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Gold Wings Rising

(Skybound #3)

Alex London

4.17 · Rating details · 172 ratings · 43 reviews

In the final installment of this LGBTQ fantasy series, Kylee and Brysen must fight for their lives and their humanity. Book 1 was a Today Show Book Club Pick!

The war on the ground has ended, but the war with the sky has just begun. After the Siege of the Six Villages, the ghost eagles have trapped Uztaris on both sides of the conflict. The villagers and Kartami alike hide ...more

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Hardcover, 471 pages

Published September 1st 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)

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Average rating 4.17 ·

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· 172 ratings · 43 reviews

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Start your review of Gold Wings Rising (Skybound, #3)

Feb 13, 2021 Grüffeline rated it liked it

"When death has drawn your map of days,
Best take your feet some other ways."

My first rating below four stars this year. It started out very promising, though.
I was drawn in immediatly and I almost no problems getting into the story despite having read the last intstallment years ago and remembering excactly nothing. But at some point I just started feeling lost. I couldn't keep up with the actions and decisions of any character in this book. I didn't understand the consequences, the train ...more

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Sep 05, 2020 Bethany rated it really liked it

Shelves: lgbtq

Black Wings Beating: 5 stars
Red Skies Falling: 4.5 stars
Gold Wings Rising: 4 stars

Overall Series Rating: 4.5 stars

An epic ending to this underhyped trilogy! I really wish more people would pick them up because the character work and world-building are top-notch and unlike what others in YA fantasy are doing. I can't say too much because this is book 3, but the central relationship in the series is between siblings who come from an abusive home and have a complicated relationship. Their character ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 USOM rated it it was amazing

(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

Gold Wings Rising is glorious. From the first chapter, you are immersed in detailed, atmospheric, powerful prose not to mention the emotions that will wash over you. It's hard to review the last book in a series without dwelling on the character growth and evolution, but this book hit me in the feels immediately. Gold Wings Rising is a stunning book about family, sacrifice, and war. ...more

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Oct 10, 2020 Rebeca rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020

What a creative concept with beautiful writing.

Much of the book was character driven but bringing the story into a smooth conclusion. It’s no surprised that I enjoyed the story as I have been a fan of London for a long time.

“It’s like my scars. They’re a reminder of the wounds, but they’re also a reminder that wounds heal.”

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Sep 15, 2020 DJ rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, lgbtqa, finished-series, 2020

Red Skies Falling>Gold Wings Rising> Black Wings Beating.

This was overall a good conclusion to the series. There were a lot of twists and wild things that happened I could have never predicted or foreseen in book 1. I was very surprised to see how much I loved both Brysen and Kylee. If you read my reviews for the first 2 books in the series, you'll see how much I disliked both of them in the beginning. I love how much they grew on me as I read more.

I've also mentioned in other reviews that for ...more

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Sep 16, 2020 Francesca rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites

Brilliant conclusion to a brilliant trilogy

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Jan 22, 2021 Isaac rated it really liked it

Shelves: b-read-queer-ssf, i-favourite-covers-illustrated, b-favourites, b-owned-and-read, books-i-need-to-or-might-review, age-ya

I'm so torn on what to rate this. I think I'll settle on 4.5 stars. Still a great conclusion, but it's not as good as Red Skies Falling.

-I still love most of the characters. Brysen and Kylee's development is so clear and so well-done.
-I hate Ryven. Not as a person, as a character. He exists purely to be a plot device, and nothing about his character makes any sense.
-The romance was still adorable.
-This book had an excellent portrayal of someone adapting to a disability.
-The portrayal of cycles ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 Trisha Perry rated it it was amazing

In this the third and last book of the series the war on the ground is done now but now it is Kylee and Brysen turn to fight for the sky. Everyone wants the ghost eagle for its glory and power. When a ghost eagle egg appears and Brysen finds it he knows he must take it where it will be safest, the blood birch forest and the owl mothers, and he will need all of his friends and his sister to help him get it there because others have found out what he has. But when Brysen and Kylee uncover the who ...more

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Sep 10, 2020 Katie rated it it was amazing

A great ending to the series! Wrapped things up well and was very emotional. I loved learning the backstory to the ghost eagles and I loved what the characters decided to do for their community and world!

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Jan 17, 2021 Ben Howard rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2021

This trilogy is so good. Get into it!

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Sep 05, 2020 Sabrina rated it really liked it

Guess what. I still love Jowyn with all my heart.

I can’t believe this is the end. I will miss these characters a lot. Great ending to this series!

