“Now… I don’t know what I feel. Nothing. Is that a feeling?”
- Title: Wings of Ebony
- Author: J. Elle
- Genre: YA Fantasy
- Pages: 368 pages
- Publication date: January 26, 2021
I found Wings of Ebony on a book list and loved the cover and premise. I’m glad I picked it up.
After Rue’s mother’s death, she discovers her true ancestry: magic wielders. Her father—who she has not had any type of relationship with—takes her to a place called Ghizon. The leader there gives people magic. But after a year, Rue sneaks out to give her sister, who she was forced to leave behind, a gift on the anniversary of their mother’s death.
When someone tries to kill her sister, Rue intervenes. But she also breaks the one Ghizon rule: never touch a human. The punishment for breaking that rule? No more magic for Rue. And her sister must die. But Rue decides to make a new path, a way out of no way.
This book has a lot of good worldbuilding mixed in with a modern feel as Rue goes back and forth between Ghizon and the real world. I also liked the characters and how they had each other’s backs. Rue is stubborn and not perfect in any way, but she’s believable and goes after what she wants with her full heart.
I also enjoyed its parallels to modern-day racism and colonization. The story discusses those topics well throughout and blends them in with the plot.
My main critique is that Rue’s relationship with Jhamal felt awkward. It’s not fleshed out. Though, since this is a duology, it may develop more. There also were a couple of small plot points that didn’t 100% make sense.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I read it in about three days. It’s a great read.
Score: 8.7
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.91/5
Robin LeeAnn 