Author: CMBWriter

Blurb: 

"Even before the fight began, Florence had been thinking about running away."

Florence Finch is seen as cold and unfriendly by her peers, rude and temperamental by her teacher, and stubborn and foolish by her mother. They may be right, but Florence can't stand it anymore and makes the decision to fly away. In doing so, her life is changed forever after she has an encounter with someone who shows her that as long as there's a smile on your face, the world doesn't seem like such a bad place.

The Woodpecker and the Finch

Book by CMBWriter

Review by Tiya Malik

The Woodpecker and the Finch is the first instalment of the 'Tale of Two Birds' series about, as the name suggests, a woodpecker and a finch. The story revolves around this boy, an outsider to the city, who is a nomad, and a girl, from the city, whose queen had been responsible for conquering and killing most of the beings from the boy's home territory. Florence - the finch, being a girl full of resentment and frustration of being locked in a gilded cage, runs off to the forest where she stumbles across Peck – the woodpecker. With their identities a secret to each other and many potential mysteries surrounding them, these two birds form a bond of friendship that is stronger than any that the two have witnessed before.

With the birds that possess the ability to shift into human forms, this book has exciting twists and plot development. The progression of this story written by the author is in a simple yet spell-binding manner. CMBWriter writes about their individual lives giving a tad bit of information about their past, here and there, cleverly sneaking in many details that connect the reader to the characters snugly. Another amazing thing about the author's writing is that the description of the surroundings and other characters, has been done so elegantly that you feel becoming a part of the story yourself. A little predictable at times, The Woodpecker and the Finch however, is an electrifying read. There were one too many instances where I found myself reminiscing about Maria Dahvana Headley's Magonia which is a good thing, in my opinion.

If I have to put my experience of reading this book into one line, I would say 'never judge a book by its cover'. Albeit, in the beginning, I had my reservations, not because the cover is bad – in fact, on the contrary, it is a pretty book cover with personalised art. However, it resembled a children's book to me at first glance, and I wasn't sure whether I would like it or not, but surprisingly enough, I was pulled into the story.

All the characters have a strong and unique persona. Lovely in various different ways, it might at times boggle one's mind as to how realistic they can get. The emotions they feel, you do too; the words that are said – they totally resonate with you, and this writing style is one of the many best things this story encompasses.

Talking about Peck, the boy who smiles no matter what life or his siblings throw at him; the latter quite literally, I would say that despite having been through so much, this boy is all optimistic, and the first time that he meets Florence and helps her out with his mature suggestions make him the most likable character for being humble and adorable with all his puns that I couldn't help but laugh at. Florence, on the other hand, comes off as a snobbish brat, in the beginning, has a wonderful character growth as the plot evolves. It equally impacts Florence's friendship with Peck and Amanda Penguin. I have two words for the arcs – entirely remarkable.

Grammatically though, there are a few errors that a thorough proof-reading session can easily fix. Nevertheless, there is something that irked me in many chapters – author's use of hyphens during dialogues and explanations in place of using a comma is vexing and should be rectified as this story holds a potential of getting published, but those hyphens definitely need to go.

Also, the unnecessary indents are vastly irregular and make the book tip more towards the unprofessional side. Thus, that's another error that the author should say goodbye to. Justified format, crisp and clean, would make the book look highly professional.

Other than that, the plot, the world building, little details, and characters make this book overall a beautiful one, and I would easily give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

P.S.: I was so happy after reading Book One that I completed the second instalment, greedily so, in just one sitting therefore, it goes without saying that I recommend The Woodpecker and the Finch to people of all ages seeking a delightful yet intriguing budding romance with a dash of tragedy.