Wings of Ebony

By: J. Elle

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Instant New York Times best seller!

“A remarkable, breathtaking, earthshaking, poetic thrillride.” (Daniel José Older, New York Times best-selling author of Shadowshaper)

​In this riveting, keenly emotional debut fantasy, a Black teen from Houston has her world upended when she learns about her godly ancestry and must save both the human and god worlds. Perfect for fans of Angie Thomas, Tomi Adeyemi, and The Hunger Games!

“Make a way out of no way” is just the way of life for Rue. But when her mother is shot dead on her doorstep, life for her and her younger sister changes forever. Rue’s taken from her neighborhood by the father she never knew, forced to leave her little sister behind, and whisked away to Ghizon - a hidden island of magic wielders.

Rue is the only half-god, half-human there, where leaders protect their magical powers at all costs and thrive on human suffering. Miserable and desperate to see her sister on the anniversary of their mother’s death, Rue breaks Ghizon’s sacred Do Not Leave Law and returns to Houston, only to discover that Black kids are being forced into crime and violence. And her sister, Tasha, is in danger of falling sway to the very forces that claimed their mother’s life.

Worse still, evidence mounts that the evil plaguing East Row is the same one that lurks in Ghizon - an evil that will stop at nothing until it has stolen everything from her and everyone she loves. Rue must embrace her true identity and wield the full magnitude of her ancestors’ power to save her neighborhood before the gods burn it to the ground.

©2021 J. Elle. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Narrator Bahni Turpin nails her portrayal of Rue, a Black teenager who, upon her mother's tragic death, discovers that her long-absent father is a god, that she herself is a godling, and that she must leave her human half sister to travel to the magical island of Ghizon. Turpin brings a convincing emotional range to the story as she depicts Rue's parental resentment, grief and love toward her surviving half sister, suspicion toward her white Ghizonian peers, and rage toward the white gang members who are terrorizing what had been, until recently, her Black neighborhood. Throughout, Turpin also demonstrates a talent for making the great one-liners in this novel sing for the listener. Add this to your audiobook list!" (AudioFile Magazine)

Good but frustrating!

Books are meant to make you feel emotion. This book did just that. I was ticked off at the main character most of the time. I had stop several times because I was so mad at her.

great read

omg the narrator did such an amazing job at pulling this story to life. I thoroughly enjoyed it. there were times where I wanted to scream at the main character to shut up and stop being so stubborn but it did fit her character

LOVED IT and I'm 51!

this book kept me interested from beginning to end. Can't wait for the sequel.

DNF

Cannot stand characters that are self destructively stubborn. I get the familial background establishing behavioral patterns but I'm done when it's listening to someone trying and pretending they didn't do something we just heard them talking to themselves for the last literal half hour they were about to do, knowing there were consequences.
If doesn't help there has been no substantive world building. Just meaningless jargon we're expected to hold onto as more jargon is piled on for an implied pay off. If the background is going to be told nonlinearly it's not well set up. If it's going to be told through exposition I double done because the exposition so far is a boring slog through an emotionally undeveloped mind and I already had to live through that.

I love the story, especially the characters.

I'm sorry she lost her parents. I appreciated how she formed New alliances. I'm looking forward to the next story.

The Hood Has Never Sounded So Corny!

The verbiage/dialect is horrible! It honestly reads as though it’s someone who is almost mocking urban dialect rather than embracing it. I’m definitely from “the hood” and we NEVER spoke like this. It was hard to keep reading/listening because of it. It easily could’ve been the narration of it as well (which was not, at all, impressive).

It also could’ve been a bit “tighter” for lack of a better description. There are quite a few plot holes. Where was Tasha at the end? Ms. Leola? Wassup with Jamal? Is there a part two (can I even listen to a part two).

And, Rue was one of the absolute most “hard to like” main characters I’ve come across in a long time. Her personality left A LOT to be desired. I spent the majority of the book wanting to pop her in the mouth for her rudeness. I read this book because it was an option on a reading list for a teenage mentoring group I run...It no longer is an option. Manly because of Rue’s attitude.

I struggle to finish this I really really wanted t

struggle to finish this book I really wanted to like it I thought I would like it but

I love Ms. Turpin’s voice!

There was a good book in there somewhere. J. Elle could have used a better editor. Overall I understood the message but author really needed someone to guide them, best choice made was the reader, she made the book come alive and saved it, though I’m not interested in continuing with the series a teen may appreciate the story and not be bothered by redundancy.

BLACK LIT / FANTASY

An excellent SF/Fantasy with plenty of action, alternative world, and both SF and magic. The characters are well developed, showing growth in wisdom and maturity.
After no focus on race, in the final chapter we discover that the resolution of the book is based racial hate. And ends with a neighborhood naming those that have been murdered "mattered". MOVING

Outstanding book.

I love how this book touches on how Black people have been viewed for centuries. And how it takes one person to make a difference. Both good and Evil.