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singsthewren's review against another edition
This one is close to my heart. I hope you all enjoy reading Wire Wings as much as I enjoyed bringing Graciela's story to life. It's about grief, and the nature of identity in a world where everything is changeable.
dannycakez8808's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
Wow, where to even start. This book was beautiful and the story telling was nothing short of breathtaking. This is a story about grief, about moving on, and it explores those gaping holes left by the lose of a loved one. This story really explores the relationships we have in our lives-those awkward friendships and the intimacy of the ones we love. One of the themes I loved from this book was the face we put on for the world when we are hiding our grief and feelings. This story was exciting, beautiful, and tragic all written into one amazing work of art. I'd recommend this for fans of 'The Astonishing Color of After'.
Wow, where to even start. This book was beautiful and the story telling was nothing short of breathtaking. This is a story about grief, about moving on, and it explores those gaping holes left by the lose of a loved one. This story really explores the relationships we have in our lives-those awkward friendships and the intimacy of the ones we love. One of the themes I loved from this book was the face we put on for the world when we are hiding our grief and feelings. This story was exciting, beautiful, and tragic all written into one amazing work of art. I'd recommend this for fans of 'The Astonishing Color of After'.
theeditorreads's review against another edition
5.0
Synopsis:
Graciela Neumann's father along with his friend has created the first AI ever. It exists in a virtual reality world called the Waves, the same world in which his team launched a feature called Dive a few years back. Dive lets you have the ultimate sensory experience. Now, while he refers to the AI as an 'it', the AI has appeared in the form of a 'he' in front of Gracie. She is in love with him, with Thomas. While he appears in a number of forms in that world, something about his eyes seems familiar to Gracie. But is he what she thinks he is, what she thinks she wants?
Review:
A futuristic story or something set in the very present? From its mysterious beginning, Wire Wings captured my imagination from there to the instance when Gracie met him for the first time. With terms that are as familiar as on a beach to something right out of the future, a virtual reality world where you can feel through all of your five senses, a place where you can be whoever you want to be. Gracie too adopts various personas, as and when she sees fit.
Gracie's best friend in the real-world is Khaiam Fadel. A story set in the latter part of the twenty-first century, with hardly any birds, it felt like a dystopia in some instances. It's always as interesting as it's amusing to read a futuristic story. To see some things which have advanced well beyond what we visualise while to see some other things that never change.
Gracie and Khaiam were a part of a trio before they lost one of them. Supporting each other, Khaiam seems to be losing Gracie too, sometimes. Because she's trying to find a phantom. Their friend Calista died three months ago, which devastated both of them and led Graciela to suffer from severe panic attacks.
The AI - Thomas - seems to be following her, popping up in the most unlikely of places in the Waves. It feels to Gracie like she knows him from before, in that he feels like home to her. Even though he behaves quite weirdly sometimes.
An outstanding story questioning what is real vs what is virtual. A story where you will be taking sides about whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) is beneficial or risky. A timely story about the pitfalls of too much dependence on technology, to the point of forgetting life outside of it. Of creating something that is beyond your control. It reminded me of certain sections of some episodes of Black Mirror.
This story gave me all the feels. A story which is science fiction at its core, which has its heart in the right place, which belongs to at least two more genres which I won't point out here since it will kinda give away the story, along with a touch of philosophy. This was such a diverse read, whether it be in regards to the representation of genders or nationalities.
The secret that is revealed in the end, there were hints throughout the story and halfway through the book I somewhat guessed it. And what a twisted ending it was, where the epilogue completely threw me off!
Thank you to The Parliament House Press for an e-ARC of the book.
You can read the first two chapters here.
Originally posted on:
Shaina's Musings
Graciela Neumann's father along with his friend has created the first AI ever. It exists in a virtual reality world called the Waves, the same world in which his team launched a feature called Dive a few years back. Dive lets you have the ultimate sensory experience. Now, while he refers to the AI as an 'it', the AI has appeared in the form of a 'he' in front of Gracie. She is in love with him, with Thomas. While he appears in a number of forms in that world, something about his eyes seems familiar to Gracie. But is he what she thinks he is, what she thinks she wants?
