Wing Weaver

Aviara Academy #1

by A.P. Beswick

What use is a dragon rider who can't fly?

That’s the brutal reality Aeden Harrington faces after bonding with a dragon that should never have hatched, a consecrated egg, hidden, marked as dead and untouchable. Worse still, he formed the forbidden bond before Aviara Academy’s official ceremony, shattering ancient tradition and painting a target on his back before he even sets foot in the sky.

Starting as the Academy’s newest Initiate was supposed to be a chance to rise above his past. To master the Weave. To prove himself. But Nyra, the dragon fate chose for him, bears wings too broken to ever fly, a flaw that stains Aeden’s reputation and makes him a target among students and masters alike.

As he battles distrust and isolation, Aeden uncovers darker secrets hidden within Aviara’s hallowed halls, whispers of his parents’ deaths and the cover-up that followed. And when two unknown riders arrive, wielding authority and power that even the Academy fears, surviving the deadly trials ahead becomes more than a matter of honor.

It becomes a fight for his life and for the truth.

In a world where flight means power, what chance does a grounded rider have against enemies who rule the skies?

"Perfect for fans of Eragon, Ascendant, and Of Blood and Fire, Wing Weaver delivers a fast-paced, dragon-rider academy fantasy where survival depends on more than just flight."

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Romantasy, Magic, Booktok, Young Adult, Fiction

614 pages, Hardcover

Published April 28, 2026

Reviews

[S.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The premise is what attracted me to this one, where the MC bonds with a dragon that has broken wings. There's a lot of cool stuff here, and I liked the different dragon/rider classes (offense, guardian, scout, and support) that add depth to the world of what dragons can do and their purpose in this society.

Jack Fields did a wonderful job with the narration! If you like dragons and dark academia (think fourth wing, but with classes beyond combat and no sexy times or shadow daddies), give this one a shot.

[Brooke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly I can typically push through sub par plots (this is a mash of Fourth Wing + Harry Potter), but there were so many typos in the first 25% of the book that I couldn’t take it any more and DNF. Did anyone edit this before publication?

[Andrea Oldenburg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was soooo bored...this book had some potential but felt like it was written by a 6th grader

[Rhiannon Howard-Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a read! This fast paced fantasy book gives Harry Potter meets Fourth Wing vibes and I'm here for it! Love the representation of having a disability with Nyra the flightless dragon. Cannot wait for book 2 already!

[R Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf …. Feels like a bad mash of other stories

[Daniel Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to A.P Beswick, and A.P Beswick Publications for this ARC. Firstly what can I say but wow, this is my first introduction to the writing of A.P Beswick and I can safely say I am definitely not disappointed at all. I have had some of his works on my tbr for a while now but this has cemented him becoming close to an autobuy for me going forwards. This book isn’t officially published yet and I already need the next instalment!! The way he has written the characters even the more morally questionable ones leaves you wanting to know more about them and experience more scenes involving them. The way he writes the bond between Nyra and Aeden is very familiar in a way of how you’d expect your pet to be if you could do what we all wished we could and communicate with them but also is so much more.

If you’re looking for a fantasy dragon fix this one is for you it gives you found kinship, overcoming adversity and standing strong whilst not being afraid to be an outcast all in one place.

[Jacob’s · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️ I’m just a sucker for this genre 😂 I eat it up every time. There’s a few seemingly obvious FW callbacks (Nevaria made me laugh) but I had a fun time still

[Daniela Carvoeiro · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing in this book seems to be targeting newborns with amnesia. The sheer repetitiveness makes it feel like the literary equivalent of a movie designed for passive viewing. Don’t worry if you get distracted for 20 seconds cause whatever you missed will probably be explained another twenty times.

It’s a shame, because the premise had so much potential.

World-building? Practically nonexistent.
Side characters and friendship development? The equivalent of an Insta-romance.
The romance? Eye-roll-worthy.
The plot? Unoriginal and painfully predictable.

