Book Review: Black Wings Beating
Photo from Macmillan Publishers website
Release: September 25, 2018
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Black Wings Beating by Alex London is an interesting piece of fantasy work with a world and cultures centered around birds of prey. There are cultures that revere birds and, thusly, train them and use rare birds to represent social status and wealth. There’s a religious counterculture that sees birds as demons that should never be tamed, begging falconers and trainers to repent, to give up their bird loving ways. There’s this interesting analysis of the relationships between earth, sky, human, and bird. It’s quite fascinating.
Now, enter our twin protagonists, Kylee and Brysen. Our journey is centered around these two as their differences come to light while they try to maintain their father's business. Kylee is an excellent falconer but doesn’t want to be while Brysen wants to be a falconer and works hard but never meets the expectations of others. Kylee wants to pay off debts and leave the business, but Brysen wants to prove his worth to the boy he loves and the people who doubt him. Kylee is logical and level-headed while Brysen is quick to anger and jumps headfirst into situations. It’s with these dichotomous individuals that London throws the reader into an adventure to capture the elusive, deadly ghost eagle which brings out more than the twins bargained for in the first place.
I think London did fabulous work building two protagonists that are incredibly different, yet rely on each other through a difficult past, present, and foreseeable future. Twins are this trope that can be played on in a variety of ways and London does this in one of those usual ways with the siblings, who once were close, are now distant with little understanding of each others’ current selves. And, by being so different, London is able to show great character development for both, in completely unique ways, as they notice societal expectations warring with internal personal development as they learn more about themselves and each other.
My only complaint is that this book is written like a book that knew it was going to be a trilogy. There’s a lot of set up, backstory, and character development but the adventure seemed secondary and quick; it’s as if the first book was in preparation for the rest of the series. I wanted more adventure, I think, than I perceived there might be but I imagine all this setup will lead to even more adventures as London delves into more societal and culture clashes as an impending war comes to the forefront.
I enjoyed this book, I really did, and I am definitely looking forward to the continuance of this series. I wish it had a bit more adventure, but I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. With such great character development with all the bird lore and culture building, I’d give this book 3 out of 5 Awesome Austin Points. I’m ready to see more of the fantasy side in the upcoming books!