Review:
A futuristic story or something set in the very present? From its mysterious beginning, Wire Wings captured my imagination from there to the instance when Gracie met him for the first time. With terms that are as familiar as on a beach to something right out of the future, a virtual reality world where you can feel through all of your five senses, a place where you can be whoever you want to be. Gracie too adopts various personas, as and when she sees fit.
Gracie's best friend in the real-world is Khaiam Fadel. A story set in the latter part of the twenty-first century, with hardly any birds, it felt like a dystopia in some instances. It's always as interesting as it's amusing to read a futuristic story. To see some things which have advanced well beyond what we visualise while to see some other things that never change.
No one ever walks in silence, not really, but somehow when words are absent the other little sounds don’t rush in to fill the void.
Gracie and Khaiam were a part of a trio before they lost one of them. Supporting each other, Khaiam seems to be losing Gracie too, sometimes. Because she's trying to find a phantom. Their friend Calista died three months ago, which devastated both of them and led Graciela to suffer from severe panic attacks.
The AI - Thomas - seems to be following her, popping up in the most unlikely of places in the Waves. It feels to Gracie like she knows him from before, in that he feels like home to her. Even though he behaves quite weirdly sometimes.
He stalks closer, his voice intense, the light in his eyes blazing, burning, and Gracie realizes for the first time that fire, however beautiful, doesn’t just burn. It consumes.
An outstanding story questioning what is real vs what is virtual. A story where you will be taking sides about whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) is beneficial or risky. A timely story about the pitfalls of too much dependence on technology, to the point of forgetting life outside of it. Of creating something that is beyond your control. It reminded me of certain sections of some episodes of Black Mirror.
This story gave me all the feels. A story which is science fiction at its core, which has its heart in the right place, which belongs to at least two more genres which I won't point out here since it will kinda give away the story, along with a touch of philosophy. This was such a diverse read, whether it be in regards to the representation of genders or nationalities.
She wonders how easy it is to forgive someone when we’re afraid we might lose them, and how hard when we think we won’t.
The secret that is revealed in the end, there were hints throughout the story and halfway through the book I somewhat guessed it. And what a twisted ending it was, where the epilogue completely threw me off!
Thank you to The Parliament House Press for an e-ARC of the book.
You can read the first two chapters here.
Originally posted on:
Shaina's Musings
egswriter's review against another edition
5.0
With the rapid pace of technological advancement, you’d think I would be tired of reading AI stories. The answer I will give is, “Never!” So I was quite glad to pick up Wren Handman’s Wire Wings.
1. Thoughts on the plot
This book follows Gracie, a sixteen year old daughter of the inventor of the Waves, who spends more time Diving than she does socialising or exploring her own world. Diving is like VR, but more immersive, and there are games and places in the Waves that help Gracie feel and be anything other than what she is: sad. So when she forms an attachment to the mysterious AI that the world has been trying to find, it is something of a dream come true. But there’s more to this than meets the eye, and the secret may shatter her world—digital and otherwise—forever.
The plot of this book was spectacular. I loved the different depictions of the games and the world around Gracie. I loved her interactions with her family and the seemingly little things that led Gracie to the AI and to the decisions that ultimately change everything. Even the ending, which under different circumstances would feel sudden, was pulled off so well it nearly took my breath away.
2. Thoughts on the characters
Gracie is a fantastic character to read, probably because she manages to convey so many traits that a lot of people her age experience. She has a slightly strained relationship with her family, but wants to be good. She has friends, but still feels disconnected. She has experienced tragedy and isn’t quite ready to face the reality of that yet. It is an amalgamation of things that I think a great many people can relate to, and I really enjoyed that.
The AI, too, was fascinating to read, and that is partly because he was so mysterious and intense, in an entirely tantalising way.
3. Favourite part
The epilogue. It just took all the pertinent elements of the story and tied them up into an allegory that was just…stunning. Truly stunning.
4. Critique
I don’t really have a critique for this book. I will say it took me a minute to get used to the tense shifts, but that adds to a bit of coherence with the story and is not a downside at all.
