A Breath of Mischief

February 1, 2023
The fate of the world rests on the shoulders of a girl and her half-eagle, half-lion companion as they seek her missing guardian, the Wind. As far as Aria and her gryphling, Gwyn, are concerned, their lives in the clouds are perfect; far above the humans, there is little danger for a windling who can float and her young flying companion. However, when they awaken to find their castle grounded, the air perfectly still, no trace of Aria's guardian, and strange men far too close for comfort, their search for answers leads to a set of three challenging quests. With the help of a waterling named Bay and an array of other creatures and characters, Aria, who has pale, bluish hair and skin, fights along with Gwyn to unravel a deeper mystery behind the Wind's disappearance and save their dying world. A snappy pace and exuberant tone keep the pages turning, but there are too few opportunities for readers to connect with Aria and her somewhat abstract parental figure, dampening the narrative's urgency. Many types of magical and nonmagical creatures are mentioned, some described in much greater detail than others; combined with the four elemental personas (Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water) and the otherlings, this makes for many names to track. The relatively short page count and simple magical constructs provide an appealing jumping-off point into fantasy for newer or more hesitant readers. The high-stakes tension and quirky worldbuilding are fun despite some limited character development. (Fantasy. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2023
Grades 3-6 In this world, there are humans who live ordinary human lives, and there is a world of fantastical creatures that exist just in stories. Aria is a windling, a child of the wind. As a windling, she lives in a castle that floats high up in the clouds, and hangs out with all manner of flying creatures. But one day she awakes to find that the wind is gone, she can no longer float, and her castle is literally grounded. In her epic search for her parent, she meets some good and bad humans and the other otherlings, whose parents are the water, fire, and earth. Many stories about fantastical beings focus on saving the world while being unseen by humans, but until the elements were abducted, the otherlings simply moved and acted within their own realms, taking care of the creatures in their own domain and learning from their parents. This hero's-journey-style story, written in the first person, is a total page-turner and a fresh perspective in the world of fantasy.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 6, 2023
Narrator Aria, who is pale with blue-tinged skin and hair, has long lived with the Wind, which claims her as their daughter. It’s a life the young windling loves—dwelling in a floating cloud castle and traversing the world with young gryphling companion Gwyn—until Aria awakens one morning to air unmoved by the slightest breeze. The castle is grounded, its aviary chimes have gone missing, and the Wind cannot be summoned. Heading west to seek the element, Aria and Gwyn find the Wind trapped within a vast, overgrown estate in a machine of glass and metal. The creation’s inventor, Worton, claims to be bringing harmony to the world, and offers a bargain: if Aria retrieves three fabled treasures before the moon wanes, Worton will free the Wind. Deprived of their customary ease of travel, Aria and Gwyn undergo terrifying challenges, encounter youths connected with the other elements—Fire, Earth, and Water—and together fight against a hidden agenda that’s poised to doom the land. For fans of Hayao Miyazaki, this straightforwardly plotted, elementally anchored adventure quest from Connolly (the Hollow Dolls duology) couples cloud turrets and terrestrial wonder with a memorable tone and an ecologically aware narrative. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–13. Author’s agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary.