Windswept: A Joyful Story on Every Page
I've seen "Windswept" pop up in a variety of places over the past few months, whether on Reddit or Twitter. When I picked up Kindle Unlimited, I decided to give it a chance. And I made the right choice.
Windswept is not a perfect novel, nor is it a novel that I would list as one of the all time greats. But from the moment I started reading it, I continuously turned back to the story on my phone (my e-book reader of choice), whether on the bus, in bed, or even in the shower.
Following the adventures of a young boy named Fox, Windswept presents a classic tale. Our typical hero begins his life in a stereotypical valley surrounded by mountains, but the author breathes life into that valley in a way very few authors do with their settings. After the first ten pages, I felt like I was there beside the characters. While there are moments where it feels like Fox can do no wrong, I was proven incorrect by a mistake fitting of a child growing into his hero's journey.
Sometimes, I felt like the story moved slowly, but in part that feeling was a response to the fantastical threads that the narrative presented. I wanted to know more, and when I didn't learn what I wanted to learn, I continued to read.
I will say that the story's lowest point stems from its prose. Some sentences felt rough around the edges. However, this roughness and instinct to dive into exposition is leveled out by the author’s clear and concise use of language. In a world where fantasy epics often take 1000 pages, she wrote a story that stands at its own with only 348. That's no small feat.
And that's what I want to emphasize. Even though this book sets up the larger "Mapweaver Chronicles," the story stands on its own as a solid addition to the fantasy vault.
I'll end on the highest of notes. What truly drew me into this story was it's innovative and creative magic system. I don't want to spoil anything, because the revelations emanate from the pages consistently throughout this tale, but I'd say it's a magic system that stands on its own, and it's inspired me to think long and hard about how I develop magic systems for my own writing.
In the end, I give Windswept a solid 7.5/10.