The Republic of Birds Doesn’t Take Off [MG Review]

The Republic of Birds by Jessica Miller

Olga loves the stories of the old cartographers and pores over their ancient books and maps, trying to unlock their secrets. Sometimes, she can even feel through the maps—almost see into them — as if by magic. When the bird army kidnaps Olga’s sister, Mira, Olga knows that only she can venture into the Republic of Birds to rescue her. But first, she must unlock her magical ability. As her journey takes her into the hidden world of the Iagas and the wilds of the Unmappable Blank, Olga discovers the truth about the war with the birds—and learns just how much is at stake in her quest to save her sister.

Goodreads

Preamble

I wavered a lot on what I wanted to include in this review because I accepted a physical copy for review directly from the publisher. People involved in the creation of this book are likely going to read this. But this post is a one way reaction, intended for other readers, not a careful conversation resulting in useful critique. I thought about highlighting five reasons why you might like this book. Then I gave myself a little shake, realized that would be dishonest, and reminded myself why I blog. Anyway. Moral of the story = I shouldn’t accept review copies so I don’t have to feel bad if I don’t like the book…

Review

Russian folklore, cartography, magic, journey through a northern kingdom. The Republic Of Birds sounds like just the book for me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into the story at all. I read it in three sittings that took a lot of effort for me to focus. Overall, the story falls short of my standards for today’s middle grade fantasy.

Hints of magical creativity never reach full realization. For example, birds play far less of a role than I anticipated. I found the narrative unevenly paced and episodic. The chapters where Olga suddenly finds herself at a school for young iagas were particularly jarring for me. They function little more than as an info dump, so Olga can understand her ability before carrying on her way. Olga journeys to save her younger sister, yet I didn’t experience any tension or doubt that she would achieve her goal. While I appreciate Olga’s love of cartography and her affinity for maps (I was touched by the scene when she met one of her cartographic heroes), the lack of significant challenge in accessing her magic made it less interesting than reading about, say, Morrigan’s wundersmith talent. I will concede that, for various reasons, my disconnect with this book could be more subjective than usual. But I will say with certainty that The Republic of Birds is a thinner tale of a different variety than those by the authors invoked in the jacket copy (ex. Jessica Townsend, Philip Pullman).

After reflecting on what I didn’t like in this book, I realize that it might be a solid read for a younger reader. It’s not too complex or too long or too dark. The plot is straightforward; the characters are easy to understand. It might make a good read for those new to middle grade fantasy.

The Bottom Line

For readers who might be really keen on northern historical/Russian fantasy, or for younger readers new to middle grade fantasy. Otherwise, give it a miss. ★★½

Further Reading

• Book webpage