Review Written by Larissa Banitt
Review of Grey Wings by Katie Marie
ABOUT THE BOOK
Jason is a lonely boy trying to get from a dark city to his Aunt’s countryside house by himself. Aurelius is an angel desperate to redeem himself after being cast out of heaven for his petulance. Together they encounter Fallen Angels, malicious spirits, and even a griffin as they pair up to find what they both seek.
MY REVIEW
3 STARS
While reading this book, I realized that, between the books I was reading and the TV shows I was watching, I was in the middle of three separate story-lines that draw heavily from Judeo-Christian mythology, so clearly I'm a fan of it. Angels and demons make for epic conflicts that symbolize the struggle between good and evil. Well-written middle grade novels like this one can also tackle interesting moral questions and situations without sounding preachy. Grey Wings addresses those questions 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, I struggled with some other aspects of the plot. For one thing, the city Jason lives in is never given a name. The reader knows the story takes place on Earth, but it never gets more specific than that. I know there isn't a rule that says you have to name the setting, but this lack of specificity threw me off and prevented me from fully connecting with the story.
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 leaves without warning, but I wasn’t sure why he was doing it by himself. Right before he leaves for his Aunt’s house, she calls him, and he doesn’t mention anything about his father not being there. This could have been due to 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 have to tell her about him soon. He also doesn’t mention that he is planning to come 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 as to why this was necessary, since there did not seem to be a reason why he couldn't have asked his Aunt to come get him or at least 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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katie Marie is a small and noisy creature that was born and raised in Wiltshire, but these days' lives by the sea in Norfolk. By day she works as a Graduate Legal Executive but spends her evenings and weekends in the company of Angels, Cats and Ghouls. She has a small orange kitty called Mikho, who is absolutely no help what so ever. She is still eccentric and highly contagious and her first book Grey Wings has received some first-class feedback!
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own
Edited by Talmage Wise
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