The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson

The Wingfeather Saga is a series of four books that follow the lives of Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli Wingfeather along with their mother, grandfather, uncle, and some friends they meet along the way. It’s set in the world of Aerwiar where Gnag the Nameless and his evil Fangs have taken over.

In book one, the Wingfeather children believe they’re average kids who live with their mother and grandfather. But, a few turn of events bring the Fangs’ attention to them, which also brings the attention of their leader, Gnag. This causes their guardians to let them know a dangerous secret about themselves.

Book two follows up right where one left off, with the Wingfeathers on the run, trying to escape the Fangs and heading north to the ice prairies. Along the way, the family gets split up.

Book three takes place in Green Hollows, the only country without Fangs or Gnag. Most of the book is dedicated to their lives in the Green Hollows and how they’re prejudiced and untrusting of Fangs.

In the final installment, all of Aerwiar is at war. Who will win this epic battle?

Reading Level: 9-15
Read Aloud Age: 8+

This is a very well-written, beginner fantasy series. There is not much magic, and the magic present is not overtly evil. The Wingfeather children are all given special gifts by the Maker that connect them to one another. Through Leeli’s music, they are able to have visions of one another at times and hear the voices of the dragons. The Fangs are made by singing a song with the stone keeper and the magical stones in the mountains. This converts normal people into monsters who forget their true selves and fight for Gnag. However, we also see that the songs can be used for good to change them into something beautiful.

Even though it’s fairly heavy on the perilous side, there are so many wonderful themes in this series. We see siblings sacrificing for one another and building each other up. There’s a strong sense of family. Nia, the mother, and Podo, the grandfather, are great caretakers that require respect and good behavior out of their children. The three siblings show each other forgiveness and love when they mess up and there’s always true repentance. A message that is portrayed throughout is that the Maker can use what Gnag meant for evil, for good.

I feel it was a very well-done series. I greatly enjoyed it and so did my two daughters who are 8 and 11. I do not recommend allowing a child under the age of 10 to read it on their own though, because of the many tougher subjects that come up. Most of them are in book two (where Janner is forced into child labor) and three (where Kalmar is bullied and seen as a threat). I feel that if a child under the age of 10 would like to read the series, it would be best done aloud so the parent could discuss the harder plot points with them, especially if the child is sensitive to some tougher or darker subjects.

On his website, Andrew Peterson speaks about this series and explains that in order to have an honest story, he needed to include the bad to represent life accurately. People make wrong choices, sometimes bad things happen, and everything isn’t always good, but that’s not the end and the story doesn’t stop there because Good always wins and outshines the dark. This perfectly explains The Wingfeather Saga. These books do have some hard topics and sad things, but the overall plot is excellent. It’s full of love, sacrifice, kindness, forgiveness, friendship, and humility. It is a series worth reading for every single family. Although there’s not an explicit allegory, there’s no way a reader could get through this series without seeing and understanding that the author is a Christian and loves God. Everything good is attributed to the Maker, and it’s evident how much he loves his creation. I highly recommend this series, not just for families or young kids, but for anyone who wants a read that’ll put a smile on their face while also being a real page-turner!

Language:
We see the words stupid, dumb, ugly, monster, dog, tools, and disgusting used as hateful comments towards others.

Sexual Content:
A couple is courting and they embrace.
Concerning a married couple, the husband comments on how beautiful his wife is.
A woman agrees to help a man for a kiss and he obliges. It’s described as gross and unpleasant for him.
There are a few love interests where one character expresses how wonderful they think another character is.
There is an instant of unrequited love.

Violence, Peril, and other things to note:
There’s quite a bit of dark and perilous events. There are a few beasts mentioned, like toothy cows, horned hounds, all the Fangs, and trolls. There’s a mention of a ghost, though it’s just a trick to keep people out. The very first chapter of the series is about a black carriage that comes in the night and takes people away, never to be seen again. The entire series is full of war, fighting, swords, and arrows. Death of characters and animals occurs. There’s kidnapping, child labor, and parents whose children have been taken which has caused them to go mad. We see some child abuse and at one point: punishment by being beating with chains and being put into a coffin for 2 days. The owner of the factory requires the children to stop using their names and only refers to them as tools. There’s a people group called the Stranders who are wicked thieves and murders. They treat one another badly and outsiders even worse.

There is name calling and bullying.

Many characters are rough, there’s a lot of battle scenes and people being killed, stabbed, bit by monsters, etc. Nothing is graphic though and it’s usually described as “swinging his sword and jabbing at the monster” or something similar. Although there’s an overall perilous theme to the books, I feel the author does it in such a way that the reader sees the awfulness of it, but there’s always hope and goodness not far off.

This review is written by in conjunction with Korrie Johnson and contributor, Mary. To learn more about Mary, click HERE.

“I just loved the plot and all the twists and turns. It all seemed just so real to me. I cried, laughed, and sometimes got angry. I think every kid in the world should read the Wingfeather Saga.”  -Ana Sofia, age 12

“It can be a little heavy at times, but this is the greatest book series I have ever read. It ends with so much hope and I could not put it down! 10/10!”  -Jacob, age 10

“It’s hard to put these books down because they’re non-stop enjoyment. This is definitely a series I would read again!”  -Selah, age 10

“These are an epic adventure and I was always on the edge of my seat!”  -Jude, age 11

“I love the world of Wingfeather. I never wanted the series to end.”  -Amelia, age 10

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