Devil and the Bluebird by Jennifer Mason Black | Book Review

Title: Devil and the Bluebird
Author: Jennifer Mason-Black
Publisher:  Amulet Books
Publication Date: May 17th, 2016
Source: Purchased
Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Blue Riley has wrestled with her own demons ever since the loss of her mother to cancer. But when she encounters a beautiful devil at her town crossroads, it’s her runaway sister’s soul she fights to save. The devil steals Blue’s voice—inherited from her musically gifted mother—in exchange for a single shot at finding Cass. Armed with her mother’s guitar, a knapsack of cherished mementos, and a pair of magical boots, Blue journeys west in search of her sister. When the devil changes the terms of their deal, Blue must reevaluate her understanding of good and evil and open herself to finding family in unexpected places. In Devil and the Bluebird, Jennifer Mason-Black delivers a heart-wrenching depiction of loss and hope.

What I thought

Devil and the Bluebird had me intrigued and ready at the mention of magical realism and then furthered my interest with how beautiful its presentation is. Honestly, it's one of the prettiest books I've seen in a while. All of the beautifulness aside, I really enjoyed Devil and the Bluebird. It wasn't Bone Gap spectacular, but it was still pretty good.

The book follows Blue Riley as she makes a deal with the devil* to find her sister Cass. This sends her in a magical adventure across the country. See, thing is I could appreciate the need to find her sister, that is what drives Blue, but soon enough it becomes about finding who she is. I'm always down for young girls going on a soul searching journey to find themselves.

*do not make deals with the devil, young ones. However, if you are of a certain age, go for it. Why not? Something cool might happen and if not, well at least you will be too worried about that to worry about today's political reality.

Along the way she finds a colorful cast of characters that are dealing with their own set of problems and whatnot. It is during the moments in which Blue encounters others that some of the magical realism aspects of the story shine brightest. It's also kind of creepy at times. Always appreciate a bit of creepiness in my magical realism, mind you. However, I wish there had been more of the magical aspects of it. In magical realism, unlike baroque, more is better.

That being said, I enjoyed what we did get and I enjoyed Blue's journey. It was certainly an intriguing and original book. It's not worming its way into my favorite magical realism books, but it was good. I enjoyed the journey and Blue's struggles to save herself and her sister.