Wings of Starlight by Allison Saft
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Retelling
Pages: 400
Published By: Studio Press on 13th February, 2025
Format: Paperback and Audiobook
Source: Gifted (Instagram)
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Book Synopsis:
It’s been centuries since a warm-season fairy in Pixie Hollow has crossed into the Winter Woods, and while most fear the legends of monsters lurking in the frozen lands, Clarion, can’t help being intrigued by Winter’s stoic beauty. But under the watchful eyes of the current monarch and the court’s seasonal ministers, Clarion has little time to dwell on daydreams while the days to her coronation dwindle away.
That is, until reports of a monster crossing from Winter into Spring make their way to the palace. Clarion sees defeating this threat as an opportunity to prove that she is worthy of her new role. But instead of finding a monster at the edge of Winter, she finds Milori, a young guardian of the Winter Woods. Together, they form an unlikely bond as they race to save their lands.
But as their alliance warms to something more, they will discover there is a reason a warm-season fairy and a winter fairy must not be together. And the cost could be just as deadly as the monsters that prowl the Winter Woods.
Discover the origin of the sweeping, star-crossed romance between the queen of Pixie Hollow and the Lord of the Winter Woods.
Book Review
I didn’t really grow up watching and obsessing over the Tinkerbell films but I have an appreciation for them due to being a Disney lover. I was excited to see this book release but didn’t rush to pick it up. However, one of my followers on Instagram kindly gifted it to me, and we decided to buddy read it together.
This book targets young adult readers, but it felt more middle grade due to its simple plot and underdeveloped characters. While still a fun read, it’s important to note that it doesn’t quite feel like YA.
The writing and descriptions of the setting were beautiful but again it felt childlike and came across like reading a Disney animated film. That is not necessarily a bad thing but just something I wanted to note in my review.
I started reading the book physically but found the story to be dragging at times… This is where I switched to listening to an audiobook on YouTube (couldn’t get it on Audible for some reason). The audiobook wasn’t narrated the best, but it helped me feel more immersed in the story than when I read it physically.
In terms of the romance, there was not enough depth and complexity to it… It felt like the author was reaching for something that could’ve been great but not quite hitting the mark. Again, it felt very childlike. Considering its promoted as YA, I expected more in terms of the romance. It felt like I was reading someone’s first crush – cute, simple and awkward.
I finished the book feeling like I expected more. The only word I can describe this story as mentioned in the previous paragraph is ‘cute’. However, for a supposedly YA book, you don’t want to leave the book thinking it was cute… It was an enjoyable but average read. I believe it should have been marketed as middle grade, not YA. Maybe I wouldn’t have had such high expectations if it had been. I gave it a .5 bump in the rating because it’s a book with FAIRIES, like come on.. FAIRIES! <3
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