Review – Dead as a Dodo (Yard Birds, Book 2) by Hailey Edwards (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 97 pages
Publisher: Black Dog Books, LLC.
Release Date: November 15, 2023
ASIN: B0CNFY5WM8
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Yard Birds series
Source: Borrowed ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Ellie has done her best to keep the spark alive in her marriage to Wally, but she has limited options with her husband cursed into the body of a vintage novelty toy. She thought everything was going okay, aside from the fact he’s battery-operated and bursts into song whenever his motion sensor is triggered, but he’s done being a collector’s item.
When the Middles turn up with a half-dead coworker on her doorstep, Ellie jumps at the chance to help her nephews find who’s responsible to avoid the problems at home. As the attacks grow deadlier, and the rift between her and Wally grows wider, Ellie has to focus on saving herself if she ever hopes to save her marriage.”
Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Yard Birds series. I borrowed this on ebook from Kindle Unlimited.
Thoughts: This was a fun and well-done short paranormal mystery read. Ellie is trying to make her marriage work still, even though her husband’s soul is bound to a battery operated talking fish wall plaque. Her husband has encouraged her to start dating again, but then he doesn’t seem to be taking the fact that Ellie has an okay time on her first date very well. In the midst of this one of her nephews turns up with an injured shapeshifter, one of his co-workers who was attacked on the job. As more shapeshifters turn up dead or injured, the pack leader finally calls Ellie in to help solve the mystery.
This is a very straightforward mystery that is solved quickly. The world-building here is loosely “general paranormal”. I would love to learn more about the monster hunter group that Ellie retired from.
What makes this story work is the fun family vibes and the quirky characters. Also, this is such a quick read (took me 45 minutes to read it) that I am fine with it being just a fun, simple, paranormal mystery. I also love that Ellie totes around a shotgun named BamBam wherever she goes and that the witch who was using a walker in the last book has upgraded to a scooter so she can “outrun” people who want to keep her away from danger. There are just so many fun characters in this weird extended paranormal family that I love them all.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoy these short little paranormal mystery reads. They are full of action, magic, family, and fun quirky characters. I plan on reading the final book in this trilogy soon. These have also made me want to check out other series by Edwards; the characters in here are just so much fun and these have been so easy and engaging to read!