Overall, I would say that Wire Wings is an excellent book and I highly recommend it to anyone with a love of technology, or just the human condition.
1. Thoughts on the plot
This book follows Gracie, a sixteen year old daughter of the inventor of the Waves, who spends more time Diving than she does socialising or exploring her own world. Diving is like VR, but more immersive, and there are games and places in the Waves that help Gracie feel and be anything other than what she is: sad. So when she forms an attachment to the mysterious AI that the world has been trying to find, it is something of a dream come true. But there’s more to this than meets the eye, and the secret may shatter her world—digital and otherwise—forever.
The plot of this book was spectacular. I loved the different depictions of the games and the world around Gracie. I loved her interactions with her family and the seemingly little things that led Gracie to the AI and to the decisions that ultimately change everything. Even the ending, which under different circumstances would feel sudden, was pulled off so well it nearly took my breath away.
2. Thoughts on the characters
Gracie is a fantastic character to read, probably because she manages to convey so many traits that a lot of people her age experience. She has a slightly strained relationship with her family, but wants to be good. She has friends, but still feels disconnected. She has experienced tragedy and isn’t quite ready to face the reality of that yet. It is an amalgamation of things that I think a great many people can relate to, and I really enjoyed that.
The AI, too, was fascinating to read, and that is partly because he was so mysterious and intense, in an entirely tantalising way.
3. Favourite part
The epilogue. It just took all the pertinent elements of the story and tied them up into an allegory that was just…stunning. Truly stunning.
4. Critique
I don’t really have a critique for this book. I will say it took me a minute to get used to the tense shifts, but that adds to a bit of coherence with the story and is not a downside at all.
Overall, I would say that Wire Wings is an excellent book and I highly recommend it to anyone with a love of technology, or just the human condition.
aline_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Wire Wings takes the concepts of virtual reality into a whole different level when the author introduces these concepts into a quantum computer, this is already a reality and in the future, we will be struggling with questions that this author makes us ask when we are reading Wire Wings. We get to follow an AI that's so real we begin to question gender, laws, and rights for artificial intelligence. But more importantly, this book is about loss, love, and overcoming difficult times. In this book, we get to see what it would be like when virtual reality feels very real, and it can really be a nightmare it reminded me a little of some episodes of Black Mirror where the so-called "divers" can get injured going into a virtual world. The only downside for me was the romance, it was not an expected thing going into this book because it isn't marketed as a romance, and the fact that the characters fall in love in like 3 seconds doesn't help. The big secret of the AI or huge plot twist was a really expected one for me. Overall it was definitely an interesting read with real questions that we will have to make ourselves in the near future.
thebookworm_queen's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to The Parliament House Press and Wren Handman for the ARC!
Wire Wings is the story of Graciela Neumann, a young girl who’s best friend has just passed away. She is learning to adjust her life without her best friend by her side and find herself again; who is her true self?
It’s a very compelling story of grief, I found myself relating to Graciela in her ups and downs as she works her way through high school, friends and family. She struggles to find her voice, to speak up and voice her thoughts, but she manages as she has a fantastical virtual reality world to escape to, the Waves.
The ideas of VR and AI really define this story and make it so enjoyable to read. The idea of having the internet made into a more tangible place is amazing. The idea of creating a being that is so intelligent they become their own person is crazy wonderful to imagine. Sprinkle in some romance, endearing supporting characters, and mythology and just might be a book for you!
Wire Wings is the story of Graciela Neumann, a young girl who’s best friend has just passed away. She is learning to adjust her life without her best friend by her side and find herself again; who is her true self?
It’s a very compelling story of grief, I found myself relating to Graciela in her ups and downs as she works her way through high school, friends and family. She struggles to find her voice, to speak up and voice her thoughts, but she manages as she has a fantastical virtual reality world to escape to, the Waves.
