Book Reviews

Book Blurb

A bookseller, a waiter, and the best little town there is!

On a temperate morning in 1954, Mike wakes up in the idyllic town of Amorea.

Amorea is perfect.

Mike works his dream job at the local bookstore, where he leads lively discussions of literature with the local women’s club. At the diner, the walls are plastered with beaming photos of the residents, and all the staff know his order—especially Sean, the waiter who has a special smile just for Mike and, after years of anticipation, is ready to take the next step in their burgeoning romance.

Everything is perfect.

But the edges of the town are beginning to fray. Odd things catch Mike’s attention, things no one else seems to notice or care about. There are no children or parents in Amorea and no one who’s left town for the far mountains has ever come back. There are subjects in the diner photos that only a few people can remember.

One night, Mike wakes up to a stormcloud of uncanny starlings blackening the sky. And soon enough, he begins to question whether his name is even Mike.

As Mike loses hold on his identity, violent memories of another life interfere with everything good about Amorea, Mike will do whatever he can to keep Sean from the darkness that’s coming for him.

Nothing here is perfect, but there is someone worth saving.

 

First edition published at Dreamspinner Press, October 2016.

Second edition published at BOATK Books, November 2019.

Book Review

"On October 28th, 2016, I will give you a story of which I have two strong opinions about.
First, this is the most romantic thing I’ve ever written.
Second, this being the fifth and final book I am releasing this year, I’m truly of the mind that I’ve saved the best for last.
My hope is that once you’ve read this story, those opinions will become yours as well."
~ TJ Klune, blog post dated September 20, 2016

I realize in this last year, especially in regards to this author's work, that in my reviews I've had to be rather circumspect to prevent spoilers. In that regard I can assure you that 'Murmuration' is the most difficult review I've ever written mainly because of the threat of spoilers. In fact, this may be the shortest review of a Klune book I have ever written because I can only share with you how it made me feel.

In the beginning I kept feeling as if I was in the movie 'The Truman Show' because I kept anticipating walking around a corner and seeing the real that my mind was positive was there. At the same time the birds, the starlings, reminded me of Stephen King's 'The Dark Half' as did some of the writing style and a piece of the characters. And then, suddenly, I thought I was in the movie 'Pleasantville', or worse yet I was reliving 'Normal Again' an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Sean and Mike charmed me. The fact that they've been flirting and Mike has been courting Sean for three years, always knowing they had plenty of time to get where they were going, is probably one of the most romantic friends to lovers I have ever read. Everything is swathed in an innocence that isn't around anymore. It’s the 1950s in America when life was wondrous, joy was everywhere, and hope still existed. Mike and Sean waited three years before going on their first date even though they both knew they'd get there eventually. There are gilded, bright colors to everything and the air has a crispness you can taste.  Life is slow and oh so perfect in Amorea, and Mike and Sean have a love as old as time.

"Mike knows that time is against them. That this won’t last forever. That one day, and maybe one day soon, one of them will be gone like they never existed at all. Maybe they’ll be lucky and go at the same time. Maybe they won’t. One day, it will happen."

I realize this is probably the vaguest review I've ever written. Believe me when I say, if your mind is open to endless possibilities, if you're not constrained to only liking one genre, and if you can dare to dream, then you need to read this book. I read a lot and I read across a wide spectrum of genres, rarely sticking to only one. There are few things that will make me love a book more than feelings. If an author is gifted enough to bring out disbelief, hope, desire, fear, anxiety, grief, and more love than you can imagine, then in my honest opinion I believe that someday down the road high school children will be required to read ‘Murmuration’ as part of their curricula. All I can say now is that I truly believe TJ Klune has only touched the tip of the iceberg with his writing and I’m forever grateful to be there to experience the rest of it. Thank you for the feelings.

"But know this: the basis of this book—it’s foundation—came from a simple question I asked myself: how far would a person choose to go for the one they loved?"
~ TJ Klune, blog post dated September 20, 2016

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The first edition of this book was purchased by the reviewer.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 394 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	28-April-2026
Price	$7.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Murmuration-TJ-Klune-ebook/dp/B0GL4F6D3H