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lillist's review
3.0
Midnight Wings is a novella (the first in a series) based on retellings of fairytales set in a sci-fi world. I thought this is a very appealing concept and decided to give this first part a try.
El is living on a sort of flying space-ship-station (ruled by a queen) with her evil stepmother and her two vapid stepsisters. She cannot escape her life, because they have used their connections to basically ruin her social status (it sounds like a social media based rating system, if you have a bad score you apparently cannot get a job etc.), which I thought was an inventive explanation. One day, the queen announces a figher-jet-contest for everyone of a certain age in order to find new pilots to work for her. And since El is really good at the simulations this would be a possible way out. Also, there's a prince of course ...
I thought that Midnight Wings was a solid read but did not realize all of its potential. Actually, I think I would have preferred this to be a bit longer as some parts were a bit rushed and lacked depth.
Let's maybe get to what I liked first: El was a good heroine, smart, competent, resilient. I liked that it was her skill that paved her way into a better life, not her pretty face. I also liked that it was not a fairy that helped her participate in the contest but her friends, who came together to be there for her. I also felt that Ariele Sieling captured the desperation of being stuck in an awful life without any perspective of things ever getting better very well.
On the other hand, the villains in this story were a bit to one-dimensionally villainous, without any point or reason other than to make El's life a living hell. Also, the prince is flat as a piece of paper and I thought that it was a bit of a huge coincidence how he and El met. El did not really get enough time to build a meaningful friendship with the friends who helped her out in the end. And I felt like the story resolved too easily in the end. In the fairy tale, first the stepsisters try to go with the prince and only the fact that they do not fit the shoe reveals the truth. There was no equivalent of that plotline here - which would have added some tension. Generally speaking, I also think that transporting a story that is based on medieval societies into the future would have profited from a bit more work in the details, some plot elements just don't ring very true when being plugged into the far future.
So, in short: a quick, suffiently enjoyable read but had the potential to be more.
I have received an advance review copy via BookSirens and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!
El is living on a sort of flying space-ship-station (ruled by a queen) with her evil stepmother and her two vapid stepsisters. She cannot escape her life, because they have used their connections to basically ruin her social status (it sounds like a social media based rating system, if you have a bad score you apparently cannot get a job etc.), which I thought was an inventive explanation. One day, the queen announces a figher-jet-contest for everyone of a certain age in order to find new pilots to work for her. And since El is really good at the simulations this would be a possible way out. Also, there's a prince of course ...
I thought that Midnight Wings was a solid read but did not realize all of its potential. Actually, I think I would have preferred this to be a bit longer as some parts were a bit rushed and lacked depth.
Let's maybe get to what I liked first: El was a good heroine, smart, competent, resilient. I liked that it was her skill that paved her way into a better life, not her pretty face. I also liked that it was not a fairy that helped her participate in the contest but her friends, who came together to be there for her. I also felt that Ariele Sieling captured the desperation of being stuck in an awful life without any perspective of things ever getting better very well.
On the other hand, the villains in this story were a bit to one-dimensionally villainous, without any point or reason other than to make El's life a living hell. Also, the prince is flat as a piece of paper and I thought that it was a bit of a huge coincidence how he and El met. El did not really get enough time to build a meaningful friendship with the friends who helped her out in the end. And I felt like the story resolved too easily in the end. In the fairy tale, first the stepsisters try to go with the prince and only the fact that they do not fit the shoe reveals the truth. There was no equivalent of that plotline here - which would have added some tension. Generally speaking, I also think that transporting a story that is based on medieval societies into the future would have profited from a bit more work in the details, some plot elements just don't ring very true when being plugged into the far future.
So, in short: a quick, suffiently enjoyable read but had the potential to be more.
I have received an advance review copy via BookSirens and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!
decodethebooks's review
4.0
4 stars★★★★
**I was provided with an ARC from BookSirens for an honest review**
☞ Trigger warnings:
Spoiler
mentions of child abuse, domestic slavery, forceful deprivation, suicidal thoughts, cyberbulling, neglect, poverty themesReview also posted on my blog ☀︎
Synopsis ✿
Midnight Wings is a retelling of Cinderella.
