If I Promise You Wings

by A K Small

Hold Still meets You've Reached Sam in this lyrical YA novel about one young woman's journey through the Paris fashion scene as she chases promises, overcomes grief, and falls in love.

Seventeen-year-old Alix Leclaire dreams of becoming a renowned feather artist, creating statement pieces that define glamour and high fashion. As an intern at Paris's premier feather boutique, trained by the alluring Raven, she works with the staff to construct wings for the dancers at the Moulin Rouge.

But with every feather she sews, the grief Alix has been evading looms. Her best friend, Jeanne, died months ago and ever since, Alix has felt compelled to live as Jeanne did, taking risks she never would have before. Alix begins stealing feathers for her own use-a serious offense at the boutique-and loses herself in a passionate affair with Raven, who makes her his muse. Even when Blaise, an old schoolmate, offers solace and healing, she pushes him away.

Echoing the chaos and division in her heart, the wings that Alix creates take on a frightening and wild beauty. Living like Jeanne has given her everything she ever wanted-but at the risk of losing it all.

• ISBN10: 1643750283
• ISBN13: 9781643750286
• Publish Date: 1 February 2024 (first published 16 January 2024)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Algonquin Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

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Thank you NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readersfor the chance to read and review If I Promise you Wings by A. K. Small.

 

If I Promise You Wings is a young adult coming of age novel that comes out on the 16th of January! It is the authors’ second novel, with her first being Bright Burning Stars which was turned into the movie Birds of Paradise. A. K. Small is French American and we defiantly get that in this book with loads of French words thrown in! 

 

I was made fun of by my 12 year old cousin who can speak French fluently (product of French school). Apparently I can’t do the Rs right! 

 

If I Promise You Wings is 336 pages long and, like Bright Burning Stars is published by Algonquin Young Readers which is a Hachette imprint!

 

I do really appreciate that A. K. Small set this in the world of feather artistry which was completely new to me! It felt like being in a fantasy! Like feather artistry does feel completely unreal even now! The inclusion of Emily Dickinson’s poem was also a lovely touch!

 

The book is sweet. There is no other way to put it. It’s great to see Alix grow and deal with her grief and meet new people and branch out, but aside from that a lot of the stuff with her father was really anti-climatic (even though I understand that life can be that way) and even stuff at Mille etc Une Plume was very everyone wins and is happy at the end of it all.

 

But again, I am 28, I am absolutely not the target audience for this book, which may love it a lot more than I do! I suspect that a younger audience may appreciate the book a lot more and relate to Alix, as well as appreciate how she ended things with Raven when she knew it wasn't for her.