LitPick Review
Two kids, two animals: Hawk and Cat. Will they hunt each other, or will they fight the urge to kill, because the brother and sister need each other in the human world? Emmet and Niki are caged in. They both crave the outdoors, but after the "incident in the woods," Niki is kept at home and Emmet is kept at the Tomington Center. They both long for the freedom to enjoy fresh, open air. According to Niki, it is because they have the ability to transform: Emmet to hawk, Niki to cat. Is this true, or is the story Niki wrote for the Father Project as fantastic as it sounds? They both have wounds, but is it because hawk wanted to kill cat and cat wanted to kill hawk, or is it because brother and sister got in a fight? A Fast and Brutal Wing, is a series of letters that Niki, Emmet and their friend, Doug, send to Dr. Milton, and a story that Niki wrote about the time before and leading up to the "incident in the woods." What is the truth?
Opinion:
Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson uses the element of suspense to keep her readers turning the pages. They seek the truth. You can feel the air under Emmet's wings in Niki's story, and you want it to be true. Her story gives a reason as to why everybody thinks the siblings are strange. Then, you hear the reasoning in Doug's voice when he says that they are just trying to get away from the mess of the human world, and you doubt yourself. Then you don't know what to think so you stop thinking about how you want it to end, and you just keep reading, trying to find out how it does end. A Fast and Brutal Wing is well- written book, but it has its down points. Those times when you're reading all of these letters and you just want to get back to the excitement of Niki's story. Readers of all ages will learn something from this book, and most of you will look at life a little bit differently when you're done.