El is a mechanic who dreams of being a pilot in a fighter jet for the intergalactic fleet. Her stepmother and step-sisters make her life miserable and she is stuck under their thumb with no way out. A new competition is announced to find new flight pilots and this is El's chance to change her circumstances.
Review ✿
A city space station was a cool new setting for this retelling. This was a fresh take to a well-known, well loved story. I love a story where the main female character is a mechanic, or engineer or really any STEM career/hobby.
Did this story remind me of [b:Cinder|36381037|Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)|Marissa Meyer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507557775l/36381037._SY75_.jpg|15545385] from the Lunar Chronicles? Yeah but they aren't the same story.
The book is a short read with a total of 128 pages. Personally I found it too short, and I wished for more development between El and Ri and also the side characters that helped her. This story had emotional depth and a fun flight simulation sequence that made me want to read more of her story learning to be a pilot in intergalactic space. My favourite moments were when El and Ri were together. I needed a few more chapters on their development. Maybe Rian deliberately breaking his fighter jet just to have an excuse to visit El or a few scenes where they could work on the jet together and have some cute bonding moments together.
I also like the big makeover wasn't that much of big deal. She just washed her hair, wore mascara and different clothes. Like attainable, realistic change that didn't stop her from getting recognised. I thought it was funny that when El ran from the competition, Rian didn't have to struggle to find her.
"How did you know it was me?"
"He raised his eyebrows. "Well, aside from the cameras we had set up everywhere that caught your face from pretty much every angle...""
Questions/Issues: ✿
As Ri has a privilege of being a prince with influence and clout, the bigger question is as a leader, shouldn't he care more about how she fell through the cracks of the system and work on making sure that doesn't happen to other people?
Spoiler
What if she didn't win? What if she was good but wasn't in the top 20 percent? What would he do to help her change her circumstances to leave her abusive family?All I'm asking is a re-evaluation on the current social grid rankings, welfare checks, the class divide and poverty levels within the society you are literally in charge of/able to influence. Just because this is a nice quick fun YA doesn't mean it can't ask big questions and entice readers to reflect on them. I think a strong message to leave the reader is Rian using his position to help develop and implement lasting change.
Characters ✿
4 stars overall
☀︎ El: 4.5 stars
☀︎ Prince Rian: 3.75 stars (I love a funny boy but idk if he has any real depth. Reminds me of Mal from Shadow and Bone. Don't ask me how or why. I have no answers.)
☀︎ Patricia: 4 stars stars (perfectly villainous)
☀︎ Lottie and Bree: 3.5 stars (perfect annoying mean girls)
☀︎ Theo: 5 stars (talking about how he helped her made me tear up)
☀︎ Glent and Chet: 2 stars (Chet was kind of an idiot that he didn't know the full extent about El's treatment/circumstances until now.
Spoiler
Neglectful that he knew that Patricia stole El's money making her financially dependent on her and knew El didn't participate at games night every time but was always serving them???? He was criminally passive until now.☀︎ The rest of the side characters (Mary-Alice and Chet's friends): 2 stars because they didn't really add to the story, were actually Chet's friends not hers.
Character relationships ✿
Overall 4 stars
☀︎ El and Ri: 5 stars
☀︎ El and Patricia/Lottie/Bree: 4 stars in portraying the tension and abuse
☀︎ El and Theo: 5 stars
☀︎ El and Chet: 2 stars
☀︎ El and Glent: 3 stars (I wish he was more of a father figure and he does hold an influence over Patricia's decisions so he should have used it more)
☀︎ El and side-characters (Mary Alice): 2 stars (fell a little flat and seemed a little too convenient)
Overall: 4 stars ✰
☀︎ Pace: 3.5 stars (felt too fast)
☀︎ Steam: none (PG 13+)
☀︎ Beginning: 4 stars
☀︎ Middle: 3 stars
☀︎ Ending: 4 stars
Anyways this was a nice, quick read and El was cool.
