“In the end, nothing but this remained: twinkling motes of starlight, transforming what had lain empty into the endless brilliance of the night sky.”

Wings of Starlight, by Allison Saft

Summary

It’s been centuries since a warm-season fairy in Pixie Hollow has crossed into the Winter Woods, and while most fear the legends of monsters lurking in the frozen lands, Clarion, can’t help being intrigued by Winter’s stoic beauty. But under the watchful eyes of the current monarch and the court’s seasonal ministers, Clarion has little time to dwell on daydreams while the days to her coronation dwindle away.

That is, until reports of a monster crossing from Winter into Spring make their way to the palace. Clarion sees defeating this threat as an opportunity to prove that she is worthy of her new role. But instead of finding a monster at the edge of Winter, she finds Milori, a young guardian of the Winter Woods. Together, they form an unlikely bond as they race to save their lands.

But as their alliance warms to something more, they will discover there is a reason a warm-season fairy and a winter fairy must not be together. And the cost could be just as deadly as the monsters that prowl the Winter Woods.

Discover the origin of the sweeping, star-crossed romance between the queen of Pixie Hollow and the lord of the Winter Woods.

My Thoughts

I was a big Tinker Bell fan as a kid. I watched every movie, and I remember distinctly loving the hidden forbidden romance between Queen Clarion and Lord Milori in the fourth movie: Secret of the Wings. For any Tinker Bell fans who don’t remember, it’s the one where Tinker discovers that she has a sister who is a winter fairy. So when I discovered that this book was releasing, I was ready and waiting, and it did not disappoint. Let’s be very clear: this book is not an adult romance novel. It doesn’t have spice, it is based on a childrens series. It is very much a YA fantasy adventure, and that’s alright. I still really enjoyed it. The author gives us a view into the workings of Pixie Hollow and governance, and a view at Queen Clarion when she was still young. The world of Pixie Hollow is built out, especially the lore around the rulers of Pixie Hollow, who are called “governing-talents”.

The dynamic between Clarion and Milori is center to the novel, and I absolutely loved it. You see how slowly the trust between them builds up, especially as Clarion learns to trust herself. The moment when we learn how Milori broke his wing? Devastating. I was not expecting the way it happened at all. They meet every moment at sunset and it’s adorable. We also meet some fun side characters: Artemis, a scout-fairy who is Clarion’s personal guard, and Artemis’s crush/Clarion’s best friend Petra, a tinker-fairy. I wasn’t expecting the cute lesbian side-plot, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. There’s also a very interesting sense to the book where you know how the story of Clarion and Milori ends at the end of the movie, but you don’t know what leads to their separation for hundreds of years, and knowing it will come creates a certain sense of tragedy around the entire romance. We know it’s star-crossed, but they don’t.

I don’t know how this book will resonate for people who did not grow up in the Disney Fairy world, because it does have a certain sense of nostalgia geared towards people already familiar with Pixie Hollow. I still think that without it, it is a solid book, however, and I’m definitely buying a hard copy to read again and tab up.

Review: ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ◐

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