His Black Wings

by Astrid Yrigollen

• ISBN10: 1480285080
• ISBN13: 9781480285088
• Publish Date: 28 November 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 366
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

His Black Wings is another Steampunk retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and I really enjoyed it at the beginning. The set up was definitely different with Claren being attacked by a delusional suitor and being taken in by Frederick Lowood who wants a companion for his "deformed" son, Etrigan. However, once Etrigan appears, things started to fall apart for me. I didn't like him at all, or his "you belong to me" attitude toward Claren.

I really liked the setting. It's a Steampunk, futuristic type setting with some fun retro elements (like TV trays!). The world has reverted to a simpler time, where natural remedies take the place of toxic chemicals, and the skies are free from pollution. Horses seem to be the main form of local transportation, both real ones and steam powered metal horses. It's definitely one of the better Steampunk setups that I've read.

This book is another case of switching between first and third person narratives. At first I was relieved that Etrigan's parts were short and far between, since those are the ones that are in third person. Then at some point the entire rest of the book became third person, even when it was clearly back to Claren's POV. There are also a few instances where Claren's chapters will start out in third person and randomly switch back to first, then back to third again. Although I'd say the last third of the book is in third person, the very last paragraph is in first. It's just very poor editing and definitely hurt my enjoyment of a promising story.

I really wanted to love this one, and it started out good, but then the story started dragging and the narrative got confusing. There was no tension and the big climax appeared as an info-dump. Aside from the amazing setting, I also enjoyed the banter between Horace and Bekker. Unfortunately, as a whole this one just did not work for me.

[violetpeanut]

This is a tough book to review. There were parts of it that I absolutely loved, and then there were things about it that made me want to chuck it out the window. I'm rating it right down the middle as a three but with some editing this could be rated much higher.

This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. After an attempted rape at the hands of the mayor's son, Claren must flee her home and try to live on her own. She finds employment with a Mr. Brighton who eventually invites her to his home in the country hoping she will befriend his disfigured son.

The Good:
I loved the setting. The book is set sometime in the far future after a "Great War." There is lots of technological advance, but at the same time, dress and social norms have reverted to those of Victorian society. This was a really interesting mashup of steampunk and dystopia. Although this book is mainly about Claren, there's enough material here for the author to write prequels with even more of a dystopian slant.

I also loved the characters. They were each unique and did develop throughout the story. I especially loved the interplay between Horace and Dekker. Their begrudging friendship and competition was fun to read.

The story was really interesting and held my attention despite the other failings of the book. I never quite knew what to expect and always wanted to know what would happen next.

The Bad:
The point of view changes continually throughout the story and I do not believe it was done intentionally. Within the same paragraph the point of view changes from third person to first. This is jarring, confusing and generally annoying. I would give examples but this happens most often during main plot points and I don't want to give anything away.

I also did not find the dialogue completely believable. While I appreciate the Victorian speech, the interplay between the characters was sometimes corny.

About three-quarters of the way through the book there are two or three chapters of back-story. This caused a major pacing issue for me. Just when the book was working up to its climax, we take a break from the plot to learn about the history of a couple of the characters. While this information is necessary to the resolution of the plot, I think it could have been interwoven throughout the book instead of dumped on the reader all at once.

Overall, I really did enjoy this story. I read it quickly and was entertained throughout. If you are willing to overlook the faults in the point of view and pacing I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the original settings and plot.

Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the author through YA Novel Reader tours in exchange for my review. All opinions are 100% honest and my own.