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A review by mayathebookworm
Wire Wings by Wren Handman
5.0
Check out this review and more on my blog, Maya’s Reviews.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Plot: 5/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5 Stars
Writing: 5/5 Stars
Memorability: 5/5 Stars
~Quick Review~
There are not enough words to express how amazing Wire Wings by Wren Handman truly is. If I’m being honest, Wire Wings is probably my favorite book to date. I have never had my mind blown while also simultaneously being depressed and sad, yet also strangely happy at the same time. This novel put me through a mixture of emotions, conveying so many things in its descriptive nature. I love this book.
~Other Information~
Publisher: The Parliament House
Page Count: 284 pages
Release Date: June 23, 2020
Wire Wings deals with grief, panic attacks, and anxiety, so if you are sensitive to these things be aware of the issues coming up in the novel before starting to read it.
~Quick Synopsis~
Graciela Neumann’s father is the creator of the Waves; an interaction internet that allows you to be anyone or anything that you want to be. After the death of her closest friend, Gracie suffers from panic attacks and immense grief. Her parents do not understand and her Line (her connection to the Waves) is the only thing that makes her feel better. However, after a failed “program” by her father’s company, she starts being followed by the AI, Ch4l1e. Except, he hates that name for some reason. Ch4l1e (Charlie), renamed Thomas, and Gracie becomes friends, helping each other in any way they can. Somehow, the hole in Gracie’s heart starts to close, yet the mystery of why Thomas hates Paul, her father’s coworker, and deceased friend’s father, and many other things keep getting in the way. Gracie wants to find out how Thomas was created if he’s really human, and if so, why her father’s company is trying to capture it. All of these things pile up upon another until Gracie feels like she’s drowning, however, Thomas might just keep her afloat.
~Characters~
Part of the reason why I loved Wire Wings so much was because I found the characters so relatable. Especially Gracie. Gracie had just lost her best friend and was still in the early stages of grief. She had frequent panic attacks and felt like she couldn’t talk to anyone else about them due to other people having their own problems. Unfortunately (I say unfortunately as in people shouldn’t have to go through stuff like grief, anxiety, panic attacks, etc.), I feel like this is something the majority of teens/young adults can relate to. While I have never had a panic attack, I have had people close to me pass away, and it was really hard to get back to normal after that (I’m still not back to normal after a few years). Gracie used the waves as a way to escape the real world and live a different life; an exciting, pain-free life. Gracie uses the Waves to portray herself as strong, powerful, cunning, female characters (almost like a video game in a way) so that she can feel safe and in control somewhere in her life. In the waves is where she meets Thomas (or Ch4l1e, but he hates that name, so it’s Thomas).
Thomas is an AI who Gracie’s father’s company “created”. He has so much control over the Waves that the company calls him a security threat, and later on, goes so far as to call him a terrorist. Thomas is sweet, formidable, and caring. He and Gracie fall in love, and you can see he cares about her by the way he acts. I caught myself blushing, I was so excited and in love with their romance. (It was honestly adorable!) However, while a huge part of me likes Thomas, for reasons I cannot disclose due to major spoilers, another part of me hates him. That’s right. Hates him. I cannot say that I blame him for some particular actions, but still. He was so selfish at certain points it was nauseating. You had to wonder whether he really cared about Gracie or if he was really just some AI using her for higher achievements like Gracie’s father assumed. Anyways, I still fell in love with Gracie and Thomas’s romance, which ended up crushing me in the end, just not in the way you’d expect.
Khaiam is Gracie’s best friend since her other best friend (Khaiam’s girlfriend) died. Khaiam and Gracie are both pretty insecure in their friendship as at first, they feel their mutual deceased friend (whose name I have forgotten) was the only thing holding their friendship together. This is not the case, but they are both still very insecure and scared about losing each other throughout the novel, only confessing their feelings towards the end. Khaiam honestly deserves the Best Friend of the Year award. Gracie practically abandons him for a while when she spends time with Thomas, not even bothering to explain to her best friend that they are dating each other. I don’t know about you, but if I was dating a “machine” who my father was calling a threat and trying to capture and kill, then I would be telling my best friend! Who else are you going to trust? Anyways, Khaiam was a supporting character, but I still loved him. He was so kind and sweet, he also always put Gracie first and tried to help her with her anxiety and panic attacks. So yeah, Khaiam is officially the Best Friend of the Year in my book.
