Sparrow Rising (Skyborn #1)
by Jessica Khoury (Author)
Jessica Khoury brings her masterful world-building and emotional depth to a brand-new fantasy series. In a world where everyone is born with wings, stone monsters prowl the skies, hunting those who dare to fly too high.
In the Clandoms, everyone is born with wings, with tight-knit communities formed around bird types: Jay, Falcon, Crow. Ellie Meadows dreams of growing up to join the Goldwings -- the famed knights who defend all the people of the Clandoms. It was a Goldwing, after all, who saved her life on that terrible day her parents were killed. There's just one problem: Ellie is a Sparrow, and the Goldwings are almost invariably picked from the higher clans like Eagles and Ospreys. This rigid hierarchy means that Ellie is destined to become a farmer. Determined to honor her parents' memories and prove herself worthy of the Goldwings, Ellie sets out on her own for the capital. But her journey will be dangerous. Foul creatures called gargols lurk behind every cloud, ready to slay anyone unlucky enough to be caught outside in a storm -- just as Ellie's family was. Soon her path intertwines with a colorful band of fellow outcasts, each with their own aspirations... and their own secrets. Ellie's new friends offer not just roadside companionship. They'll challenge her ideas of right, wrong, and what truly makes a hero.
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Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly
Ever since her parents were killed, 12-year-old orphan Ellidee Meadows has yearned to become an elite Goldwing, protecting the Clandoms' winged peoples against the stone gargols that rule the sky during stormy weather. But as one of the lowly Sparrow Clan, Ellie is destined for life as a farmer, discouraged from participating in the Goldwing Trials. In an attempt to buck tradition, though, she enters, encountering Nox Hatcher, a Crow who was wounded on a secret mission. Learning of an opportunity to attempt another qualifying race as a wild card, Ellie sets forth with Nox as her reluctant companion. But as part of Nox's band--which includes inventor Gussie, a Falcon, and animal-lover Twig, whose parents hail from different clans--Ellie finds her storybook ideals challenged. Her courage and resolve are tested by the harsh reality of the caste-dominated Clandoms, the duplicitousness of authority figures, and the constant threat of the gargols. With a resourceful, indomitable heroine, this high-flying series opener by Khoury (The Mystwick School of Musicraft) offers a wealth of adrenaline-charged, cinematic aerial scenes featuring a Black protagonist and a largely white, fully winged cast, making for a thoroughly enjoyable adventure. Ages 8-12. Agent: Lucy Carson, the Friedrich Agency. (July)
Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
www.jessicakhoury.com
Twitter: @jkbibliophile
Instagram: @authorjess
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV052000 - Juvenile Fiction | Monsters
