Review of The Aviculturist

[Kristin Cowan]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Aviculturist" by Ann Smythe.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The Aviculturist follows Lily as she returns to her childhood home to face the traumas of her past. After her mother dies, Lily returns to her childhood hometown of Lostmor in the United Kingdom after being gone for 24 years. When she was a child, Lily’s mother decided to take her and leave the town to start over after Lily’s father’s and sister’s deaths. Upon her return to Lostmor, Lily discovers that she has inherited her childhood home and must decide what to do with it. Their groundskeeper Joe has remained on the property all this time, looking out for it, doing repairs, and creating an amazing aviary with various plants and birds on the grounds. As Lily goes through her home, she discovers secrets about her family that may make it hard to leave. Meanwhile, Marcus is running the local pub in Lostmor. He moved to the area to find answers about his daughter’s death. Will Lily’s presence help him find answers?

The author uses descriptive language that teleports the reader to the Cornish town of Lostmor and Lily’s childhood estate. It was easy to picture the events and the setting. This book was captivating with lots of twists and turns. The story keeps the reader on edge until the end when the secrets of Lily’s tragedy finally come out. The character development is also excellent, as both primary and secondary characters go through personal journeys in this book. I felt very invested in what happened to all the characters.

I rate this book 4 out of 5. My only issue with the story is the quick development of romantic relationships. Both Lily and Oliver, and Marcus and Jill begin professing their love to each other very quickly and I wanted to have their relationships build more over time. There were only a few editing errors; however, the text font for flashbacks was difficult to read.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read suspenseful stories about family secrets and romance. Due to some profanity, I would only recommend this book to adults.

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The Aviculturist
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[Gerry Steen]

I am intrigued by the aviary that Joe the groundskeeper built. How did Lily's father and sister die? What was the trauma that Lily returned to her homeland to face? How did Marcus' daughter die? What are Lily's family's secrets? Your review has me curious and interested. I want to read this book. Thanks for the great review.