Overall, as stated before, I felt the characters were really relatable and the majority of them were likable (except for Bella, I did not like her, but she isn’t really important anyway), and in the end, I fell in love with every one of them.
~Writing and Setting~
The writing in Wire Wings was so intriguing and descriptive, it really helped me understand the concept of such things as Surfaces, Waves, Dives, Surfs, etc. All of which I am not going to attempt explaining because that would be futile.
The world-building in Wire Wings is also equally as incredible as the writing and characters. As mentioned before, Gracie and many others use the Waves as a means to escape the real world. To my understanding, the Waves are practically like VR (Virtual Reality) except way more advanced. Practically the internet is embedded in the Waves, which allow you to go to an alternate reality where you can feel, taste, smell, hear, and see everything going on. While there are some sites in the Waves where if you die you are banned, the majority of the sites allow you to die and come back (although death in the Waves is as painful as death in real life?). Anyways, the world-building is amazing, to say the least.
~Plot~
I can’t even begin to describe how perfect the plot is. My mind is blown; a bomb has gone off inside my brain. The pacing of Wire Wings is perfect. It keeps you entertained while still maintaining a level of mystery surrounding the major plot points in the novel. I cannot say too much without giving away any spoilers, but it is beyond me how Wren Handman got this idea and wrote it down so beautifully for us to read. The big reveal of the answers to Gracie’s questions of Thomas’s origin left me stunned and flipping the pages to try and find out what happened next.
There are so many things that left me with my mouth open and my stomach in a knot. I could not set the book down once I got into it, and as I said before, Wire Wings is most likely my favorite book that I’ve read.
~Overall Review~
Overall, Wire Wings by Wren Handman was astonishing and beautiful. The ending left me feeling sad and baffled, but the story was exquisite. I am so, so glad that I was able to receive an ARC and review this amazing novel.
Amazon
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Plot: 5/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5 Stars
Writing: 5/5 Stars
Memorability: 5/5 Stars
~Quick Review~
There are not enough words to express how amazing Wire Wings by Wren Handman truly is. If I’m being honest, Wire Wings is probably my favorite book to date. I have never had my mind blown while also simultaneously being depressed and sad, yet also strangely happy at the same time. This novel put me through a mixture of emotions, conveying so many things in its descriptive nature. I love this book.
~Other Information~
Publisher: The Parliament House
Page Count: 284 pages
Release Date: June 23, 2020
Wire Wings deals with grief, panic attacks, and anxiety, so if you are sensitive to these things be aware of the issues coming up in the novel before starting to read it.
~Quick Synopsis~
Graciela Neumann’s father is the creator of the Waves; an interaction internet that allows you to be anyone or anything that you want to be. After the death of her closest friend, Gracie suffers from panic attacks and immense grief. Her parents do not understand and her Line (her connection to the Waves) is the only thing that makes her feel better. However, after a failed “program” by her father’s company, she starts being followed by the AI, Ch4l1e. Except, he hates that name for some reason. Ch4l1e (Charlie), renamed Thomas, and Gracie becomes friends, helping each other in any way they can. Somehow, the hole in Gracie’s heart starts to close, yet the mystery of why Thomas hates Paul, her father’s coworker, and deceased friend’s father, and many other things keep getting in the way. Gracie wants to find out how Thomas was created if he’s really human, and if so, why her father’s company is trying to capture it. All of these things pile up upon another until Gracie feels like she’s drowning, however, Thomas might just keep her afloat.
