Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Recommend? Yes, with caution for triggers
Finished: 1.8.2025
Format: Advance Digital: thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC 

A boy with a secret, a mother with a duty to protect his secret, and the many people who enter his life to discover & try to exploit boy and secret, both. This book takes the classic coming-of-age trope & wraps it in wings made of adult self-interest, religious zealotry, maternal stand-ins and normalcy wrested from the grips of an exceptionally turbulent life.

Read this if you like:
Disability rep
Found family
Flashes of HEA
Coming-of-age

Triggers: racial slurs, ableist slurs, religious zealotry, suicidal ideation, suicide (minor character off-page), alcoholism (secondary character on-page), grievous bodily harm & death on-page

Reviewer’s Personal Notes (all opinions are my own, and are intended for readers and not for the author)

Favorite quote: “You want to be everyone else, and yet they’re all of them strange and different, unique to each other whether you know it or not. There is no normal life. It takes time to accept this, and even then, it can go in spurts.”

High: Reading first-person POVs from all but our main character was a really interesting piece of storycraft. The technique created a spectator-view mimicking his life in the side show, while shielding his innermost thoughts from the prying eyes of the reader. There is a fair amount of surrealism in the last 1/3 of the book that makes one question if there is an unreliable narrator at work, or if the surreal has supplanted the expected.

Low: Utilizing language common to the 1930’s feels jarring and despicable to any human with feelings, though it would have been inescapable during that period. I feel that I am not the right reviewer to fully enter into a conversation about the need for such language, but what I can say is that it needs to be listed among the triggers for this book; it is used to underscore the brutishness, self-importance and inhumanity of those spewing such hate; and it is not glamorized or encouraged by the author.

All his life, Johnny has been different. He was born with wing-like appendages on his back. He’s been the object of stares, whispers, and rumors. At times it was so bad that his mom hid him away out of fear for his life. After many years of living in secrecy and fear, she decides to leave their small town and seek a fresh start elsewhere. Sadly, tragedy befalls them and he ends up alone. At first he’s taken in by a small community but is soon discovered and forced to leave. Eventually he ends up as part of a traveling sideshow where he’s not the only one who’s always been considered a freak. It becomes his home, his family, but it’s not without problems. I especially enjoyed the historical fiction aspect of this book. Johnny's story was very compelling and heartbreaking. It was a bit drawn out for me at the end.

I enjoyed the historical context of this novel and the different social issues that were covered. That said, the ending was confusing to me as I'm not sure what the true role of Doyle was supposed to be. I was even more confused by the scene where Doyle was accepting of his other son's wanting to be a minister as it didn't fit and seemed contradictory. I enjoyed Johnny's connection with Elias and felt connected to Johnny through the hardships he faced.

The story follows the uneasy life of Jonny Cruel during the troubled times of the South leading up to the Great Depression and start of WWII. Johnny was born out of wedlock with strange appendages on his back that continue to grow and develop into wings. Throughout his young life he is tormented and treated as an outcast but temporary finds refuge with a traveling oddities show. Throughout this story Johnny makes friends, finds love, suffers loss, desires revenge, questions his existence, purpose, and ultimately just longs for acceptance. The author does a fantastic job portraying the harsh conditions of racism, the magical elements of a traveling oddities show, the turbulent times of the Depression, and an ending that will not be forgotten. It is a story we all can relate to as we grow, become comfortable with ourselves, and find meaning to our lives. The book will be released March 17, 2025 in US.

This book started out so well!!! Throughout the first half of the book, I thought it was going to be a 5 star read. Unfortunately, somewhere in the middle, things began to fall apart. Things jumped around a bit, leaving the reader to infer what happened in the spaces. As we got into the ending, our main character does an about face with who he is, and what he wants.

Johnny Cruel was born with a deformity and declared an abomination by the town. His mother does what she feels she needs to do to protect him, but when things get too much, she tries to escape with him and dies. He is then bought and sold like property until he ends up in a freak show, where his deformity is not a detriment but a selling point. This changes the trajectory of his life whether for good or bad.

