Wingless


Children - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
290 Pages
Reviewed on 04/16/2024
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Author Biography


Catherine Witzaney spent much of her childhood immersed in Middle Earth, Narnia, and Tortall. At the age of seven, she discovered the magic of creating her own worlds through the written word, and has been writing stories ever since.

As a homeschooler with parents who loved to read, she grew up steeped in the historical fiction of G. A. Henty and Rosemary Sutcliff, which bestowed on her a greatly oversized vocabulary for which she was often teased. As an adult, she can now blame her verbosity on the handy excuse of being an author.

She resides in a lovely town in central Alberta, Canada, and is happily married to her knight in shining armour who flies helicopters instead of dragons. When she isn’t writing, she is likely to be found teaching piano, doting on her numerous nieces and nephews, or striving to keep her two birds out of mischief.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite

Wingless is a children's fantasy novel by Catherine Witzaney. Asher Songfeather, a young half-bat, half-feather wingless sprite, has ambitions to join the Forest Guard one day. But when his adoptive sister Carinen's health takes a turn for the worse, Asher reluctantly agrees to help the bat sprite Ryn Kellinson rescue his companion from the clutches of the Citizens in exchange for curing Carinen's illness. With his friend Hasiel, Asher rescues Shiobhan, another halfwing like himself, only to learn that Carinen has gone missing. Asher follows Carinen's trail to the Colony's Slums, where the Pures keep the Clanless subjugated. Soon, Asher finds himself unwittingly entangled in a rebel conspiracy that threatens to spill the blood of innocents. Will he be able to master his Talent and stop the rebel leader's nefarious plans?

Catherine Witzaney offers fantasy lovers a fascinating world to immerse themselves in with this absorbing tale that features magical creatures, thrilling action sequences, intriguing mystery, and lore in spades. Wingless is a coming-of-age story set in a fresh new fantastical world that feels rich, vibrant, and authentic in equal measure. Witzaney wastes no time putting things in motion, and from the very first few pages, you get a sense of how the world works and who the major players in the story are. I found the use of sprites as the main characters an inspired choice. I also felt that there are parallels to be drawn between the political maneuverings in the Colony and some of the real-world social issues we face today, such as bigotry and class divide. This is a book for preteens and young adults alike.