The book wasn't what I had hoped to be. The universe wasn't very clearly built and it felt like too many pieces were missing. I got the point, but I wanted to have a clearer picture of the world people built on Mars. The writing was not that great and the detailed descriptive action was tiresome for the most part. Too much information in places I didn't need, but not enough information where it would have made a difference. I felt the characters were forced to fit a box and they didn't evolve naturally from the story. } wanted to like it more than I actually did.

A book about colonies on mars mixed with girl power, what's not to like? I really enjoyed this dystopian story, about a girl who longs to be a windrunner, a role only fulfilled by men. This book really had the potential to be great, but the main character turns into this lovestruck dopey girl who really becomes annoying halfway through the book. I didn't care about the romance, but the world-building was great. Also, the writing was beautiful!

I put off reading this for a long time because sci-fi is not my go-to genre, but I should not have waited so long! Wren's quest to find her father and brothers in time to save her mother from her illness was captivating and imaginative. Wren and Raw become unlikely partners as they leave the comfort of their colony in their search, and I found myself rooting for them throughout. For anyone who enjoys a good fiction novel!

Bryony Pearce's Windrunner's Daughter was amazing.

That is, it was amazing right up until the final two chapters. You know that feeling you get when you finally, after months of reading mediocre novels with just okay plots and less than ideal characters, find a book that feeds your thirst for a story that makes you feel something? That's what Windrunner's Daughter did for me.

I was engrossed, utterly enmeshed into the tale of a young girl called Wren who breaks the sacred laws set down by her people that forbid women from being a Runner--the messengers and traders of the various colonies living on Mars after the earth has died--in order to save her mother who is dying of a plague. From the strength of Wren's character, to the fascinating personality of the bully turned friend who follows her in her journey, I simply could not get enough.

The world Pearce builds in her novel is as much enticing as it is developed. I really felt a connection to the characters, as if I could feel myself understanding what it would be like to live in such a place. I loved the villains found not only in dangerous creatures, but also in illness and people driven by fear. Up until the final two chapters, my only disappointment was that I felt I did not know the brothers well enough to have a strong emotional connection to them and had it been the only complaint, I would have easily rated Windrunner's Daughter as a must read.

Unfortunately, for me, the ending fell flat. Not only did it feel rushed, but it felt out of character. The father figure we do not meet until the end was developed in absence and truly did make a wonderfully grand entrance into the plot, the father-daughter moment that followed felt forced. The character of Raw--whom I found myself adoring more and more as I progressed--fell apart in the final pages. Admittedly, I should have seen this coming as there were various instances earlier on that alluded to inconsistencies in his personality and it all came down to an extremely misplaced confidence that simply didn't make sense for him to have.

All in all, I loved this book. But it needs a rewritten ending with some minor changes to character interactions that felt incredibly out of character. I wouldn't necessarily call for a different ending, but rather one that was less rushed and changed the dialogue; (**Potential Spoiler**) Raw should have been the one who felt self-conscious and doubtful, not Wren.

*Loved it.
*Needs a rewritten ending.
*Ending felt like a first draft.
*Wonderful world.
*Incredible characters.
*Wish I'd gotten to know the brothers more.
*Would recommend.
*Futuristic, sci-fi (sort of - if you're looking specifically for sci-fi focused on technology this probably isn't your thing).
*Readers of Distopian novels would probably enjoy this.
*4/5

I was provided this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the Windrunner's daughter! Despite the novel starting a little slow it soon picks up at an astounding pace. One thing I instantly loved is that this book is set on Mars, we get some background early on like the characters live on Mars after an incomplete colonization due to a sabotage although the reasons for leaving Earth or the sabotage aren't really explained. The society is divided into two casts; runners and grounders. The runners are male and the grounders female and this plays a huge part in the overall novel. The role of the women is very patriarchal they are expected to produce children and do housework, although it should be noted that they can be elected in the Grounders' councils.Travelling around Mars would be hard enough challenge on its own. So traveling around Mars in mid-air, using wings that don’t belong to you, with a man who has never flown before, is near impossible. Wren our protagonist takes on the impossible task of flying across Mars to find her brothers and her father, who haven’t returned from their last flight yet. The only problem is girls aren’t allowed to fly. So after stealing her brother's training wings, she leaps off the platform and into the wind to begin her journey. I ended up loving this book, the characters, the romance, the setting. Even though the beginning was a bit slow, it picked up in terms of intrigue and plot. I really enjoyed Wren's character and her motivations. She is noble, yet makes mistakes while Raw surprisingly is a very emotional character. Wren and Raw were by far my favorite characters and I hope to read more from this author soon. Highly recommended!

