Birds of Paradise

WOW! WOW! WOW!!!

This book was crazy good. It was DARK, it was GRITTY, it was INTENSE, it was RAW, it was MESSY, it was UGLY, and it was BEAUTIFUL! Phenomenally perfect.
55 highlights... I couldn’t stop.
Absolutely EVERYTHING Anne created in this book was masterfully written.

“I want you to be ugly,” he continued, watching the knife as he used it to play with tendrils of my hair. “Anyone can be beautiful. It’s so common. Effortless. Empty. I need you to be ugly so I can be too. I need to see your ugly because that’s the only thing I want. That’s real. That, I can possess.”

This book is going to keep you on your toes, your heart will go into constant heart palpitations and doubled with anxiety. You’re going to dive in, expect one thing and come out with something else in all of its ugly beauty. You will try to guess the plot, don’t. Anne Malcom knows how to keep you guessing. There were certain twists there, I had to take a moment to myself and regroup before I continued. Things coming out of left field that had me in a state of shock, mouth gaping open, with a flashing #MindBlown above my head.

There are certain authors that have a hard time pulling you in and pull out certain emotions with really tragic and dark moments. Some just can’t get the proper feelings, actions, words to truly have the reader experience the same motions as the characters. This is NOT the case with Anne Malcom. I promise, you will feel EVERYTHING the main heroine feels. You will go down with her, you will lose the fight with her, you will get stronger with her, you’re going to experience everything with her as if you were her. Anne Malcom will take you on this ride as not as an outsider looking in, but as a part of the story itself.
There is so much beauty in all the ugliness in the world and this book will say it all.
I can’t say enough how much I loved this book. Loved absolutely every single little and big thing about it.
Get the book, read the words, experience this dark rollercoaster, and fall in love with everything that is Ugly/Beautiful. #BestDarkReads2018

“The rarest of all the remarkable things are the ugliest and most broken of things. They can only be possessed in death too[...]But there is more than one version of a corpse. Some can be stuffed and preserved and put into frames. Others can walk, talk, and breathe[...]Which one are you going to be, Elizabeth?”

This book was eye opening, amazing, emotional, deep and beautiful! Sometimes you have to think with an open mind to really see what the story is all about; Elizabeth's and Oliver's (Lukyan) story was touching and their connection was more than surface deep. I loved this story and all it portrayed! This author never ceases to amaze me with her abilities to seep into the unknown and allow her darkest thoughts come to life!

Definitely a unique story that has grit and twists that’ll keep you wondering how it’ll play out until the end. Not a typical read as these two extremely broken characters find survival in ugly. A departure in her writing style that shows diversity. “You’ve lived your life in pain and suffering, and you know nothing else. But it does not define you.” If this genre is your cup of tea, I highly recommend this book.