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 17, 2019 Neen Cohen rated it it was amazing

Blackbirds Sing was one of the first books I read of Aiki Flinthart’s and I was completely blown away.
Flinthart is a master of creating characters that you either love or love to hate.
This is an amazing story weaving through the lives of ordinary women, who are placed in positions that require their strength and courage and skills. Each chapter, each short story, is from the perspective of one of these incredible women, and it’s quite intriguing to see whose insight you will be privileged to ne ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 02, 2020 Catherine Elderhorst rated it it was amazing

Blackbirds is a delightful read. I love the way each chapter ends by introducing the character who stars in the next chapter. It flows beautifully, culminating in a blood-stirring climax that will have you on the edge of your seat. I was hugely impressed by this, because Aiki has shown great attention to detail in historical accuracy, so I naively thought that I could predict the ending. Yeah, nah. It was a nail-biting ride, but I've come to expect that from Aiki. She's a master at twisting the ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2020 Frankie Cohen rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 25, 2020 Emilie Morscheck rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A spellbinding mosaic novel that manages to develop so many unique and interesting characters while having a strong central plot. The attention to historical detail is amazing without weighing down the narrative.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 10, 2020 Maureen rated it really liked it

This was a hugely enjoyable historical fiction with a dash of fantasy and full of strong female characters, interesting world-building and actual attention to detail in the historical research. I'm keen to read more in this world and this series. 4.5 stars ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 24, 2020 Andrew Old rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A clever, joyful read. More, please!

This was a pleasure to read, and a brilliant prequel to the Ruadhan Sidhe trilogy. Multiple POV characters all bringing different voices and perspectives to the story, all wielded with a deft hand. And the author's knowledge and love of history and Ye olde stuff shines through. Terrific! ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 27, 2020 Andrew Davisdon added it

Recommends it for: Lovers of historic fiction

Recommended to Andrew by: Friend

An inspiring collection of stories of strong women living in medieval London. All of the tales artfully cloven together by an ancient shadowy figure.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 15, 2019 Barnesm rated it it was amazing

Shelves: friends

London 1486 the war of the roses has ended but a plot by bitter York loyalists threatens the hard-wrought peace. Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. Lots of Bad people. Lots of Good people. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.

That isn't this book, that's The Princess Bride.

This book is all that but with engrossing detailed character stories of four and twenty noteworthy women whose stories while each remarkable and capable of sus ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 18, 2020 Tyler rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, historical-fiction

As of the time of this review being typed, Blackbirds Sing is still in the running in SPFBO 6, and I really hope it goes on to win!

I read the synopsis of the book while following SPFBO and immediately ordered a physical copy. I knew it was a gamble, but sometimes I like to dive into a book no one I know has heard of and take that chance, and boy am I glad that I took the plunge!

If you are like me, and on the fence whether you think the concept of this book can be pulled off successfully and don ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 30, 2020 Carol rated it it was amazing

A new-to-me author and not a genre that I usually read but I am glad that I did. The blurb sounded intriguing and I wondered if it would work or if it would become a mish mash of unconnected confusing mess but it works, and extremely well at that. Perhaps it is the obviously large amount of research that has gone into it, or the well thought out and clever plotting, but it is ingenious and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Each chapter is dedicated to a new character and perceived through their eyes, tel ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 21, 2020 Annie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction

What a wonderful tapestry novel! So many compelling stories woven into one overarching narrative...I truly adored this moving, well-researched book.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2020 Cass Moriarty rated it liked it

