Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong

The author was born in the USA and now lives in Melbourne, having already explored many interesting places and had many adventures.  She began a women’s history podcast in 2018 - The Exploress - which attracted a huge following. She also created a podcast which followed the creation of this cleverly devised story. This background will appeal to the young adult readers who will be the main readership for Nightbirds.

Nightbirds presents a fantasy world where women are not permitted to use magic, yet four girls living in the city of Simta do have special powers which they can pass on to the next generation if the Nightbird system is protected and well-guarded. They are kept like birds in gilded cages.

“No Nightbird’s magic is the same….The Goldfinch will help you change your feathers, making you look like someone else. The Ptarmigan gives the gift of camouflage….The Nightingale will let you manipulate someone’s emotions…”.

A discovery soon brings a threat to this system and the girls must make choices as to how they will use their magic, bringing about change to an ingrained social and cultural institution or keeping the status quo. The story is an intriguing one, the setting well described with some beautifully drawn maps of the kingdom (The Eudean Republic) and the city in the opening pages, and the characters move through the story with style and intelligence, ever aware of the challenges which will determine their behaviour for good or ill. 

A beautiful cover design with poetic pieces, written by the author, placed before each chapter, add to the attraction of Armstrong’s first novel.  Highly recommended.

Themes: Magic, Freedom, Power.

Julie Wells