There were so many interesting directions this story could have taken, but instead, it constantly spoon-feeds the reader information and relies on the same ideas being repeated over and over. By the end, the biggest feeling I was left with was disappointment over what this book could have been.

[Mikes Bookstagram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s address the elephant in the room first. This book feels heavily inspired by Fourth Wing and a series written by an evil woman that shall not be named. And honestly, the similarities are hard to ignore.

That being said, I had a blast! The writing was fantastic and engaging, and it had me turning the pages faster and faster, or finding chores to do so I could listen more! The plot was interesting, the characters were well done, the world was cool, and while I enjoyed all of that, the action is where this book really shined!

Our main character, Aiden, enters a school for dragon riders with a mission to find the truth behind his parents’ death. He doesn’t quite fit in and quickly finds himself in trouble. Aiden will have to find a way to accomplish his goal while navigating his new school.

My biggest issue with this book was just how obvious the influence from other works was. There were definitely moments where I wished the book had leaned more into its own identity instead of feeling so familiar.

Overall, I had a blast and couldn’t get enough! If you want a fun, action packed dragon rider story and don’t mind some very obvious Fourth Wing influence, definitely check this one out!

[Hell of a book (Helga) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so wanted to love this book about a dragon with a disability. The premise of this one is very promising but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

Lets start with mentioning the elephant in the room. Its ok to be inspired by a book (or two books in this case), but you do have to put your own creativity in it to be original. Wing weaver is Harry Potter mixed with Fourth wing but without the excitement and flow that both books have.

Aeden, the male protagonist, is starting as a first year at the “dangerous” Aviara academy. A “deadly” school where they teach kids to become dragon riders. He forms a forbidden bond with Nyra, a rare dragon whose wings are damaged. In a world where flight equals power, they have to find their way while navigating school hierarchy and fighting a threat from the outside.

This book is written in third person POV. I loved the parts about the hatchery. I mean, who doesn’t love baby dragons? The fact that the author called them Aer-Kin was also very nice add. Although he does switch back to dragon now and then, making it loose its continuity. I also adored Nyra. She was sweet and pulled a bit on my heart strings. Kael was a bad version of Draco Malfoy. The ultimate, rich, bully. And although I hated him, he was one of the few characters with a personality.

I expected a YA fantasy that brushed up to epic or high fantasy but it felt like reading a (very young) YA book. The world building is practically nonexistent. We learn nothing about the war or why and who they are fighting. The system with the four specialized classes of Supports, Scouts, Offense and Guardian were a nice add if it wasn’t for the fact that the background/ explanation isn’t clear. The “deadly” academy seems only deadly for our main protagonist who, by the way, is a bit of an ass. The rest of the characters in the book remain very flat. And the pacing was very slow till the end.

What bugged me the most was the fact that there a quite a few mistakes in this book. Who ever edited it should give the money back! The plot has a lot of holes in it but the repeats? They drove me insane. This is micro managing at top tear level. Spelling out everything that is happening over and over and over again yet never going into details. For example the reason why Aeden is at the academy is mentioned at least 50 times yet never really goes into depth. The same with the threat that does eventually come. It’s full of plot holes, doesn’t make sense and hardly any backstory is given. This book is a textbook example of tell and not show. There was no need for this book to be 680 pages. If you skip all the page filling and repeats, the main story could have been cut down to about 300 pages. I did finish because the storyline still kept me wanting to know how it would end but all in all there was too much I didn’t like.

I think this book would be perfect for people who are new to the fantasy genre or around 10-12 years old.
On a scale from 1-10 I rated this a 4.

[Bookdragon85]

I am honoured you have read this as an arc read.

absolute masterpiece. its over 600 pages but it doesn't seem like you are reading that many pages.
if you love a dragon story then READ THIS
its harry Potter meets how to train your dragon meets fourth wing (without the love/spice).

magic system, villians on both sides (when you read it you will understand), friendship and the dragons are awesome.
i truly cant wait to continue this epic journey with aeden and nyra.

[Momma T's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good quote at the beginning of a story. And sometimes those quotes set the expectation of what is to come.

