Review: Wings of Arian

Wings of Arian by Devri Walls
Expected Pub: May 2012 by StoneHouse Ink

Kiora thought she had never heard a lie until she was sixteen. But she was wrong. Her entire existence was based on nothing but. She thought that evil did not exist. Lie. That magic was not real. Lie. And that the land of Meros was all there was. One more lie.

With Aleric telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she is the only one who can stop them she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most painful ride of her life. She reluctantly dips her toe into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil Dralazar. However, this journey was never meant to be hers alone. She will be accompanied by a Protector. To her disbelief, and utter irritation they name the hotheaded, stubborn, non -magical, (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust each other with their lives, but right now Kiora would settle for a non hostile conversation. And now it comes down to this, If you had never heard a lie, would you know when you heard one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora finds herself having to decide who lives and who dies on those very questions.

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Devri Walls: lives in Kuna Idaho with her husband and two kids. She has worked as music teacher and currently, a preschool teacher. She majored in theater and her love of a story still drives her today. Thankfully, she has finally found an outlet for all the voices in her head. Her first novel, Wings of Arian, will be released on Amazon May of 2012. Find her on Twitter, Facebook or on her blog; www.writingmyfuture.com

 

Between the gorgeous cover and the intriguing blurb, I was excited to read Wings of Arian. I’m not personally drawn to the angel concept when selecting a new read, but the complete fantasy twist made it interesting. It’s pretty out-there. I loved that it was unique and creative. There’s an art in being strange enough to avoid cliché while still feeling very natural, and it dropped in throughout the entire book rather than awkwardly perching in chunky world building. You’d think having a piece’s oddity being vagueness itself would be a bad thing, but I think it actually worked here. It didn’t feel necessary to get caught up in the little things.

This is a perfect example of escapism – something to get lost in without thinking about it. I think every girl wants something to happen or someone to swoop in and say that their mundane, humdrum life is a front for something exciting and wild. Even if the heroine’s life was interesting to begin with, it’s still a total parallel to that wistful-gaze-in-the-distance-care-to-the-wind type of daydream. I also admired that everything didn’t have to be so easy for the character, especially with the plot being established in such a straight-forward way. It’s a uniquely classic-prophecy concept, which is always enjoyable and entertaining. When I thought I knew where it was going, the story sort of flinched in the other direction. It wasn’t predictable, nor uneventful or anticlimactic, an avoidance that always passes with flying colors. I always love the good-versus-evil theme, and it managed to through in the maintaining of innocence and the impending threat, all wrapped up in a sweet love story. I appreciated that how genuine each of the characters were, evoking the rare and evasive trait of the reader’s sympathy. They were fascinating and distinct, some clever, others funny, many both. It was interesting how perfectly their names fit them, despite being so odd at first.

From the intriguing relationships between characters right down each character’s mannerisms, there was a bold sense of reality in it, even with this estranged magical existence. It’s definitely one of those books that you feel like you’re watching rather than reading: visual, flowing, seamless cuts between scenes, classic set-up, authentic to the genre. It’s hard to explain – I haven’t read many things like it. It’s like a warped cross between The Blood Chronicles by Elizabeth Lorraine, Awaken by Sarah Ross, Tree of Life by Elita Daniels, Eragon by Christopher Paolini, and then… I don’t know, an almost Twilight-ish Harry Potter-esque Lord of the Rings meets a teenage version of Avatar? It’s all over the place, but very much it’s own, not fitting anything but working through everything. There are a lot of pieces of it that remind me of books across the board, plunging in and out of various genres. Perhaps there’s something for everyone inside this book. It’s peculiar, in a curiously good way.

At times the writing switched a little too rapidly between a formalistic, ‘old-fashion’ style and modern phrases or euphemisms. Much of the piece felt overwhelmed with adjectives and adverbs. I personally found both observations distracting, but overall I enjoyed the book. It’s a classic piece of fun, quick-read indie YA. Highly recommended :)