Book Review: The Wing Thief by Samantha Atkins

I can’t lie, I picked up The Wing Thief wondering if I was about to read a childrens’ story. The (original) cover has gorgeous but somewhat cartoonish artwork, the blurb on the back sounds like a childrens’ story, and when I started reading the first chapter the narrative set a lovely conversational tone that had me feeling that this would be a story that would suit itself very well to being read out loud.

As I got stuck in, I very quickly became interested in the world of Letherea and its inhabitants. It’s a very colourful, magical world, and it has bucketloads of charm! But it also has moments of darkness, and the plight of the villain of the piece is reminiscent of serious mental health conditions and even has a touch of the Shakespearian about it.

It’s that darkness that elevates this above a childrens’ book. Not that there’s anything wrong with writing a childrens’ book - we learn to love to read when we’re children, after all. But The Wing Thief doesn’t want to be solely for children. The characters fight through trauma and heartbreak and they don’t come out the other side without scars. There are lessons in the story - lessons about family, acceptance, ambition and grief - that people of all ages could benefit from. This story wants to be for everyone.

I’m primarily a horror writer and reader, so perhaps it’s unfair of me to say that I found the tone a little too childish at times, and the dark parts not dark enough. My perception has been skewed and desensitised by decades of gore and adult themes! That aside, I think this is a book that all ages can enjoy. I can imagine parents reading to their children and becoming just as immersed in as their little ones. I can imagine teenagers reading it in their Cottagecore outfits.

That’s it - it’s Cottagecore! It’s cute and whimsical, fantastical and magical, but not necessarily just for children. There we go - I’ve found a compartment for it in my head, and now I can rest!

In all seriousness, it’s a lovely read. Buy it, wait for autumn, and read it wrapped up in a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate while the birds sing outside your window. You won’t regret it.