*Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

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.

Begging her mother to teach her magic is all for naught when Rowenna’s mother is killed by a monster from the sea.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A Rush of Wings - Likewise Book Reviews

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