The Wings Upon Her Back

This is a deftly woven story of the protagonist's fall into conspiracy theory and the heinous actions they make because of it, and the difficulty of admitting to being wrong once they're so far inside--an all-too-relevant tale. It's well-told and deeply layered, with a protagonist you'll love even as you see them making wrong decisions again and again. I rooted so hard for Zenya to see the truth, but couldn't fault her for keeping to what she thought was the "proper and righteous way," even as I mourned for her, and hoped for an eventual realization of truth.

While the book was difficult to read at times (due to its relevance), it was gorgeously written with prose that flew like those gleaming wings of copper. Ultimately, though, it's a book of hope. Hope that one CAN see through the charade, that one CAN chose the correct path even after traveling so far down the wrong one. Yet it isn't blithely simplistic, either. Zenya doesn't get an easy path simply because she sees the truth; instead we're allowed to see that the satisfaction of doing the right thing, even so late in life, is the balm the soul needs to be at peace. The amazing ending is well worth the journey taken. A highly recommended read.

The cover is what drew me in and I’m so glad I was able to read this. It had a great overall tale of redemption and the use of science-fantasy elements to the story. The characters worked with what I wanted from this story and glad I was able to read this. Samantha Mills writes a great tale and can’t wait for more from the author.

I received an ARC of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What do you do when the gods you worship, the gods whose love you crave, turn their faces away from you?

The Wings Upon Her Back is a fierce, aching battle cry of a book, both cinematically epic and painfully intimate. Samantha Mills has crafted a striking world of sleeping gods, disillusioned revolutionaries, and metal wings -- and from it, she wrenches equal amounts of love and pain.

The book is simultaneously a thrilling, action-packed tale of revolution and mecha-battles between warring factions -- but also, at its heart, a searingly raw look at how different people claw their ways out (or don't) from abusive relationships -- with a mentor, with a loved one, or even with a god. It's a story about disillusionment, about rationalizing terrible actions, and about finding the difference between love and loyalty, leadership and control. While reading, I felt as though my chest were constricted for much of the book, but ultimately found it deeply cathartic.

I would describe this book as a triumphant cocktail of Fonda Lee's Untethered Sky x the Divine Cities trilogy x Some Desperate Glory. A stunning debut.

THE WINGS UPON HER BACK is the debut novel by Hugo, Nebula, Sturgeon, and Locus Award winner Samantha Mills. Mills won all four of those awards last year for her short story "Rabbit Test". There was an itch at the back of my mind that needed to be scratched, so I did a bit of digging around and found that she had a story in "The New Voices of Science Fiction", edited by Hannu Rajaniemi and Jacob Weisman, published back in 2019. So, she's been around for at least a little while. Based on "Rabbit Test" and now THE WINGS UPON HER BACK, I believe she is going to be around for a very long time.

The setting for the story is the city of Radezhda which was founded by five gods, each of whom brought a different gift, a different discipline, to the city. Each god helped to bring prosperity and advancement to the people of Radezhda. As is the way of things, the five gods didn't always agree on things, but together they helped bring progress and improvements to the city. Until one day, the gods left the city, going high into the sky and falling into a deep sleep. The disciples of each of the gods all had something in common: the desire to determine why the gods had left them. Each of the five disciplines built skyscraper-like towers in an attempt to reach up to their god and bring them back home. The leader of each faction is called the Voice, and those leaders are the only ones that get to talk to their gods, and infrequently at that.

Eventually, and again as is the way of things, without the leadership of the gods conflicts arose, and the city came to war with itself. As each of the factions had different viewpoints, the city was being torn apart by violence. The Mechas, a warrior sect originally tasked with the job of protecting the city from outsiders, added the task of protecting the city dwellers from themselves. The Voice of the Mechas is the ruthless and power-hungry Winged Vodaya.

