The Company of Birds by Nerine Dorman

The Company of Birds Reviews

• 
  Xan Rooyen

  Wow, it's been a while since I've read an epic fantasy novel and this was a great book to break back into the genre.
  
  I absolutely loved that this book draws inspiration from South Africa and South African culture. Readers familiar with the country will enjoy nods to the nature, cuisine, and languages.
  
  The author has created a novel rich with world-building. For me, the intricate world-building was one of the best features of the book but also one of its drawbacks. Because readers need to understand how the world works to truly appreciate the politics that drives the plot, the first half of the story felt a little slow at times as it laid the groundwork for the setting and introduced us to the characters.
  
  Around 2/3 into the story, the pacing picks up and the plot really takes off. I flew through the last 25% of the book and was disappointed the story ended where it did because I found myself deeply invested in the characters and I have to know where their story goes from here. I really do hope there's a sequel in the works!
• 
  A.B. Neilly

  Just finished reading it. Eyes with tears. Beautiful. Review to come.
• 
  Barry Gill

  I loved this book. Simple. (I received an advance copy in return for an honest review).
  
  I am a typical high/epic fantasy fan with the like of David Eddings, JRR Tolkein, Raymond E Feist, Anthony Ryan, Peter V Brett etc being my stable fare - you get the picture.
  
  The Company of Birds is not my standard fare, or is it?
  
  This is a well-crafted tale set in a very real world that is rife with racism, elitism and sexism.
  
  The protagonist is a flawed, timid and awkward heroine who is dealing with significant personal issues that bring realistic human drama to her tale. She has suffered loss, struggles with connections and feels alone and powerless, estranged from society.
  
  She becomes entangled in the lives of a few others as she takes simple steps to find herself and find some small measure of peace or happiness and these steps ultimately lead her to a terrifyingly real ordeal.
  
  I don't want to say much more than that about the actual plot as I feel this story is best explained by reading it.
  
  While the advance copy I received was electronic, I have now ordered the paperback version so I can read this again in a manner I am happier with because this book deserves to be read more than once.
  
  
• 
  Elizabeth Blythe

  Couldn't Put It Down
  
  This book is a true page turner, and I put off a llt of other things in my life to continue reading it. When it was over, I wished the next book were available on the spot.
  
  The first chapter proposed an engaging mystery that I found myself keen to unravel. I spent most of the book fitting together the pieces while enjoying tantalizing language and descriptions throughout. Any flaws I noted were minor, and I hope to pick up the sequel soon.
• 
  Yolandie Horak

  I was given a free digital copy of this book for an honest review, but the fact that I ordered a softcover halfway through the read should tell you all you need to know. My shelf was incomplete without it.
  
  If you're looking for not-your-traditional fantasy novel, set in somewhere other than pseudo-Europe, this is the book for you. Lush writing, wonderful characters, and a unique take on magic and self-discovery. Also, the birds. Any book is better if it features birds! Highly recommended.
• 
  Cat Hellisen

  Liese ten Haven is an Uiten woman, and nominally a Mage at the university. Although she is one of the few Maga there, she has no real magical power, but her gift with and knowledge of languages ensures her a place. She is a bitter woman, recovering from a public divorce and the subsequent remarriage of her ex-husband. She has few friends left at the university, although at least one good friend, Isha, will see her through her story.
  
  She has settled into a constrained, comfortable life at the university, so caught up in her little world that she does not realise the full extent of the social unrest brewing in the city and the world around her.
  
  But is her father’s death - and the subsequent secrets it reveals - that throw her into a deadly, forbidden path: fire magic. Long since illegal, and carrying a death sentence, this strange power awakes within her, and Liese must unravel its secrets before she is caught and imprisoned in the Tower of Ravens - or put to death. Egged on by a strange Atroyan scholar named Malagai, she begins to uncover the depth of her powers, and discovers there have been others like her. And that there is one held captive by the mages at the university right now - a girl called Ulana, Malagai’s daughter.
  
  A series of awful events begins to unfold, and Liese’s world is ripped apart piece by piece, as her former partners and colleagues set in motion shocking tortures and civil punishments in an attempt to quell the unrest and fighting between the Uiten and Atroyans.
  
