This is one of those books I wish I had when I was a kid.
1. Because it was written by Gail Carson Levine and I was always obsessed
2. Because of its roots in Greek mythology
3. Because of its awesome female characters.
I cannot wait to recommend this one.

Cassandra and her plight, the Troyan War and an Amazon warrior named Rin - this book takes on a fresh perspective, that from two girls not even women yet and their view on the terrible events that can't be contained. This is fresh and perfect for tweens and teens looking for something to read after Percy Jackson. This book allows them a deep dice to Troy !

A great option for those who love Percy Jackson, we love to see female empowerment in children's books. It took me awhile to get into this but I will definitely be recommending this to our patrons.

I have read many books by Gail Carson Levine over the years and loved most of them. This one was a bit of a miss for me. I usually really like her female characters, but wasn't as engaged with the young women in this story and it felt a little long-winded. I do think as an introduction to Greek mythology and particularly, the story of Troy it is solid. I'd recommend it my students as a great book study option or a follow-up to reading books like Percy Jackson. I'll definitely be adding it my browsing shelves and recommending it to middle schoolers.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an audio ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sparrows in the Wind by Gail Carson Levine centers around the trials and growth experienced by Cassandra, a princess of Troy and Rin, a princess of the Amazonian warriors. These two strong willed female protagonists experience very different backgrounds, but their stories converge during the historical Trojan War. Cassandra initially finds favor with the Greek God, Apollo who grants her the gift of prophecy; however, when she refuses Apollo's sexual advances, her gift becomes cursed. Cassandra must then proceed through life knowing the events of the future while all who hear them discount their truth and validity. Rin, on the other hand, has been raised in the matriarchal band of Amazonian warriors. As the future queen of the Amazonian warriors, she has trained to fight, survive, and support her family. The paths of Cassandra and Rin cross when Troy enlists the aid of the great Amazonian warriors in the battle against the Greek. Together Cassandra and Rin, along with Urus, the lesser God of the East Wind, attempt to save the city of Troy. Levine mixes history with fantasy to create a deep retelling which also examines adversity, grief, and growth as a human being.

My son rated this 3 stars because he didn't like that it was book 2 and he was missing the first part of the story. i liked the female empowerment.

Cassandra is honored to be chosen to lead the annual procession to the sacred grove the year she's 13 and manages to honor the gods despite adversity. She does so well pleasing the gods that Apollo honors her with a visit, but when she refuses to let him make love to her, he gets mad and curses her: although she now has the gift of prophecy, no one will ever believe her predictions. One of the first things she predicts is the downfall of Troy, so she sets out to change fate and stop Helen and Paris from angering the gods, falling in love, or setting foot in her beloved city, but it seems the course of fate is not so easily changed, and even with the help of a minor god of wind and an Amazon princess, Cassandra might not be able to save those she loves.

This book brings together a lot of complex elements, introducing readers to the Greek pantheon, pondering women's role in ancient Greece, trying to outsmart traditions and prophecies, and avoiding angering the fickle Greek gods. There are a lot of heavy themes in this book. Unfortunately, our brave heroine is really young to be dealing with all this. I would have really liked to see Cassandra much older in this book, as her childish thinking and impotency are a cutting contrast to the rather adult themes in this book. It's also a bit of a shock to modern readers that a 13 year old should be expected to start choosing suitors and might have to defend herself against a god's attempts to seduce her. While this is historically accurate, and it's done in a way that's totally kid-friendly, it created yet more imbalance between Cassandra's mental age and the problems she has to deal with. I love a lot of Levine's books, but this one was a miss for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

I found the premise of the gift of seeing the future, but not being believed, a bit tedious. I loved that the dog was included as a detail throughout part 1. The gods were defined in enough detail that I understood the story. I think readers who are new to classic mythology may be motivated to find out more.

"Sparrows in the Wind" offers a unique perspective on the Trojan Wars! This story is told through two different points of views of two strong female characters with unique perspectives. The set up of one point of view for half the book and then the second point of view for the second half, gives a consistency for readers especially middle grade whom this book is intended for. I found that I learned information I did not know through this story and it has sparked my interest in reading more. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Sparrows in the Wind by Gail Carson Levine is a middle grade/YA fantasy retelling of Troy around the time of the Trojan War. The ebook version is 352 pages. I listened to a voicegalley, which clocked in at seven and a half hours and is narrated by a synthetic voice. The book is broken up into two parts, each focusing on a different princess.

Cassandra is a princess of Troy, initially pleased when the god she follows--Apollo--appears to her and asks to love her in return for the gift of prophecy. Once she realized exactly what he's asking for, she recoils and Apollo transforms his gift into a curse: no one will ever believe her foresight. Many years later, Cassandra meets Rin--an Amazon warrior princess--and the two pair up to battle against their fates throughout the Trojan War.

