Review written by Areesha Nouman
Synopsis: Silverwing is the first book of the Silverwing series by Kenneth Oppel. The book is an animal fiction book that narrates the story of a young bat, Shade, who is separated from his colony in a storm and from there sets on a quest to return to them and solve the mystery of his missing father. Along the way, he meets bats who cross his path, both for and against him. This book is an exciting novel that is impossible to put down!
Review: I have read and reread this book many times and each time I read it, it is as exciting as when I first picked it up. This entire series by Kenneth Oppel has been one of the best reads and I have recommended it to friends, classmates, and family. As eccentric as a book about bats may seem, I think Silverwing and its companion books are some of the most compelling, suspenseful, and well-written animal fiction books I have read!
This novel about a bat who gets separated from his family, meets friends and enemies along the way, and in the end learns more about himself than he ever knew, was something that really stayed with me even after I read it. The book included so many elements at once — suspense, mystery, friendship — and so many important lessons all weaved together in a way that is easy to comprehend yet full of meaning.
Silverwing has taught me an endless amount about struggles people go through due to society — pressure of not being good enough, feeling inferior compared to those who seem bigger and more popular, falling into the traps of those who seem trustworthy, making and breaking friendships — even the pros and cons of breaking rules and how it needs to be done once in a while. Every time I read this book it once more opens my mind to so many new possibilities and meanings that this book holds. Silverwing is one of those books where no matter how many times you read it, you always find something you never noticed before within its pages.
Aside all the deep meaning that Silverwing holds, one of my favorite components of this book is how the author was able to, in a third person writing style, allow the reader to visualize and feel each character, to be the character. Being able to experience each character’s thought process and feelings brings a whole new dimension to reading — not just being able to see what’s happening, but feel what’s happening.
Overall, Silverwing is a book that once I read, changed my entire perspective to the world of animal fiction and books in general themselves. It was a book that I didn’t expect to come across, but once I decided to read it, it was a choice that I didn’t regret and haven’t to this day. Silverwing is one of my top book recommendations that I have recommended in the past, and a series I do recommend reading – and always will.
