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A review by jenpaul13
Wings Unseen by Rebecca Gomez Farrell
4.0
An oft heard and repeated, yet still overlooked, prophesy comes to fruition and those with parts to play in the events that unfold slowly come to terms with the new realities their roles bring in Wings Unseen by Rebecca Gomez Farrell.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Within a world functioning based on relative peace for years after a civil war that divided them and with tensions remaining between the Lanseran and Meduan societies, the fates of three young people are changed irrevocably when the Brothers as hands of Madel, the religious figure they worship and serve, intervene to present a choice that will determine their futures. Vesperi, a Meduan noblewoman, is to be married off to a suitor as her father decrees, but she’s at least afforded opportunities to meet with them and while she enjoys toying with these men she quickly tires of the game, eager to instead explore the ability she’s acquired of being able to wield a powerful silver flame. Janto, prince of Lansera and betrothed to Serra, prepares himself for his Murat, a competition where he’ll become a man, learn valuable lessons, and receive a vision that will aid him in his future endeavors. Serra, an orphaned lady soon to be princess of Lansera, receives an unusual invitation from the Order to study and after agreeing to go thinking it the only real choice available to her, soon learns that her future is bound to be vastly different than she and Janto had envisioned. As Versperi, Janto, and Serra’s paths become clearer to them individually, their fates and paths are joined together in a fight against a larger threat to their world’s survival; joined by some friends, both loyal and surprising alike, they journey throughout the land striving to stop the threat, learning things about themselves, and their people, along the way.
A story filled with courtly intrigue, plenty of prophesy fulfillment, and plotting by religious figures within a fairly well-realized fantasy world that has and knows magic, but isn’t filled with it, it is driven by character development for the three main characters, whose perspectives rotate with chapters to progress the narrative forward, along with a handful of chapters from stray perspectives that aim to provide more context for where the story is heading, as well as providing some background regarding Vesperi’s upbringing and the kind of world she’s come from, raising some additional questions to be answered while deepening out the level of scheming and stakes of the adventure at hand. Through depictions of Lansera and Medua there’s a dichotomy presented of a world where all are viewed as being of equal worth and another where subjugation of others is common, especially of women who are viewed as objects or property (if viewed at all), frequently demeaned and belittled, leading to the repression of emotions that detrimentally warps their view of self and those around them. While building out the world and what governs how it functions, there’s an element of magic presented that is intriguing and put to practical use during events that occur, but there’s more yet to be discovered about the world and the prophesy that drove the actions of, and bound together, Vesperi, Janto, and Serra; the epilogue hints toward a resolution of their relationship dynamic that had been fraught with tension, though not in a manner that’s satisfactory in addressing how it developed or progressed.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Within a world functioning based on relative peace for years after a civil war that divided them and with tensions remaining between the Lanseran and Meduan societies, the fates of three young people are changed irrevocably when the Brothers as hands of Madel, the religious figure they worship and serve, intervene to present a choice that will determine their futures. Vesperi, a Meduan noblewoman, is to be married off to a suitor as her father decrees, but she’s at least afforded opportunities to meet with them and while she enjoys toying with these men she quickly tires of the game, eager to instead explore the ability she’s acquired of being able to wield a powerful silver flame. Janto, prince of Lansera and betrothed to Serra, prepares himself for his Murat, a competition where he’ll become a man, learn valuable lessons, and receive a vision that will aid him in his future endeavors. Serra, an orphaned lady soon to be princess of Lansera, receives an unusual invitation from the Order to study and after agreeing to go thinking it the only real choice available to her, soon learns that her future is bound to be vastly different than she and Janto had envisioned. As Versperi, Janto, and Serra’s paths become clearer to them individually, their fates and paths are joined together in a fight against a larger threat to their world’s survival; joined by some friends, both loyal and surprising alike, they journey throughout the land striving to stop the threat, learning things about themselves, and their people, along the way.
A story filled with courtly intrigue, plenty of prophesy fulfillment, and plotting by religious figures within a fairly well-realized fantasy world that has and knows magic, but isn’t filled with it, it is driven by character development for the three main characters, whose perspectives rotate with chapters to progress the narrative forward, along with a handful of chapters from stray perspectives that aim to provide more context for where the story is heading, as well as providing some background regarding Vesperi’s upbringing and the kind of world she’s come from, raising some additional questions to be answered while deepening out the level of scheming and stakes of the adventure at hand. Through depictions of Lansera and Medua there’s a dichotomy presented of a world where all are viewed as being of equal worth and another where subjugation of others is common, especially of women who are viewed as objects or property (if viewed at all), frequently demeaned and belittled, leading to the repression of emotions that detrimentally warps their view of self and those around them. While building out the world and what governs how it functions, there’s an element of magic presented that is intriguing and put to practical use during events that occur, but there’s more yet to be discovered about the world and the prophesy that drove the actions of, and bound together, Vesperi, Janto, and Serra; the epilogue hints toward a resolution of their relationship dynamic that had been fraught with tension, though not in a manner that’s satisfactory in addressing how it developed or progressed.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.