Invisible Wings (Review & Giveaway!)
Heya!
Title: Invisible Wings
Author: Janell Rhiannon
Publisher: Self-published
Published Date: 9th January 2014
Published Date: 9th January 2014
Rating: 3 Stars
Psst! Remember how I reviewed All the Bright Places in the previous post? Well, I buddy read it with Lekeisha @ Lekeisha the booknerd and she wrote this wonderful review that is well worth your time as well!
*Thank you to the author for the review copy*
Synopsis: Life seldom unfolds the way you expect.Despite our best efforts, it can wind up in a tangled mess. We lose hope. Faith
fades. And then suddenly, in the midst of despair, a door opens, an answer is
given, or a new path is cleared because we’re not alone…sometimes angels walk
among us.
Arabella’s mother already thinks she’s a little crazy, so when a mysterious
Presence fills her with a blinding light, she keeps it to herself. She’s given
a heartbreaking mission. She spends her days among her fellow classmates,
listening to their secret prayers and waiting for the moment of
intervention.
Arabella understands that life is messy, complicated, and beautiful. The way
she guides her fellow classmates will ultimately surprise you.
Love emerges from the mess. Hope emerges from the chaos. Faith emerges from the
strength to endure.
12 destinies
12 twilights
12 lives that will never be the same.
Review: I requested this one for review almost directly after I
finished reading Uncross the Stars by this author. I just wanted to try some
more of her works and was so glad to find out she had another book out there!
This one wasn’t what I expected, but it was still enjoyable.
finished reading Uncross the Stars by this author. I just wanted to try some
more of her works and was so glad to find out she had another book out there!
This one wasn’t what I expected, but it was still enjoyable.
We were thrown right
into the story where Arabella (what a beautiful name!) has her birthday and
discovers she is an angel. I thought the way it happened was pretty cool, but
the only problem I had with it was that Arabella seemed to take it a little bit
too well. She isn’t featured as a main character for much of the novel, so I
wanted to get to know her as she came to terms with what she was. But she seems
to slide into the skin of an angel naturally which was a bit disappointing.
into the story where Arabella (what a beautiful name!) has her birthday and
discovers she is an angel. I thought the way it happened was pretty cool, but
the only problem I had with it was that Arabella seemed to take it a little bit
too well. She isn’t featured as a main character for much of the novel, so I
wanted to get to know her as she came to terms with what she was. But she seems
to slide into the skin of an angel naturally which was a bit disappointing.
When I said this book
wasn’t what I was expecting, I am referring to the fact that it wasn’t so much
about Arabella but more so each chapter was a mini story. It told the story of
a teenager hurting for some reason or another (it could be mourning, anger,
lack of love, or anything!) and Arabella was there to help solve the issue. It
was not always solved the way you might think it would be to be a happy ending,
and I think this book manages to show that sometimes in order to reach the best
solution, some pain is necessary. I wasn’t expecting it not to be about
Arabella, so that was a surprise to me!
wasn’t what I was expecting, I am referring to the fact that it wasn’t so much
about Arabella but more so each chapter was a mini story. It told the story of
a teenager hurting for some reason or another (it could be mourning, anger,
lack of love, or anything!) and Arabella was there to help solve the issue. It
was not always solved the way you might think it would be to be a happy ending,
and I think this book manages to show that sometimes in order to reach the best
solution, some pain is necessary. I wasn’t expecting it not to be about
Arabella, so that was a surprise to me!
The stories are toldwith Arabella watching, which gave them all a kind of distant feel to it
because we don’t really get too close to the characters – we only know them
through what Arabella sees. Even though she can see everything, I did feel like
we lost an element of closeness there. But then again, the stories that were
told were heart-breaking and I was easily able to relate to a lot of them,
which made me feel closer to the characters again.
As I was saying, these
stories are really geared to young adults. They are about teenager problems.
There are about 12 stories of various characters told here, and I think each
teenager could find at least one that they could relate to somewhere. I also
know that the author managed to get the ideas of all these stories from
students in her class, which means that they have elements of truth in them.
There could not be a way to make this more realistic than it is!
stories are really geared to young adults. They are about teenager problems.
There are about 12 stories of various characters told here, and I think each
teenager could find at least one that they could relate to somewhere. I also
know that the author managed to get the ideas of all these stories from
students in her class, which means that they have elements of truth in them.
There could not be a way to make this more realistic than it is!
I loved the way there
was a comparison between angels and humans, and they the conclusion was that
they were pretty similar. Everyone loves the idea of being like an angel, but I
do believe we have angel like qualities if we strive for it. It also compares
the description of an angel to a teenager as well. It was great 😀
was a comparison between angels and humans, and they the conclusion was that
they were pretty similar. Everyone loves the idea of being like an angel, but I
do believe we have angel like qualities if we strive for it. It also compares
the description of an angel to a teenager as well. It was great 😀
Sometimes the meaning
and message of a story was told to us at the end and I didn’t want that,
because as a reader I wanted to be able to think about it and make
interpretations myself. But yes, there were also stories where there was space
for that too.
and message of a story was told to us at the end and I didn’t want that,
because as a reader I wanted to be able to think about it and make
interpretations myself. But yes, there were also stories where there was space
for that too.
 |
| Poetry mentions? = Bonus points! |
And lastly, this book
definitely gets bonus points for there being poetry mentions! I feel like
poetry needs more attention, so I support novels that mix them in there. She
included a nice sonnet and also an excerpt to a lovely poem by Lord Tennyson.
