Review: Grey Wings

Title: Grey Wings
Author: Katie Marie
Page Count: 186
My Rating: 3 TURTLES: An enjoyable read, but I suggest check out if you like the topic before adding it to your to-read list.
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*This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review

Review:

            Jason is a lonely boy trying to get from a dark city to his Aunt’s countryside house by himself. Aurelius is an angel cast out of heaven for petulance who is desperate to redeem himself. Together they encounter Fallen Angels, malicious spirits, and a griffin as they pair up to find what they both seek.

            I realized while I was reading this book that between books I was reading and shows I was watching, I was in the middle of three different story-lines that drew heavily from Judeo-Christian mythology, so needless to say I’m a fan if it. Angels and demons can make for epic conflicts that symbolize the struggle between the dark and the light. Also, especially with Middle Grade novels like this one, these stories can also deal with interesting moral questions and situations without sounding preachy (though they certainly can sound preachy if not written well). Grey Wings addressed those types of questions and situations well through Aurelius’s redemption, and I really liked the progression he made as a character throughout the story.

            Though I really enjoyed the mythological element of the story, there were some other things about the plot that I struggled with. For one thing, the city that Jason lived in is never given a name. The reader knows that the story takes place on Earth, but it never gets more specific than that. I know there isn’t a rule that says that you have to give the name of the setting, but the fact that I never quite knew where the story was taking place through me off and I never felt totally “in” the story because of it.

            Also, while I liked Aurelius’s story arc, Jason’s confused me. He is trying to reach his Aunt’s house after his deadbeat father left without warning, but I wasn’t sure why he was doing it by himself. Right before he left for his Aunt’s house she called him and yet he didn’t mention anything about his father not being there. This could have been out of a false sense of loyalty to his father, but since he was leaving the city to go live with her it’s obvious he was going to tell her about him soon. He also doesn’t mention going to live with her while they are on the phone, instead opting to sneak aboard trains and walk the rest of the way in the middle of winter. I was very confused why this happened since there was no reason stated in the rest of the plot why he couldn’t have talked to his Aunt and had her come get him or have her arrange for transportation.

            These things may have been disconcerting for me at times, but they won’t be for everyone. And, outside of that, the action was really engaging and good for a Middle Grade level. Fans of books like Eoin Colfer’s Wish List should definitely check Grey Wings out.

Disclosure: this post contains links to an affiliate program (Amazon), for which I receive a few cents if you make purchases.