I loved this book alot! It was quite the interesting read! Magical realism is such an interesting concept and this book did it well!

I want to preface my review by saying, there is definitely and audience out there for this book. Although I don't think it was for me and that aids my low star rating.

I was intrigued by this book upon reading the synopsis and was looking forward to a deeply emotional and impactful story however, I don't believe I ever got there. There are themes of grief, self-discovery (and re-discovery I suppose), religion, heritage and aging yet I don't feel we ever delve deep enough into all of them. Aging, yes. Self-discovery and re-discovery, yes. These two alone are the message behind this entire novel, that of being it's never too late to move on or take a different path in life.

On the flip side, the importance the other themes mentioned above felt brushed over. Maybe they were meant to be sub-themes? However, for me, they were mentioned far too often to not have enough drive behind them. Altogether, these themes would give the impression of blending well together. Instead, they feel disjointed. Too many "big ideas" that fail to provide a meaningful message behind them.

What I loved: The women in this one are fantastic. They are strong-willed, smart, dedicated, and all portray the take-no-shit from men attitude I wish all woman conveyed at times. The mystical heritage component was very interesting and added a level of curiosity to the story. I also really enjoyed the overall message. It was very clear what the author was trying to portray in this story and it did give me some hope that maybe my semi-miserable corporate life isn't forever (haha, sighs).

What I didn't love: For how deep and connected this story was meant to be, the dialogue what so shallow that I never really felt anything for the characters and for the events in this book to be happening in Spain with mainly Spanish characters, the dialogue is very Americanized. The pacing dragged a bit for how fast Teresa's turn of events are happening. She was going and doing so much at once however, it all still felt like the plot wasn't progressing. Lastly, there was big disconnect from Teresa being a descendant from the Spanish Saint Teresa of Avila. This connection is what catapults Teresa to travel to Spain in the first place to find answers for her levitation mystery. Other than the brief mentioning that she is Puerto Rican, which always felt like a reminder to the reader, there isn't much history established or built upon that notion. She also grew up in New York and resides in Vermont. Her entire background just felt like an afterthought.

I am sure there will be those of you who will disagree and to that I say, you should! No reading experience is the same amongst us and as I have mentioned previously, there are aspects of this book and story that I enjoyed. Ultimately, in the end, I wasn't impressed with the fine details that make up the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Not great but not bad.. if you are into supernatural then this book is for you. I really enjoyed the synopsis but the book did not live up to it.

"All that mattered was that they were free, that they needed no wings to fly."

Tere Sanchéz is floating in the air and she doesn't know how or why. So she flew to a small city in Spain, Ávila, to find out what's happening to her. It brings her to Santa Teresa—her 'Titi', Cousin Isabella, Juan, Yolanda, Rodrigo, her colleague Richard, her son Rowan, and above all else, herself.

It's interesting to read a tale with main character twice my age, yet I can relate to her in many ways. Following Tere's journey in Ávila is unlike finding the clues in detective stories or merely enjoyable for readers who share the same faith as Tere. The levitation is not only connected to Tere's emotional and spiritual growth, but also to her grief and relationship with her blood and found family. It started slow (which is expected from this genre and no problem for me, I could use some strolling to escape from real life), and then the pace quickens at 80% mark and makes everything more exciting. I'm also satisfied with how it ties beautifully in the end. Yes, the setting is lovely, but I am more enamored by people Tere meets and makes friends with.

Exploring the topic 'dealing with the loss of a beloved one'—and in "old age" at that, We Need No Wings offers a new POV with a dash of magical realism that transcends any culture or religion.

Feminism. Mysticism. Finding oneself….This book was a sweet story about a 60 year old English Lit professor who is "stuck" after the death of her husband, except when she levitates, prompting a trip to Spain to explore her roots. As a former Catholic, I thought the history of Saint Teresa was really interesting, especially because she and our MC are both badasses. The characters were all really delightful and the book is written with both reverence for the subject matter and irreverent humor. An easy read, I was left wishing for deeper interactions between the characters (especially Juan and Rodrigo), however. I loved how the story was sort of semi-autobiographical, minus the magical realism that makes stories written by Latin authors so special.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced reader copy.

Wow! This was a lovely, fanciful, wise book that I read in a single sitting. I loved the idea of levitation and the inquiry into the life of St. Teresa of Avila. Grief is powerful, but I think that the main character was finally able to deal with hers after going on the pilgrimage to Avila and chart a new path for the rest of her life.

