Nightbird is the first novel in the Nightbird Series by Cynthia Fridsma. Sybil Crewes worked night and day with her people to keep America safe from a supernatural threat. With demons, vampires, and strange creatures roaming the streets freely, it took everything in Sybil and her team’s power to protect people from the dangers that seemed to be everywhere. The only way to stop the chaos was to get the Necronomicon, the book of the dead. However, she needs to get it to it before The Reaper does and opens the gates of Hell. With an army of werewolves and zombies on his side, it will take everything in Sybil’s power to contain the evil in America, end it, and make sure it doesn’t spread throughout the world. Could she do it? Was it even possible to stop the Reaper if he had The Necronomicon in his possession?

No one writes horror thrillers as Cynthia Fridsma does. I loved The Black Widow and had high expectations from Nightbird. Ms. Fridsma did a fantastic job of creating a believable world where the supernatural was scarily normal, and having a head like Sybil was vitally important. While I loved Sybil and her desire to protect the world, I loved to hate The Reaper more. Despicable and cunning, he gave Sybil a run for her money. The mystery behind the Chosen One, the chase to find them, and ending the chaos before it spread were all excellently handled by the author. The flow of the story was perfect, the narrative was engrossing, the character development was on point, and the action was tangible. To say that I loved this novel would be an understatement.

Nightbird is a work of fiction in the horror and thriller subgenres and collects together volumes one through five of the Nightbird miniseries. It is aimed at mature readers and was penned by author Cynthia Fridsma. The book follows the story of Sybil Crewes, the head of Nightbird which works to keep people safe from a whole host of deadly monsters. Desperate to purge her curse of vampirism, Sybil seeks the Necronomicon in order to destroy it and save herself. Contending with a dangerous foe who is using the book to raise the dead, a race against time begins to secure and destroy the Necronomicon before Hell breaks loose on Earth.

This is horror at its best with equal measures of edge-of-your-seat tension and stomach-churning brutality as the thrilling battle to control the Necronomicon unfolds. Author Cynthia Fridsma demonstrates a fantastic skill as a purveyor of horror as the rollercoaster narrative twists and turns in horrific new directions with each chapter and the intensity of the battle between Sybil and The Reaper grows. Sybil is a fantastic protagonist for this story, grounded in her desire to find some hint of normality and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her goals. Her nuanced characterization grows and evolves throughout the mini-series as we learn about her past and the events of the story prompt changes in her perspective. Overall, Nightbird is a horror masterclass that leaves no stone unturned in creating an eerie and chilling experience for the reader that will stay with them long after the last page is turned.