Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to this advanced copy of the book to read.

This fairy tale is so under the radar but there have been some beautiful remixes of it. This would also fit well when students are learning about fairy tales in creative writing. I love this author's writing style. I think the library has all if her books. Sadly kids don't seem not notice books on the last few shelves (strange I know) but with some time on a book display I believe this will garner some attention.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

a rush of wings was a bit of a letdown in the “morally gray” department, but i loved how the wild swans/six swans fairytale was woven into scottish folklore and rowenna’s relationships with her brothers were very sweet. overall the setting and sibling relationships were the highlights, but i found the individual characters quite flat. so much of the dramatic tension revolves around rowenna’s supposed “moral grayness,” but she’s forced into committing every questionable act. gawen is a stereotypical, brooding ya love interest, but i did appreciate that he never tried to change her and instead fully embraced her and her magic.

4.5

A wonderful fairytale retelling! I loved both the historical and fantastical aspect of this beautiful story. We have a strong heroine and a vivid setting. This is a story that will pull at your heartstrings. Looking forward to more from this author!

Angry girls and women are some of my favorite fantasy heroes at the moment. Especially those who don't mask it, who don't bend to make themselves into something more palatable. This retelling of The Wild Swans hands its heroine a torch to set the world on fire but leaves her with the choice to light it or find her own way.

Rowenna's craft is untaught because her mother fears how her anger will guide it. When her mother dies at the hands of a marine monster, Rowenna steps in to protect her family despite the lack of training. A working meant to return her father and brother's boat in a big storm brings her "mother" home, too. The monster's masquerade culminates in a curse that leaves Rowenna mute and her brothers as swans during daylight.

As Rowenna sets out to find a way to reverse this curse, she grapples with how to access her power without becoming who her mother feared. It's a compelling look at how sometimes the people you love best can still plant the deepest doubts. It's also about the complexity of a soul, not merely light or dark when each action requires a choice. I found this a lovely, haunting story that captures the essence of a dark fairytale. I recommend it to ya fantasy fans looking for a satisfying standalone with immersive atmosphere and world-building. Thanks to Simon Teen for my copy to read and review!

Thank you, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and NetGalley, for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall 4.5/5

I struggled a little bit with the beginning, and I couldn’t “dive in the book” as much as I wanted for the first few chapters. After spending some time with the book, I couldn’t put it down, and it was a well-written and organized plot. I love the coming-of-age stories with a good mix of fantasy and magic, and this book didn’t disappoint.

I liked the writing style; it made the book easy to read. However, I struggled with a few confusing paragraphs. The world-building was perfectly intricate, and the description of places and scenes was vivid and beautiful.

I liked the characters as they felt alive on the pages. Rowenna was such a delightful one and, she is my favorite. I liked how she grew throughout the book. Her loyalty and her need to protect her family were the things I adored about her.

Overall, if you like fantasy coming-of-age stories, this book is for you!

This book was absolutely fantastic. I have been reading fairytale reimaginings lately, and this one was definitely one of my favorites. Weymouth does a beautiful job of blending her own version of the Seven Swans with Scottish folk and water lore. It was atmospheric, the world-building was intricate and vivid, and the characters themselves felt alive on the pages. I adored Rowenna and Gawen. Their banter was fantastic, and I completely fell for their nicknames for each other, "scold," and "stray."

The story manages to address some pretty heavy themes of darkness and light, the boundaries of power, and facing our own demons, but it does so in ways that feel organic and natural in the story. The humor was perfectly balanced, the love story was sweet and added a necessary layer of hope to a story that definitely was heavy and frequently quite dark. The folklore in this one was just the right amount of creepy, and it was one more reason to love the book.

If you like dark, atmospheric novels, fairytale retellings, fantasy coming-of-age stories, magic, snarky banter, or fog-covered sea towns, this is a book you should definitely pick up.

*I received an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

A beautifully written and soul-stirring YA Fantasy, that is a retelling of the Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen set in beautiful Scotland. I loved how Laura took bits of the original story and interweaved Scottish folklore. It was so fascinating to me, and I found myself looking up stories online.

Rowenna Winthrop knows that she has magic, as she hears voices on the wind and has some peculiar talents. Her mother Mairead however, feels that Rowenna lacks discipline and each time she asks her mother to teach her her craft to keep their village safe, she is denied. Rowenna fears that she may have lost the opportunity to learn her craft after her mother dies a sudden and rather mysterious death. Rowenna and her father and brothers find themselves consumed with grief and just surviving. One ill-fated stormy night, Rowenna rescues a stranger named Gawen from a shipwreck, and her mother miraculously appears to have returned from the dead. All is not as it seems.

