We Need No Wings is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged novel that tackles big questions about identity and belonging. Cardinal’s writing pulls you in with its depth and rawness, making it a memorable read.

This novel was wonderfully written and quite unique! I loved the quirks of the main character. It is a whimsical and yet poignantly emotional read, and even though it took a few pages for me to get invested in it, it was well worth a read!

This was such an interesting read! Definitely unlike anything I’ve read before. I loved the main character and felt that we were similar with our love of tattoos and books! I know I’m going to still be getting tattoos at the age of 60! (As long as I still have skin left to tattoo at that point lol!) But us having something in common, made me absolutely love her and want to continue reading. I absolutely devoured this one and would for sure recommend!!

This one was NOT for me and a DNF. I couldn't get into it no matter how hard i tried.

Thanks for the copy of this one in exchange for an honest review.

What makes this novel stand out is how it balances whimsy and emotional depth. The idea of levitating might sound fantastical, but it’s woven into the story in a way that feels symbolic and deeply human. Dávila Cardinal’s writing is full of warmth, humor, and vivid imagery, making the mystical elements feel grounded in real emotion. If you enjoy stories that mix a little magic with a lot of heart, We Need No Wings is a charming, thoughtful read about finding lightness after loss.

. I’d give We Need No Wings 3.5 to 4 stars. It’s a thoughtful and whimsical story with beautifully crafted magical realism, though its pacing might feel a bit slow for some readers. If you appreciate emotional journeys with symbolic fantasy elements, this one is worth checking out.

Loved this magical realism book! This story had a great premise and I loved the main character Teresa! I loved the way the setting was written it felt very realistic! I wish we had delved deeper into the characters backstory and roots, but overall a great read that I definitely recommend reading!

I gave this a chance but the social commentary that came right away ultimately turned me off from reading the rest.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. It didn't manage to keep my attention and I struggled to pick it up. However, I see why other people would like it

I liked this story. There is a strong voice and character in Teresa, our main character. I almost wish the book was written in her first-person voice. But still really enjoyed and would recommend!

This is a moving story about coping with loss and finding strength to move forward.

Tere Sanchez has spent a year grieving her husband. While watering the peonies he planted, she begins to levitate and decides to travel to Ávila, Spain, to find answers, hoping to understand herself and her next steps.

I loved Ann Dávila Cardinal’s The Storyteller's Death, and this book didn’t disappoint. The vivid descriptions of Ávila made the setting come alive. The magical realism added a mystical touch, enhancing the story of self-discovery. The book also explores themes like the role of literature for marginalized people and the contrast between the church’s wealth and the simple lives of devout followers.

A lovely, poignant book that explores grief through magical realism. A year after the death of her husband, Tere is still feeling untethered from her life — and then she finds herself untethered from the ground. When she starts levitating uncontrollably, Tere learns she's descended from Saint Teresa of Avila, known for levitation. Tere travels to Spain to learn more about her ancestor and, along the way, finds meaningful new relationships and a path forward through her grief. I loved the fantastical elements, the travel, the found family, and the historical explorations.

As a puertorrican myself I always loook forward to read fellow authors. Breaking down this one, I can only say that the magical aspect had so much potential and it worked well. My only little problem is that I wish the aspect of being puertorrican was more well put into the actual plot. Sometimes I actually forgot that I was reading a character of puertorrican descent because it was mentioned barely.

A little slow moving but really interesting concept for a novel. The descriptions of Avila were well written, and something about a woman who is not yet old enough to be a widow experiencing widowhood really spoke to me in the author's writing. I'm not sure this book is for everyone as it takes some time to get into and probably could have been trimmed down somewhat, but all in all it's a title worth reading.

Thank you to the published and NetGalley for providing me with an anticipated copy of this book.

To get me drawn to this book, all I had to read about it were two key words: grief and levitation. I hoped that, in light of my experience with grief (not levitation, alas), it would have helped me cope with something like what the main character of this book, Tere, goes through after losing her beloved husband to a stroke.

What I liked in this book was the characters: all of them, except for the noisy neighbour in Avila, are well detailed even when they make but a brief appareance, and all serve a purpose in Tere's journey toward an explanation as for why, suddenly, she has started levitating at unannouced times, starting in her garden. Tere herself is awesome: a woman in her sixties, a scholar, a teacher, with an open mind and heart towards subjects and people, and a fierce feminist attitude that make her a strong character but not a perfect one. She has flaws, doubts, prejudices that she herself recognizes and works on in order to get rid of or, mainly regarding the Catholic church, to transform them in verified truths.
I also loved the fact that, for once, we have an old protagonist: someone who has to fight with what people expect from her judging by her age, a factor that adds to all the others that women have to live with for their whole life. It was liberating and refreshing to see a woman clinging on her soul, her beliefs and her body despite society's opinion about them.