Blackbirds Sing (Cat Press 2019) is a rather unusual novel by Aiki Flinthart. In a collection of linked short stories that features 24 different women of all ages and classes, the novel addresses the powerlessness of women and the many dangers to them of 500 years ago, but also highlights their persistence, their courage and their united desire to maintain personal sovereignty despite all odds being against them.
The book is loosely based on the children’s nursery rhyme ‘Four and Twenty Blackbird Blackbirds Sing (Cat Press 2019) is a rather unusual novel by Aiki Flinthart. In a collection of linked short stories that features 24 different women of all ages and classes, the novel addresses the powerlessness of women and the many dangers to them of 500 years ago, but also highlights their persistence, their courage and their united desire to maintain personal sovereignty despite all odds being against them.
The book is loosely based on the children’s nursery rhyme ‘Four and Twenty Blackbirds Baked in a Pie’, in the year 1486. The reign of King Henry VII is threatened by York loyalists. The opening and closing chapters are narrated by a 432-year-old Travelling Minstrel, and the 22 chapters in between are narrated variously by midwives, maids-in-waiting, healers, tradeswomen, thieves, musicians, prostitutes, servants, mistresses, doctors, assassins and nuns, ranging in age from pre-puberty to old age, and ranging in class from nobility to the poorest of the poor. Each tells a unique story of their own experience and each of their stories combines with the others to give a layered multi-view of society, all that was going on at the time, and the role these women played in protecting their King.
Flinthart is clearly obsessed with this time period and has included a lot of research and historical detail. There were probably too many characters for me to fully engage with any particular women with empathy, but overall the story paints a broad brushstroke of what women’s lives were like at that time, whether they were poor or rich – the expectations upon them, the restrictions around what they could and couldn’t do, the secretive plans they hatched in order to carry on their lives, the ever-present danger of being called witches, the implicit threat of childbirth as well as illnesses, the dangers of war and civil unrest, the power wielded over them by men, the bonds forged between women as they navigated their lives and the griefs and losses they endured along the way. There is plenty of romance and desire, and much to appeal to readers who like to immerse themselves in this historical period.
...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 19, 2020 Jeanette rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, historical, fantasy, women, australian-author

Blackbirds Sing by Aiki Flinthart is a gem, set in the early reign of Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth around the birth of their eldest son, Arthur (Henry VIII's older brother). Henry's claim to the throne has brought to an end the destructive dynastic War of the Roses, promising a new era of peace. But not everyone is happy, especially former supporters of the defeated Richard III, like Lord Francis Lovell. Lovell and his friends, the Stafford brothers, are plotting to free the last Plantagenet, E ...more

flag Like · see review

May 13, 2020 Naomi (aplace_inthesun) rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs

In early 1486 King Henry VII married Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV after defeating her parental uncle Richard III on the battlefield. The union brought the warring houses together and he was the first monarch of the House of Tudor, symbolised by the Tudor Rose.

Blackbird Sings is a story about the perspectives of twenty-five women impacted by the events of the time and their male counterparts quest for power, as either allies of King Henry VII, or those that sought to unseat him. Whilst based ...more

flag Like · see review

May 29, 2020 Jantine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, free-for-review

I received a free copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Well researched history is interwoven with magic in this book, in such a way that it all feels very realistic. I felt like I was there, watching from a small distance, instead of reading the story. I could almost smell the stench of the London streets, and hear the sounds.

Life was hard for women in medieval London. But together they made change happen, more than any man could have ever guessed.

The short stories were interwov ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 04, 2021 Mandy Partridge rated it it was amazing

Aiki Flinthart has her own brand of feminism. In "Blackbirds Sing", all of the characters who carry the action are women. Sure, there are male characters, but they are in supporting roles. So it's the polar opposite of most other literature. Aiki writes for a Young Adult audience, and offers a wealth of strong female role models for young women and men. Set in historic London, when the Court still centred around the Tower, "Blackbirds Sing" follows four and twenty female characters through their ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 11, 2020 Rachel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wonderful, clever and absorbing.

There is a plot against the king which may destroy the hard won peace at the end of the War of the Roses. But the simple actions of a group of seemingly unconnected women, told in a collection of separate vignettes, may change the course of history. And the Sidhe (fairies) may have a role to play in the outcome.
A clever, dazzling adventure through historical London, with a touch of magic and a wealth of accurate historical detail. A wonderful read.

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Goodreads Reviewe...: Historical Fantasy - Need Reviewers - Blackbirds Sing	1	10	Apr 08, 2020 10:57AM
Read 4 Review: Historical Fantasy - Need Reviewers - Blackbirds Sing	1	2	Apr 08, 2020 10:57AM
Goodreads Librari...: missing reviews	7	247	Oct 15, 2019 05:11PM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Fantasy

9 users

Historical > Historical Fiction

8 users

Historical

3 users

Historical Fiction > Historical Fantasy

2 users

See top shelves…

About Aiki Flinthart

Aiki Flinthart

61 followers

Aiki lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband, (Ernest), teenage son (Leonidis - not their real names, obviously), aging dog and directionally-challenged fish.
In between being a wife, running a business full-time and helping Leonidis with homework, she squeezes in a few hobbies, including:
Martial arts, painting, writing, reading, bellydancing and playing three or four musical instruments. Oc ...more