Black Wings Beating ushers in a new age of fantasy. It is the beginning to a stunning trilogy that mixes tenuous sibling relationships, gorgeously dangerous birds, and epic quests.
Summary
The people of Uztar have long looked to the sky with hope and wonder. Nothing in their world is more revered than the birds of prey and no one more honored than the falconers who call them to their fists.
Brysen strives to be a great falconer–while his twin sister, Kylee, rejects her ancient gifts for the sport and wishes to be free of falconry. She’s nearly made it out, too, but a war is rolling toward their home in the Six Villages, and no bird or falconer will be safe.
Together the twins must journey into the treacherous mountains to trap the Ghost Eagle, the greatest of the Uztari birds and a solitary killer. Brysen goes for the boy he loves and the glory he’s long craved, and Kylee to atone for her past and to protect her brother’s future. But both are hunted by those who seek one thing: power.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
From the beginning I was obsessed with the sibling relationship and the tension that came with it. Growing up, I always felt more like Kylee, destined to cast a shadow, even when they weren’t trying and they didn’t want to. If I could have cast my shadow off and times, I would have. But I’m going off on a long tangent here. Black Wings Beating is a book that will captivate you, hook you, and pounce.
I could actually write a whole post about why I loved this sibling dynamic so much. The fact that we are able to see both siblings just makes the entire book more tender. We see the pushes and pulls, the misunderstandings, the love, and the mistakes. It’s written in a way that we can feel the grittiness, the feelings of failure, and the attempts of protection.
All of this is founded in a gorgeous and unique world. It takes time to set up the conflicts, but it’s part of a saga you don’t want to miss. The relationships are important and you want to see them grow up, develop, and change.
It’s a book that examines the mistakes we make when we are young, the ways we are forced to grow up too soon, and the unfair expectations. It’s about power that doesn’t want to be wielded and secrets beyond both dreams and nightmares.
Black Wings Beating is entrancing as it unfolds like wings, the beats stopping your heart in a span of seconds.
Overall,
It’s about a battle that encompasses more than villages, more than hearts, and more than sacrifices. A journey to find our home which requires us to leave it. There’s action, danger, and love all wrapped up together. This book is about the complicated mess of family, the ways they know how to wound you, to lie to you, to let you go, but to also support you, to tell you the hard truths, and to release you.
Find Black Wings Beating on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, & The Book Depository.
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