The ideas of VR and AI really define this story and make it so enjoyable to read. The idea of having the internet made into a more tangible place is amazing. The idea of creating a being that is so intelligent they become their own person is crazy wonderful to imagine. Sprinkle in some romance, endearing supporting characters, and mythology and just might be a book for you!
mayathebookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Check out this review and more on my blog, Maya’s Reviews.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Plot: 5/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5 Stars
Writing: 5/5 Stars
Memorability: 5/5 Stars
~Quick Review~
There are not enough words to express how amazing Wire Wings by Wren Handman truly is. If I’m being honest, Wire Wings is probably my favorite book to date. I have never had my mind blown while also simultaneously being depressed and sad, yet also strangely happy at the same time. This novel put me through a mixture of emotions, conveying so many things in its descriptive nature. I love this book.
~Other Information~
Publisher: The Parliament House
Page Count: 284 pages
Release Date: June 23, 2020
Wire Wings deals with grief, panic attacks, and anxiety, so if you are sensitive to these things be aware of the issues coming up in the novel before starting to read it.
~Quick Synopsis~
Graciela Neumann’s father is the creator of the Waves; an interaction internet that allows you to be anyone or anything that you want to be. After the death of her closest friend, Gracie suffers from panic attacks and immense grief. Her parents do not understand and her Line (her connection to the Waves) is the only thing that makes her feel better. However, after a failed “program” by her father’s company, she starts being followed by the AI, Ch4l1e. Except, he hates that name for some reason. Ch4l1e (Charlie), renamed Thomas, and Gracie becomes friends, helping each other in any way they can. Somehow, the hole in Gracie’s heart starts to close, yet the mystery of why Thomas hates Paul, her father’s coworker, and deceased friend’s father, and many other things keep getting in the way. Gracie wants to find out how Thomas was created if he’s really human, and if so, why her father’s company is trying to capture it. All of these things pile up upon another until Gracie feels like she’s drowning, however, Thomas might just keep her afloat.
~Characters~
Part of the reason why I loved Wire Wings so much was because I found the characters so relatable. Especially Gracie. Gracie had just lost her best friend and was still in the early stages of grief. She had frequent panic attacks and felt like she couldn’t talk to anyone else about them due to other people having their own problems. Unfortunately (I say unfortunately as in people shouldn’t have to go through stuff like grief, anxiety, panic attacks, etc.), I feel like this is something the majority of teens/young adults can relate to. While I have never had a panic attack, I have had people close to me pass away, and it was really hard to get back to normal after that (I’m still not back to normal after a few years). Gracie used the waves as a way to escape the real world and live a different life; an exciting, pain-free life. Gracie uses the Waves to portray herself as strong, powerful, cunning, female characters (almost like a video game in a way) so that she can feel safe and in control somewhere in her life. In the waves is where she meets Thomas (or Ch4l1e, but he hates that name, so it’s Thomas).
Thomas is an AI who Gracie’s father’s company “created”. He has so much control over the Waves that the company calls him a security threat, and later on, goes so far as to call him a terrorist. Thomas is sweet, formidable, and caring. He and Gracie fall in love, and you can see he cares about her by the way he acts. I caught myself blushing, I was so excited and in love with their romance. (It was honestly adorable!) However, while a huge part of me likes Thomas, for reasons I cannot disclose due to major spoilers, another part of me hates him. That’s right. Hates him. I cannot say that I blame him for some particular actions, but still. He was so selfish at certain points it was nauseating. You had to wonder whether he really cared about Gracie or if he was really just some AI using her for higher achievements like Gracie’s father assumed. Anyways, I still fell in love with Gracie and Thomas’s romance, which ended up crushing me in the end, just not in the way you’d expect.
Khaiam is Gracie’s best friend since her other best friend (Khaiam’s girlfriend) died. Khaiam and Gracie are both pretty insecure in their friendship as at first, they feel their mutual deceased friend (whose name I have forgotten) was the only thing holding their friendship together. This is not the case, but they are both still very insecure and scared about losing each other throughout the novel, only confessing their feelings towards the end. Khaiam honestly deserves the Best Friend of the Year award. Gracie practically abandons him for a while when she spends time with Thomas, not even bothering to explain to her best friend that they are dating each other. I don’t know about you, but if I was dating a “machine” who my father was calling a threat and trying to capture and kill, then I would be telling my best friend! Who else are you going to trust? Anyways, Khaiam was a supporting character, but I still loved him. He was so kind and sweet, he also always put Gracie first and tried to help her with her anxiety and panic attacks. So yeah, Khaiam is officially the Best Friend of the Year in my book.