I will highly recommend it!

3.5 ★
We Need No Wings is a character-driven novel who follows sixty year old Tere on an emotional and spiritual journey to find herself again after the loss of her husband.

This captured my attention from the very first chapter! I think it is a beautiful story and I love the whimsy elements. The writing is extremely vivid, you can tell the author really took her time researching and visiting the actual city she writes about. I love the sense of wanderlust I felt while reading this and I felt like I was walking along the streets of Spain with Tere. Tere is a character that is easy to root for; I love the way she isn’t afraid of aging and continues to grow and experience her life to the fullest of her ability. The pacing and storyline was a bit slow at times, especially in the middle. I wish there was a little more depth to some of the characters and interactions. Everything felt a little too perfect; she really hits it off with everyone she runs into? Overall I think it was a very sweet and touching story!

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings: grief, death (of husband) (of parent), miscarriage, alcoholism

We Need No Wings follows Teresa Sanchez as she copes with the death of her husband and learns to live a life without him. It's been a year since Carl died and she's considering returning to her professor job at the local college when one day she levitates in the garden and is understandably startled. Levitation is not a usual occurrence for Tere but it brings to mind her ancestor, Saint Teresa de Avila, who also was rumored to levitate. Instead of going back to work, Tere makes an impulsive decision to go to Spain and research the history of Saint Teresa in hope of discovering the source of her new "power" and what to do with it.

I didn't do my due diligence and requested this book solely on the fact that it was listed as magical realism and the main character could levitate. When I realized it was more of a story about grief and dealing with the healing and recovery from the death of a loved one, I still really enjoyed it! I hadn't read a book by Cardinal before and I would definitely pick up another from her.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this read! Grief is heavily discussed in this book and it was well written. It really gives example of how to move on with such loss.

We Need No Wings is a poignant story that is full of emotion. The heroine of this story will put readers in awe, and they will gravitate towards her story. Many themes are explored here, most center on grief and loss and their connection to religion. While themes become complex, the author gives a reprieve with a bit of magical realism mixed in with the ethereal to create a memorizing reading experience.

At times, I found this read slow, and while I did not love every aspect of it, I can appreciate the writing and the beautiful story.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

We Need No Wings by Ann Dávila Cardinal is a third person-POV magical realist contemporary. Tere Sanchez’s husband has passed away, she’s struggling to return to work, and she’s started levitating against her will. In desperation, Tere heads to Ávila, Spain in order to get in touch with an aunt of hers who is also a nun and to learn more about her ancestor, Saint Teresa of Ávila.

What I really liked was how passionate Tere is presented when she’s in the classroom. At sixty, she’s a literature pressure who focuses on Latin American literature and magical realism and is more than qualified to be the chair of the English department, even though she isn’t given a chance. I loved seeing her defend how magical realism is mainly a literary and political movement in countries who were colonized and how some authors working with similar themes aren’t really coming from the same experience. I would love to listen to a full lecture on this topic.

Another thing I liked was how Tere connects to Juan, a young man in Ávila who assists her several times. She helps him with his resume to get into a local school and they connect over their difficult childhoods. It’s nice seeing intergenerational friendships and two people with different perspectives finding common ground and choosing kindness.

As someone who was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school, what really spoke to me was Tere’s complicated relationship with the Church. A lot of the points she brought up were the same issues that I have while she also admitted to loving the rituals and the architecture. Seeing my own thoughts and feelings towards my religion really showed how two people can have the same thoughts and still comes to different conclusions for themselves (Tere is an atheist and I still identify as Catholic even if I do not go to Church).

I would recommend this to fans of books that feature complicated themes around religion, readers looking for a magical realism narrative, and those who love books featuring saints and examine how we talk about historical figures

DNF at 52%

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC.

I thought that based on the description I would enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I did not. The main character wasn't that interesting to me and the heavy focus on religion wasn't my cup of tea.

2.5, generously rounded up for goodreads.

This was a highly anticipated book for me because I fell head over heels in love with Cardinal's book The Storyteller's Death, but unfortunately this offering just did not live up to my expectations.

