Title: Black Woods Blue Sky

Author: Eowyn Ivey

Genre: Fiction/Fairytale

Publisher: Tinder Press

Publication Date: 4th February 2025

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Summary:

Birdie’s keeping it together, of course she is. So she’s a little hungover on her shifts, and has to bring her daughter to the lodge while she waits never tables, but it’s a tough town to be a single mother, and Birdie just needs to get by.

And then Birdie meets Arthur, who is quieter than most men, but makes her want to listen; who is gentle with Emaleen, and understands Birdie’s fascination with the mountains in whose shadow they live. When Arthur asks Birdie and Emaleen to leave the lodge and make a home, just the three of them, in his off-grid cabin, Birdie’s answer, in a heartbeat, is yes.

Out in the wilderness Birdie’s days are harsher and richer than she ever imagined possible. Here she, and Emaleen, will learn the whole, fearful truth about Arthur.

Review:

Black Woods Blue Sky is one of those books that just draws you in and completely enchants you. I loved it. It is kind of a loose interpretation of Beauty and the Beast, and other fairytales play a subtle part too. However, it is much much more than a retelling. It’s a gorgeously written story of love, survival, motherhood and the wilderness with a dark undercurrent of danger and aching sadness. The Alaskan setting plays a key role, and is almost a character in itself, so vividly drawn and captivating is it. Ivey writes about nature and the Alaskan wilderness with a lyrical and devastating descriptive quality. I lost count of the number of quotes I wrote down throughout reading Black Woods Blue Sky. 

The characters are just as enthralling as the setting, with the lead characters of Birdie, Emaleen, Arthur and Arthur’s father all beautifully written. Parts of the story are from the perspective of six year old Emaleen and sometimes I can find child narrators a little grating or not authentic enough. However Emaleen’s voice is pitch perfect and so skilfully written that her parts were some of my favourites. Birdie is Emaleen’s young mother and she is a complex and nuanced character. Despite not always making the best choices concerning her daughter, her love for Emaleen is so blindingly obvious that it makes her struggle between protecting her daughter and embracing her true nature incredibly affecting. I don’t want to spoil any plot points because this is a truly stunning read that deserves to be enjoyed immensely. It is not always an easy read. There is a lot of brutality alongside the beauty and it honestly broke my heart a couple of times – but it is so, so worth it. A very easy five stars and highly recommended. 

★★★★★

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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