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Dec 05, 2020 Aaron rated it it was amazing

YES YES YES ALL THE WAY YES. the perfect ending to a wild ride of a fantasy story. BRYWYN FOR EVER!!!!!!!!

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Sep 23, 2020 Will rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbt

"Change isn't collapse."

Picking up this last installment really brought "Fall is here" vibes to me after reading each previous one about the same time of year, like clockwork. Unfortunately, I think this one gave me the most frustration of any in the trilogy, and certainly took me the longest to read.

Truthfully, I never really understood why Red Skies Falling ended the way that it did. (view spoiler) ...more

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Dec 31, 2020 Michael rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series-i-am-following, gay-themed

“If help was given only to those who deserved it, civilization would’ve collapsed a long time ago,” Brysen said.

I struggled with a rating for this one. The theme of learning from your past, changing as a person and as a people, of giving help to everyone regardless of what they have done, is powerful and broad reaching. And the story comes to the conclusions it does and makes me feel hopeful for humanity. But it gets there despite some flaws in the telling.

First, I loved Brysen for all his many “If help was given only to those who deserved it, civilization would’ve collapsed a long time ago,” Brysen said.

I struggled with a rating for this one. The theme of learning from your past, changing as a person and as a people, of giving help to everyone regardless of what they have done, is powerful and broad reaching. And the story comes to the conclusions it does and makes me feel hopeful for humanity. But it gets there despite some flaws in the telling.

First, I loved Brysen for all his many, many faults. Jowyn is his heart and thermometer. Brysen makes many growth leaps in this trilogy. He is still selfish at times but I thought he changed a lot. Kylee changed as well, but I felt like it was pretty sudden and that she didn’t evolve over three books, but in a matter of pages. I know I’m being short here, and she had an arc, but she went from revenge to change to revenge and death to listening so many times, it felt more like she didn’t change, she is just in a dip in her normal cycle of life. If that makes sense.

The ghost eagles are a metaphor really. And the awful enemy in this book is a reflection of humanity more or less, right? What can we become? That was done well. See my spoiler.

(view spoiler)

I found it difficult to keep reading at some points. I know it’s about bird oriented cultures, but after three books of bird scuzz references, and the myriad of bird words and puns and rhymes... I get it, bird is the word. Bird, bird, bird. See what i did there? Maybe spend as much time on making the various evil warlords different from one another so what they say and do matters to me. Make the Owl Mothers more than a Bond Villain.

London has a gift. I’ve read 5 of his books and saw him speak. This was a good trilogy filled with hope, redemption, great characters, flawed people, some errors and odd choices, but mostly it is an enjoyable, fulfilling read. I can’t say I want to live in this fantasy world, but I’m glad I experienced it and hope they can make something of it as I leave it. ...more

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Feb 20, 2021 Victoria rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, pn-other, lgbtq, pov-female, own-and-read, pov-multiple, pov-third, series-books, read-in-2021, family-issues

This series was such a unique series to read. I loved the idea of birds being a focus, and after the ending of book 2, I had no idea where this book would lead. What I did know was that it would break open the story’s world as we knew it.

We return to Kylee and Brysen in this book. Each twin has grown in their own way throughout the book series, and they continue to grow in this one. Kylee is still very headstrong, and she still struggles sometimes, but I also see the strength she has grow. Brys This series was such a unique series to read. I loved the idea of birds being a focus, and after the ending of book 2, I had no idea where this book would lead. What I did know was that it would break open the story’s world as we knew it.

We return to Kylee and Brysen in this book. Each twin has grown in their own way throughout the book series, and they continue to grow in this one. Kylee is still very headstrong, and she still struggles sometimes, but I also see the strength she has grow. Brysen on the other hand, was always reckless and acted before thinking. This book has him taking a different approach, and while he’ll always have a part of that recklessness in him, he also has become wiser and less hasty.

At the start of this book, we see Kylee has been filled with rage and anger that’s ready to boil over at any moment. Brysen, even with all the pain he’s been through, takes another path. He takes the path of healing and life. Even with their opposing views, the twins have to find a way to come together. They have to look into themselves and learn more about what drives them. They have to understand themselves to understand the world - and to try and understand the ghost eagles.

I found the history explored in this book to be fascinating.There’s so much mystery surrounding the ghost eagles throughout the entire series, and they only seem to get more mysterious. In this book, we finally get some answers. Kylee and Brysen’s journey becomes even more intertwined with that of the eagles, and to keep going forward, they also have to look back.

This book had so much meaning in it. It really makes you think more about the actions one takes, the emotions they feel that drive them, and why. It also made me think of how we can control this in our own ways. It shows us that if something hasn’t worked time and time again, repeating it won’t make it work the next time. You have to break away from the cycle, or the cycle controls you. You have to step up if you want to take control for yourself.

