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A review by readingrobin
Black Wings Beating by Alex London
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Definitely a middle of the road kind of book, where there wasn't anything that made me regret picking it up, nor did it wow me. The worldbuilding is a bit sparse, though looking ahead to future installments in the series, I see that more things get developed so naturally I think this book is just meant to get all the introductory concepts established. It has a fairly good pace, never lagging or rushing through any development.
Kylee's an engaging lead character, determined, loyal, and willing to do anything to protect her brother. Sometimes it feels a little too self sacrificial, though I'm a little biased since I wasn't the biggest fan of Brysen. I know his whole issue was that he felt useless and couldn't do anything but....he would be right. He's incredibly rash, impulsive, frustrating, shortsighted, and really doesn't see how his actions affect anyone around him, all of this just culminating into a really unlikable character. He's never outright malicious, but seeing him make wrong decision after wrong decision, leaving everyone to clean up after his mess gets tiring. I can only hope that he improves as the series goes on. Honestly, I'm interested in seeing how his relationship with Jowyn develops, so I guess this series has something for me to come back to.
On that note, Jowyn was probably the highlight of the book for me, just for being a weird little dude and I like that.
Kylee's an engaging lead character, determined, loyal, and willing to do anything to protect her brother. Sometimes it feels a little too self sacrificial, though I'm a little biased since I wasn't the biggest fan of Brysen. I know his whole issue was that he felt useless and couldn't do anything but....he would be right. He's incredibly rash, impulsive, frustrating, shortsighted, and really doesn't see how his actions affect anyone around him, all of this just culminating into a really unlikable character. He's never outright malicious, but seeing him make wrong decision after wrong decision, leaving everyone to clean up after his mess gets tiring. I can only hope that he improves as the series goes on. Honestly, I'm interested in seeing how his relationship with Jowyn develops, so I guess this series has something for me to come back to.
On that note, Jowyn was probably the highlight of the book for me, just for being a weird little dude and I like that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Animal cruelty, and Animal death