I am emotionally unwell after finishing Wings of Starlight. How could Saft do this to me? I had no knowledge about Pixie Hollow and I didn’t know what I was in store for. Keep reading this book review of Wings of Starlight for my full thoughts.
Summary
It’s been centuries since a warm-season fairy in Pixie Hollow has crossed into the Winter Woods, and while most fear the legends of monsters lurking in the frozen lands, Clarion, can’t help being intrigued by Winter’s stoic beauty. But under the watchful eyes of the current monarch and the court’s seasonal ministers, Clarion has little time to dwell on daydreams while the days to her coronation dwindle away.
That is, until reports of a monster crossing from Winter into Spring make their way to the palace. Clarion sees defeating this threat as an opportunity to prove that she is worthy of her new role. But instead of finding a monster at the edge of Winter, she finds Milori, a young guardian of the Winter Woods. Together, they form an unlikely bond as they race to save their lands.
But as their alliance warms to something more, they will discover there is a reason a warm-season fairy and a winter fairy must not be together. And the cost could be just as deadly as the monsters that prowl the Winter Woods.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Wings of Starlight revolves around figuring out if we can be a good ruler. It’s about the shoes we have to fill, the legacy we are trying to live up to, and the shadows we are chasing. At the same time as we are trying so hard to be a good ruler, we’re falling in love and realizing that we might not be able to have both. Wings of Starlight examines the sacrifices we make for power, for responsibility, for duty. Are we a good ruler if we give up everything for our power? What about if we have to give up our love? Our heart? What makes a good ruler at the end of the day?
It’s full of rooting, swooning, and heart wrench. Wings of Starlight took me on a journey I’m still recovering from. I loved Clarion’s character growth as she has to figure out who she wants to be. There is so much pressure to live up to an image, but we can never be the same. We might even be better. Our lives are under a microscope and what happens if we find the strength to forgive ourselves? To know that sometimes we try and it just isn’t enough and that’s part of being fallible, that we can’t be infallible. Love and duty aren’t simple and Wings of Starlight is emotional angst at this crossroads.
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Find Wings of Starlight on Goodreads, Storygraph, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.