Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Serial killers who hunt other serial killers fall in love. Dark humor and wild situations. Slow relationship growth and amazing location setting.
Look, I know I’m late to this party, but any time a book gets too much hype I tend to be a bit skeptical. Pleasantly, I found this book earned all the hype it got. The story is non-traditional in a way that I enjoyed (Serial Killers who hunt other Serial Killers fall in love).
One of my favorite things about the way that Weaver writes is that the story is very much not a “met today fall in love today” kind of story. Sure, the characters have immediate undeniable chemistry, but they also are deeply wounded and flawed people (see: they are Serial Killers) the story takes a very meandering path that respects that. The banter and communication between the characters is fun and full of tension. The situations they're in are wild, so the content of the conversations can sometimes follow, but the relationships that are revealed through the conversation feel true and fun.
All in all, I gave this one 5/5 stars and recommend it for the folks who are not deterred by gore or horror elements and are interested in main characters who are more than a little broken but find partners who are similarly broken.
Favorite thing
Weavers location setting is just right - it’s there, you can picture it in your mind - but she doesn’t fall into the Sanderson Trap and spend pages giving you scenery and context. Very well done.
I watch from behind the elm across the street as the kid I paid knocks on the yellow door of 154 Jasmine Street. The door opens a moment later and she’s there, confusion etched on her beautiful face as she looks down at the paper bag the kid thrusts in her direction. I can’t make out the question she asks him, but I catch his little shrug before I dart behind the tree to avoid Sloane’s gaze as she scans the neighborhood. Weaver, Brynne. Butcher & Blackbird: The Ruinous Love Trilogy (p. 89). (Function). Kindle Edition.
Least favorite thing
I mean, it should go without saying that this is a novel about people who kill other people and at times it gets VERY graphic. Be warned if you are not someone who enjoys graphic violence and gore.
