So far, very good. I was a little uncomfortable with the initial scenes of the kids and their mother, but now that the kids are traveling up the river, the story has gotten really interesting and very riveting. I like her world-building, it's very effortless and doesn't intrude into the plot, yet you really get a sense of a very different place. A vague sense of the Ganges in India, or the Amazon in South America, but with very obvious differences.Finished it now, and loved it! Liked the heroine, liked that she ended up with the guy I hoped she would, and it just was so beautifully and seamlessly written. I think I'll go on to read the other two books she set in this world. A character driven fantasy, wonderfully done. Eliss begins as a struggling girl, responsible for her drug-addict mother and mixed-race brother, and defined by them. Her mother dies, and with time Eliss is able to let go – even coming to understand that the pretty lies that have blossomed into a popular song express a truth about her mother deeper than the truth that she was a drug addict. She learns to let go of her brother so that he can grow up where he is comfortable, accepted, and finally himself. In the end Eliss is a woman with her own identity & her own extraordinary and unique skills. The world and particularly the barge Bird of the River are vivid and well-drawn. If only Baker was still around to bring us more.
What do You think about The Bird Of The River (2010)?
Not marketed as YA, but makes a great crossover title. Review to come.
—Jess9000
A good story. More of a Young Adult book . I enjoyed it.
—taralindo
A fun read, and the first Kage Baker novel I've enjoyed.
—nyirisara
Very enjoyable river journey adventure.
—pedestrian