Overall, as stated before, I felt the characters were really relatable and the majority of them were likable (except for Bella, I did not like her, but she isn’t really important anyway), and in the end, I fell in love with every one of them.
~Writing and Setting~
The writing in Wire Wings was so intriguing and descriptive, it really helped me understand the concept of such things as Surfaces, Waves, Dives, Surfs, etc. All of which I am not going to attempt explaining because that would be futile.
The world-building in Wire Wings is also equally as incredible as the writing and characters. As mentioned before, Gracie and many others use the Waves as a means to escape the real world. To my understanding, the Waves are practically like VR (Virtual Reality) except way more advanced. Practically the internet is embedded in the Waves, which allow you to go to an alternate reality where you can feel, taste, smell, hear, and see everything going on. While there are some sites in the Waves where if you die you are banned, the majority of the sites allow you to die and come back (although death in the Waves is as painful as death in real life?). Anyways, the world-building is amazing, to say the least.
~Plot~
I can’t even begin to describe how perfect the plot is. My mind is blown; a bomb has gone off inside my brain. The pacing of Wire Wings is perfect. It keeps you entertained while still maintaining a level of mystery surrounding the major plot points in the novel. I cannot say too much without giving away any spoilers, but it is beyond me how Wren Handman got this idea and wrote it down so beautifully for us to read. The big reveal of the answers to Gracie’s questions of Thomas’s origin left me stunned and flipping the pages to try and find out what happened next.
There are so many things that left me with my mouth open and my stomach in a knot. I could not set the book down once I got into it, and as I said before, Wire Wings is most likely my favorite book that I’ve read.
~Overall Review~
Overall, Wire Wings by Wren Handman was astonishing and beautiful. The ending left me feeling sad and baffled, but the story was exquisite. I am so, so glad that I was able to receive an ARC and review this amazing novel.
Amazon
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Plot: 5/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5 Stars
Writing: 5/5 Stars
Memorability: 5/5 Stars
~Quick Review~
There are not enough words to express how amazing Wire Wings by Wren Handman truly is. If I’m being honest, Wire Wings is probably my favorite book to date. I have never had my mind blown while also simultaneously being depressed and sad, yet also strangely happy at the same time. This novel put me through a mixture of emotions, conveying so many things in its descriptive nature. I love this book.
~Other Information~
Publisher: The Parliament House
Page Count: 284 pages
Release Date: June 23, 2020
Wire Wings deals with grief, panic attacks, and anxiety, so if you are sensitive to these things be aware of the issues coming up in the novel before starting to read it.
~Quick Synopsis~
Graciela Neumann’s father is the creator of the Waves; an interaction internet that allows you to be anyone or anything that you want to be. After the death of her closest friend, Gracie suffers from panic attacks and immense grief. Her parents do not understand and her Line (her connection to the Waves) is the only thing that makes her feel better. However, after a failed “program” by her father’s company, she starts being followed by the AI, Ch4l1e. Except, he hates that name for some reason. Ch4l1e (Charlie), renamed Thomas, and Gracie becomes friends, helping each other in any way they can. Somehow, the hole in Gracie’s heart starts to close, yet the mystery of why Thomas hates Paul, her father’s coworker, and deceased friend’s father, and many other things keep getting in the way. Gracie wants to find out how Thomas was created if he’s really human, and if so, why her father’s company is trying to capture it. All of these things pile up upon another until Gracie feels like she’s drowning, however, Thomas might just keep her afloat.