First, the writing felt weak. Not stilted but not polished either. The character of Tere is a cool "old lady" but she's also only 60 which just doesnt feel like "old lady" territory to me any more. Tere is also... a bit much. What she is a bit much of is hard to put. my finger on because outside of her grief and her desire to find out why she is levitating and who she is as a professional, I don't really feel I ever understood her. This might seem at odds with all the things I just said I knew about her, but these big points take up her whole character. There is no nuance to her.

The trip to Ávila wants to be a grand pilgrimage and it gets close, but Tere spends so much time judging what others are presenting about Saint Teresa rather than listening that it gets a bit repetitive. As does her search. It feels convenient that her family knows they have a relative but no one knows exactly where she is and so her quest becomes many-fold. And just too long.

When it comes to the matter of Tere's levitation... its so overwrought. Never once does Tere allow herself to logic through the when and why of her "episodes." She is simply (albeit understandably) terrified. She goes immediately to needing to fix herself. There is never any inkling outside, maybe, the book synopsis and the very end, that this levitation has a larger reason or purpose. It seems like its meant to be kept to the line of Saint Teresa. This book WANTS to make it a metaphor for moving on with life, for letting go of what is holding you back, for flying without wings, but it just does not deliver.

Quite a story filled with mourning and despair but also love and hope. Women of a certain age (we know who we are!) are often faced with the death of loved ones, personal health challenges, work issues, and feeling invisible. The main character of this lovely novel faces all of the above as well as the well meaning men in her life trying to “take care of her” when what she needs is space and time to heal. This is a novel about just that. The locale is wonderfully described (Avila, Spain) and filled with characters that are easy to care about.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks/Landmark for the ARC to read and review.

I was really enjoying this novel until the author made clear her hatred of the Catholic Church. As a Catholic, it was difficult to continue to read of the main character's anger spewing out about everything related to the Church. And then, after she rails about the alleged abuses, she decides to steal from them. That was it for me. The hate and hypocrisy was just too much for me. Had to set this one aside.

It was an interesting read, not one I would pull up to read normally. Was interesting to read something connected to Catholicism and saints. Was a fun read but also a sombering one.

I read this book and going into it I thought that it would be considered magical realism because it had magic and it takes place in our current world. However, after reading I’m rethinking what the entire sub-genre means. It was quite interesting and made me very curious. This book delicately explores some pretty heavy topics including grief and well, aging and cultural roots. I felt that at times some of the analysis was pretty surface level, and the book was on the shorter end, so I think there was room to explore them without feeling like it was too much. It left me wanting in an unresolved kind of way, not the way I life. However, overall, I really did enjoy this book. One of my favorite take aways was how there was an underlying message that women don’t need men to complete them, that being alone is okay, and that is okay. I appreciated this. I also appreciated the amount of growth that Tere showed, especially for a character of her age and quite refreshing.

I loved getting lost in the pages of this book and learned a thing or two as well.

Teresa is still grieving the unexpected death of her husband. She is at a crossroads and struggling to find a way forward. And then one day she levitates. Determined to get answers from the only place she can, she travels to Avila in Spain where her ancestor Saint Teresa also experienced levitation. But the answers she is looking for are not easy to find. Filled with beautiful connections and heartfelt struggles, We Need No Wings is a beautifully written story that brings to light the place of women in the Catholic Church, the impact of grief, aging, and cultural roots. The author has a wonderful way of connecting the reader to her characters. Our main character Teresa (Tere) Sanchez has so much depth. She is relatable, kind, funny and determined. The magical realism elements are smartly done and were the impetus for her journey of healing as well as a metaphor. I particularly enjoyed how the author includes the character's heritage as a foundation in the story. Having read The Storyteller's Death by this author, I was delighted to once again enjoy her inclusion of culture in her writing.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

It’s been a year since Tere’s husband, the love of her life, died. She has spent this time on bereavement leave from her career as a professor of literature, slowly working her way through grief. While working in the garden one day, Tere begins to levitate. Through her investigation of levitation, she discovers that she’s a distant relative of Saint Teresa of Avila, who also experienced this phenomenon. Tere travels to the Spanish town of Avila to meet her cousin, a nun from the same order founded by the saint, Readers go with Tere on her journey of self discovery, learning more about her namesake and grappling with her fear of floating away. They follow her as she come sto grips with who she is now and how she will continue her new life. Through family history and connection, Tere journeys to the other side of grief and finds strength and purpose.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy