It's 1918, both WWI and the influenza outbreak are at their peak, and 16-year-old Mary Shelley Black is fleeing to California to live with her aunt after her father is arrested on vague charges of what might be anti-American sentiment. (His story was never covered in much detail.) Her childhood-friend-turned-true-love (who coincidentally lives in the same town as her aunt) has gone to France to fight in the war; meanwhile, his older brother is cashing in on the current spiritualism craze by offering to take "spirit photos" for grieving families of the many casualties, both of the war and the flu. (Quick note: this book was published in 2014, so its setting during the 1918 flu pandemic is completely unrelated to the 2020 covid pandemic. This seems trivial but I don't think I would have wanted to read something that intentionally draws parallels between the two. Not just yet, at any rate.)

Let's start with what I liked about this book. I liked the historical details, like all the disgusting flu preventions/remedies (why were they so obsessed with onions?), and the spooky ghost stuff. I liked that Mary Shelley is clever but it's not her One Defining Feature (a common problem in YA fiction). I liked her secretly boy-crazy aunt and the reminder that being the sibling of one's parents does not automatically make them "old." And in general, I really felt immersed in the atmosphere - I could hear the sounds and smell the odors and all of that.

There were a couple things that really bothered me, though. First of all, Mary Shelley Black was named after the author of Frankenstein, which is fine except that her interest in electricity is mentioned more than once. Which tells me that the author never read the original novel, because Shelley was purposefully vague on how the Monster is brought to life; the electricity aspect wasn't even introduced until the 1931 film.

The other thing that bugged me was the inconsistent stance on spiritualism in general. Spirit photos are fakes unless they aren't. A character's sudden ability to smell emotion is never elaborated on. Hauntings don't happen except when they do. This story seems to want to be both skeptical and a believer at the same time, which makes things a little muddy. Enough details are left hanging that I wonder if the author had plans for a sequel.

All that said, I actually really enjoyed reading this, despite its little annoyances. I liked the writing style quite a bit, and I blew through it in only a few days. And as this was Winters's first novel, I think I'll reserve judgement until I've read some of her later works. ( )

A bit of a disapppintment. I was willing to deal with the over-the-top romance stuff because the writing seemed good, and the time period is so interesting, but all the promise sort of fizzled in exchange for some weird high drama and ghosty romance scenes. The story was interesting for its take on early reactions to shell shocked soldiers, and the depictions of different men returned from WWI were really interesting. More flu and war story and less silly plot twist would've made me like it better in the end. ( )

I thought this was an excellent debut novel. I definitely recommend it to people who like YA historical fiction with a horror-laced supernatural twist and a bit of romance. ( )

Wonderful read. I loved that Mary Shelley is a determined, intelligent girl who isn't afraid to be brave. ( )

Considering how much I loved The Uninvited I had no doubt I'd enjoy this as well.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds takes place in the fall of 1918 where America is fighting Germans overseas while fighting the Spanish Influenza at home. This is an atmospheric book based during a dark time in history that was full of fear and death. Imagine doing all you can to prevent yourself from falling ill while still knowing it could all be in vain. That in particular is portrayed incredibly well in this book.
As for the main character, Mary Shelley Black proves to be a strong heroine. Her father has been arrested for being un-American, she finds out her sweetheart Stephen was killed in the war, the death toll from the flu is steadily rising and in the midst of all this she begins interacting with Stephens ghost. The latter brings to light some conflicting questions; why hasn't Stephen moved on and why is his spirit so tormented? How can Mary help him if she doesn't know what the problem is to begin with?
You'll have to read the book to find the answers to these questions but I promise that while you may think you have it figured out you'll most likely be (at least partially) wrong.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds is another tragically beautiful novel by Cat Winters. Whether you've read any of her other books or not you should pick this up! Plus, the illustrations in the book are a wonderfully haunting addition. ( )