I would like to thank Endeavour Media & Endeavour Quill and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book.

I love the beautiful cover of this book where you can see a woman with her hands as if she is flying and walking on a roof.

There is a catchphrase that says a lot about the story: "Was she born to fly?".

We find Alison who lives alone without a boyfriend, without a friend and at her work she is discreet. Her passion is bird-watching. Until one afternoon while watching an eagle fly, she falls. She is in a state of shock, her friends call for help thinking that she didn't make it except that miraculously she did. In her dreams she sees a kind of creature with huge wings. Her colleague Jared, who has a crush on her, worries about her.

I immediately hooked on the story, which is so gripping, captivating, addictive, full of suspense and twists and turns with very endearing characters.

I really enjoyed getting to know Alison, the journey was really good. The writing style was really well done and I look forward to reading more from the author.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It took me the longest time to finish reading this book and I only pushed forward because I felt obligated and responsible to do so.
I was intrigued with the general plot of this book with all the time traveling and supernatural powers such as human wings and found that characters were all likeable, however there seemed to be a lot going on throughout the book and there were so many intertwining storylines that I found confusing.
I also felt like there was no closure at the end which was anticlimactic.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

While I think I understand what the author was hoping to achieve with this book....i t ust didn't happen.

I just didn't connect with the book and honestly had a hard time finding the motivation to read it... i ultimately didn't finish it.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, James MacManus, and Endeavour Quill. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

I started and stopped on this novel several times. It is an interesting story, but I could not find the flow of the tale. I am stubborn so I did eventually finish it, but felt robbed at the end.. I ask for this book because of the great reviews for MacManus' previous books, so I plan to go back in time. Perhaps I was off, this year.

What did I just read?

I almost stopped reading this book about 6 times before the half way point and then I did speed reading for the last half, just reading one paragraph on each page, stopping at important areas and then speeding up again.

Here is what I liked about the book. The concept of a human with wings, for whatever reason, is pretty cool. A birdwatcher as a main character was very unique and interesting.

That's about it for me.

The rest of the story seemed to be 5-8 different storylines that had a loose tie-in or intersection connection to the main story. They were all unimportant and uninteresting. The supporting characters were boring. the main character was always drunk, in a bar, when she wasn't out hiking or falling of mountains and pretending nothing happened. The company problems were not explained and seemed frivolous. The time travel shadow theme was barely discussed yet was ultimately integral to the main plot line. How does that happen with an obtuse, complicated explanation barely being covered for the reader?

And the whole point of the story, the woman with wings, was barely discussed. And the ending was a cliffhanger!?!? Seriously?

I'm being gracious with two stars. Don't know how this has a 4 star average rating.

Thank you #NetGalley for this copy of The Woman with Wings in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Ike and Kay, the author’s previous book so was keen to read his latest novel. I have to say The Woman With Wings could not be more different from Ike and Kay which I think goes to demonstrate the author’s creativity and versatility.

How Alison reacts to the seemingly improbable realisation that she possesses the ability to fly can be read as an allegory of her journey to empowerment and independence or as a genuine questioning of accepted reality. After all, there are many things in this world and in the universe we cannot explain.

Alongside the main storyline is a forensic dissection of corporate culture, ‘the executive game’ where the the personal and the professional often collide, and the advertising industry in particular. This is personified in Kennedy ‘Call me Ken’ Doxat, the idiosyncratic Creative Director of Foxglove, the advertising agency in whose IT department Alison works. Doxat, described as ‘a purveyor of dreams to gullible clients and creator of his own fantastic image’ becomes strangely drawn to Alison whether out of fascination, genuine affection or his controlling instincts.

Given Alison’s love of birds, I liked how certain characters are the subject of avian comparisons. For example, Alison’s IT colleague Jed is described at one point as a magpie because he’s always on the lookout for shiny nuggets of information about fellow employees. Later he’s compared to a gull, although his scavenging is through ‘digital data dumps’ rather than seaside rubbish bins.

As well as fascinating insights into the nesting and migratory habits of birds, woven into the story are subjects such as the evolutionary process (‘To fly was to survive’) and theories about the possibility of time travel. Is Alison’s belief she can fly merely a flight of fancy or is it evidence that things we think are impossible may actually not be? The reader is left to decide.