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caitc90's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
El lives in Rove City, an intergalactic spaceship. Since her fathers death, El lives with her step mother and two step sisters who do their best to make her life as miserable as possible.
Midnight wings is a science fiction retelling of Cinderella but it didn’t feel like it was trying too hard to be Cinderella. Yes, there were evil step sisters and step mother who made her do all the chores, took all her pay from her job and made her life a living hell but it didn’t feel forced. I really enjoyed the storyline between El and Rian. I will definitely read the other books in the series!
alexandratheroux's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Fun spin on Cinderella.
constant2m's review
4.0
Midnight Wings was a cute retelling of Cinderella. The setting was unique; everyone lived on a spaceship with hundreds of connected pods functioning as towns with 1000 inhabitants, but surrounding the central tower where the queen lived. Eleanor, our Cinderella, had lost all social currency (the status that would enable her to marry, move out, or get a job on her own) because of a mean trick her stepsisters and their friends had played on her. Between working at the local mechanic shop and cooking and cleaning for her stepmother and stepsisters, El's only escape was to the greenhouse with its beautiful flowers and clear view of the stars. But when she meets a mysterious stranger there, her fate begins to change. She finds new courage, friends she didn't know she had, and a chance to do something she never imagined was possible. The fairy godmother twist was great and the prince was so much better than in the fairy tale. I look forward to seeing where the next book in the series takes us.
I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
momopeach's review
4.0
I am a huge fan of the Lunar Chronicles and Midnight Wings has helped to fill that hole that was left when it ended. While I feel that it could have been fleshed out more to make it a full novel, this novella was the perfect read in every way. From how Ri made my heart melt with his kindness to the tenacity and perseverance of El and the wonderful supporting characters, I simply fell in love with these characters. While I am eager to meet new friends in the next book, I am holding out hope for more page time with my new favorite characters and world.
I received this book for free in return for an honest review, which I am giving voluntarily.
I received this book for free in return for an honest review, which I am giving voluntarily.
nyree42's review
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
pi_maker's review
4.0
Midnight Wings was a surprisingly entertaining sci-fi Cinderella story. El and Ri's interactions were fun, and I liked how Sieling used the blue rose. The social credit system is sketched out just enough to hint uncomfortably at programs already in place or proposed in certain countries today; it provided a thought-provoking reason for El's place in society and lack of options.
A quick, clean read; will definitely read the next in the series!
A quick, clean read; will definitely read the next in the series!
bookschief_managed's review against another edition
4.0
A huge thank you to Book Sirens and Ariele Sieling for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book was better than I had anticipated.
My biggest (and really, only) complaint is that it wasn't long enough, the world has so much potential even for this one story and could have easily been longer. There's so much that could've been fleshed out that would've made me love it even more.
That aside, I loved El as a character- she was a great Cinderella. The side characters were fantastic in this as well, even her evil stepmother and those dreaded stepsisters.
The world created with Rove City was extremely interesting to me and I'd love to read the others to see how that's expanded.
Ri was a great prince charming, and I loved seeing how this retelling played out. I'm such a sucker for sci-fi and space retellings of fairytales, it puts such an awesome spin on the classic tales, this was the perfect example.
Definitely recommend this to anyone who loves fairytale retellings, space, and quick reads.
This book was better than I had anticipated.
My biggest (and really, only) complaint is that it wasn't long enough, the world has so much potential even for this one story and could have easily been longer. There's so much that could've been fleshed out that would've made me love it even more.
That aside, I loved El as a character- she was a great Cinderella. The side characters were fantastic in this as well, even her evil stepmother and those dreaded stepsisters.
The world created with Rove City was extremely interesting to me and I'd love to read the others to see how that's expanded.
Ri was a great prince charming, and I loved seeing how this retelling played out. I'm such a sucker for sci-fi and space retellings of fairytales, it puts such an awesome spin on the classic tales, this was the perfect example.
Definitely recommend this to anyone who loves fairytale retellings, space, and quick reads.