Review: Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart

Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Scars Like Wings—wow, what can I say about this book? It’s just amazing.

I was actually reading two other books when I saw I’d been approved for this title on Netgalley, and the premise of Scars Like Wings meant I abandoned my other reads and dove right in.

This book is incredible. It’s so poignant and powerful, as it tells the story of Ava, a burn survivor, as she comes to terms with the fire that took her parents and cousin and marked her body.

The writing style was just beautiful, so evocative. I particularly loved the snapshots we see of the days after the fire—they were so emotive.

One thing I loved about this book was the disability rep. Piper is a wheelchair user, and she was definitely my favourite character. She’s so well developed and has her own full arc in the story, alongside Ava.

In fact, all the characters are believable and really well-written. There’s petty high school drama and more serious conflict between them that mirrors the internal conflict Ava struggles with as she re-adapts to life and her new body.

One thing I really liked was the romantic sub-plot. (Some spoilers ahead!) The romance between Ava and Asad built up well, I was really believing it—and then, bam! That twist. It totally made sense. I felt Ava’s humiliation and hurt.

But at the same time, I’m glad she didn’t need a romance in order to heal. I’m disabled myself—and though my situation is different to Ava’s and Piper’s—I’m always super disappointed in books where romance is used to heal the character and make them see they still have worth. That was really where I thought Scars Like Wings was going at first, and so I’m very pleased it didn’t. We see Ava make the journey to heal by herself, with support from her friends, rather than making it all about how love has saved her.

All in all, this is a powerful and important read. I loved the commentary about how disabled/disfigured people are not inspirations—as this is something I hear regularly in day-to-day life and I can’t tell you how much this annoys me. So it was great to see this point being put across so well.

This is a great book, and I’ll definitely be looking out for more by Erin Stewart in the future.

Highly recommended YA contemporary. Perfect for fans of Girl in Pieces.

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Blog Tour: STARBOUND by S.E. Anderson - Exclusive Interview!

Hey everyone!

I am so excited today to be taking part in the blog tour for S.E. Anderson's next book! Starbound is the fifth book in the Starstruck Saga, and honestly, I can't wait to read this one! (Especially after the cliffhanger Celestial left us on!)

I'm lucky enough to be great friends with S.E. Anderson, and she's agreed to do an exclusive interview with me, all about Starbound!

But first, let's look at this gorgeous promo image!

Aren't the colours just stunning?

This book is published by Bolide Publishing, and S.E. Anderson also designs her own covers for this series (aside from being an amazing writer and scientist, she also works as a cover designer!). I just love looking at her work, and I can only imagine how much more special it makes her books for her, knowing she also designed the covers and truly captured her vision.

Anyway, onto the interview!

What’s your favourite scene in Starbound?

Not to give any spoilers, but the villain of the novel gives Sally an impossible choice to make; I cried when writing the scene. It’s the strongest Sally has ever been and I wish I could have that strength myself. What can we expect to see from Sally and Zander in this book?

Sally and Zander’s relationship is the ultimate long distance- when you have light years between you, it’s going to be tough to know what’s going on. Both need to grow a little on their own before we can reach the moment readers have been begging me for since book one.
I heard it’s the first book of the series with multiple narrators. Why did you decide to do this and how did you find writing different perspectives?

Since Sally and Zander are separated so dramatically, I thought it was essential we still see his side of the story. For our perspective, Zander fell into Sally’s life; but Zander has led a full, mildly-infinite life on his end before the two of them met. Through his perspective, I could finally explore the mysteries of his past... and have a little fun showing Blayde and Zander’s usual dynamic without Sally in the picture!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome in writing the next instalment of the Starstruck Saga?

Starbound was by far the hardest book I ever had to write. Mostly I had to overcome myself; I didn’t think would be able to write it. It scared me. There was so much I wanted to say but I didn’t know if I had the words to say them. But Sally’s growth was already there, and she, at least, was ready for this adventure. So all I had to do was follow her!

Starbound releases on August 20th! I've already got my pre-order in and can't wait to read book 5 of this amazing sci-fi comedy series!