The Woman With Wings is an unusual, intriguing character driven novel with elements of magical realism (an aspect I always struggle with) which also incorporates a curious but ultimately heart-warming love story.

Did not resonate with me as I find it toxic and misogynist to write of women as lonely just because they love living alone.and enjoy solo.pursuits in life. The Avian information earns the stars but it was not for me. . This had potentially good basis of a plot but failed in the authors depection of the main character.


Thank you for the ARC. My review is my own opinion.

This one wasn't enjoyable for me. I don't know if it was the tedious details the author provided or the story itself, but I had to force myself to get through this one.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a well written book. I really love MacManus’ writing style. It is so very clean and descriptive. I loved that this was a story about a woman finding herself and where she belongs. I really just couldn’t put this book down.

I really felt like I resonated with Alison. I am also a single woman in her thirties who enjoys her own company and loves birds. This part of the book made me chuckle and feel like this was the book for me as I have 14 birds of my own!

My only real complaint with this book is the why. Why was a story like this written? I enjoyed it a lot but I felt it did not have a direction as to why it was written. I will say it is a very character driven novel.

The cover of this book is absolutely stunning. It was what drew me into this book. Overall, this was a great read. Thank you to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this title.

A well written and fascinating story that I found engrossing and enjoyable.
I liked the well thought characters and the the great plot.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I was drawn to this one by the premise, it sounded as though it would be an in-depth study of one woman's psyche. It was that, in theory, but it didn't quite do it for me unfortunately. The writing was fine, but the characters were complex enough to carry the story.

This is a dazzling tale about a lonely woman trying to find herself and where she belongs in the world. Engrossing and very entertaining with an intriguing mystery. Recommended.

Alison Spedding seems perfectly average, until she falls off the mountain while out birdwatching. Somehow unharmed, Alison has no idea how she survived the fall, or how she made it back to the hostel where she was staying. As an IT worker, she is very logical, rejecting the assertions of the CCO of her company, Kennady Doxat, that she is supernatural until she can find no other explanations for her survival off the mountain, her escape from a balcony in Spain, her flight down a hill, and another mountain jump. She is a woman with wings. This information, and the death of her father, jars her life. She tumbles into a deep depression and finds solace in drinking and birdwatching, until she finally makes her final jump.
Aside from the fall off the mountain and the fallout from it, this book explores the inner turmoil of a perfectly ordinary young woman when her life is changed in an instant. With beautiful description, fascinating avian information, and some astounding scientific theories, The Woman with Wings kept me hooked from beginning to end. The insight into Alison’s mind had me spinning with her as she rode the waves from her fall and all that it meant. I would love to read more about her.

I loved this book!! An interesting story of a woman who might or might not be able to fly. Themes of loneliness, love and finding oneself permeate the chapters and kept my attention wholeheartedly.
I recommend this book, you're missing out on a great read if you don't read it yourself.

I'm grateful to NetGalley for sending me an ARC of the book. My review is a truthful one with no incentive given.

Can we start with the cover please? Oh my it’s beautiful! Immediately grabbed my attention and I wanted to read this before even knowing what the story was about!

I love a good story about a loner and The Woman With Wings is definitely that! The writing style is haunting and I found this a pleasure to read.

A strong 5/5.

I enjoy books that are relatable to me. Not everyone is surrounded by family or friends. A book about a loner that will keep you turning the pages.

Alison Spedding is a loner; no real friends, no boyfriend and a job in which she goes unnoticed.

At 32, her only passion is birdwatching. That is until one afternoon, high on a Scottish mountain, Alison experiences something that causes her grip on reality to slip. As her mind begins to spiral towards breaking point, her infatuated colleague, Jed, is concerned. Can he intervene before Alison finally loses control?

The Woman with Wings explores one woman’s identity whilst posing universal questions: Who is she? Where does she belong? And must she accept her lot, or can she spread her wings and be free at last?

First, the book cover is BEAUTIFUL! Judging a book by a cover?
The book was very well written and was easy to connect to the characters. Both good and bad. It has a good redeeming quality. In the end, I was gladI had read the book.

Thank you, NetGalley for the advance copy to review.