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kmc3050's review against another edition
1.0
Eh, not a winner.
(The narrator was the only good think about this book.)
(The narrator was the only good think about this book.)
newkidonthebook's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
The weird and wonderful world of The Wall and the Wing is like no other. Reading this amazingly creative book will send your imagination soaring!
What I like best about this book is its utter creativity. While the world it presents overlaps with our own, it is so cleverly unique that it seems to exist in a dream: humans can fly and a professor has grass for hair and summons cats from his pockets… This weird world feels powerfully real, and you can picture yourself beside Gurl and Bug as they explore it in their quest for buried secrets.
(💫Full review on my blog https://newkidonthebookreviews.wordpr... 💫)
I recommend The Wall and the Wing to anyone who likes reading about fantasy worlds that are wildly different from our own, and who would enjoy accompanying two outcast kids on a quest to discover the dark secrets of their past.
What I like best about this book is its utter creativity. While the world it presents overlaps with our own, it is so cleverly unique that it seems to exist in a dream: humans can fly and a professor has grass for hair and summons cats from his pockets… This weird world feels powerfully real, and you can picture yourself beside Gurl and Bug as they explore it in their quest for buried secrets.
(💫Full review on my blog https://newkidonthebookreviews.wordpr... 💫)
I recommend The Wall and the Wing to anyone who likes reading about fantasy worlds that are wildly different from our own, and who would enjoy accompanying two outcast kids on a quest to discover the dark secrets of their past.
lifeamongpages's review against another edition
4.0
~ Initial Thoughts After Reading ~
Recently reread this childhood favourite of mine.. I can't remember how old I was when I first read this... Pre-teen potentially. But I fell in love with its beautiful cover, and blurb.
It's a very light hearted book about a girl who can turn invisible and even rereading it now I still enjoyed it. It makes me smile and sucks me in everytime and it's a book I think is very under the radar... I don't think I've come across others who have read this.
Also apparently there is a sequel! So I need to somehow get my hands on [b: The Chaos King|169827|The Chaos King (Wall and the Wing, #2)|Laura Ruby|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347752747s/169827.jpg|1145551] because I have to know where the story goes... I thought the first book wrapped everything up nicely. It is practically a perfect standalone. So I am desperate to know what happens next.
Recently reread this childhood favourite of mine.. I can't remember how old I was when I first read this... Pre-teen potentially. But I fell in love with its beautiful cover, and blurb.
It's a very light hearted book about a girl who can turn invisible and even rereading it now I still enjoyed it. It makes me smile and sucks me in everytime and it's a book I think is very under the radar... I don't think I've come across others who have read this.
Also apparently there is a sequel! So I need to somehow get my hands on [b: The Chaos King|169827|The Chaos King (Wall and the Wing, #2)|Laura Ruby|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347752747s/169827.jpg|1145551] because I have to know where the story goes... I thought the first book wrapped everything up nicely. It is practically a perfect standalone. So I am desperate to know what happens next.
ilseinthemorning's review
4.0
After reading the first eleven pages of "The Chapter Before the First," I told friends that it read like Diana Wynne Jones writing a New York City version of Neverwhere with Douglas Adams sneaking in occasional asides when she wasn't looking.
Having now completely the novel, I can state categorically for the record that my initial impression was 110% correct, and if that doesn't make you want to read this book, I don't know how to help you. I suggest you offer to do favors for Satan in exchange for a soul.
The book is delightful from start to finish, tongue-in-cheek and full of heart, with strange bright magic that isn't always explained but feels intuitively right in itself, the way it does in all the best fairytales. Modern flourishes like magic knickknacks bought on ebay nestle cheek-by-jowl with cats that are really riddles and mysterious orphans and people who fly. The characters are all just a little over-the-top in the most charming way, the protagonists feel like actual nine-year-olds while still being genuinely endearing, and the writing absolutely sparkles. This book is hilarious, heartwarming, occasionally chilling and always lovely.
I cannot wait to get the next one.
Having now completely the novel, I can state categorically for the record that my initial impression was 110% correct, and if that doesn't make you want to read this book, I don't know how to help you. I suggest you offer to do favors for Satan in exchange for a soul.
