Title: The Blackbirds of St Giles

Author: Lila Cain

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 30th January 2025

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Summary:

Some things are earned. Some things are worth fighting for… 

It’s 1782, Daniel and his sister Pearl arrive in London with the world at their feet and their future assured. Having escaped a Jamaican sugar plantation, Daniel fought for the British in the American War of Independence and was rewarded with freedom and an inheritance.   

But the city is not a place for men like Daniel and he is callously tricked and finds himself, along with his sister Pearl, in the rookeries of St Giles – a warren of dark and menacing alleyways, filled with violence and poverty.   

The underworld labyrinth is run by Elias, a man whose cruelty knows no bounds. But under his dangerous rule is a brotherhood of Black men, the Blackbirds of St Giles, whose intention is to set their people free.   

Can Daniel use his strength, wit and the fellowship of the other Blackbirds to overthrow Elias and truly find the freedom he fought for…? 

Review:

The Blackbirds of St Giles is exactly the kind of historical fiction I absolutely love. Immersive, brutal, vivid and completely consuming. It has the feel of a kind of darker Dickens and drew me into the lives of these characters from the very first page. Following Daniel and Pearl from a Jamaican plantation, to the American War of Independence and then to the poverty stricken and dangerous rookeries of St Giles in London, where the bulk of the story takes place, is a fascinating and incredibly engaging experience. It gives an important insight into the often overlooked or disregarded Black history of 18th century London and is chock full of characters that you love, hate and everything in between. 

This is a beautifully written book that doesn’t hold back in terms of showing the brutality and grittiness of the hidden side of Georgian London in all its visceral grimy reality. The story is deeply compelling and full of intense drama that had me completely hooked.  I loved the evident wealth of research that has been undertaken to craft such a vivid picture and the inclusion of real historical figures which grounds the story in reality perfectly. Most of all I loved the characters, especially Daniel, who I was rooting for from the very beginning. The Blackbirds of St Giles is a brilliant, dark, emotional and incredibly intense read that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. 

★★★★★

Thank you so much to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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