Review: Black Wings Beating by Alex London

Black Wings Beating by Alex London
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up on a whim from Netgalley when it was offered as a Read Now book. I did opt to listen to the audiobook because I was really intrigued by the synopsis and wanted to get to it faster. This is told in dual perspectives and I appreciated that the alternating chapters were narrated by different people. I find it easier to distinguish between the characters in an audiobook if there is a male and female narrator for the two main characters. This was narrated very well, I thought both narrators did a great job with the main and side characters as well as with telling the story and expressing emotion.

I really liked this. It had a unique story, and I appreciated that the focus was on the brother sister dynamic, not a love triangle or focused heavily on romance. There is some romance but it is not the focus of the story as we so often see in YA Fantasy. Kylee and Brysen are twins and the product of an emotion and physically abusive father and a devoutly religious mother. Brysen takes the brunt of the abuse as he can never seem to please his father. Kylee has shown promise as a falconer but has no desire to follow in her father's footsteps. After their father's death, Kylee and Brysen try to make ends meet carrying on the family business and raising and training birds of prey. Unfortunately, Brysen makes a deal to save the boy he loves and the twins head off on a dangerous quest to capture a dangerous bird. Brysen hopes that he will finally earn some respect as a falconer, and Kylee hopes they can pay off their debts and she can escape the falconer life. Things don't go exactly as planned, Kylee has always had a way with the birds and upon meeting the Owl Mothers she learns more about her connection to the birds and why she can so easily control them. The twins and their companions learn that there is a war brewing and a much bigger plot that they are to play a role in. Hearts are broken, betrayal is uncovered, potential new relationships are forged, and most importantly the bond between a brother and sister is strengthened.

I would have liked a little more world building. I hope to see the Sky Castle and the locations described a little more in the next two books. I'm also still not totally clear on the political climate between the 3 factions and the war that is coming and why. THe way this book ended I think we'll get more of that in the next book as Kylee learns more about her "powers" and continue on their adventures. The character development was a little tropey, we've seen characters like Brysen and Kylee before. She is the female savior who takes care of everything while he's the annoying brother who keeps making bad decisions. They don't ever talk to each other about their resentment of one another, but they love each other and won't be separated. Despite the fact that I've seen characters like this before, I liked them anyway! Book two is already out and book three comes out soon, and these have just moved to the top of my TBR. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

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