For fans of Serpent & Dove and House of Salt and Sorrows, a dark and romantic fairytale about an untrained witch who must discover her own power to break a terrible curse and save her home.
Rowenna Winthrop has always known there’s magic within her. But though she hears voices on the wind and possesses unusual talents, her mother Mairead believes Rowenna lacks discipline, and refuses to teach her the craft that keeps their Scottish village safe. When Mairead dies a sinister death, it seems Rowenna’s one chance to grow into her power has passed. Then, on a fateful, storm-tossed night, Rowenna rescues a handsome stranger named Gawen from a shipwreck, and her mother miraculously returns from the dead. Or so it appears.
This resurrected Mairead is nothing like the old one: to hide her new and monstrous nature, she turns Rowenna’s brothers and Gawen into swans and robs Rowenna of her voice. Forced to flee, Rowenna travels to the city of Inverness to find a way to break the curse. But monsters take many forms, and in Inverness Rowenna is soon caught in a web of strangers who want to use her raw magic for their own gain. If she wishes to save herself and the people she loves most, Rowenna will have to take her fate into her own hands, and unlock the power that has evaded her for so long.
Content Warnings
A Rush of Wings includes scenes depicting the death of a loved one, animal deaths, light descriptions of gore, and near-drowning. If you have any questions about these warnings, or require more details, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via the contact page.
Praise for A Rush of Wings
“Transportive and beautiful. Each page turned in A Rush of Wings is the smell of salt and the spray of sea water. With lyrical prose and a steadfast protagonist fighting against her world and then some, this is a story forged with strength.”
— Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights
“Weymouth’s storytelling is lyrical and immersive…An intense, darkly atmospheric, and skillful fairy-tale retelling.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Fierce, lush, and lyrical, A Rush of Wings feels simultaneously like a story passed down through ages and something entirely new. A must-read from historical fantasy’s best.”
— Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf
“…Brimming with fairy-tale magic and creatures from Scottish folklore; while some of the places and events are fictional, the novel still maintains a wonderfully immersive historical fiction feel. Beyond its exquisite story and eighteenth-century Scottish setting, readers will be swept up in Rowenna’s battle with her inner demons, the choices she must make against a nuanced, realistically manipulative villain, and the struggle of prioritizing herself versus others in an oppressive situation.”
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Atmospheric and lyrical, Weymouth spins magic and whimsy like she was born of it. A Rush of Wings bewitched me body and soul, and I love…I love…I love it!”
— Lauren Blackwood, author of Within These Wicked Walls
“Weymouth hits the source material’s traditional beats, enhancing it with evocative prose, a satisfying romance, and an atmospheric setting that weaves in elements of the natural world.”
— Publishers Weekly
“A gorgeously-rendered retelling—lovely, raw, and fierce.”
— Joanna Ruth Meyer, author of Echo North and Into The Heartless Wood
“A mesmerizing story with wonderful ambiance that asks readers to question their preconceived notions of heroes and villains.”
— BookPage
“Outlander meets an old classic in A Rush of Wings, Laura E. Weymouth’s retelling of the seven swans. Chock-full of cold, coastal atmosphere and ancient magic, Rush also features Weymouth’s signature, a fully-drawn cast of characters who are by turns prickly, stern, deceptive, cruel, and vulnerable. Another success from a brilliant author.”
— Anna Bright, author of The Beholder and The Boundless
“Through her lush descriptions, and the eerie and beautiful setting of the coastal Scottish Highlands, Laura E. Weymouth effortlessly transports the reader to a world of folklore and magic…A beautifully written Gothic retelling that focuses on themes of morality, love and duty, and the meaning of sacrifice.”
— Quill and Quire
“A Rush of Wings is a fierce, dark-hearted fairy tale that yearns toward the light. Readers will love the book’s passionate, loyal characters, beguiling monsters, and subtle, sea-scented magic. With her usual immersive and beautiful writing and a resilient, powerful heroine, Weymouth has crafted another book that feels like a classic but speaks perfectly to this moment in time.”
— Erica Waters, author of Ghost Wood Song and The River Has Teeth
“A Rush of Wings is a lyrical, moving retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales. Rowenna’s determination to save her family and journey to claiming her own strength will sweep you away.”
— Rebecca Kim Wells, author of Shatter the Sky
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Print ISBN: 9781534493087
Ebook ISBN: 9781534493100