  Just how much will Liese sacrifice in order to save a girl she barely knows, in exchange for a life as a wanted criminal.
  
  Nerine Dorman’s writing is very lush and layered, and her descriptions of the world Liese inhabits are vivid enough to make you feel as though you are there herself. While at times the writing can feel a little laboured, and slowing down a story that is already focused very much on internal journeys, it will appeal to readers who like to savour a strange new world. This is not flash!bang! fantasy, but a story about people, and their fight to find a place that is truly theirs.
  
• 
  Tiah

  ~If the world had to fall to dry academia all the time, we'd all be turned to stone out of boredom.~
  
  ~I'm so tired of trying to make everyone happy. They just end up abusing your good humour.~
  
  ~Children are not the be-all and end-all of the world.~
  
  ~The moment I'd left my parents' home to follow my studies, I'd died to my old life. There was no return.~
  
  ~It was one thing to find messages, but quite another to meet the messenger.~
  
  ~Life never quite turns out the way we expect it, and each year the choices we have to make become fewer and fewer.~
• 
  Cassey

  A 3.5 read rounded up. This read has been odd. It took sometime for me to fully get into it - 6 chapters - and then it was all systems go. It's most frustrating as I've loved other words from Nerine, but somehow everything was just that smidge off kilter for me with this one.
  
  I think it's likely because the protagonist, Liese was just not someone I could like.
  
  I'm not saying that all protagonists must always be likeable, that's boring, but the moments of liking her were far outnumbered by those when I liked her. She's utterly human often, which makes it tough given where she ends up. She's got to be that little bit more than your average human given her power and the lot befallen to her. The world building is great in this read - lots of it will feel very familiar to South Africans, and those who know our history.
  
  The internal journey that Liese takes is intense. Birds are extra scary to me now. Revenge is best served hot. Isha is the best. And when do we get book two?
• 
  D.K. Ranger

  I enjoyed this book, it was a unique high fantasy novel in many ways. Nerine Dorman has a quirky engaging voice, and she is very good at conveying the emotional state of her main character, Liese. She was not a typical high fantasy heroin, being a thirty-something scholar and divorcee. I found her well rounded; having many admirable qualities mixed with nuanced and believable flaws. The first-person narrative brought across a fully fleshed out character that I could cheer for. I appreciated her cynical wit and her honesty when describing her youthful aspirations versus what she had achieved in life.
  
  The setting was absolutely fantastic, richly described and transportive. As a nature-lover, I appreciated how often the beauty of nature formed a part of the setting. Plants, landscapes and especially birds play a central role. They are all beautifully described and you can tell the author has an appreciation for nature and has spent a lot of time watching birds. It is a colonial narrative, and the society is complex and well fleshed out. This is not your typical middle-ages European setting; the society, its values and the characters are all a refreshing take on the high fantasy genre.
  
  This book did a good job of balancing plot with character development. I think readers who like Robin Hobb would appreciate Nerine Dorman’s work. Though the plot was interesting and conclusive, there were large portions of the book that were devoted to Liese’s development as a character. For me, characters are what make me care about a book. As the plot develops, you get to know Liese very well and it becomes as much a story of her daily life as it is a story of a mage who develops forbidden magic.
  
  I recommend this book, and look forward to the second installment.
• 
  Melanie Roussel

  The Company of Birds is a lovingly crafted epic fantasy which I thoroughly enjoyed. The protagonist, Liese is a wonderfully flawed character who draws a tremendous deal of empathy. While all the characters are well drawn, it’s Liese who drives the story and is the most fully rounded.
  
  The world building in this story is beautiful and I found myself getting lost in it. This dominates the first half of the book and while that effected the pacing, the imagery created was worth it. There are many strong themes which are planted at the beginning which pay off in the climax.
  
  I received a free review copy of book in return for an honest review. And I’m very interested in reading more from this author.
• 
  Nerine Dorman

  Can't rate my own book, but hells, you can.
• 
  Meade Reads (and writes!)

  Fun book with great characters!