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A review by drtlovesbooks
Feathers by Jorge Corona
3.0
What it's about: Poe, an 11 year old covered in feathers, lives a secretive life, keeping to the shadows of the chaotic area of town known as The Maze. His father has warned Poe repeatedly that he has to keep out of sight, that others will not understand him, will fear him. But Poe finds himself drawn to the activity of the Maze, particularly the adventures of the street orphans who steal food to avoid starvation, risking being captured by the City Guards. Poe has found he can help out these children in need and still keep himself (mostly) hidden from sight.
But Poe isn't able to prevent orphans from disappearing, victims of the whistling stranger who haunts the byways of the Maze.
Bianca has grown up inside the Wall that surrounds the City, a place of order and prosperity. The Wall is meant to keep out the trouble-making folks from the Maze; but for Bianca, it feels like the Wall is meant to keep her from having any adventures. Despite her prim and proper mother's strong disapproval, Bianca is fascinated by the tales - and the skills - of her father. Under his tutelage, Bianca has learned something of fighting and leading. She gets to put her skills to the test when she takes advantage of the chance to get lost in the Maze.
When Poe and Bianca's paths cross, neither is prepared for the series of adventures that will follow. Their friendship will set in motion a much larger series of events that may completely change how the Cit and the Maze interact - which is sure to create problems for both sides!
What I thought: While I enjoyed the overall story, there are strong hints that this story is just one piece of an ongoing struggle between two higher powers. The events here take quite a while to build up, then they suddenly resolve in a curiously short amount of time, and with remarkably little fanfare after the build-up. To me, the story felt truncated.
In addition to a general unevenness of pacing, there was also a strangely uneven tone. There are children who get killed (or, more literally, sacrificed) in this story, and while these moments are not depicted in any kind of detail, it is definitely referenced several times. While the story definitely tends toward the dark and gothic, the deaths struck me as jarring.
Why I rated it like I did: The storytelling feels a bit uneven to me. The beginning takes its time setting up the central characters of the story and building up the elements of the conflicts (of which there are several, and which slowly layer one upon the other as they build toward the climax). It is an interesting concept that feels a bit draggy in places, but as it slowly builds, the story definitely started to grab me. But just as it was reaching its most interesting point, with an antagonist that seems to have collected enormous power and abilities, it wraps up disappointingly easily.
This feels like it's meant to be the start of an ongoing series, but based on how frustrating I found the resolution of this volume to be, I doubt I would chase down the next installment.
Nevertheless, middle grade readers might enjoy the adventure and gothic elements of this tale. The central baddy might inspire some spines to shiver.
But Poe isn't able to prevent orphans from disappearing, victims of the whistling stranger who haunts the byways of the Maze.
Bianca has grown up inside the Wall that surrounds the City, a place of order and prosperity. The Wall is meant to keep out the trouble-making folks from the Maze; but for Bianca, it feels like the Wall is meant to keep her from having any adventures. Despite her prim and proper mother's strong disapproval, Bianca is fascinated by the tales - and the skills - of her father. Under his tutelage, Bianca has learned something of fighting and leading. She gets to put her skills to the test when she takes advantage of the chance to get lost in the Maze.
When Poe and Bianca's paths cross, neither is prepared for the series of adventures that will follow. Their friendship will set in motion a much larger series of events that may completely change how the Cit and the Maze interact - which is sure to create problems for both sides!
What I thought: While I enjoyed the overall story, there are strong hints that this story is just one piece of an ongoing struggle between two higher powers. The events here take quite a while to build up, then they suddenly resolve in a curiously short amount of time, and with remarkably little fanfare after the build-up. To me, the story felt truncated.
In addition to a general unevenness of pacing, there was also a strangely uneven tone. There are children who get killed (or, more literally, sacrificed) in this story, and while these moments are not depicted in any kind of detail, it is definitely referenced several times. While the story definitely tends toward the dark and gothic, the deaths struck me as jarring.
Why I rated it like I did: The storytelling feels a bit uneven to me. The beginning takes its time setting up the central characters of the story and building up the elements of the conflicts (of which there are several, and which slowly layer one upon the other as they build toward the climax). It is an interesting concept that feels a bit draggy in places, but as it slowly builds, the story definitely started to grab me. But just as it was reaching its most interesting point, with an antagonist that seems to have collected enormous power and abilities, it wraps up disappointingly easily.
This feels like it's meant to be the start of an ongoing series, but based on how frustrating I found the resolution of this volume to be, I doubt I would chase down the next installment.
Nevertheless, middle grade readers might enjoy the adventure and gothic elements of this tale. The central baddy might inspire some spines to shiver.