Review: All The Birds In The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

Childhood friends Patricia Delfine and Laurence Armstead didn't expect to see each other again, after parting ways under mysterious circumstances during high school. After all, the development of magical powers and the invention of a two-second time machine could hardly fail to alarm one's peers and families.

But now they're both adults, living in the hipster mecca San Francisco, and the planet is falling apart around them. Laurence is an engineering genius who's working with a group that aims to avert catastrophic breakdown through technological intervention into the changing global climate. Patricia is a graduate of Eltisley Maze, the hidden academy for the world's magically gifted, and works with a small band of other magicians to secretly repair the world's ever-growing ailments. Little do they realize that something bigger than either of them, something begun years ago in their youth, is determined to bring them together--to either save the world, or plunge it into a new dark ages.

A deeply magical, darkly funny examination of life, love, and the apocalypse.

Oh wow I don't even know where to begin, normally I will finish a book and write my review straight away. In this case I needed a little while to think about it. I am still not entirely sure what I am going to say.

All the birds in the sky mixes magic with science which sounds amazing. This produces a great idea, one I haven't come across yet. Combined with an amazing cover I was very eager to start this book.

It begins amazingly, so much so that I loved the first parts. In the first part we get to meet Patricia and Laurence as small children and discover how different they are. Patricia being a witch who can speak to animals and Laurence who is very intelligent and talented in science.

Soon after that, the book jumps to their years at school, which is probably my favourite part. This part of the book reads like a YA book. This is the time when they both meet, where both are being bullied for being different. Bullied not only by other pupils but also the parents and teachers it seems. Its like the whole world is against them. Nobody understands either one of them and people try to make them into something they are not. This part of the book is the one that haunts me the most. It shows how painful and horrific life can be for someone like Patricia and Laurence. And also how much it can change when you finally find someone who will understand you.

Patricia and Laurence, both feel drawn to each other even tho they couldn't be any more different. Laurence who is building a super computer and Patricia who is just discovering more about her magic. But why is there someone who doesn't want them to get close? How clever is this computer of that Laurence is building?

After some events Patricia and Laurence are being split up, their life taking them in completely different directions.

Now the next part of the book is the one I am not so sure about. When both meet again in their adult life, one a scientist and Patricia now in control of her magic. I still completely adored the magic aspect. it was the scientific part that I found hart to follow at times. I had to go back a few pages sometimes to see if that would help me understand and sometimes it did. But I did find that this part slowed my reading down some.

However, then you come to the end of the book, seeing how it all comes together in the end, magic and science, was very much worth the read.

This is a very unique book, incredibly well written and rather surprising in the end.
The characters are so complex and interesting, I loved getting to know both Patricia and Laurence. And their very complicated relationship was incredibly interesting to follow.

I believe while writing about science one has to be very careful to make sure that it is understandable for every one, weather it is fiction or non fiction. I didn't always understand everyone that was going on, which was a bit of a shame for me.

But all in all, well done on mixing magic with science! This book has been bizarre in a very good kind of way.

Thank you to Lydia Gittins at Titan Books for my copy of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Expected Publication 26th January by Titan Books