Another thing I really loved was the representation this series has. Not only is one of the main characters gay, but the other is asexual. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with a main character that is asexual, but it was so well written. Kylee loves her friends and family fiercely, and that is clearly shown in the book, but it’s also made clear that she doesn’t have any romantic feelings for anyone. That’s okay. She’s happy with the family she has, and she doesn’t need a relationship to feel whole.

Overall, I felt very satisfied with how the story ended. It was an amazing trilogy that I am so grateful to have read. The way the author weaved the story together in this last book was so thought provoking. It’s definitely a book I’ll find myself thinking about and mulling over long after I’ve finished it. ...more

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Mar 12, 2021 Simi Sunny rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was quite the adventure I've had with the series because the last book blew my mind. But I sure was nervous because Kylee and Brysen were up against the new enemy, and it was the one that have saved their lives from the very beginning: the ghost eagles.

And what makes it even worse is that people like Uku and Kyrg Birgund make it ten times worse by not listening to Kylee and Brysen. They only think of themselves---thinking that violence would save them. I feel like that reflects in real lif ...more

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Oct 08, 2020 Estel rated it really liked it

This is a very fitting ending to an amazing trilogy that deals with themes of abuse, recovery, love, and breaking the cycle of intergenerational violence and trauma. It does so in a way that I think works very well to introduce the intended audience to ways of handling this healthily, while still giving a lot of hope. There's a wonderful diversity of gender and sexualities among our cast, and they feel like real, flawed people that need a hug and to be sheltered from the horrors of their world b ...more

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Sep 27, 2020 Haley Campbell rated it really liked it

This was the conclusion to the Skybound trilogy and I feel it did a nice job of wrapping everything up. ⁣
Like the previous books, it’s told from Brysen and Kylee’s perspectives, with random perspectives at the end of each section. I find myself enjoying Kylee’s sections more than Brysen’s, though I will say Brysen has grown on me quite a bit. ⁣
Some things I loved: the fact that it’s a queer fantasy trilogy about birds. There is so much representation in this book and I am here for it! Brysen and ...more

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Nov 14, 2020 Allison rated it really liked it

Shelves: library

I enjoyed reading this final installment to the Skybound trilogy. I really liked how the book ended because it didn't seem rushed at all and everything made sense. As soon as I started the book I remembered how everything went in the last two as the writing is just so detailed. The character arcs were very well done and I would have given the book five stars except for some pacing things in the beginning/middle which was why it took me over a week to read as some parts just seemed to drag on whi ...more

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Nov 20, 2020 Megan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 19, 2020 BranPap rated it really liked it

Shelves: queer, fantasy, ya, fiction

Okay so the ending moral of 'sometimes you need to let yourself have space to grieve and then take that solace to build something new from the ashes' was maybe a LITTLE on the nose this week, but hey, that just means it's a relatable text, right?

Anyways, I love this story, I love this world, I love this world-BUILDING, and I love Kylee and Brysen. My aro-ace queen and gay king, respectively. Jowyn is a bi icon.

Give me more escapist fantasy with such a lively cast of queer characters that also m ...more

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Sep 04, 2020 Kendra Lawrence rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this little trilogy. Gay and ace representation, and the bird theme felt original. The characters have to make tough choices, and there are lessons to be learned about cycles humans can get caught in when they repeat history.

The ending was hopeful, filled with promise. I would have liked to have known more about the sky burials and souls going to the sky, and also more about the world itself, but that's just the lore addict in me.

All in all, I enjoyed this series. There seems t ...more

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Aug 31, 2020 Karen Cohn rated it really liked it