Zenya, the true focus of the story, is a teenager in a family that is in the scholar sect. She is unsatisfied and unhappy being a scholar. Her goal is to join the Mecha sect, get her wings, and become one of the protecters of the city. She runs away from her family and joins the Mechas, and soon shows enough aptitude that Vodaya takes Zenya under her wing (no pun intended). Eventually Zenya earns her Wings and becomes the Winged Zemolai. As time wears on, Zemolai gets weary of the constant fighting and battles and, in a rare (as in never) show of mercy, lets a spy who infiltrated the Mecha sect from the Scholar sect, go free after she discovers his treachery. This gets her Wings torn away, and she is cast out on the street with nowhere to go.

The story is told in two different timelines. One covers Zenya's story, her background, and how she came to be one of the Winged. The other is Zemolai's story after she gets cast out of the Mecha sect, and how she comes to find out that things are significantly different than she thought they were while she was one of the Winged. But there are two additional sides to the novel. One is that THE WINGS UPON HER BACK is a straightforward action adventure story, complete with a maniacal, single minded leader who is blinded by her ambition and who tries to take complete control of her domain. The other is a story of discovery, of a person learning who they are after they've achieved their life's goals, who their friends really are, and what really is going on in the world around them, the world they thought they knew well but really didn't know at all.

It's early in 2024, and there are a lot of books yet to come, many of which will be terrific. Many will come from authors that have been in the field a long time, and authors that are new. But for me, THE WINGS UPON HER BACK is the best book I've read in 2024 so far. Sure, Samantha Mills has been around a few years now, but it appears that her star is just now starting to take off. If THE WINGS UPON HER BACK is any indication, Mills will be providing us with great reads for a long time. I look forward to what she'll be bringing us in the future.

A shatteringly beautiful, harrowing, and glorious tale of faith and disillusionment, violence and redemption. Mills weaves a gripping tale about a place where mysterious beings, maybe gods or maybe something else, are worshipped, feared and adored by those in the city below. We follow Zenya who has spent her life serving what she thought was a just and righteous cause, but who now sees both her present and her past crumble. Zenya has been a loyal warrior, but now she has lost her way and more besides. Mills tells us the story of Zenya and her city by showing us both the past and present, connecting the pieces of a broken life, and a broken community. An exceptional book.

This gripping science-fantasy novel tells the story of Zenya, a loyal warrior who finds herself in a crisis of faith. Zenya must fight to regain her place and begin her life again while questioning the events of her past.
The world-building in this novel is truly exceptional. Set in the city of Radezhda, we are introduced to a society where five gods lie mysteriously sleeping above the city. These gods once bestowed great technologies and wisdom, each inspiring the devotion of their own sect. However, when the gods turned away from humanity, their followers built towers to the heavens to find out why. This collective grief eventually leads to desperation and war between the sects.
Zenya, our protagonist, is a strong and determined character. As a teenager, she ran away from home to join the mechanically-modified warrior sect, determined to earn her mechanized wings and protect her people and city. Under the strict tutelage of a mercurial and charismatic leader, Zenya becomes Winged Zemolai. However, after twenty-six years of service, Zemolai becomes disillusioned with her role as an enforcer in an increasingly fascist state. After one tragic act of mercy, she is cast out and loses everything she has worked for.
As Zemolai fights for her life, she begins to understand the true nature of her sect, her leader, and the gods themselves. This journey of self-discovery is both heart-wrenching and thought-provoking. The author does an excellent job of exploring the costs of zealous faith, brutal war, and unquestioning loyalty. One of the standout elements of this novel is the complex and diverse cast of characters. Each character, from the enigmatic leader to the other members of the sect, is well-developed and adds depth to the story. The relationships between the characters are also well-written and add an emotional layer to the plot.
Overall, this book is a must-read for fans of science-fantasy and would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a unique and immersive reading experience.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

A unique science fiction setting provides the backdrop for winged warriors and religio-political intrigues in Mills's fantastic debut.

Zenya is in her forties. Constant aches and pains plague her, but even more, she's left bitter and disillusioned by decades of war on behalf of her mecha sect. When she extends mercy to a worker with an illegal religious icon, she's caught and quickly persecuted, stripped of her beloved wings and her very identity. Her 'rescue' by a band of rebels seems more a curse than a blessing as she's asked to betray everything she hold dear. Chapters alternate between the present and the past, highlighting the heartbreaking contrast between a young, hopeful Zenya and her embittered present self.

