Blackbird by Anna Carey Review!

   

Title : Blackbird
Author : Anna Carey
Pages : 256
Published : September 16th 2014
Publisher : HarperTeen
Source : Edelweiss

This twisty, breathless cat-and-mouse thrill ride, told in the second person, follows a girl with amnesia in present-day Los Angeles who is being pursued by mysterious and terrifying assailants.

A girl wakes up on the train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn’t remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her. 

On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined. 

The Maze Runner series meets Code Name Verity, Blackbird is relentless and action-packed, filled with surprising twists.

My Thoughts : 

A girl wakes up on the train tracks with a train baring down on top of her. With only seconds before it hits, she puts her arms down at her side and hunkers down, hoping to survive. Thankfully she does but she has no recollection of who she is, where she is or how she got to the station. She has a backpack with her and a tattoo on her wrist of a blackbird in a box with letters and numbers below it. She doesn't remember getting it nor what it means. 

The only thing she knows is that if the police arrives at the train station she will be in trouble. She has to run. Leaving the place she enters a supermarket and literally bumps into Ben. He sees the state of her and offers assistance but she refuses. He gives her his number in case she needs it. She leaves quickly but soon figures out that someone seems to be following her. She tries to lose him but he seems to be at every turn. Who is he and why is he following her, and worse, who is trying to kill her. 

With no idea where to go, she turns to the only person she knows. Ben. Can he help her remember and can he keep her alive?

This is the first book I've read that's told in second person, and while it took me a while to get used to it, it kind of works for Blackbird! I admit that at the start I was going to put it aside because it was so odd reading second person, but I'm so glad I didn't! I'm glad I kept reading because the story was amazing! 

When the girl wakes up, she is asked her name, which she doesn't know, so she says Sunny. Sunny was a fantastic character. She is thrust into a world with no memory and where people are trying to kill her, yet she is strong, resilient and brave. She gets a few flashbacks but yet she still has no idea what is happening to her. Why is she here and why are people trying to kill her. She has to try escape the killers and figure out who she is before its too late. 

I didn't know what to make of Ben at the start. He is a drug dealer so immediately I didn't like him but getting to know him, you cant help but like him. He feels sorry for Sunny so tries to help, but is he biting off more than he can chew? 

The plot was what I loved about Blackbird. It was gripping and thrilling. The first half of the book was a little slow, but that was because it was setting the scene but when we get about half way through, it really kicks into gear. I loved trying to figure out who Sunny is and why people are after her. 

Overall Blackbird is an intense and thrilling read. The second half of the book is action packed and with plenty of twists. While second person mighn't work for everyone, I urge you to give it a go. It was definitely a unique experience for me. Blackbird leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions and ends in a huge cliffhanger so I am eagerly awaiting the sequel of it!!