You should definitely check it out!
definitely gets bonus points for there being poetry mentions! I feel like
poetry needs more attention, so I support novels that mix them in there. She
included a nice sonnet and also an excerpt to a lovely poem by Lord Tennyson.
You should definitely check it out!
Giveaway! Enter to win one of three paperback copies of the book Invisible Wings, or one in three ebooks! Open internationally!
New Video! I’ve started a new booktubing discussion post series. Check out the intro here!
Olivia’s Question: Do
you know a teenager that could really use someone reaching out to them?
you know a teenager that could really use someone reaching out to them?
Olivia-Savannah x
Love the cover, I struggle with Angel books..but love the sound of this.
I haven't read too many angel books but this one was a good one!
That is a very pretty name and the cover too! I may have to give it a try.
Hope you do ^^
awesome review. This book sounds great!
It is definitely one to look out for!
This looks like a great book. I would love to win.
Thanks for entering the giveaway!
I love reading new books.
Me too :3
Beautiful book cover! I would love to read this book!
The cover is wonderful! You really should 🙂
Fantastic review Olivia.
<3
I can't wait to read this! Thank you so much for the chance <3
Thanks for entering ^^
Not really my thing but happy you enjoyed it.
Thanks for considering it 🙂
I haven't read this one. Sounds fun that you read it with a buddy. 🙂 I really enjoyed the review and knowing that the book is a little different than I may have been expecting.
Thanks for sharing.
~Jess
I did enjoy it quite a bit! It was a unique take on things and that is what stood out to me most of all.
This sounds like a very interesting book. I have put it on my 'to read list'. Thank you for this great post, and wonderful and insightful review Olivia-Savannah.
God bless,
Jody
I hope you can enjoy it as well! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I have to agree about the name Arabella; it's gorgeous 😉 and the narrator reminds me of Wuthering Heights because its narrator is none of the main characters and sometimes is not only hard to understand and follow the story but also, as you mentioned with this book, there is a distant feel to the characters. I guess sometimes experimenting with narrators can end in problems. Lovely review Olivia!
I hadn't though of relating it to Wuthering Heights, but I think that is the perfect example. It lacks some of the closeness I would crave with a novel like this one.
Awesome!
😉
Wonderful review. This one sounds quite interesting, but not one that I am in a real rush to read myself.
Thanks for commenting, Charnell ^^
thanks for the reviews and great tips for reading materials xx
Thanks for stopping by!
Nice review, Olivia-Savannah! It doesn't sound like my sort of book but I like the style of it, even if it wasn't executed perfectly. And Arabella is such a gorgeous name, agreed!
Rachel @ <a href="http://istyriabookblog.com//></a>Istyria Book Blog</a>
It did have its flaws, but it was still quite a good read. Love that name ^.^
Great review. This book sounds very interesting, and I agree with you about poetry needing more attention!
Yes! The more poetry lovers, the better <3
I've never read anything by this author, but I'm glad you're enjoying her books 🙂
It's really interesting that this consists of short stories! I think I've yet to read a book about angels, so I don't know if I would enjoy something like this or not 😛
Wonderful review!
Lipstick and Mocha
I have read two of her books so far and she is a very good writer! You need to read an angel story soon! I personally, love them. :3
How do you get time to read all these books? Thanks again for the reviews.
Not without some difficulty! But I do love reading <3 Thanks for always stopping by and commenting!
Arabella (beautiful name indeed!) strikes me as an angelic character that can really empathize with humanity — I like that. Which of the 12 stories was your favorite?
I loved her name! It really is just too beautiful. I would love to tell you which, but to be honest I did read this one a while ago. There was a particular story, I remember, about a boy who had an accident and his body was disabled because of it, so he ended up trapped in his mind with a body that couldn't communicate what he was thinking all the time. I think that particular story reached out to me the most – and must have if I remember it so clearly when I think about it!
Kudos to you on providing reviews and giveaways on such a variety of genres! Each time I visit your blog, I'm excited to see what kind of book you've read next. The way we view the story from the main character reminds me a bit of The Lovely Bones.
Thanks Ethan! I generally like reading a wide variety of things, so the blog tends to reflect that. And yes, those two main characters have some similarities!
This looks/sounds like a great book and I love the cover!
It's a really good read! The cover is gorgeous ^^
You are so right about this being for teens 🙂 thank you for saying that and yes, I've worked with thousands of teens over the last 20 years or so…it seems like life is becoming more challenging for them…harder to navigate successfully for many. When life doesn't give you an easy path, it's hard enough when you're a grown up and it seems grown ups are the ones who should remember that most. Yet teens trudge through some deep stuff right alongside their parents… So this book really is for them 🙂 and I LOVE that you LOVE poetry!!!
I think, being a teenager still myself, I can definitely agree with you. It isn't easy :/ Although I doubt it ever was! I am sure there are a lot of teenagers out there that can really benefit from this book so I hope you can reach out for them. And it's always so good to have another poetry fan <3
Thanks for the shout out! This one does sound intriguing and you can never have enough inspirational fiction these days. I love that this is centered around teens. There are a few teens I know that could use this book right now. Great review!
I know! I have been reading some inspiring books lately and that makes me happy. And yes, I know a few who could benefit from this book too.
Nice review, Lekeisha. I like that you gave it bonus points for the poetry. 🙂
@dino0726 from
FictionZeal – Impartial, Straightforward Fiction Book Reviews
Ah, this is actually my review! To get to Lekeisha's you would need to click the link ^^ I am sorry if you got confused!