Never has there been a novel that is so complex and beautiful. It will stun readers to tears through the characters, it will leave you breathless from the setting and it will give your heart hope. I never stopped reading once I started, and I read this book again, and again. It will be one that I will gift for years to come.

Complex and layered the characters in this book will have you up all night forming a bond that will last beyond “the end”. I truly loved the way Bischof took readers into the mind of Thor, and to be honest his story was one that deserves to be read by everyone. We may have started with Aven in this novel, but truly for me it was a story of hope for Thor.

I had wondered how Bischof would handle the deaf community in this novel, and she presented it in fine manner. Research and details were very well done, and I could recall many of the signs she mentioned, that I have learned through my job. I think her passion for her characters shined on the pages, these characters came straight from her heart and soul.

If this cover doesn’t make your breath catch, I don’t know what will in the book world. It is soft and stunning with words and beauty that go beyond the cover model. It is as though you get a small taste of Blackbird Mountain right there to view each time you pick the book up.

Truly there were so many moments that my mind just stopped and soaked in the pure amazing words in this book. Here are a few moments:

• Aven learning to sign and allow Thor to get to know her
• Thor and Aven playing chess
• Thor overcoming his biggest battle in life
• Jorgan seeing Fay for the first time
• The harvest time

I have said with many books how I wish to jump into the setting and be there. But there is no setting I would rather jump into than Blackbird Mountain, post Civil War. It is one that truly spoke of the era in the South after the war. It held an untouched beauty that though not focused on, a reader can certainly gather the feeling of the environment.

This book moved my feelings and thoughts in ways that only Bischof and her writing can do. I swooned from the start for this book and fell in love for the brothers and Aven. The layers of complexity within the time period and characters is enough to keep a reader up all night reading. It was beautiful, it was strong, and this book truly, truly, truly will stun a reader beyond words. I don’t see how anyone who reads this book could possibly find flaw in the pages of this beautiful story, nor leave the pages of the book the same person they were at the start. It is a soul changing novel.

Please join the conversation and comment below. Have you read… If so what did you think/like?