Review – Crazy as a Loon (Yard Birds, Book 1) by Hailey Edwards (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 133 pages
Publisher: Black Dog Books, LLC.
Release Date: May 5, 2023
ASIN: B0B73B3KRQ
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Yard Birds series
Source: Borrowed ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Ellie Gleason has protected the town of Samford, Alabama for decades. It’s not as glamorous as her glory days as the WitchLight Hub, but it keeps her active during her golden years.
Life is good. Well, it’s okay. Fine. It could be bloodier with a smidge more gore, but retirement is meant to be low-key. It’s not like her fragile bones could handle the strenuous hunt for monsters anymore, even if her current duties are dull as dishwater.
But when her great-nephew shows up on her doorstep in tears—or is he her great-great nephew?—begging for help, Ellie straps on her beloved shotgun, Bam-Bam, and gets the coven back together.
Sure, Betty just had a hip replacement, and Flo would rather flirt than fight, and Ida is busy with her anniversary plans, and Joan is…Joan. But Ellie is certain she can whip the girls into shape in time to defeat the creature preying on kids at a nearby summer camp. She might even have them home in time for dinner..”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Yard Birds series . I borrowed this ebook from Kindle Unlimited.
Thoughts: This was a quick and cute paranormal read that I enjoyed. There are strong themes about getting older and family throughout and a lot of humor as well.
Ellie Gleason and her coven protect Samford, Alabama from the paranormal. It’s not as exciting as being a full-time monster hunter, but it’s a job that needs to be done. Her coven is quirky and old as dirt (Betty’s walker that she has to use to recover from her hip replacement surgery is really putting a wedge in her getting around). When one of Betty’s shape-shifting grandsons gets stuck permanently in his wolf form it’s time to figure out what’s going down at the summer camp. It’s a summer camp for paranormal kids, and numerous kids are turning up traumatized and injured.
This wasn’t anything super special, but it was fun and quick to read. I struggled a bit in the beginning to keep all the characters straight; they are introduced quickly and hard to separate initially, but this was remedied as we got deeper into the story.
It’s always fun to read about older characters, and I enjoyed the quirky elderly cast here. There is a big focus on supporting family, getting older, and coping with abilities that decrease with age.
The plot is straightforward and well thought out; everything is resolved neatly. There are some broader story lines that will carry into the second book in this series. The writing was easy to read and flowed well. The world-building was a bit vague…kind of general paranormal world vibes, but there are hints of a larger structure outside this town.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I liked this, it was a fun, quick, easy-to-read paranormal book that was entertaining. I have been reading a lot of longer, more complex books lately, and I enjoyed this light break from those. This is full of older, quirky characters that are fun to read about and also has a decent mystery. There is a lot about family and coping with growing older which added some deeper sincerity to the story. I would recommend if you are looking for a quick, humorous, general paranormal read. This is light and fun.
