Scan barcode
aly36's review
4.0
This is a dystopian novel. I'll admit I was intrigued. A fight between demonic and heavenly angelic-like beings kind of reminds me of the TV show "Supernatural" which I love. So in this case, this book caught my interest right away. I would love to have a guardian angel, myself. This book has action and takes me to new places in my mind. I enjoyed reading it. * I received the book from the author--this is my honest review*
lindzy's review against another edition
3.0
Original Review Here
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It took a few chapters before I knew what was happening in As Wings Unfurl. I was confused over Angela and Dane’s first appearances – I thought perhaps they were the same person. Despite action taking place, I realised I had no idea what was going on. I needed a lifeline to keep me going with the book.
Thankfully, that lifeline arrived. About a third of the way through, the pace and action pick up. By then, I got to know the characters more. Apple felt sorry for himself, but the more Angela intrigued him, the more he was drawn to her fight. Understanding Angela’s nature opened up the book to realising what she was and what they were up against. Shilog and Yowl added a refreshing diversity to the characters and were easily the most likeable from the off-set.
In terms of character development, Apple comes along leaps and bounds. He goes from a self-pitying morphine addict to a man prepared to save the world because of the woman he loves. Once Apple stopped feeling sorry for himself, the plot became more gripping and less annoying. Dane was a good villain – the true extent of her powers were concealed for most of the book and there was no telling what she would do.
After the initial confusion, the plot becomes your standard “good vs evil” with some crazy angel type beings thrown into the mix, who are destined on destroying humanity. Once the tension picked up, I was gripped, and discovered I couldn’t put it down. If you’re not sure after the first few chapters, stick with it, it gets better! Guns against angels, Big Foot against the city of New York and a Tibetan stuck in the middle who wants to go home. It grows on you, it really does.
As Wings Unfurl read as a little far-fetched, even by science-fiction standards. Clarification was needed at the beginning and it would be easy to lose a reader there. But having stayed with it, I enjoyed the development of the characters, tension and the plot. If you’re prepared to get through the first few chapters of confusion, I would recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It took a few chapters before I knew what was happening in As Wings Unfurl. I was confused over Angela and Dane’s first appearances – I thought perhaps they were the same person. Despite action taking place, I realised I had no idea what was going on. I needed a lifeline to keep me going with the book.
Thankfully, that lifeline arrived. About a third of the way through, the pace and action pick up. By then, I got to know the characters more. Apple felt sorry for himself, but the more Angela intrigued him, the more he was drawn to her fight. Understanding Angela’s nature opened up the book to realising what she was and what they were up against. Shilog and Yowl added a refreshing diversity to the characters and were easily the most likeable from the off-set.
In terms of character development, Apple comes along leaps and bounds. He goes from a self-pitying morphine addict to a man prepared to save the world because of the woman he loves. Once Apple stopped feeling sorry for himself, the plot became more gripping and less annoying. Dane was a good villain – the true extent of her powers were concealed for most of the book and there was no telling what she would do.
After the initial confusion, the plot becomes your standard “good vs evil” with some crazy angel type beings thrown into the mix, who are destined on destroying humanity. Once the tension picked up, I was gripped, and discovered I couldn’t put it down. If you’re not sure after the first few chapters, stick with it, it gets better! Guns against angels, Big Foot against the city of New York and a Tibetan stuck in the middle who wants to go home. It grows on you, it really does.
As Wings Unfurl read as a little far-fetched, even by science-fiction standards. Clarification was needed at the beginning and it would be easy to lose a reader there. But having stayed with it, I enjoyed the development of the characters, tension and the plot. If you’re prepared to get through the first few chapters of confusion, I would recommend this book.
jwilker's review
4.0
Some very cool ideas explored in this. I enjoyed it a lot. The characters were pretty well fleshed out and none felt overly cardboard-y which is always nice.
marianc6f98's review
4.0
The idea of the guardian angel who is supposed to watch and not interfere, and who loses its divine status if it becomes emotionally entangled with the person or persons it watches is not new. (For a thoughtful and beautiful take on this, watch the Wim Wenders film Wings of Desire. Watch the original, please, and not the Nicholas Cage remake City of Angels...they are very different films.) But, of course, no-one owns this concept, and in As Wings Unfurl, author Arthur M. Doweyko brings his own twist to the tale. Here, the 'angel' is an alien being, and humans are not what we think we are. Nor are we the oldest sentient hominid on Earth.
The protagonist, Applegate Bogdanski, is a Vietnam war vet with scars both physical and emotional. Through his work in a used book store, he becomes caught up in a scandal involving the Catholic Church...but the scandal, which on the surface appears to be a classic sexual misdemeanour, is so much more than that. The plot moves quickly, events piling on events. The writing is competent and consistent, the action scenes well-crafted, and the story structure keeps the reader interested.
But beyond all that, there are multiple parallels to the stories of the Old Testament (and likely stories from the other religious texts of the People of the Book – those of Jewish and Muslim holy books, but my knowledge of those is limited.) Even our protagonist's name: Bogdan means, more or less, 'beloved of God'; 'Applegate' could suggest the story of the Garden of Eden. Without giving any of the story away, there are parallels to the story of Lucifer; parallels to the story of creation; Apple's physical injury mirrors that of Jacob after his wrestling match with an angel. Is any of this intended? That's a question for the author, but for this reader it appeared so.
All of this – both the quality of the plot and the perceived allegory - intrigued me enough to keep me reading when I should have been doing other things; I finished the book in just a couple of days. Four stars for a book that can be read on more than one level.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The protagonist, Applegate Bogdanski, is a Vietnam war vet with scars both physical and emotional. Through his work in a used book store, he becomes caught up in a scandal involving the Catholic Church...but the scandal, which on the surface appears to be a classic sexual misdemeanour, is so much more than that. The plot moves quickly, events piling on events. The writing is competent and consistent, the action scenes well-crafted, and the story structure keeps the reader interested.
But beyond all that, there are multiple parallels to the stories of the Old Testament (and likely stories from the other religious texts of the People of the Book – those of Jewish and Muslim holy books, but my knowledge of those is limited.) Even our protagonist's name: Bogdan means, more or less, 'beloved of God'; 'Applegate' could suggest the story of the Garden of Eden. Without giving any of the story away, there are parallels to the story of Lucifer; parallels to the story of creation; Apple's physical injury mirrors that of Jacob after his wrestling match with an angel. Is any of this intended? That's a question for the author, but for this reader it appeared so.
All of this – both the quality of the plot and the perceived allegory - intrigued me enough to keep me reading when I should have been doing other things; I finished the book in just a couple of days. Four stars for a book that can be read on more than one level.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
More...