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 they’re actually the future king, throne warden, and song maiden of Anniera, the first country Gnag destroyed and the land everyone thinks is just a legend- too good to be true.

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. Janner is kidnapped and forced into child labor. Klamar betrays his family and wants to leave, but is also kidnapped and taken to the land where the Fangs are made. Leeli, along with her mother and grandfather make it safely to the ice prairies and wait for her brothers to get there. Janner is able to escape and decides to head north when he finds his brother gone. He makes it there safely and not long after, their uncle rescues Klamar and brings him to them as well. He has been changed into Fang though and once again the family is on the run. By the end of the book, Janner has helped Kalmar realize who he is and converts him to his old self, although he still has the appearance of a Fang.

In book three the family ends up in the Green Hollows. The only country without Fangs or Gnag. His touch has reached them though, because their fear of Gnag has caused them to be very unwelcoming to Kalmar, because of his Fang appearance. Most of the book is dedicated to their lives in the Green Hollows and how they’re prejudiced and untrusting of Kalmar until the end when he is on trial for murder. It turns out the family has been betrayed and blackmailed by a supposed friend and the Fangs are attacking again. They make it out and are able to fight off the Fangs, but now they have a war to get ready for.

In the final installment, all of Aerwiar is at war. Back in Skree, where the first two books took place, Janner’s friends he met while searching for his family, alongside his uncle, are all at war with the Fangs there. Kalmar and Janner are headed to the deeps of Throg where Gnag lives to try and defeat him themselves. Leeli, her mother, and grandfather are helping lead the war front in the Green Hollows and trying to get the help of the sea dragons as well. In the end, Gnag is defeated, the Fangs are all changed back to humans, and the Wingfeathers have learned about love, repentance, and sacrifice.

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 that is there 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 because of his appearance). 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 of these books is so 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: We’re told of Nia and Esben’s (the parents) relationship a few times: how beautiful he thought she was and when he helps save the family it speaks of how much they loved one another. Nia also meets a man named Rodrick again, whom she knew when she was young. They let the children know they’re courting and he eventually asks her to marry him. At one point Janner is listening to them speak and when they’re quiet he knows they’re embracing but that’s all the details we get.

A Strander lady named Nurgabog is smitten with Podo and speaks of how wonderful she thought he was when he was younger. She agrees to help him and the children if he will give her a kiss, so he does. It’s described as gross and unpleasant for him. We also hear about when Podo first met Wendolyn Igiby, his late wife. First, he was courting the woman she worked for. He thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but then he realized how she treated others was awful, especially her maid. Eventually, he fell in love with her maid and married her. Janner also has a small love interest. He meets a girl named Sara Cobbler and while nothing happens, he and she express how wonderful they think the other is in their own thoughts. There is a mention from one of the boys that she works with that he and Leeli should probably get married one day. The final relationship portrayed is with a man named Bonifee Squoon. It’s a messy, complicated relationship where he is in love with a woman named Madia. She didn’t love him back, but loved his best friend instead. This caused hatred and jealousy in Bonifer and throughout the last two books, we get glimpses back in time to see what caused all of the current family issues and what allowed Gnag to come to power.

Violence, Peril, and other things to note: There’s also quite a bit of dark and perilous events too, though. 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. Leeli’s dog dies and so does their grandfather. 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 when Janner is forced into child labor. He’s punished by being beat with chains and being put into a coffin for 2 days. The owner of the factory he’s at 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.

The people in the Green Hollows are a very burly bunch who like to fight and pick on people who are outsiders. When the Wingfeather children have to go to school there, Kalmar takes on a lot of bullying for his wolf-like appearance. He’s called a dog and a monster numerous times.

Throughout the series, we see Janner’s inner thoughts and how resentful he can become at having to put his brother and sister before himself. He gets selfish and frustrated easily. But, every time he feels this way there is something that happens that causes him to feel conviction for it and he repents.

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. For example, when Janner is trapped in the fork factory and forced to work and stop using his name, he always has hope and is looking for a way out to find his family. His inner dialogue is about keeping his spirits up and trusting that the Maker has a plan and will help him out points to the good even in the midst of the bad. He refuses to allow the hatefulness of the factory owner to break him down or make him forget who he truly is, a throne warden of the Shining Isles.

This review is written by contributor, Mary. To learn more about Mary, click HERE.

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