Overall what went amiss, for me, in this story, was the finale. I get it: Tere searches her roots and origins because, after living as a very organized and punctual person, her husband dying has stopped her, blocked her on her path, so she goes back to where she comes from in search for answers. The mending with religion was very interesting: it sparked curious questions, and I discovered Saint Teresa, whose life and miracles I had never heard of despite being a white European living close to the Vatican (but not religious myself). The ending, though: it felt rushed, and the symbolism with the digging of her grief, of her loss, of her pain didn't sound right to me. It felt like her journey didn't push her to an evolution, a true one, even though I was certainy not expecting anything more concrete since grief and loss are very complicated, nuanced and lenghty experiences. The digging, though, the hiding: its symbolism didn't strike me, and despite liking Tere's experiences in Avila, her new aquaintances and friends, and her final conversation with her son, kinda ruined the entire experience for me.

I will never have enough words to describe how connected I felt with this book and Ann Dávila Cardinal’s words describing Tere’s journey toward self-discovery amidst profound change. Tere, a 60-year-old woman mourning her husband, begins experiencing levitation, leading her to explore her roots in Ávila, Spain, where she learns about her ancestor, Saint Teresa. I felt seen in a story about a saint and her descendent. I felt that the words in We Need No Wings combined all of women’s experiences, tying us all together.

As Tere was flying to Spain, I was on a plane to Denmark. She was connecting to her roots and felt drawn to Avila. I was anticipating my future and my heart longed for Copenhagen. I wasn’t levitating but smiling my way through the airport. How funny is it to feel at home somewhere you don’t have one, in a country where you know no one? I couldn’t feel more connected to Tere in her search for “what is going on with me”. Despite being only 35, no husband (dead or alive), no kids, no prestigious career or accolades, I resonated deeply with Tere's experience, tattooing memories on her skin as oaths. Because in my search for purpose, my body carries all the memories of what is lost and gained through color and lines.

I was pleasantly surprised by how inspirational the exploration of Santa Tereza’s life turned out to be. It baffled me that I had seen The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa in Rome, which was mentioned so many times in the book, but I never knew the story behind it. It’s not an exaggeration when I say that words could be a golden arrow through your heart and heal it in the best way. Cardinal's writing deftly blends humor with profound insights, illustrating that “the experience of levitation comes at times of great change” and that such transformations can lead to a deeper understanding of oneself.

We Need No Wings for me is about the invisibility of women even if they’re miraculous, even if they are claimed saints, they (we) are dismissed by the same authorities. Ann Dávila Cardinal’s words spoke to me so true throughout the entire book. Especially when I realized that professionally I have been treated the same way Tere was - having my opinion dismissed by the same men who put me in the room and paid for that opinion.
This book is not just about the challenges women face, it's a celebration of resilience and the friendships we forge along the way. A truly inspiring and empowering story.
We Need No Wings to fly because we’re already soaring through life. "All that mattered was that they were free, that they needed no wings to fly".

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmarks for a digital advanced reader’s copy of We Need No Wings.

P.S. I took my sweet time savoring this book, finished it a month ago and I still think about it constantly!

The author's passion shines through in this book. It was well written and explored some intriguing themes, even though, I didn’t connect with it like I wanted to. It has great potential to appeal to other magical realism readers and I encourage others to try it out! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

While it starts as a magical view of grief we soon realize it is a middle aged woman finding the second part of her life. It is a trope, but it is beautifully written and the levitation adds an element of magic and fantasy. I would recommend this a s a slow burn read. IT takes a while to really get into the main character's story but once we are there, and literally in a new location the book really opens up. I want to travel and see the things she sees and experience that later in life moment.

A beautiful story of working through the grief process and overcoming and coming back into our own at our own time. Grief is not a straight line and the process will circle back in on itself time and time again and this is also true in this story.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

Teresa "Tere" Sanchez is on leave from her university job, nearly a year after unexpectedly losing her husband. Then suddenly, she starts randomly levitating. After finding familial connection to Saint Teresa of Avila in Spain, who also supposedly levitated, Tere decides to go to Avila, Spain to reconnect with her roots and hopefully find some answers.

I was really captivated by the first 25% or so of this book. Then it got a bit repetitive, and I felt like all she did in Spain was visit churches. The religious aspects were a bit heavy handed and boring. Tere also read kind of unrealistically - she's supposed to be a 60 year old woman nearing retirement but seems more like someone in their 30s. I just didn't buy it. It was okay overall, but I can't say I recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I am a sucker for all book magical realism! If you love all things feminist with a touch of magic, and characters full of diversity and wit, this book is for you! this is an uplifting take on femininity.