"This story is about strength that doesn't look like everyone else's. It's about finding your fire when the world thinks your are broken."

From the very begining you knew there would be emotions. There would be grit. There would be an undeniable pull for you to keep going ... no mater what was thrown your way. You knew, no mater how many words, you were going to sit down and enjoy the whole of it.

You were pulled in from the very beginning. Unnerving heart, laughter, unstoppable hatred, family. It takes you through all the feelings and senses. The likeabiliy of all characters (except Kael). The transition from one story arc to the next was flawless. The magic system intricately woven through out. The world-building that had you perfectly seeing what you were reading.

What do you take away from it? A complete sense of belonging. A great group of friends (except Kael) and an undeniable strength and understanding that you can do anything you want.

YOUR DISABILITY DOES NOT DEFINE YOU!

[Stacey Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 2.75⭐️ rounded up. This is not a bad book, I think it has some potential, but I wanted to LOVE this. Almost DNF’d, but stuck it out. Honestly, I feel like a lot of this book felt like a knock off of Fourth Wing, starting with the name of the region the school is in (Nevaria - Navarre), the dragon the MC wasn’t supposed to bond with, if the dragon (Aer-Kan) dies, then the rider dies, and so many more similarities that became too hard to look past.

Would I read the second book…likely not, but I’m always open to changing my mind in the future

[Mackenzie Lecy-Schoenherr · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Good plot but annoyed by the overuse of names from other popular series.
Cassian — Cassian ACOTAR
Rowan — Rowan TOG
Kael — Chaol TOG
Lucien — Lucien ACOTAR
Nevaria — Navarre Fourth Wing
Aeden — Aelen/Aedion TOG

[Matthew McGoldison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel bad about this rating, because the intention behind the book is so pure, as is the clear passion of the author. The plot hook - a dragon who can't fly - was linked in online marketing to challenging stereotypes around people with disabilities etc, and for that I salute the author. I was extremely excited about this novel, and I bought it instantly once I read the blurb. The best thing I can say for this book, unfortunately, is that it moves at pace and it has some exciting action, with a small number of unexpected turns that keep things slightly interesting.

However, outside of the plotting, I found the writing to be a real mess. It's got a few typos as others have pointed out, but I could forgive that if not for the weak sentence structures and grasp of grammar. I had to train my brain to speed read past the superfluous language and repetition in order to give the story a chance. This book is crying out for a proper, aggressive, proof read and a MUCH more directive editor to carve away all of the double speak. I lost count of the amount of times I was told the same information twice in 2 pages, or over and over again through the course of the book. In-sentence examples include "The warmth that coated his body when the light touched him was like a warm hug." and "A formation of second-year students followed in close formation" . There's also a tendency to use the protagonists name endlessly, despite the close-3rd person narration making it abundantly obvious who "he" would have meant.

In terms of the story, this book attempts to bring together elements of Harry Potter, Eragon, Red Rising and similar. These books are all already filled with tropes, but find their own identity among them. Wing Weaver struggles to do so, despite the strength of its premise, and is so full of cliches that at times it's exhausting. There's a lot of other issues, such as the inconsistent use of "Dragon" instead of "Aer-Kin" on a small enough number of occasions to feel like an oversight, rather than any sort of deliberate choice. Overall these all point to a book that has potential but really needs a lot of work to be a contender in an extremely cluttered genre.

Hand on heart, I felt the ending betrayed the concept. If we were supposed to see Nyra embraced and celebrated for what made her different, just giving her a different way of flying and making her super duper special feels like it really goes against that message.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic, dragons, psycho teachers, combat training, all wrapped up in an academic setting with a host of lovable and despicable characters! This book gave me Fourth Wing Vibes and I’ll admit I did compare it to Fourth Wing at times but I had to remind myself this is not the same!

This book held my attention from the start. At no point did I feel like this book was slow or boring, it was perfectly paced to keep the reader entertained.

