Title: Wingbearer
Author: Marjorie Liu
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: March 1, 2022
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Bookshop.org | Book Depository | Goodreads | StoryGraph
Summary
Zuli was raised by bird spirits in the Great Tree. She has never known anything else, as she was left by the tree when she was a baby. Growing up, she has never had a need to leave her safe haven. Until the souls of birds start to disappear.
Now, an outside force is threatening the way of life and the Great Tree. It is up to Zuli and her guardian owl, Frowly, to venture out and figure out what’s happening to the souls of birds. But Zuli’s journey will be far larger than she could have ever imagined. Not only will she come face to face with various legendary creatures, but she will also learn that she has more power than she realizes. In order to fully embrace it, she has to learn where she comes from.
Review: Wingbearer
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this to review! I saw this cover on NetGalley and knew that it was something I absolutely had to review. Just look at it! It looks like a fun middle grade graphic novel full of fantasy and adventure. And it lived up to expectations!
From the beginning, Lius establishes this magical world. In the beginning, we meet Zuli, surrounded by magical birds in a wondeful tree. The art in this book defintiely lends itself well to the fantastical world Liu has crafted. Actually, this might be some of my more favorite art I’ve seen in a middle grade graphic novel. The colors are striking, and Issakhanian brings these characters and creatures to life. She helps transport the reader to this fantastical world.
Additionally, I loved that the birds had such personality in this book. Frowly especially, His quips and comments throughout added some humor in tense situations, and it made reading the story even more entertaining. Frowly is supposed to be guarding Zuli, but sometimes it’s the other way around.
However, my only complaint is that the book gets a bit wordy at times. While it is necessary to explain magic and rules, sometimes the text is overwhelming. Finding a way to break it up might have helped reduce some of the text heavy pages.
All in all, if you’re looking for a magical adventure in a graphic novel, this is definitely the book for you!
4/5 stars