Overall, this was a cute alternative "history" of Cassandra and the Trojan War. We follow Cassandra for the first half of the book, and then pivot to Rin the Amazon for the second part. There's a substantial time jump in between parts as well.

I think I would have been more engaged with the plot if the perspective was alternated instead of splitting the book directly in half. I preferred Rin's perspective to Cassandra's partly because there were actual big plot points happening in that half of the book, but also because Cassandra kind of got on my nerves.

As this is a middle grade novel, I am not the intended audience for this book, so this may be a favorite for the younger set who love mythology. As an adult mythology lover, this didn't have enough substance for me. That being said, I did appreciate the author's note at the end regarding why she made some of her choices in this book.

Tropes in this book include: mythology retelling (Cassandra, Trojan War), alternative "history"

CW: violence, war

This book had a great premise, and had a lot of promise - but in the end, I was disappointed. The layout needed to be different to be fully enjoyable, and easier to follow for younger readers.

Decent read, but be ready for some major shifts.

Kids who are interested in Greek mythology will enjoy this story from the perspective of Cassandra. The Trojan War looks different from her perspective

This version which I listened to was a computer generated voice audiobook. So I won't comment on the narration other than to say, ugh... it is really difficult to listen to though it is probably as good as it will get from a computer. So that being said I am reviewing on the content.

I was really excited to see Gail Carson Levine with a new book. I've enjoyed Ella Enchanted and was interested in seeing what she would do with the history of the Trojan war. I will admit I did not read the summary before diving in and that might have not helped in my confusion of characters when we switch POV's. About halfway through we switch to the Amazon women and their warrior princess from a Princess of Troy.
Overall this was a likeable book and one that young girls can appreciate for the strength of the characters. I will admit it was a little boring for me at times (maybe the computer generated voice). But by the end all seemed to be tied up into a nice ending. Not being a fan of history, I also may have lost interest for that reason as well.
Lastly, I found the cover to be beautiful but it did confuse me about which character was which until we met our 2nd MC more than halfway through. But that's probably just me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an advance audiobook version of this book.

Ok.... Gail Carson Levine has been an author that I've adored since I was young, and this book follows very true to form in that. She is always so quick to present us with an amazing retelling that gives so much sassy oomph.

The story follows a sort of Greek myth retelling, Helen of Troy meets Oracle of Delphi mix. Apollo, prickly god that he is was offended and retracted his gift, instead leaving her cursed, leaving our mc reeling and in a pickle. Now she is in a race against an ever-looming future no one even believes will come to pass, to save her home and those she cares about.

So, the question is: What would an oracle, blessed to see the future but cursed to never be believed, do to prevent an all-out massacre between her home and the revered Spartans?

A retelling of the Greek mythology of Troy revolving around Cassandra, a Princess of Troy, whose only crime was rejecting Apollo's affection after he granted her wish, to be able to see into the future. He cursed her by having everyone dismiss her visions.

Cassandra’s character is beyond frustrated and to be honest, I started to lose interest until she meets Rin, an Amazonian princess. Rin was who made this story more bearable because she suddenly brought the story more to life. I enjoy the two princesses' evolving and deepening friendship.

It is a good read for the middle-grade audience who are curious or enjoy reading Greek mythology. I personally found the ending unsatisfying for me.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Audio for this advance digital audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a ya retelling of the story of Troy. Told from two points of view Cassandra a princess of Troy and Ren a princess of the Amazons. Cassandra sees the future of Troy but no one believes her so she takes matters in to her own hands to try and stop the fall of Troy.

This was a true retelling. It was a bit slow paced for my liking. It does follow all the major points of the story and the characters are well developed. It reminded me of the Odyssey.

I throughly enjoy this book. As did my kiddos. It was such a a cute easy read. Loved that the main character never gave up

I really wanted to enjoy this book, however, it’s hard to focus with the voicegalley format. It’s too monotone and disjointed for me. Is it possible to get approval for a digital copy, so i can give a fair review that the book and author deserve?
Thank you.

Greek mythology has fascinated me since I was young. I had a record of Jason and the Golden Fleece that I would listen to over and over again. Truth be told, almost every Greek myth I heard was tragic in one way or another, but there was always something about the stories that drew me in. So, when I saw that Gail Carson Levine was writing a retelling of the story of Troy, I knew I had to read it.

Sparrows in the Wind was such a fun book. Levine gave us an interesting interpretation of how the story of the Trojan War unfolded, and how it could have been resolved. She also created such interesting personalities for all the major characters of the story. Levine took an ancient myth and turned it into an exciting story that many young people will be clamouring to read.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#SparrowsintheWind #NetGalley