It did a good job of painting a picture for me to easily visualize action scenes. However, I don’t feel it provided good character descriptions so it was difficult to visualize each character in the setting.

I did immersive read this one, the audiobook was quite enjoyable for the most part. The narrator’s accent was a bit odd in the beginning but once I got used to it, I didn’t have any issues with it. Unfortunately Nyra’s character narration was very unlikable. I found myself annoyed by her for most of the book.

I do recommend this book if you enjoy dragons, an academic setting, magic, and some brutal (in my opinion) fight/battle scenes. If you enjoyed Fourth Wing this might help scratch that itch while we (impatiently) wait for the next book 😂

[Nyx · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing is simply not good? It's heavily redundant, the plot is pretty much non existant (to the point I reached, at least). There is no overarching background story (so far), meaning that the story entirely relies on Arden, and unfortunately, Aeden is a flat, uninteresting character whose backstory is nothing to write home about.

The sentences/syntax/prose itself is not the worst I've read, but also far from being the best. A LOT is told. Some is both shown AND and told within the same paragraph which makes everything sloggish to go through.

I noted for example that the word "group" came up four times within 2/3 lines, and about ten times within one and a half page. As you read you can't help but notice these things, the awkward phrasing, the awkward dialogues, how the conversations don't flow well at all and feel at times too modern and childish even when an adult is speaking (Master Storm for example reads like a cartoonish, 16 years old bully).

As I said Aeden does not have much going for him. He's not interesting at all, he has no depth whatsoever, his valid anger at his parents' death is told too much (and awkwardly) rather than showed. The side characters are just as flat and feel Flanderised (ie: Harrison and his attraction for Selene, Storm's general anger). I thought it would get more compelling as Nary arrives, but even her character is written stiffly?

The conversations are just clumsy and mechanical, where it feels written for and by someone quite young.

Unfortunate disappointment because the premise interested me from the get go, but the writing, 2D characters, empty world building and lack of actual plot turned the story into a slog. The book is in dire need of an editor and is at least 200 pages too long.

[Kathryn Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐

Stumbled across this indie author on TikTok and I'm very glad I did!

Makes me think of Harry Potter x Fourth Wing x How to Train your dragon. Did I see the similarities with these stories whilst reading? Yes. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it was well written and a great story to it.

Would definitely recommend and I look forward to the sequel!

[Céline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hoewel ik het idee erg interessant vind. Werd in soms uit het verhaal gehaald om verschillende redenen:
1. Sommige zinnen worden meerdere malen vrij snel achter elkaar herhaald. Ik snap dat het belangrijke punten waren om over te brengen. Maar sommige momenten was het meer dat het voelde alsof de schrijver was vergeten dat hij die zin al gezegd had, toen verdere context is gaan leggen om vervolgens weer hetzelfde te zeggen.
2. Je zou verwachten van een MMC die zo god damn koppig is, dat die ook standvastig zou zijn. Dit is niet het geval. Binnen enkele bladzijdes gaat zijn hoofd focus van onderzoek naar zijn ouders dood, naar zijn airkin en weer terug. Of niet spreken met zijn vrienden, om vervolgens weer volledig op hen terug te vallen. Vluchten om gelijk weer aan te vallen. Op sommige momenten kreeg ik bijna whiplash.
Het idee is goed. Maar het voelt gewoon nog als een beginnende schrijver

[Sena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m so furious about this book. Spelling mistakes, too many resemblances with other books to be considered as a coincidence (Nevaria-Navarre (Fourth Wing), Archon-Archeron (A Court of Thorns and Roses), the concept of a chosen one (Harry Potter)), zero character development, inconsistencies about storytelling… You can’t just say that “Aeden picked up his blade” and then say that “he nearly dropped his sword”. What the hell? Since when do we consider a blade as a sword? Or when did he lose his blade and picked up his sword? This is one of the worst storytelling I’ve ever seen. I give 2 stars because of the effort and for a few chapters that gave me hope, though not met. 684 pages for 22€. I asked for a refund because this is not why we pay for books, and thankfully I got it. I don’t even understand this high rating. Did not do a DNF just to be able to write this review with a clear conscience.

