A Rush of Wings
Books | Juvenile Nonfiction / Curiosities & Wonders
4
Laura E. Weymouth
For fans of Serpent & Dove and A House of Salt and Sorrows comes a “transportive and beautiful” (Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights) romantic fantasy about an untrained witch who must unlock her power to free her brothers from a terrible curse and save her home.Rowenna Winthrop has always known there’s magic within her. But though she hears voices on the wind and possesses unusual talents, her mother Mairead believes Rowenna lacks discipline, and refuses to teach her the craft that keeps their Scottish village safe. And when Mairead dies a sinister death, it seems Rowenna’s only chance to grow into her power has died with her. Then, on a fateful, storm-tossed night, Rowenna rescues a handsome stranger named Gawen from a shipwreck, and her mother miraculously returns from the dead. Or so it appears. The resurrected Mairead is nothing like the old one. To hide her new monstrous nature, she turns Rowenna’s brothers and Gawen into swans and robs Rowenna of her voice. Forced to flee, Rowenna travels to the city of Inverness to find a way to break the curse. But monsters take many forms, and in Inverness, Rowenna is soon caught in a web of strangers who want to use her raw magic for their own gain. If she wishes to save herself and the people she loves most, Rowenna will have to take her fate into her own hands and unlock the power that has evaded her for so long.
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Author
Laura E. Weymouth
Pages
336
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Published Date
2021-11-16
ISBN
1534493085 9781534493087
Community ReviewsSee all
"*Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review*<br/><br/><br/>Rowenna Winthrop has always possessed a magic within her. However, due to a supposed lack of discipline, her mother refuses to teach her her craft that protects their Scottish village. <br/><br/>Begging her mother to teach her magic is all for naught when Rowenna’s mother is killed by a monster from the sea. <br/><br/>But on a stormy night, Rowenna finds an injured boy called Gawen washed up on shore, and her mother shows up at the family’s door, alive and whole. <br/><br/>But this woman is not the woman Rowenna knew. Underneath her mother’s skin is a sinister monster who lays a curse on Rowenna, her brothers, and Gawen, stealing Rowenna’s voice, and cursing Gawen and the brothers to turn into swans. <br/><br/>Forced to escape, Rowenna flees to find a way to break their curse. However, Rowenna soon finds herself in a crooked plan to be used for her magic. If she must save her brothers, she must undertake a painful task and fight for what she loves most, and Rowenna finally seeks to unlock the magic that has been hidden from her for so long. <br/><br/>I’ve always been intrigued by the Six Swans, and I would say this is a good retelling. Some changes you should know going in is that there are only four swans, and only three of them are her brothers. Secondly, Rowenna’s voice gets returned during the nights as her brothers return to their human forms during that time. There are other changes and twists, but I won’t spoil the story. I was pleasantly surprised with how everything came together. <br/><br/>It was easy to feel the character’s emotions along with them—their despair, their frustrations, their anger. It was all very raw and real. <br/><br/>The story was a little confusing being set in real-world places such as Scotland, Europe, and the Americas. It was a bit disorienting seeing that with magic.<br/><br/>The magic was a little confusing as well, though not by too much. We see Rowenna draw her power through emotions throughout the story, though as it grows by the end, that’s where things begin to feel jumbled. <br/><br/>In all, the plot was great, as were the characters. I would recommend a Rush of Wings to those who like YA retellings, and also light romance undertones."
Charis Negley