~Characters~
Part of the reason why I loved Wire Wings so much was because I found the characters so relatable. Especially Gracie. Gracie had just lost her best friend and was still in the early stages of grief. She had frequent panic attacks and felt like she couldn’t talk to anyone else about them due to other people having their own problems. Unfortunately (I say unfortunately as in people shouldn’t have to go through stuff like grief, anxiety, panic attacks, etc.), I feel like this is something the majority of teens/young adults can relate to. While I have never had a panic attack, I have had people close to me pass away, and it was really hard to get back to normal after that (I’m still not back to normal after a few years). Gracie used the waves as a way to escape the real world and live a different life; an exciting, pain-free life. Gracie uses the Waves to portray herself as strong, powerful, cunning, female characters (almost like a video game in a way) so that she can feel safe and in control somewhere in her life. In the waves is where she meets Thomas (or Ch4l1e, but he hates that name, so it’s Thomas).
Thomas is an AI who Gracie’s father’s company “created”. He has so much control over the Waves that the company calls him a security threat, and later on, goes so far as to call him a terrorist. Thomas is sweet, formidable, and caring. He and Gracie fall in love, and you can see he cares about her by the way he acts. I caught myself blushing, I was so excited and in love with their romance. (It was honestly adorable!) However, while a huge part of me likes Thomas, for reasons I cannot disclose due to major spoilers, another part of me hates him. That’s right. Hates him. I cannot say that I blame him for some particular actions, but still. He was so selfish at certain points it was nauseating. You had to wonder whether he really cared about Gracie or if he was really just some AI using her for higher achievements like Gracie’s father assumed. Anyways, I still fell in love with Gracie and Thomas’s romance, which ended up crushing me in the end, just not in the way you’d expect.
Khaiam is Gracie’s best friend since her other best friend (Khaiam’s girlfriend) died. Khaiam and Gracie are both pretty insecure in their friendship as at first, they feel their mutual deceased friend (whose name I have forgotten) was the only thing holding their friendship together. This is not the case, but they are both still very insecure and scared about losing each other throughout the novel, only confessing their feelings towards the end. Khaiam honestly deserves the Best Friend of the Year award. Gracie practically abandons him for a while when she spends time with Thomas, not even bothering to explain to her best friend that they are dating each other. I don’t know about you, but if I was dating a “machine” who my father was calling a threat and trying to capture and kill, then I would be telling my best friend! Who else are you going to trust? Anyways, Khaiam was a supporting character, but I still loved him. He was so kind and sweet, he also always put Gracie first and tried to help her with her anxiety and panic attacks. So yeah, Khaiam is officially the Best Friend of the Year in my book.
Overall, as stated before, I felt the characters were really relatable and the majority of them were likable (except for Bella, I did not like her, but she isn’t really important anyway), and in the end, I fell in love with every one of them.
~Writing and Setting~
The writing in Wire Wings was so intriguing and descriptive, it really helped me understand the concept of such things as Surfaces, Waves, Dives, Surfs, etc. All of which I am not going to attempt explaining because that would be futile.
The world-building in Wire Wings is also equally as incredible as the writing and characters. As mentioned before, Gracie and many others use the Waves as a means to escape the real world. To my understanding, the Waves are practically like VR (Virtual Reality) except way more advanced. Practically the internet is embedded in the Waves, which allow you to go to an alternate reality where you can feel, taste, smell, hear, and see everything going on. While there are some sites in the Waves where if you die you are banned, the majority of the sites allow you to die and come back (although death in the Waves is as painful as death in real life?). Anyways, the world-building is amazing, to say the least.
~Plot~
I can’t even begin to describe how perfect the plot is. My mind is blown; a bomb has gone off inside my brain. The pacing of Wire Wings is perfect. It keeps you entertained while still maintaining a level of mystery surrounding the major plot points in the novel. I cannot say too much without giving away any spoilers, but it is beyond me how Wren Handman got this idea and wrote it down so beautifully for us to read. The big reveal of the answers to Gracie’s questions of Thomas’s origin left me stunned and flipping the pages to try and find out what happened next.
There are so many things that left me with my mouth open and my stomach in a knot. I could not set the book down once I got into it, and as I said before, Wire Wings is most likely my favorite book that I’ve read.
~Overall Review~
Overall, Wire Wings by Wren Handman was astonishing and beautiful. The ending left me feeling sad and baffled, but the story was exquisite. I am so, so glad that I was able to receive an ARC and review this amazing novel.