[Catarina Canita · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Epa se isto é praticamente plagio de fourth wing e harry potter com personagens diferentes? Sim. Se é um bom livro? Também :)

[Kerensa Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh god.... Sorry but no. Harry Potter had a love Child with fourth wing and Hagrid is reborn

[Officially A Book Dragon · Rating 2 out of 5]

​The Vibe:

​A heavily marketed dragon fantasy that unfortunately falls flat due to slow pacing, repetitive writing, and a frustrating main character.

​My Thoughts:

​I really struggled with this one. I wanted so badly to love it, but I just couldn't. At over 500 pages, the book feels far too long for how little actually happens. A lot of the marketing emphasized that the author—who is disabled himself—wrote a disabled dragon, but in practice, it felt like the classic trope of an underdog who supposedly shouldn't succeed actually being the most powerful and mythical creature around.

​The Leads:

​The main character was a major hurdle for me. Rather than coming across as sympathetic or compelling, they felt petulant and childish, which made it really difficult to root for them as the story progressed.

​Writing & Plot Mechanics:

​The story suffered from glaring plot holes, along with several instances where the narrative either repeated or outright contradicted itself. Between the circular writing and long stretches where very little occurred, keeping momentum was a real challenge.

​Bottom Line:

​A disappointing read that had a lot of potential on paper. Between the pacing issues, character writing, and plot inconsistencies, it just didn't work for me.

[Miriam O'Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, my first by Beswick, lots of fun, some dark elements, no smut or romance (which made a nice change!), definitely recommended for fans of Fourth Wing and the like

[Tigereno · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has instantly become one of my all time favourite books. This is how good Fourth Wing should have been. I loved and felt for the characters, especially Nyra. I felt so many emotions reading this (and totally wanted to punch Kael multiple times). The only negative I have is that there were some parts where there were time jumps that had me wondering what I'd missed. One paragraph had one thing happening and next paragraph was hours later. There are maps too! I really enjoyed the story, the characters, and their growth. I got a little mixed up between Harrison and Harrington, but I think that's just a me thing. Nyra is such a sweetie and bad*ss, definitely wasn't expecting what happened to her. I just want to read the sequel already!

[Mikkel Bronze · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to recieve an early copy of this absolute delight of a book, before publication which i am very greatful for. this book was a joy to read, start to finish, however that does not mean that it was a perfect book, so lets start with the negatives:

Cons:
1. For the first half of the book we are for what feels like every other page reminded of the MC's motivations for being at the academy, and at a certain point it gets pretty annoying.
2. All of the characters in the book for whatever reason almost instantaneously either becomes best friends ever, willing to risk their lives for eachother, or mortal enemies with murder in their eyes, as soon as they see eachother. Its a bit, and to a certain degree breaks the immersion of the reader.
3. obviously the whole dragon rider academy thing has been done a number of times already.

That being said, those things to me atleast are minor issues and does not really take away from the overall enjoyment of the story, so now to the good parts:

Pros:
1. despite all the characters unnatural ability to form lifespanding relationships with a first impression, are each and every single character in this book, unique, interesting, likeable or extremely dislikeable (think Joffrey from GOT), at multiple points in the story did i catch myself feeling excited, or anxious not only for the MC but for many of the sidecharactors or genuine hatred from some of the villains or enemies in the story, which to me speaks volumes about the authors ability to create characters with interesting personalities.
2. spite the whole dragonrider setting not really being an original ideer, did i contantly sit with a feeling of awe and intrigue about the world the story takes place in. As the reader i never felt bored of the setting, i was ever spoon-fed lines upon lines of exposition, i was drip-fed with a little bit of information throughout the entire story, that gradually shaped a larger picture, about a wholy unique world with alot of history that i cant wait to read more about i later instalments to the series.