Even if it starts a little slow, things soon pick up and it gets quite enjoyable. The action takes place on Mars, after an incomplete colonization due to a sabotage. The reasons for leaving Earth are not explained, neither are the motives for the sabotage.

The society is patriarchal, divided in two casts (that kinda hate each other), differently organized: Runners (a central “Convocation presided over by the High Patrions and centred around the votes of the Patriarchs”, namely the family fathers; the male branch of the family being trained to fly with some graphite flying suits/wings/ gliders and deliver messages & goods and baby-swapping between the colonies to prevent inbreeding) and Grounders (each colony run by a council of six, annually rotating; they are in charge with medical developments, science, agriculture, etc).

The role of the women is to produce children (womb-duty) and do housework, although it should be noted that they can be elected in the Grounders' councils.

Things I liked: the premise of the novel, the poetic descriptions and the beautiful way the flight and the freedom it conveys are described (and the whole idea of the Runners and their flying suits), the imperfections of the characters, the cover, the idea of encouraging young girls to follow their dreams and stand out.

Minuses:
- The worldbuilding is scarcely done and we don’t find out how the society came to be like this
- Too many impossible situations from which the heroes escape
- The hate between the two castes seems a little too extreme
- Too many impossible situations from which the heroes escape (including how someone who knows absolutely nothing about the wings and winds can simply takeoff and fly and escape alive from several such experiences; even more, how someone can fly for hours on end without any preliminary training and be able to move at all afterwards)
- The ending doesn’t add very much to the feminism case that is featured through the novel: the heroine still ends in the women’s quarter, waiting to be married (not sure how this pairing will go, as they have very different upbringing and ideas), the ban for women to fly is still in place, there’s just a hint that someday, in the far future, things may get better..

For me, this goes in the category of fast & easy reads, best suited for vacations or plane/bus/car rides.

Once I picked up The Windrunner’s Daughter I couldn’t stop until the very end. I loved the main character, Wren, was fascinated by the society, and was drawn into the plot. If you decide to pick it up, give yourself some time to finish it because you too may be sucked in.

Okay first off, how could I not love this plot? Protagonists who throw caution to the wind, literally, and defy a set of rules that, to me, are more traditions and less rooted in facts, to save their family are my kryptonite. Maybe to some degree, or many, I want to empathize with their ability to break the injustice and risk it all. But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

While we’re on the topic of plot, this book begins slowly, it lets us acclimate and get to know Wren before throwing us into the unknown, and Wren along with it. These moments are crucial, but it can make reading the beginning a little slow for those who want to get up and go. However, once it passes this phase, it is non-stop action, adventure, and danger.

I absolutely loved the dynamic between Wren and Raw. What starts out as down right opposition, turns into a necessity for trust and support. Becoming companions relies on a foundation of trust and through this relationship, each are able to question their perceptions of society. Wren narrates the book and through her perspective we are able to witness and understand her actions. This gives her a multi-dimensional feel and makes her whole process of deconstructing society even more rich. Additionally, the relationship between Wren and Raw does not take a matter of days, and I am speaking about friendship here (in the stark contrast between their lives and the way their ‘castes’ are opposed is where you get the Romeo and Juliet feel). They need to rely on each other and through that relationship are able to find common ground and understand each other.

Which brings me to my last point: the society. I have alluded to a few bits here and there, but as a whole it is both a little scary, but oh so intriguing. We have the Grounders, those who do not run, who resent the Runners for mitigating their messages and choosing which supplies are delivered. Then we have the Runners who undergo long training and unimaginable danger to run and are entirely crucial to the entire societal ecosystem. Even this conflict alone would be intriguing enough and Pearce just furthers it by bringing in some politics, some religion and deepening the entire society. There are layers, nuances, and power plays that occur and make the plot more complicated.

All in all, I loved this book. It has it all for me: strong heroines, a complex society, and a great relationship. Additionally, the author’s note about this book being for her daughter, to inspire her to put on wings, is touching. It makes the entire book have a much more contemporary feel, just reminding me why I love science fiction so much.

An interesting sci-fi adventure with an original twist! I throughly enjoyed reading about the Windrunners!

I am in love with this book. I was only half way through and I had already recommended it to a colleague. The setting is futuristic and dystopian. The characters are well thought out. I either loved them or hated them. The heroine young girl dares to set out against the established rules to save her mother. I love the concept and the thought that went into the flight dynamics. I'm weirded out by the creatures and already have several ideas running through my head to explain what they are.