I wanted to like this, and the descriptions in the beginning and how Mustian paints the characters was fantastic. I don't know what happened as the book progressed, it became scattered and hard to follow, with an abrupt improbable ending, that tried to bring the story full circle but it ended up falling flat.

Interesting and original story about difference. I liked the way the narrative was told (now and then from different characters) which make that the story slowly unfold. Unfortunately, this book was for me a little too long and I was hoping for something more (although I can't put the finger on what exactly). There were also maybe too much references to religion for my liking (which I had the feeling that it didn't really helped the storyline). Thank you Koehler Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Set against the backdrop of a world that is both fantastical and deeply grounded in the emotional realities of adolescence, the story follows a young boy named Johnny, whose life is changed forever when he is born with a set of wings. The novel blends elements of magical realism with gritty emotional depth, creating a compelling narrative about growing up, understanding one’s own potential, and confronting the complexities of the world. This takes place in the 1930s south, where he joins a circus and ends up in a freak show.

I believe that the wings, both a source of wonder and isolation, become a metaphor for his transition from childhood to adolescence—a time when everything seems to change, and the boundaries between the familiar and the unknown blur. Eliot’s struggle to make sense of his new reality drives much of the novel, and his journey is one of self-acceptance, navigating the challenges of growing up, and learning to embrace his unique abilities, despite being chastised by society and bullied. It's a story about survival and acceptance.

The premise is there, but I struggle with the writing style. I so badly wanted to love this book. I love how the mom fought for Johnny. I always love a book with character development and fun adventures along the way. Johnny has a unique story and I wish I could say I finished it all. Dnf

I tried to read this book because I wanted to know what happens to Johnny Cruel, but I couldn't focus and lost interest so I DNF'ed this book.

I accessed this e-copy on NetGalley as a spotlight book. My opinions and statements are my own.

A very intriguing book about not only being different, but also about survival. It has an important reminder to practice more kindness and less judgment of those that are not exactly like you or have different views. A great quote from the book that supports its energy is: “I am what God made me. What a boring life otherwise it might be.” 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

The Boy With Wings, by Mark Mustian, is a novel-length story about Johnny Cruel, a boy born out of wedlock in the Florida 1920s. He is looked upon as an outcast from birth, and superstition and fear swirl around him to the point of threatening his life. His mother, who loves him dearly, is virtually powerless in her quest to keep him safe and allow him to have a normal life. When she passes on, life turns downward for the boy, who appears to be growing wings on his back. Can he survive to adulthood? What will he do when he faces the truth of his family? The writing style is abridged, almost cut too short when the perspective comes from Johnny himself. It comes in needed details and not much more. This way we are aware of his thinking process. Other characters in the book have chapters of their own, which describe their experiences with Johnny. We learn of their faults, failures, lusts, and weakenesses when it comes to dealing with Johnny, and their own lives.
Some parts are hard to digest, and it seems the author tends to sweep certain characters into the 'bad category' bunch without showing that there are differences in everyone, and not every person who is that color of skin, or who has that occupation, is that way. This made the story more fictional to me than real. I was wondering how the ending was going to go, and all but gave up on something redeeming, but I am glad I stuck with it until the end. I found some of the time gaps frustrating, since a lot of time was invested in a host of characters, all to be essentially dropped in the next episode of Johnny's life. This pulled me out of the story. All in all, it is a fast-paced, gritty, and well written fictional piece about a boy who is really different from others, and how he grows to meet his challenges. A recommended read.

Well written book about a disfigured boy who ends up a spectacle in a traveling show. There is a bit of mystery, tragedy, love story and societal exploration in this book set in the 1930s. Characters are well developed and given the settings, very believable. Not necessarily the kind of book I would normally choose, but thank you to Netgalley for the copy and for encouraging me to read outside my comfort zone. Definitely a worthwhile read.