So in conclusion: was the story perfect? No. Does that mean it is not worth your time? Absolutely not, i was having a blast reading this book, despite it being quite a lengthy story, did i read it from start to finish in about 4 or 5 days, and im not a particularly fast reader. So if you're a fan of fantasy and dragons, absolutly pick this one up.

And thanks to A.P. Beswick and Beswick Publishing for allowing me to read this amazing story before the offical publishing date.

[Heath Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wing Weaver by A.P. Beswick (No Spoiler)
I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of the first book in the Aviara Academy series, Wing Weaver, which was perhaps one of the best fantasy novels written by Beswick thus far. It has laid the foundation of what could end up being one of my favourite fantasy series of all time.
The story starts off following the main protagonist, Aeden, and his journey at the Aviara Academy Dragon Riding school. It is made abundantly clear within the first few pages why Aeden is there and what the main plot of the story is, but it then continues to quickly flesh out the school and the marvellous world that is Nevaria. Unlike other fantasy novels where they tend to focus on the main character and their background to start with, which can lead to slower starts, Beswick has decided to pull no punches and dives into the action straight away. He has chosen to focus on building the world, friends & foes around Aeden first and their adventures rather than Aeden himself. As the story progresses the little pieces of the puzzle that is Aeden that are filled in along the way, but you still feel like you know him well from page one. There is a familiarity there. However, at the same time I suppose it’s hard for us to get to know Aeden well, as he doesn’t really know himself. Thus, there is a coming-of-age aspect to this story as well as Aeden must mature quickly with the adversity he faces.
The book continues at a frantic pace as it jumps from one small story arc to the next whilst cleverly still filling out the overarching background story at the same time. It kept me enthralled the whole way as there were no lulls and at times, I feel it could have slowed the pace down, this would be my main criticism. At no stage did the story lose my interest as I eagerly turned the page for more.
In the end you will fall in love with many of the characters, loath some, and have your heart broken by others. Whilst the book never got me misty eyed, it did pull at the heart strings, and I felt a real connection with many of the main cast.
I really enjoy the dragon riding sub genre in fantasy and have found many too focused on the romantic interests in the story as the dragon riding takes a back seat. This is not the case with Wing Weaver as it thoroughly scratched that itch.
Overall A.P. Beswick has done a marvellous job with Wing Weaver, and I highly recommend it to anyone into fantasy story telling. The only problem is the time we must wait until the second book arrives!

[Red Ink Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wing Weaver (Book 1, Avaria Academy) – A. P. Beswick

I was very lucky to be a part of the ARC team for this book.

A.P. Beswick is an American author who use to work as a mental health nurse. He now writes dark fantasy stories with morally complex characters, world building, and stories that will not pull punches.



Ever since the death of his parents Aeden has only ever had one goal in mind – join the Aviara Academy where they trained and try to uncover the truth about their deaths.

The last thing that Aeden expected was to bond with a dragon not in the hatchery at the academy, a dragon from an egg that never should have been able to bond, let alone hatch.

In doing this Aeden has done something no one has ever done before; he’s broken tradition and now if investigating his parents' death wasn’t enough to land him in trouble, this now certainly has.

But now, Aeden has a chance to prove himself, prove this his dragon, Nyra, is just as powerful, just as useful as any of them. Yet Nyra has a broken wing and will never be able to bear him as a rider let alone fly – nevertheless Aeden and Nyra are both determined to show the whole of the academy what they are truly capable of.

As Aeden battles through this with Nyra, he is also battling the loneliness of being the outcast, the underdog at the academy amongst his peers and with some professors. Whilst Aeden might be hiding his true purpose for coming to the academy, he isn’t the only one with secrets in these halls, and this leads to a fight for more than just his and Nyra’s lives.



“Wing Weaver” is a dragon rider series perfect series for those that enjoyed the Eragon and the Skandar series. It is fast paced with lots of action and a poor misbegotten young man who is determined to make his make and find out what truly happened to his parents. There is strong world building that doesn’t overwhelm the reader or the telling of the story. It has an intricate magic system and an interesting social class which affected a person’s life and standing in the academy. Though it was touched on and alluded to what happened to his parents, I feel there could be more there to tell, and I am hoping we learn more about this in the next book. I do not want to give any spoilers away but the ending – was utterly beautiful and magical and am excited for what is next in store.

