Book Review #83: Wings of Redemption by Gemma A. Summers

Hello Dear Reader!

I’m back with another self-published book, and a debut novel nonetheless by the wonderful Gemma A. Summers. Wings of Redemption features a story about young Ariana as she builds herself up and evolves from a beaten and broken victim of a heartbreakingly abusive household to a young woman with confidence in herself. And all of this is encased in a wonderfully magical land full of fae people, dark lands, and dragons!

But before I get into the review, here’s the back-cover summary: (from Goodreads)

"Once I thought he was my new world, my refuge, my life, when he held me into his arms, gently lifted my chin and asked, ‘’Who did this to you? Who gave you all these bruises?" I thought he would keep me safe from the world, from my parents, who tormented me since childhood.

Little did I know, that it was all a trap. A show. He never loved me. He never really cared for me. All he wanted me was for my powers. And I, like a fool, gave him my heart.”

Ariana, the 16-year-old daughter of a wealthy merchant in Eldenhaven, has endured abuse from her family since childhood. This has eroded her self-confidence, self-trust, and belief in love and familial bonds. Yet, her life dramatically changes after one fateful night when her father expels her from their home, leaving her injured. This expulsion acts as a catalyst, leading her to discover a magical world called Eloria. Here, she begins to experience love with Thorne and starts to rebuild her trust. However, beneath her newfound joy hides a dark secret about Thorne and his world, which Ariana has yet to discover.

Now, on to the review!

As the back-cover summary states, Wings of Redemption follows the first-person point of view of 16-year-old Ariana as she suddenly finds herself transported from her abusive family to the magical and mysterious world of Eloria. Closely following her personal story, the book provides her character development in great detail as she heals from being victim of very violent domestic abuse.

Surrounding the sweet and observant Ariana are a number of characters, such as three dragons that can communicate telepathically, a two-faced high lord, parents who shouldn’t be parents, and a group of diverse characters who all share a common goal of keeping Eloria safe from dark beings trying to dominate it.

Eloria itself and its many different landscapes, cafés, and locations is absolutely stunning. Its lore was very captivating, and I wish I was able to learn more about it! The magic in this world is varies widely depending on the individual and the realm from which they came, and the creatures are just as numerous. From dragons to winged fae people to individuals with animal-like characteristics, this magical world has just about everything!

I absolutely loved reading this book and following Ariana’s story as she grew from a timid girl to a determined fighter! The plot twists were numerous and well-executed, and I definitely wasn’t expecting the ending. Still, there was one thing that really poked at me during my experience. While the writing and descriptions of characters and settings was beautiful and stunning, there was also a lot of it. At times, I found myself zoning out a little bit while a room was being described in great detail, and I found myself wanting the story to move forward a number of times while reading. There were also times when the tense of the writing changed rather abruptly, and that pulled me out of the story a bit as well. But if you like a lot of description, this book would most definitely be for you!

I will give a trigger warning though. The depictions of domestic abuse are some of the most violent I personally have ever read in a book. There was a lot of physical abuse for sure, but there was no shortage of mental and emotional abuse as well. So, if that’s something that makes you very uncomfortable reading, you may want to be a bit wary.

So, Wings of Redemption rating:

4/5 and recommend if you love magical worlds, a story that will keep you on your toes, and plenty of lovely description.

Thanks for reading!