The book is delightful from start to finish, tongue-in-cheek and full of heart, with strange bright magic that isn't always explained but feels intuitively right in itself, the way it does in all the best fairytales. Modern flourishes like magic knickknacks bought on ebay nestle cheek-by-jowl with cats that are really riddles and mysterious orphans and people who fly. The characters are all just a little over-the-top in the most charming way, the protagonists feel like actual nine-year-olds while still being genuinely endearing, and the writing absolutely sparkles. This book is hilarious, heartwarming, occasionally chilling and always lovely.
I cannot wait to get the next one.
marikalla's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
4.0
4.5 stars.
The moment I read the summary for this book, I knew that I had to read it. I don't believe I've ever read a summary quite that interesting. I didn't get that into the book until I kept reading. The more I read, the more I loved the book. This book isn't quite like anything I've ever read before. The author sure knows how to capture your attention.
What I loved most about this book was probably the characters. I loved Girl and Bug. I also thought the pacing that their friendship evolved was done very well. I also loved meeting all of the knew crazy characters and wondering what would happen to them next.
Another thing I loved about this book is that it read like a puzzle. You were given many pieces and throughout the story you put things together and saw how they connected. You were given much to work with, but it wasn't until the book was near the end that the pieces were put together and you realized how everything was connected.
Overall, this was a great book and I can't wait to read the sequel (The Chaos King).
The moment I read the summary for this book, I knew that I had to read it. I don't believe I've ever read a summary quite that interesting. I didn't get that into the book until I kept reading. The more I read, the more I loved the book. This book isn't quite like anything I've ever read before. The author sure knows how to capture your attention.
What I loved most about this book was probably the characters. I loved Girl and Bug. I also thought the pacing that their friendship evolved was done very well. I also loved meeting all of the knew crazy characters and wondering what would happen to them next.
Another thing I loved about this book is that it read like a puzzle. You were given many pieces and throughout the story you put things together and saw how they connected. You were given much to work with, but it wasn't until the book was near the end that the pieces were put together and you realized how everything was connected.
Overall, this was a great book and I can't wait to read the sequel (The Chaos King).
library_brandy's review
3.0
For a teen book discussion. A world where (most) people can fly and every century or so, one child is born who can turn invisible. Cats are rare, orphanages are stereotypical horrible places run by a sadistic matron, and mechanical monkeys hold children's memories. All wrapped up with a couple of bland characters (one actively annoying, the other just dull) and tied with a kind of humor that is funny at first, but you hate yourself for laughing because that just encourages it and it never lets up. Maybe if I were 12 I'd enjoy this kind of never-lets-up wackiness, but it's not well-used and grates on the nerves after just a few pages.
Tepid at best, and I hope to god they don't vote to read the sequel.
Tepid at best, and I hope to god they don't vote to read the sequel.
awesome514's review
4.0
This was a well-crafted dystopian novel for middle school readers. I thoroughly enjoyed the imagery and dark humor.
pussreboots's review
4.0
The New York that Gurl and Bug live in bears thematic similarities to Ruby's more recent York series (2018-2020). Both paint modern day versions of the city that have been taken into an alternate timeline by a big event in the last 150 to 200 years. The big event has fundamentally altered something about how the city or its people work. In this earlier version, most people have gained the power of flight.
I liked the dynamics of Gurl and Bug. They have a similar friendship / rivalry to the kids in [b:City of Orphans|10059059|City of Orphans|Avi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1350862321l/10059059._SY75_.jpg|14955231] by Avi (2000) or the more recent girls in [b:Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen|49922611|Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen|Anne Nesbet|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567828419l/49922611._SX50_SY75_.jpg|72575136] by Anne Nesbet (2020).
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comments_12/wall_and_the_wing.html
000066 - privileged city offroad
I liked the dynamics of Gurl and Bug. They have a similar friendship / rivalry to the kids in [b:City of Orphans|10059059|City of Orphans|Avi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1350862321l/10059059._SY75_.jpg|14955231] by Avi (2000) or the more recent girls in [b:Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen|49922611|Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen|Anne Nesbet|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567828419l/49922611._SX50_SY75_.jpg|72575136] by Anne Nesbet (2020).
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comments_12/wall_and_the_wing.html
000066 - privileged city offroad
marzipanbabies's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
3.25