The resurrected Mairead is not like Rowenna’s mother at all. To hide her true identity, she turns Rowenna’s brothers and Gawen into swans, and robs Rowenna of her voice. The boys return to their human forms only at night, and Rowenna can speak only at night as well. She is forced to leave home quickly, and travels to Inverness with her brothers and Gawen to try and find a way to break the curse. She discovers that monsters take many forms, and that there are those who would take her magic for their own gain. In order to save herself and those she loves most in the world, Rowenna must take matters into her own hands, and unlock the magic within herself that has always been there.

Rowenna is such an amazing character that I absolutely adored. She is fiercely loyal and protective of her family, and will do anything to help them, even if it means hurting herself in the process. I loved watching her grow throughout the story. She had so much self-doubt and felt that she didn’t fit in, and that there was only darkness inside her. Rowenna perseveres and finds that along with the darkness, there is light and that she is enough, just as she is.

I really loved this story and I hope that everyone picks this one up! The writing is just so descriptive and I felt as though I were transported to the Highlands. Perfect for fans of folklore, fairytale retellings, and Scotland!

⭐⭐

This one broke my heart a bit.

A Rush of Wings is a YA fantasy based on the tale of the Six Swans with a Highland twist about a girl named Rowenna who desperately wishes to unlock her power and prove herself to her mother.

I was so excited about this because I love a good twist on any old fairytale, let alone one based in Scotland. The imagery had some beautiful moments. There were very breathy, magical descriptions in here that really drew you to the beauty of the setting, it just didn't cover up the glaring issues for me, unfortunately.

There is an unusual amount of telling in this book. It read like someone trying to explain something to a child over and over again. The randomly thrown-in additions of Gàidhlig felt stilted, and even worse so when they were turned around and over-explained in the text. Emotions were definitely over-explained as well, taking me out of the story numerous times. It was hard to find a groove with this story for me because I kept getting kicked out of the setting and put into an odd "I must educate you" place.

I wish I had liked this one better. I think it had great potential, the execution just wasn't for me.

*My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for gifting me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review."

I knew I was going to love the way Weymouth talks about the Seven Swans story. It's one where a girl's voice is stripped away from her and she must suffer to put her family back together. A Rush of Wings honors these elements and only enhances its themes of family. The scenes where Rowenna cannot tell her story broke my heart. But Weymouth does us one better and also tells a story about a fiery heroine who is told her short tempered nature is bad.

And A Rush of Wings delivers a story which breaks this idea down. Rowenna was never taught to use her magic because she was quick tempered, but A Rush of Wings demonstrates that while people may see this as a negative quality - especially in girls - it's not in actuality. That it's a part of who she is and she can't just ignore that piece of herself. And so Rowenna's journey to discovering her agency - even when she's been robbed of her voice - is one where she has to truly define who she is.

4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
-
Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
-
A Rush of Wings is a beautiful tale of courage, willpower, and sacrifice. A Highlander retelling of the Six Swans, the story weaves together the original tale and Scottish folklore. Rowenna begs her mother, Mairead, to teach her the craft, but each time her wishes are denied. After Mairead dies, Rowenna fears that her chance to learn the craft is gone. Then her dead mother turns up at their doorstep… or so it appears. “Mairead” then places a curse on Rowenna and her brothers—and on a mysterious stranger, Gawen—and drives them from the village. Now, voiceless while the boys are swans, Rowenna must find a way to learn the craft and break the curse.
This was a great story! The writing was captivating and magical, weaving descriptions and explanations together effortlessly. Granted, there’s not a lot of complex worldbuilding in terms of the magic system, and the background, but this simplicity helps focus the story instead of bogging the reader down with confusing details. The plot took a little bit to warm up to, but once it got going, it remained at a nice steady pace. This is a fairytale, and it is written like such. Because of this, the story is focused on the plot and the plights / development of the main character, Rowenna, instead of the entire cast of characters. There wasn’t as much dialogue, as one of the characters is mute (and four of the characters are swans) in the daytime, but the dialogue that existed brought a unique voice to each character. There’s a little bit of romance, but the chemistry befalls a similar fate of not being super intricate due to the nature of the story. So, I will not critique the story too harshly because its elements differ from the typical YA storyline. Rowenna undergoes a lot of development in regards to learning her craft and gaining control over her craft, which includes learning about the fuathan. It was really interesting to see how the Scottish fairytale intermingled with the Swans fairytale in this way!
If you’re a fan of folklore, A Rush of Wings is right up your alley! It was a good, solid story that did a good job of weaving together the different pieces of fairytales to create something new. 4 stars.

Initial Thoughts
I loved A Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Weymouth so I was eager to dive into this story.