[Michael Reyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of "Wing Weaver" from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The High Points
"Wing Weaver" is an ambitious, massive epic. At nearly 700 pages, it is a significant undertaking, but the story remains engaging throughout. A.P. Beswick has done a masterful job with the descriptive prose; the scenes are painted so vividly that you feel fully immersed in the setting. The inclusion of a map of the academy and the surrounding lands was a welcome touch for navigating such an expansive world.

One of the highlights is the creative reimagining of dragons as "Aer-kins." The attention to their ecology—how they breed, live, and bond with their riders—adds a fresh layer of depth to the genre. The character interactions feel authentic and flow naturally, leading up to a final plot twist that truly caught me off guard!

Areas for Consideration
World-building on this scale is a monumental task, and while the setting is rich, I found myself questioning the internal logic of the "Class" system (Offence, Guardian, Scout, and Support). These roles are strictly determined by lineage, yet the narrative doesn't seem to account for the reality of mixed heritage. Since the bond with an Aer-kin is permanent and determined before a rider's true power is known, the lack of explanation for how the Academy handles "mixed" students felt like a missed opportunity for realism and tension.

Additionally, readers should be aware of the tone and complexity. The early scenes of parents dropping students off at the academy gave me a "Middle Grade" impression (reminiscent of the early Harry Potter books), which made the transition to frequent, heavy swearing quite jarring. Furthermore, many characters and Aer-kins have very unique names; the addition of a pronunciation guide or glossary would have been a great help. This is definitely a story intended for the older end of the Young Adult or New Adult spectrum.

Final Verdict
Minor logic gaps and linguistic hurdles aside, I enjoyed the journey. If you are a fan of dragon-rider lore and immersive, high-stakes fantasy, "Wing Weaver" is well worth the read.

[Amy]

I went into this expecting one kind of story… and got something completely different. And honestly? That shift took me a minute to adjust to. I was gearing up for an adult, emotionally devastating fantasy, but this reads much more like older YA - pure fantasy, very little romance (blink-and-you’ll-miss-it crush energy), and a strong focus on identity, belonging, and resilience.

What did hit for me was the emotional frustration. I was constantly angry at how Aeden is treated - and equally frustrated at his very teenage-boy decisions. It created this push-pull where I was deeply invested but also internally screaming at him half the time. Nyra, on the other hand, completely stole my heart. Her journey - wanting to be accepted as she is, not “fixed” - felt incredibly genuine and quietly powerful. She’s perfect exactly as she is, and that message landed.

The friendships were another standout. Aeden’s friends showing up for him no matter how hard he tried to push them away? That’s the kind of loyalty I love to see. But not everyone is safe in this world - I’m very suspicious of Storme, Vale, and Sorrel 👀 and I have thoughts about the Sable Twins. Also… Lyric, we need to talk. The way he treated Midnight after that moment? I’m reconsidering everything.

I will say, the “brutal academy” angle didn’t fully hit for me. We’re told how deadly it is, but compared to other academy fantasies, it didn’t feel quite as intense. That said, there’s clearly a lot we don’t know yet. There are gaps in the world-building and magic system, but it feels intentional - like we’re uncovering things alongside Aeden. I’m especially curious about the magic, the thing in the trees (???), and what’s really going on behind the scenes.

Pacing-wise, it did drag a bit in the middle for me, but once it picked up, I was locked in. And while the ending wasn’t what I wanted, it definitely has me ready to continue the series.

If you’re into Harry Potter x Fourth Wing x Eragon vibes - dragon academies, found family, hidden secrets, and emotional character journeys - you’ll probably have a great time with this.

Overall, I really enjoyed it, even if it wasn’t what I expected - and I’m absolutely curious to see where the story goes next.

Thank you to A.P. Beswick for the ARC!