Blog Tour Review: War of the Wind by Victoria Williamson

Hey everyone!
Today is my stop on the blog tour for War of the Wind by Victoria Williamson, and I am excited to be sharing my review with you all.

A massive thank you to @The_WriteReads and @NeemTreePress for allowing me to be a part of the tour.

Title: War of the Wind
Author: Victoria Williamson
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Release Date: 23 September 2022
Page Count: 250
Genre: Eco-Thriller
Age Group: 11-15
Buy It Here: Amazon UK

Book Blurb:

AN ADVENTUROUS ECO-THRILLER FROM AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN’S AUTHOR VICTORIA WILLIAMSON

On a remote Scottish island, fourteen-year-old Max’s life changes forever when he loses his hearing in a boating accident. Struggling to make sense of his new life and finding it hard to adapt in school, he begins to notice other — even stranger — changes taking place when a new wind farm appears off the island’s coast.

With the help of three school friends with additional support needs, Max discovers that a sinister scientist, Doctor Ashwood, is using wind turbines to experiment on the islanders. They must find a way to shut down the government’s secret test before it spins out of control…

My Review:

War of the Wind begins with the story of how Max lost his hearing, during a freak accident on his father’s boat. From that moment, Max’s life changed forever. Immediately as a reader your heart goes out to Max, and the trauma he has endured.

From here, we follow Max’s everyday life in the lead up to the new wind farm being installed right where Max’s family home overlooks just off the island’s coast. Max’s relationship with his father has been tense since the accident, and things appear to be getting worse. But when the new wind farm arrives, the entire population of the island’s behaviour begins to change. Max’s loss of hearing seems to not only make him immune from whatever is happening, but to have also heightened his observation skills, and he’s one of the first people to notice the changes.

To begin with, Max tries his hardest to avoid the other children in his class, because he is struggling with being seen differently by his old friends and wants to appear “normal” still. However, as the story continues his feelings begin to change, he begins to accept himself more, and his friendships with his classmates begin to blossom. I loved watching their bonds develop throughout the book.

There are some very interesting characters, with a multitude of personalities. One of my personal favourites was Beanie. She was so innocent and pure, and even when she had no control she still didn’t want to hurt anyone. She had clearly had a tough life, but she never let it bring her down. Doctor Ashwood on the other hand is the complete opposite. He’s evil and calculating to his core.

The tension builds throughout the book, with Doctor Ashwood ramping up his experiment. The islanders around Max are spinning completely out of control, and his new found gang are the only ones who can stop the chaos. The story concludes with a fiery climax that has you on the edge of your seat. There’s excitement, revelations, and a wholesome ending that I hadn’t expected. I’m so glad that Max finally got some answers and some closure.

Alongside a rather thrilling story, there are a few very important messages within this book. Everyone is different, whether it’s physically, or mentally, and that’s okay. You shouldn’t treat people differently, and you certainly shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. I have absolutely no idea whether the science of the experiment is actually possible (I’m definitely going to be researching it), but honestly I don’t even care if it’s not because it made for one hell of a story! Once again, Victoria Williamson has produced something thoroughly enjoyable, engaging, and exciting, and I can not wait to see what she creates next.

I give War of the Wind a 4 star rating!

About The Author:

Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK.

Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.

Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.

Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.

YOU CAN FIND VICTORIA HERE:
Website, Twitter, GoodReads

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