Some Things I Liked
Atmospheric writing. I loved the descriptions and language used in this story. Everything was so richly described.
Swan Lake vibes. I’m not sure if this was intentional but I really enjoyed this element.
Historical Fantasy-ish. I loved that this story incorporated historical elements but was clearly set in its own world.

Series Value
I think Rowenna’s story wrapped up neatly but I’d be interested to see stories about the side characters we met. I really enjoyed the world building so I would like to see more stories set here.

Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for something that leans toward Shea Ernshaw’s writing but with a more historic and dark vibe, try Laura E. Weymouth’s writing, and this book in particular.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thoroughly enjoyed this dark and romantic tale! The plot reminded me of swan lake with a witchy twist. Loved this fantasy world based on the Scotland's coastal highlands - it made for an eire and beautiful setting. The pacing was good - the author kept me hooked with all the mystery surrounding the main character's quest to discover her power and break an evil curse. There were great twists and turns throughout the entire book that had me on the edge of my seat reading. I loved the character development of the main and supporting characters - especially the slow burn romance. Overall, this was a great read and very unique for fantasy YA!

3 stars
cw: animal death, gore, violence

a rush of wings is a book that left me conflicted. it’s wonderfully written – the author does an amazing job at making the reader feel the character’s emotions, but i, ultimately, had a bone to pick with this novel.

i enjoyed the characters a lot, each of them has their own personality and their own voice, but – i feel like the villain of this story was a bit of a joke. i also can’t get over how rowenna chose to handle him and how stupid the reasoning behind her not killing the guy when she gets the chance is. she’s okay with letting him live because “he hasn’t done anything to her” – which is kind of a stupid reason not to get rid of an tyrant that murdered a lot of people because he felt like it, but ok.

rowenna, the main character, is definitely an interesting protagonist, but the book tries to play into her being morally gray, but it fails a bit – in my opinion. she’d tell people she’s not going to help with anything, but she gives in eventually after 0.3 seconds. not very morally gray of her. but i did enjoy how the book handles her emotions – it’s all very raw, very real.

the side characters were fun, i liked them, especially gawen – the love interest. he’s a bit of a typical edgy love interest, but he’s very likeable nonetheless. i appreciated how he doesn’t try to get rid of rowenna’s powers, even if he was a bit weary of them at the start. the romance isn’t the main focus of the story so that was a big plus. rowenna’s bond with her brothers and their dynamics were a part i enjoyed quite a lot. this book is amazing when it comes to portraying family relationships and her strong these ties are.

the atmosphere was pretty amazing and i loved how vivid the world seemed. the magic was a bit confusing because it plays a lot on emotions, if i understand it right. i loved the part about the magical creature and their interactions – it was fascinating.

all in all, a rush of wings was a good book and i would recommend it if you like fairytale retellings, but it did have some flaws and it leans a lot into typical ya fantasy and its tropes.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Rowenna Winthrop has always possessed a magic within her. However, due to a supposed lack of discipline, her mother refuses to teach her her craft that protects their Scottish village.

Begging her mother to teach her magic is all for naught when Rowenna’s mother is killed by a monster from the sea.

But on a stormy night, Rowenna finds an injured boy called Gawen washed up on shore, and her mother shows up at the family’s door, alive and whole.

But this woman is not the woman Rowenna knew. Underneath her mother’s skin is a sinister monster who lays a curse on Rowenna, her brothers, and Gawen, stealing Rowenna’s voice, and cursing Gawen and the brothers to turn into swans.

Forced to escape, Rowenna flees to find a way to break their curse. However, Rowenna soon finds herself in a crooked plan to be used for her magic. If she must save her brothers, she must undertake a painful task and fight for what she loves most, and Rowenna finally seeks to unlock the magic that has been hidden from her for so long.

I’ve always been intrigued by the Six Swans, and I would say this is a good retelling. Some changes you should know going in is that there are only four swans, and only three of them are her brothers. Secondly, Rowenna’s voice gets returned during the nights as her brothers return to their human forms during that time. There are other changes and twists, but I won’t spoil the story. I was pleasantly surprised by how everything came together.

It was easy to feel the character’s emotions along with them—their despair, their frustrations, their anger. It was all very raw and real.

The story was a little confusing being set in real-world places such as Scotland, Europe, and the Americas. It was a bit disorienting seeing that with magic.

The magic was a little confusing as well, though not by too much. We see Rowenna draw her power through emotions throughout the story, though as it grows by the end, that’s where things begin to feel jumbled.

In all, the plot was great, as were the characters. I would recommend a Rush of Wings to those who like YA retellings, and also light romance undertones.