War of the Wind | By Victoria Williamson
Book Review | Middle Grade fiction | TheWriteReads blog tour
Synopsis :
AN ADVENTUROUS ECO-THRILLER FROM AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN’S AUTHOR VICTORIA WILLIAMSON
On a remote Scottish island, fourteen-year-old Max’s life changes forever when he loses his hearing in a boating accident. Struggling to make sense of his new life and finding it hard to adapt in school, he begins to notice other — even stranger — changes taking place when a new wind farm appears off the island’s coast.
With the help of three school friends with additional support needs, Max discovers that a sinister scientist, Doctor Ashwood, is using wind turbines to experiment on the islanders. They must find a way to shut down the government’s secret test before it spins out of control…
My thoughts
Narrative and Plot
War of the Wind is a novel that discusses some of the grim aspects of technology and touches on the topic of disability through the voice of a child. There is more heart to it when all this comes from a child’s perspective.
The theme low key reminded me of The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams by the same author. But the plot was well woven with memorable characters that you cared for. The pacing and the overall storytelling made it unputdownable.
Characters and Conflicts
I loved the core group of Max, Erin, and Beanie. The way their friendship developed and how they found comfort in each other was heartwarming.
Max being the protagonist had a remarkable character arc. It took him a long time to figure out things but what happened to him was not easy to recover from. Max follows the ultimate hero’s journey as far as a middle-grade novel goes. As a reader, you are with him when he is frustrated with life and then finds out things can be even worse.
Every single character felt three-dimensional even the baby Sally. The villain, however, didn’t end up as strong as I had hoped. There was some mustache-twirling villainy but other than that we never got a confrontational final fight. Other than that this was a near-perfect read.
Conclusion
War of the Wind was my first read of the year. It was everything I hoped for from a book like that. There was innocence, drama, an underlying message, and hope in the end.
I received an e-arc of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review for @TheWriteReads blog tour.
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1 Response
[…] Victoria Willaimson is my most-read author in the year 2023. I am part of the Neem Tree Press blog tours with TheWriteReads. I picked this book for the tour. War of the Wind was an emotional yet hopeful first read. War of Wind is the story of a bunch of differently abled children who need to fight their own fears to save their Scottish village. We follow forteen-year-old Max who lost his hearing recently in an accident. Most of the story is about how Max learns to adapt to his new life and make friends. I enjoyed it and rated it a 4/5 ( Review ) […]