The Blackbirds of St. Giles by Lila Cain (two authors writing under one name) takes the reader from an 18th century Jamaican plantation, the English colonies during the American Revolution, to the diverse and grimy streets of London. Blackbirds started off strong with a visually striking and emotionally wrought scene of an uprising of enslaved peoples’ against plantation owners. Among them, Daniel, his brother, mother, and toddler sister Pearl. Amongst the chaos, Daniel is only able to save Pearl, leaving behind the rest of his family and his love Adanna, who works within the main house. Daniel and Pearl live with the Maroons for a time, but the transient and often threatened way of life proves dangerous for young Pearl.
Daniel learns that the British Army is recruiting enslaved Africans to fight the Continentals in exchange for manumission. I really loved this plot point and detail because this fact is oftentimes overlooked in the study of the American Revolution. While Daniel at times recognizes the dichotomy of fighting for the British, he is determined to make a better life for Pearl. He makes his way up through the ranks, achieving officer serving under a a man named Fitzallen. Fitzallen and his wife take Daniel and Pearl under the wing, though the reader doesn’t see much of this relationship save toward the end of it. The group journeys back to England with a mortally wounded Fitzallen, who presents Daniel with his last will and testament to take his name and estate upon his death.
Life does not go according to plan when Pearl and Daniel arrive in London, bereft of any help, resources, or connections. They soon face the prejudices of the city, despite its diversity, and wind up in an enclave known as St. Giles where marginalized folks live in a network of tunnels under the malevolent stewardship of underwolrd-boss type Elias, the “King of the Rookery.” With the help of Jen, a helpful Irish woman, and Jerome, an apothecary, Daniel and Pearl begin to carve a new life. Daniel soon makes a name for himself as a boxer. Their time in London is Stephen Knight-esque, mixed with Harlots.
There’s a lot of spoilery points I don’t want to talk about here, so I will keep things general. Blackbirds absolutely started off amazing. I loved the rebellion opening and Daniel’s time as a soldier fighting the Continentals (albeit brief), but I felt that after Daniel and Pearl settle in St. Giles the story steadily fizzles. Honestly I would have preferred (and would love to read it if the authors write a prequel) a novel about Daniel and Pearl first in Jamaican, then in the American colonies during the war. Perhaps it’s personal preference, but the complexities of these characters in those specific times and places seem more interesting.
I felt the story steadily fizzled for a few reasons. There is a half-baked (at best) romance where there wasn’t much lead up, chemistry, or resolution. The characters always seemed at arms length from each other, and as such, I never truly believed their romance (which in itself felt very fleeting.) There was also a tinge of a miscommunication trope here, which I personally find very frustrating and unnecessary in any story. The boxing aspect almost seemed too modern to me, if that makes sense. I know the sport was around then, but something about those scenes took me out of the 18th century setting. Although Elias is presumably the main antagonist, he is in, if I remember correctly, three scenes. The reader doesn’t really get any back story on him, and all we know of him are his superficial qualities. We don’t really know his motives, which makes him two dimensional. There were several tertiary characters that I found myself confused at times, forgetting who someone was at other times. There is another sort of antagonist equating to a few scenes, but while we know more of her backstory, her motives are also a bit unclear. And finally, perhaps most importantly, I think the story could have greatly benefited from having Pearl’s, and/or Jen’s perspectives. There’s quite a blind spot when it comes to those two presumably very important women in Daniel’s life, leaving a kind of void in the narrative.
I really wanted to love Blackbirds as a whole as much as I did reading the first quarter, but the story ultimately unraveled on many levels as the plot progressed.
The Blackbirds of St. Giles will be released May27, 2025
Home 