If you're looking for a book that will make your heart melt look no further. In Astrid Yrigollen's His Black Wings, you have a fascinating fairy-tale retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast. It's a curious blend of Steampunk meets the Victorian era in the future.Claren Maidstone goes on the run after she is assaulted by a man who refuses to take no for an answer. While on the run, she meets up with Fredrick Lowood, a man who has his own hidden agenda when it comes to Claren. He takes her home and there she meets Etrigan. While she is there at Westwind, she fights to forget her past, but her past has a way of not forgetting her.The book was written in first and third voice which gave me a chance to experience more than just what Claren was feeling. I loved being about to read about the motivations of the others and being able to understand their actions a lot better than I would have if it hadn't been like that. The tone of the book was that of the Victorian era, with a splash of the here and now as well. It really worked and I enjoyed every sentence I read. It's not a fast read with action coming page after page, but more a savoring read as you sink into the world Astrid created for her readers.The way Astrid wrote her version of Beauty and the Beast was gentle and there was no instant rushing of relationships. The two main characters - Claren and Etrigan developed a friendship first, which slowly turned to love - just as you would imagine a real relationship would. And there was a sense of satisfaction when the book ended - the happily ever after kind - as you would expect with this type of book.The characters were great as well. They each held a special place each me. Claren, with her kindness and acceptance. Etrigan was especially lovely with his innocence and sense of isolation and loneliness. I could go on about what else I like about them, but I won't. The secondary characters were also wonderful well, except Kurten - he was an ass. But, they all made up what turned out to be a great book.The only aspect I didn't like about the book was the way a lot of information was dumped on me all at once. I would have preferred to have learned about the world-building aspect and the reasons behind the characters' motivations throughout the whole book - not a few chapters before the book ended. It was kind of a lot to take in and it felt like it had been rushed. But, other than that, I really loved the book.I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fairy-tale retellings and Steampunk books.This review can be found here at http://magicalmanuscriptsandwritingthings.blogspot.co.nz/
A Reader's Heart
Focuses on reviews of Young Adult novels with honesty and integrity. My ratings and reviews vary on how I feel about the book.
If you're looking for a book that will make your heart melt look no further. In Astrid Yrigollen's His Black Wings, you have a fascinating fairy-tale retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast. It's a curious blend of Steampunk meets the Victorian era in the future.Claren Maidstone goes on the run after she is assaulted by a man who refuses to take no for an answer. While on the run, she meets up with Fredrick Lowood, a man who has his own hidden agenda when it comes to Claren. He takes her home and there she meets Etrigan. While she is there at Westwind, she fights to forget her past, but her past has a way of not forgetting her.The book was written in first and third voice which gave me a chance to experience more than just what Claren was feeling. I loved being about to read about the motivations of the others and being able to understand their actions a lot better than I would have if it hadn't been like that. The tone of the book was that of the Victorian era, with a splash of the here and now as well. It really worked and I enjoyed every sentence I read. It's not a fast read with action coming page after page, but more a savoring read as you sink into the world Astrid created for her readers.The way Astrid wrote her version of Beauty and the Beast was gentle and there was no instant rushing of relationships. The two main characters - Claren and Etrigan developed a friendship first, which slowly turned to love - just as you would imagine a real relationship would. And there was a sense of satisfaction when the book ended - the happily ever after kind - as you would expect with this type of book.The characters were great as well. They each held a special place each me. Claren, with her kindness and acceptance. Etrigan was especially lovely with his innocence and sense of isolation and loneliness. I could go on about what else I like about them, but I won't. The secondary characters were also wonderful well, except Kurten - he was an ass. But, they all made up what turned out to be a great book.The only aspect I didn't like about the book was the way a lot of information was dumped on me all at once. I would have preferred to have learned about the world-building aspect and the reasons behind the characters' motivations throughout the whole book - not a few chapters before the book ended. It was kind of a lot to take in and it felt like it had been rushed. But, other than that, I really loved the book.I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fairy-tale retellings and Steampunk books.This review can be found here at http://magicalmanuscriptsandwritingthings.blogspot.co.nz/