Amazon
inkslinger's review against another edition
5.0
ARC provided by Wren Handman. All opinions are mine and freely given.
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06-08: Every so often in the media industry.. you come across a creator so special that you know they could be the 'next big thing.' I've always had a keen eye for this. I knew it with musicians like Alice in Chains and Stone and Jeff from Pearl Jam (then Mother Love Bone) before they got label deals. I knew it with Linkin Park the moment I heard the advance copy of Hybrid Theory. I've always been an early adopter on promoting those artists that trigger that feeling in me because I know the difference between someone with that skill remaining lesser known and actually blowing up across their industry.. is largely luck.
In the last several months, I've been lucky myself. Lucky enough to cross paths with a handful of authors that fall into that category.. knowing that if the right sets of eyes see their work.. even the sky isn't something that could contain them.
Wren Handman is one of them. I had a feeling about her when I read a novel she released called 'In Restless Dreams.' There is a subtlety to her writing that beautifully distracts with one hand while leading with the other and in that.. 'Wire Wings', which is slated to release on June 23rd, 2020.. is no exception.. but it is extraordinary in every other way.
Graciela is a 'good girl.' She seems to feel small.. veritably crushed by her intellectual.. but emotionally distant parents and the loss of her best friend. She's an expectedly brilliant girl who adheres to the rules and gets good grades. But in the VR world called the Waves.. she can be who she wants to be.. the person she believes she is.. deep down. Free, strong-willed, decisive.
In the real world, Gracie's struggling. Her panic attacks are getting worse all the time and Khaiam, her best friend's former boyfriend.. is nearly the only thing she has left of Calista.
Then she meets Thomas. A stranger in the Waves with eyes that pull her in like a moth to a flame. He's charismatic and seems dangerous at times, fueling her desire to spend more time in VR than her real life. He seems to be able to defy all laws of code within the Waves and though he repeatedly finds her when she Dives.. he keeps his own secrets close. She doesn't know who he really is or how he came to be, much less why he continues to seek her out time after time.
I can't possibly express how much I love this story.. how moving and exhilirating it is.. all at once.
The characters are richly developed with complex relationships, problems that are realistic even in their fantastical presentation. Handman is amazing at showing the vulnerable layers beneath the veneers. I've seen her do so in both the aforementioned books.
Like us, they often have carefully constructed appearances. Protective shells that help them survive pain and loneliness, grief and loss, fear and insecurities. While managing to let us peek beneath these veneers, she still allows the characters the illusion of keeping them in place for a time and when they ultimately crumble, the result tugs at your heart.
The story is full of hope though.. hope and worry. A yearning for something more.. some.. better connection to those around us that I think speaks to us on a level deeper than our conscious might always allow. You want so desperately for everything to turn out right for Graciela and her friends.. their journey.. fraught with risks.. some you can see instantly.. and others which remain hidden from you. While I saw one big reveal coming within the first few chapters, there were still unexpected turns.. especially toward the conclusion.. and what an ending it is!
Eventually, through one of the characters, the author herself draws parallel between this story and a well known myth. A favorite of mine, though I won't ruin anything for you by telling you what it is. I will say, it surprised me.. though in hindsight it shouldn't have. The story is just so elegantly crafted, so immersive.. that I never even considered the implications.
In truth, I don't know if she really means 'Wire Wings' to be a retelling or if it's just a similarity she wanted to point out to the reader. I hesitate to call it that, since it almost feels as if naming it anything else might diminish it in some way. But if it is indeed a retelling of the famous story.. it is quite possibly the most stunningly original retelling I have ever read.
If you read only one indie title releasing this month, let it be this one.
PRE-ORDER LINKS: BARNES & NOBLE | GOOGLEPLAY BOOKS | KOBO | PARLIAMENT HOUSE PRESS
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06-07: This book is everything. Review to come.
06-03: I love this lady's work, so I was beyond thrilled at the opportunity to get my hands on another of her books early. Already so intrigued!
singsthewren's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
This one is close to my heart. I hope you all enjoy reading Wire Wings as much as I enjoyed bringing Graciela's story to life. It's about grief, and the nature of identity in a world where everything is changeable.
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