Aug 29

Aug 29 Feral Creatures (Hollow Kingdom, #2)

Author: Kira Jane Buxton
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

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Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

In this stunning follow-up to Hollow Kingdom, the animal kingdom's “favorite apocalyptic hero” is back with a renewed sense of hope for humanity, ready to take on a world ravaged by a viral pandemic (Helen Macdonald).

Once upon an apocalypse, there lived an obscenely handsome American crow named S.T. . . .

When the world last checked-in with its favorite Cheeto addict, the planet had been overrun by flesh-hungry beasts, and nature had started re-claiming her territory from humankind. S.T., the intrepid crow, alongside his bloodhound-bestie Dennis, had set about saving pets that had become trapped in their homes after humanity went the way of the dodo.

That is, dear reader, until S.T. stumbled upon something so rare — and so precious — that he vowed to do everything in his power to safeguard what could, quite literally, be humanity's last hope for survival. But in a wild world plagued by prejudiced animals, feather-raising environments, new threats so terrifying they make zombies look like baby bunnies, and a horrendous dearth of cheesy snacks, what's a crow to do?

Why, wing it on another big-hearted, death-defying adventure, that's what! Joined by a fabulous new cast of animal characters, S.T. faces many new challenges plus his biggest one yet: parenthood.

TL;DR Review

I loved Feral Creatures! It was just as funny and heartwarming and clever as Hollow Kingdom. Kira Jane Buxton is so witty and these books are exactly my kind of humor.

For you if: You like books that will make you laugh out loud and then tear up, possibly all in the same paragraph.

Full Review

“The prophet Emily Dickinson once said, ‘Hope is a thing with feathers.’ I was a bird with hope laced through every barbule of every feather, but I couldn’t protect the last MoFo on my own.”

I’ve been waiting for Feral Creatures since the minute I heard it was going to be published, and my friends, it did not disappoint. Hollow Kingdom was one of the funniest and most surprising books I think I’ve ever read, and Feral Creatures brings all the same greatness to the table.

This is a true sequel, so if you haven’t read Hollow Kingdom yet, do that first. The duology is about a sweary, domesticated crow named S.T. (which stands for Shit Turd — his owner was rough around the edges lol) who thinks humans are called MoFos, lmao. In the first book, humans start turning into screen-hunting zombies, and S.T. embarks on a mission with his friend Dennis the dog to save all the domesticated animals. In Feral Creatures, it picks up a short while later, with S.T. in parental mode trying to save his “nestling” from her fate in this new, changed world.

These books are magic because Kira Jane Buxton is SO WITTY. They’re full of impeccably timed swear words (without being crass), and I promise you’ll laugh out loud. Then, sometimes even in the same paragraph or sentence, she’ll turn around and squeeze the heck out of your poor little heart. So, if you like laughing and tearing up all at the same time, these books are for you.

It’s also really beautiful the way Buxton weaves in her deep knowledge and love for the animal kingdom, with interstitial chapters told from the point of view of animals all over the world — each with their own personality (and, in the audiobook, accent!). Still in love with the dog from the first book who spoke about herself in the third poodle.

I would take a bullet for S.T. the crow. Read these books. Kthanksbye.