Wingborn (Wingbearer #2)
Marjorie Liu
Illustrated by Grace Kum
Quill Tree Books
Published October 1, 2024

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About Wingborn

From New York Times bestselling author Marjorie Liu comes the spectacular sequel to Wingbearer, the IndieBound and Publishers Weekly bestselling graphic novel that the New York Times Book Review called “wondrously constructed.”

Zuli’s world was just turned upside down by the Witch-Queen, but she’s still determined to find out what’s happening to the spirits of her bird friends. Armed with new information about her identity, she mounts a daring escape from a merchant airship and takes off with Frowly and Orien by her side.

However, the more she tries to solve the mysteries swirling around her friends and herself, the more she’s drawn to legends about the mysterious Siric, who have long since disappeared. Zuli might be prepared to take on new challenges, but is she prepared to go further than she’s ever gone before in her effort to fix the world’s broken magic?

This is the second of four books in the #1 IndieBound bestselling Wingbearer saga.

My Review

The Wingbearer series returns with a new illustrator. It’s been two years since I read the first book, but luckily my daughter saw Wingborn on my TBR stack in my room and asked if we could read it together. She’s not *quite* middle grade age, but we decided to give it a try, which gave me a chance to revisit the first book and refresh myself on the story and cast of characters.

I’m glad I did go back and reread the first one, because there were a lot of things I’d forgotten. Zuli has a twin sister named Zara and a handful of allies whose names I didn’t remember, so a refresher helped.

This second book in the series is illustrated by a different person than the first book. I really liked the mood of the spreads in Grace Kum’s illustrations. The color schemes of some of the scenes supported the emotion of those moments really well. Some of the panels were a little dark and hard for me to see.

Plot-wise, Wingborn introduces readers to a lot more of the world in which Zuli lives and how the loss of souls returning to be reborn affects each group, though some strive to keep that fact secret. Zuli faces shifting alliances and still pursues the truth about why souls are disappearing from the world. I love the direction that her friendship with Orien takes in this book. Several scenes showcase the treasure of a good friendship, even when both parties don’t always agree.

Overall, I’m glad I continued the series. I wish that some of the illustrations hadn’t been so dark, but I’m eager to see where the story of Zuli and her friends leads next.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Zuli has dark brown skin. There are other characters that are other races or beings, such as griffins, goblins, and sentient birds. Different races experience prejudice or suffer from the world’s caste system.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic. One character uses a kind of mind control to manipulate others.

Violent Content
Situations of peril and war. Wraiths, skeleton-like creatures, attack a city at one point. Someone threatens Zuli with torture. Someone threatens to place her allies in an eternal sleep.

Drug Content
None.

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