I could praise the depth of worldbuilding here and the gorgeousness of the winged battle scenes, but the most brilliant aspect is the psychological manipulation and warfare that is depicted through the book. Zenya is, truly, taken in by a religious cult with a charismatic letter, and is groomed to be a war machine who commits truly horrific deeds. There are a lot of books that depict the redemption of someone young, but that difficult path feels more real, more tragic, more beautiful, when through the eyes of someone who is older and utterly broken.

This is a beautiful meditation on the nature of faith, the dangers of unconditional loyalty, and what it means to question your most basic understanding of reality. I loved Zenya and the writing strikes the exact right note.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book*

I absolutely loved "The Wings Upon Her Back". While it is scifi-fantasy-ish (mechas!!!) it was mostly about disillusionment and a military member losing her faith after decades of service. It's also a tale of fascism, power struggles, and how it never helps to put people into boxes and expect them to stay there. The book was easy to read, the prose was compelling, the characters interesting even though I did not trust the golden general from the beginning. I would like a sequel now, please? Yes?

5 stars

Once there were five Gods, each with their own following. A god for the workers, the farmers, the engineers, the scholars, and the warriors. Several centuries ago the Gods returned to Heaven, entering a mysterious sleep, and leaving man to fend for themselves. In their absence the five sects have struggled to work together, breeding suspicion, resentment, and war.

For as long as Zemolai can remember, she’s dreamed of flight. To be a member of the Winged, the mechanically-modified soliders of the warrior sect. However, after over two decades of battle, drugs, and her role as an enforcer, she finds her faith flagging. For these reasons, she is driven to an act of mercy, one that gets her cast out of her sect and stripped of her wings. Left to die, she is rescued by members of the resistance, and with their help she begins to uncover the truth about her religion, her leader, and the Gods themselves.

This was such a unique story and I had such a great experience reading it. The concept itself is original and the world building is fantastic. I loved that the author tended to be very vague on physical characteristics and descriptions, the only exceptions being if these things added to the characters back story. It left you free to imagine them as you will, and for me it gave them more life.

𝘈𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

This book is narrated from two different points in the MC’s life: as Zenya, the girl who wanted to fly, and Zemolai, the warrior who fell. Both narratives were so relatable. I recognized a younger version of myself in Zenya as she finds her faith and pushes away any doubts for the joy of belonging, and again when my heart broke with Zemolai, as the reality of her world is laid before her and she has to learn to forgive herself for her past. I was honestly inspired by her, and only hope I can be that brave the next time I’m forced to accept a truth that hurts.

There are so so many layers to this book, from religion to faith, that I could honestly talk about it all day. This story is so so powerful and I know will be with me for a long time. I really hope you, if you’ve read this far, you’ll give it a chance ❤️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Pub Date: April 22, 2024

Thank you NetGalley and Tachyon Publications for this free e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing!! This book is really entertaining it has everything to keep you entertained, Well written the story line keeps you wondering what’s going to happen next , every chapter is a new surprise, I will definetly recommend to everyone!

The Wings Upon Her Back weaves a highly personal, powerful story of disillusionment and redemption with the grand scale of a society under a theological crisis. A people built a city for its gods, and then the gods went to sleep. Did the gods abandon us?. What would you give to feel the reciprocation of an unrequited love? Who do you become once meeting your heroes disillusions the path you have followed and you must make your own choice to find your own? Mills answers (or sometimes doesn't answer) with a masterful story grappling with faith and addiction and abuse, and shows us hope and optimism and the exhilarating freedom of choice. The writing quality stands atop a solid story foundation augmenting its strengths and polishing the few rougher parts. This is an early contender for one of my favorite reads of the year and I really hope to see some buzz!

Definitely a new favorite. The Wings Upon Her back is an absorbing, fantastic story about following a charismatic leader even when it starts to look a lot like an abusive relationship. It's also about starting over when you've spent decades of your life dedicated to the wrong cause.

