The Wingfeather Saga, Book Two
When I read the first book in this series to my kids, I felt exhausted and just sort of wished it would finish so I could be done. That’s not a great way to begin a series! On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness felt overdrawn, the flow was unnatural, the words were unfamiliar, and the story was less than engaging, supposedly epic yet childish and confusing.
Again, not a great way to begin a series!
But wanting to give Andrew Peterson a fair shake, I decided to try out Book Two in the series, only this time to let Andrew tell the tale himself. We listened to it on audio (free through our library’s Libby app), and man what a difference! Not having to weed my way through uninteresting backstory or mispronounce the names of made-up animals or try to figure out his flow of language, Andrew did it all himself. The story flowed immeasurably better, the story made way more sense, and the suspense finally existed.
My children (10, 11) absolutely loved the adventure this time around, and I was equally impressed. The world that Peterson’s created for this series is unique, intriguing, and peopled with many strange creatures. The atmosphere is dark, the enemies are finally dangerous (and explained), and the characters finally have Purpose.
I think that’s probably the biggest drawback to Book One in the series, the fact that we can know the characters but not feel invested in them (beyond that fact that we don’t want kids to die at the hand of cartoonishly dangerous lizards). Book Two has given us purpose to their tale and has also given us purpose for their enemies. Such context is necessary for readers to feel invested in the tale, and it’s what’s going to draw us back to read Book Three, The Monster in the Hollows.
Answered in this installment are some major questions, especially about the enemies. We learn more about the Black Carriage and why it comes for the children. We learn more about the Fangs of Dang, their origin, and the reason they shrivel into dust the moment they’re killed. We learn a touch more about Gnag the Nameless too and the armies he desires to create.
Also answered are some of the mysteries of the Igiby family, most notably about the Uncle and the story of his talons, but also about Podo and the roots of his fears. We finally see Janner and Tink in action, using their courage and wills proactively rather than reactively, making them far better suited to be heroes than what we saw in Book One.
As an epic journey story, I feel like The Wingfeather Saga is finally gearing up, and we’re excited to enjoy what remains. If the first book jaded you against the series, I’d recommend you give it another shot with the second installment. I’m not even a fantasy fan but I really enjoyed this book, and I think you will too.
©2022 E.T.
Read More from Andrew Peterson:
- On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (2008)
- North! Or Be Eaten (2009)
- The Monster in the Hollows (2011)
- The Warden and the Wolf King (2014)
- Adorning the Dark (2019)
- The God of the Garden (2021)