~Characters~
Part of the reason why I loved Wire Wings so much was because I found the characters so relatable. Especially Gracie. Gracie had just lost her best friend and was still in the early stages of grief. She had frequent panic attacks and felt like she couldn’t talk to anyone else about them due to other people having their own problems. Unfortunately (I say unfortunately as in people shouldn’t have to go through stuff like grief, anxiety, panic attacks, etc.), I feel like this is something the majority of teens/young adults can relate to. While I have never had a panic attack, I have had people close to me pass away, and it was really hard to get back to normal after that (I’m still not back to normal after a few years). Gracie used the waves as a way to escape the real world and live a different life; an exciting, pain-free life. Gracie uses the Waves to portray herself as strong, powerful, cunning, female characters (almost like a video game in a way) so that she can feel safe and in control somewhere in her life. In the waves is where she meets Thomas (or Ch4l1e, but he hates that name, so it’s Thomas).
Thomas is an AI who Gracie’s father’s company “created”. He has so much control over the Waves that the company calls him a security threat, and later on, goes so far as to call him a terrorist. Thomas is sweet, formidable, and caring. He and Gracie fall in love, and you can see he cares about her by the way he acts. I caught myself blushing, I was so excited and in love with their romance. (It was honestly adorable!) However, while a huge part of me likes Thomas, for reasons I cannot disclose due to major spoilers, another part of me hates him. That’s right. Hates him. I cannot say that I blame him for some particular actions, but still. He was so selfish at certain points it was nauseating. You had to wonder whether he really cared about Gracie or if he was really just some AI using her for higher achievements like Gracie’s father assumed. Anyways, I still fell in love with Gracie and Thomas’s romance, which ended up crushing me in the end, just not in the way you’d expect.
Khaiam is Gracie’s best friend since her other best friend (Khaiam’s girlfriend) died. Khaiam and Gracie are both pretty insecure in their friendship as at first, they feel their mutual deceased friend (whose name I have forgotten) was the only thing holding their friendship together. This is not the case, but they are both still very insecure and scared about losing each other throughout the novel, only confessing their feelings towards the end. Khaiam honestly deserves the Best Friend of the Year award. Gracie practically abandons him for a while when she spends time with Thomas, not even bothering to explain to her best friend that they are dating each other. I don’t know about you, but if I was dating a “machine” who my father was calling a threat and trying to capture and kill, then I would be telling my best friend! Who else are you going to trust? Anyways, Khaiam was a supporting character, but I still loved him. He was so kind and sweet, he also always put Gracie first and tried to help her with her anxiety and panic attacks. So yeah, Khaiam is officially the Best Friend of the Year in my book.
Overall, as stated before, I felt the characters were really relatable and the majority of them were likable (except for Bella, I did not like her, but she isn’t really important anyway), and in the end, I fell in love with every one of them.
~Writing and Setting~
The writing in Wire Wings was so intriguing and descriptive, it really helped me understand the concept of such things as Surfaces, Waves, Dives, Surfs, etc. All of which I am not going to attempt explaining because that would be futile.
The world-building in Wire Wings is also equally as incredible as the writing and characters. As mentioned before, Gracie and many others use the Waves as a means to escape the real world. To my understanding, the Waves are practically like VR (Virtual Reality) except way more advanced. Practically the internet is embedded in the Waves, which allow you to go to an alternate reality where you can feel, taste, smell, hear, and see everything going on. While there are some sites in the Waves where if you die you are banned, the majority of the sites allow you to die and come back (although death in the Waves is as painful as death in real life?). Anyways, the world-building is amazing, to say the least.
~Plot~
I can’t even begin to describe how perfect the plot is. My mind is blown; a bomb has gone off inside my brain. The pacing of Wire Wings is perfect. It keeps you entertained while still maintaining a level of mystery surrounding the major plot points in the novel. I cannot say too much without giving away any spoilers, but it is beyond me how Wren Handman got this idea and wrote it down so beautifully for us to read. The big reveal of the answers to Gracie’s questions of Thomas’s origin left me stunned and flipping the pages to try and find out what happened next.
There are so many things that left me with my mouth open and my stomach in a knot. I could not set the book down once I got into it, and as I said before, Wire Wings is most likely my favorite book that I’ve read.
~Overall Review~
Overall, Wire Wings by Wren Handman was astonishing and beautiful. The ending left me feeling sad and baffled, but the story was exquisite. I am so, so glad that I was able to receive an ARC and review this amazing novel.
Amazon