This is the third book in a series. In the first book, we meet Kylee and Brysen, who are twins who were abused by their father (she mentally, while watching their father abuse him physically), and not protected by their mother, a common pattern in child abuse. They live in the Six Villages, a society centered on catching, taming, racing, fighting, and selling a wide variety of birds of prey. In the continuation from the first two books, Kylee and Brysen are attempting to control the ghost eagles This is the third book in a series. In the first book, we meet Kylee and Brysen, who are twins who were abused by their father (she mentally, while watching their father abuse him physically), and not protected by their mother, a common pattern in child abuse. They live in the Six Villages, a society centered on catching, taming, racing, fighting, and selling a wide variety of birds of prey. In the continuation from the first two books, Kylee and Brysen are attempting to control the ghost eagles as a means of bringing peace to the previous society of the Six Villages, as well as the Sky Castle and the Owl Mothers, now brought together in the aftermath of war and the addition of the survivors of the war, now all banding together, not always successfully, to defeat the ghost eagles. Early on in the novel, Brysen finds an egg - at first black, then swirling with blue blacks, red blacks, and iridescent blacks, and finally turning gold, first in swirls and then completely - a ghost eagle egg. Both the denizens of the Sky Castle and the Owl Mothers want to control the egg's future - and they need Kylee and Brysen to do it. One group wants the egg to hatch, to control the hatchling, and need Kylee and Brysen alive long enough to gain control; the other wants the egg destroyed, and Kylee and Brysen along with it. Kylee is willing to let the egg be taken; Brysen sees the egg as a chance at a new beginning, a way to break the cycle of abuse that has so far ruled their lives. No matter what happens, their society will be changed irrevocably, and forever.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, except for one thing: new characters introduced in this volume are referred to as "they"... except when they're not; at least one "they" character is referred to later as "she" and then returns to "they", which is confusing. I have no problem with transgender characters, but none of the characters introduced as "they" ever have that as a meaningful point in the story, even for character development; instead, it appears forced and contrived, and makes parts of the book difficult to read. Even Kheryn, who is introduced as a founding member of the battle boys, even though they were not in the previous two books, is never given a back story explaining why Kheryn is "they" - which makes this seem like a politically correct statement that has nothing to do with the book, and distracts from the story. ...more

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Sep 21, 2020 Naomi Waters rated it liked it

Shelves: owned, lgbtq, reviewed

This book just wasn't it for me. Kylee kinda got on my nerves in this book, and I didn't even give a crap about Brysen (who is still my favorite character). I found the story of the ghost eagles absolutely fascinating but not enough to bump this up another star. This is just another YA book to me, one I will only remember because I love the first two in the trilogy so much.
And apparently we have a ghost eagle turn into a phoenix in this. ...more

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Dec 19, 2020 Mooooooo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fav-period

This is such a beautiful closing for the trilogy. Alex, you are otherworldly. This is just heaven.

This book talked to me with its lessons, the way you carved their pain, their journey, and finally, their realization.

I love Kylee and Brysen so much, and the worldbuilding that you did for this book is magnificent. Wow. Honestly, I'm just speechless right now, I don't know what to write because this book is that amazing. Alex, you are amazing. ...more

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Mar 29, 2021 Ginny Kaczmarek rated it it was amazing

Brilliant end to this trilogy. I was relieved to come through the war into this more complicated, compelling storyline. It flips everything outside down, forcing the reader to re-examine what you think you know, alongside the characters. At times some of the travelers felt extraneous—there only to get killed off—and the grande finale might have gone in a bit too long. But I really loved this series and was all in.

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Sep 11, 2020 Veronica rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbt, owned

Although I enjoyed the ending, I feel like it pales in comparison to the first two books in the trilogy, so my actual rating is 3.5 stars (technically I would say 3.7 if that was something I could do). Either way, I’ve been waiting for this series to conclude since the start and I’m glad to have taken this journey with you, Mr. London! :)

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Sep 14, 2020 Matt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

One of the strength's of London's trilogy is how different they feel in terms of forward action for the protagonists. Kylee and Brysen learn and grow and face new and evolving threats, but each book feels distinct and separate, even as elements span and unite the story. I really enjoyed it and look forward to future entries from London. ...more

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Mar 20, 2021 Bianca rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, ya-reads, 2021-reads

one of my favourite conclusions + series, hands down. i’m so glad i picked up 2 + 3 after having read black wings beating a few years ago!! a powerful, moving series with intriguing worldbuilding from start to finish. i feel very lucky to have read this. it’s one of those series that would transpose beautifully into a tv series or movie series. sooooo good!!!

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Dec 30, 2020 Ashley Woodard rated it really liked it

Wow, what an interesting series! I picked this up at random, the audiobook, and I'm really happy I did! Such a unique world. I really enjoyed both narrators as well. I never hear anyone talking about this series, so I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to try something new! Lots of LGBT rep as well, one of the main characters is asexual and the other is gay, I believe. ...more

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Goodreads Librari...: ISBN 9780374306892	2	9	Oct 03, 2020 04:37PM

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About Alex London

Alex London

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The Short Version:

Alex London writes books for adults (One Day The Soldiers Came: Voices of Children in War), children (Dog Tags series; An Accidental Adventure series) and teens (Proxy). At one time a journalist reporting from conflict zones and refugee camps, he is now a full time novelist living in Brooklyn, NY, where he can be found wandering the streets talking to his dog, who is the real bra ...more