In a city abandoned by five sleeping gods, the followers of one take ruthless control of the other Four. Zemolai was born as Zenya in the scholar sect, but she's been a loyal member of the warrior sect for 29 years, using mechanical wings to soar to the sky and follow the mecha god's orders. When she makes a single, tired mistake, her sect tosses her out to the street to die - and from there we see the story unfold in two timelines. Zemolai, the jaded, middle-aged warrior being taken in by a group of young rebels ("bolt-babies"), and Zenya, the passionate youth who wants nothing more than to earn her wings and protect her city as a member of the warrior sect.

The writing is genius. There were so many sentences that I had to stop and read several times, because they were just that delicious. Stories with several timelines often disappoint me because I find myself bored by the past timeline and I want to get back to the present, but I didn't feel that in this case. The timelines put the story together and played off of each other, especially towards the end. The way the tension between Zenya and her brother and Zemolai and Vodaya is built up until it finally cracks is just... chef's kiss.

It definitely has the marks of an abusive relationship, and as the author says at the end - I hope you find something resonant in this, but I also kind of hope you don't.

I also appreciated the casual normalization of queer identities. Zemolai herself doesn't have a romantic interest or big gender feelings, but there are multiple nonbinary characters in the cast, as well as a polyamorous triad.

I finished this and then just had to stare at the wall for a moment. I keep meaning to write a review and just struggling to put together my thoughts.

I absolutely loved this. The writing is just beautiful. There are so many lines that I stopped and highlighted, because I absolutely loved them. The world building is fascinating and I love how it is trickled in as necessary instead of given upfront or info-dumped. This book follows the main character through two different storylines (similar to Witch King by Martha Wells) and is a deep examination on faith, fascism, and the power of indoctrination. every single character is so flawed and yet you really understand why they are making the absolutely awful decisions that they are making (similar to The Unbroken by CL Clark). It's emotional, it's full of pain, it's got TWO absolutely gripping storylines, and I couldn't put it down.

Just, wow.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters and the complexity of the world is fascinating. 5 societies dictated by their desires, scholar, engineering, farming, labor, and the winged. Which are those who have had metallic wings attached to their back to defend the people, but what if the corruption finds its way into those societies. The societies are also split by the gods they follow.

Zenya is the main character of the book, she is a member of the winged who was raised in Milar as a scholar. She is torn between family and her duty. More so she dreamed since she was young to fly. But in one moment her whole world is flipped upside down.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills is a sci-fi where humans worship a mecha god and have wing attachments on their back to fly. Winged Zemolai has spent decades rising through the ranks of those devoted to the mecha god, following every order, until she commits an act of mercy by letting a man with an idol go free. As punishment, she loses her wings and is forced back down to the lower levels.

Samantha Mills writes the impact of facism, religious zealotry and religious trauma brilliantly. The way she explores how Zemolai still clings to old beliefs and the hope that maybe she could get her wings back was extremely well-done as was the exploration of the need to justify bad beliefs. It felt real, it felt relevant, and it resonated.

From a young age, Zeomlai wants to become a warrior despite coming from a scholar family, she desires wings of her own and to serve the mecha god despite the gods having left their world alone. The Voice of the gods was very analogous to religious leaders. The mecha elements were woven in a way that felt natural with the religious parts. The five man unit, five limbs with the four limbs and the head analogy, felt reminiscent of 1980s Voltron while also feeding into that greater narrative.

Zemolai is perhaps not the most likable character, but she feels like someone who does exist and is probably in your own life. She didn’t choose to give up her beliefs, she was forced to see that things are wrong and she’s struggling because of it. Many people have their world views upended and struggle to let go.

I don’t think I can say enough positive things about this book. From the brilliant use of prose, to the use of mecha elements, to the things that felt so connected to our world and the trials so many face, I could write an essay on how Mills reflects the world we live in while also creating something wholly new and alive. It’s a fabulous debut.

I would recommend this to fans of secondary world sci-fi, readers looking for explorations of religious trauma in a sci-fi/fantasy context, and those looking for conversations surrounding learning and unlearning dangerous beliefs in a secondary world