I absolutely loved this! If you liked the original seasons of American Horror stories YOU WILL LOVE THIS! A freak show treated like a profit center, but needing to be treated like a human.

The world-building, character creations, and choice of dialogue transports you back to the time in which the book takes place. The dialogue is fairly blunt and to-the-point, but it is not in a bad sense. You really feel like you are right there with the characters with the way they speak. The main character is reminiscent of Eric from Phantom of the Opera, in my opinion which is very nostalgic to me. I enjoyed this book but it should be warned that there are a few triggers for some out there who do not want to hear about the topics that were common during the setting of the book which still are issues in our modern time (abuse, racism, misogyny, etc).

This was a strong historical fiction novel and enjoyed the element going on through this book. It had that feel that I was looking for and enjoyed the concept. Mark Mustian has a strong writing style and worked with what I was looking for. I enjoyed the idea of this book and how the characters were used in this.

Overall the story was touching and the characters interesting. But I could not get into the way the writing was so choppy and more like spoken poetry performance. My brain just doesn’t follow it well so I wasn’t able to finish the whole novel. I’m sure it’s a great overall story but I am not the right audience for this one.

Book Review: Boy with Wings

Boy with Wings instantly captivated me, and it wasn’t just the intriguing premise that hooked me—it was the emotional depth and vulnerability of the story. The protagonist, Johnny, is a man with wings, carrying the weight of his grief and identity in ways that felt eerily familiar to my own life. I lost my mom when I was very young, and like Johnny, I’ve struggled with finding my place in the world ever since. It’s not always easy, but with the support of others, I’ve managed to keep going, though there are still moments when I find myself grieving, sometimes randomly, and it all rushes back. This story resonated with me on a deep, personal level, and it made me reflect on my own journey of healing and loss.

The writing style in Boy with Wings is rich and introspective, pulling you into Johnny’s world and making you feel every ounce of his inner turmoil. The metaphor of his wings—both a literal physical feature and a symbol of the burden of grief—was powerful and poignant. Johnny’s attempts to hide and shield them from the world reflect his struggle to keep his pain hidden, to keep up appearances while quietly carrying the weight of his emotions. This sense of duality—of having something so intimate and burdensome that must be concealed—struck a chord with me. Like Johnny, there are moments when I wish I could hide my grief from the world, but it’s always there, weighing me down.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its emotional authenticity. The relationships Johnny has with others, like his brief but telling exchange with Stan Waldrop, are moments of quiet truth that reveal Johnny’s character in ways that are subtle yet meaningful. The reunion with Winifred at the end of the novel was especially powerful. The scene was heartbreaking, and the way the author explored their shared history, the guilt, and the survival after trauma was incredibly moving. It left me thinking about the people I’ve lost, the scars that never fully heal, and the complexity of those who remain.

That said, there were a few things I felt could have been improved. Some secondary characters, such as those Johnny helps through his work, felt a little underdeveloped. Their brief appearances added to the story, but I would have liked to see more of their own struggles and how they mirrored Johnny’s journey. There were also moments in the pacing where I felt the story lingered too long in Johnny’s introspection, which, while powerful, sometimes slowed the plot down. A more balanced approach between reflection and action would have enhanced the overall flow.

Despite these minor critiques, Boy with Wings is a deeply moving exploration of grief, survival, and the complexities of identity. It’s a book that lingers long after you finish reading, and one I would recommend to anyone who has ever struggled with loss, whether through personal experience or a more abstract understanding. It’s a beautifully written, emotional journey, and I truly believe it will resonate with anyone who has faced hardship and found ways to keep moving forward.

What a heartwarming tale. I really enjoyed this. Some sad moments, but also full of hope. I highly recommend to readers who enjoy magical reads.

This was a very good book! It was a touching and moving book. It was very well-written and it evoked emotion out of me. I like the characters and their development. I think it is a good story and I would recommend this to people, and i think it would make a great book for a book club to discuss!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!