Review: Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart
SYNOPSIS:
Before, I was a million things. Now I’m only one. The Burned Girl.
Ava Lee has lost everything there is to lose: Her parents. Her best friend. Her home. Even her face. She doesn’t need a mirror to know what she looks like–she can see her reflection in the eyes of everyone around her.
A year after the fire that destroyed her world, her aunt and uncle have decided she should go back to high school. Be “normal” again. Whatever that is. Ava knows better. There is no normal for someone like her. And forget making friends–no one wants to be seen with the Burned Girl, now or ever.
But when Ava meets a fellow survivor named Piper, she begins to feel like maybe she doesn’t have to face the nightmare alone. Sarcastic and blunt, Piper isn’t afraid to push Ava out of her comfort zone. Piper introduces Ava to Asad, a boy who loves theater just as much as she does, and slowly, Ava tries to create a life again. Yet Piper is fighting her own battle, and soon Ava must decide if she’s going to fade back into her scars . . . or let the people by her side help her fly.
REVIEW:
*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*
This book had the potential for greatness but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. I read the synopsis online and instantly wanted to dive into the story. Tackling such a tough topic was going to go one of two ways, it was going to be an emotionally gripping success or an epic flop.
I liked Ava’s story and journey. Our main character has been through quiet a lot. I appreciated her struggles and battles with finding a ‘new normal’ and just settling into life. But a massive problem with this story is that Ava’s journey is completely overshadowed by her new best friend, Piper. Piper literally steals the show and not in a good way. While Piper herself has scars as well, she is also a liar, conniving, vindictive, manipulative, and controlling. Basically, the more I learned about Piper, the more I loathed her as a character and person.
Piper integrates herself into Ava’s life and literally takes over. From painting Ava’s room neon pick to manipulating Ava emotionally, I was appalled by her behavior. There was a lot of lying and scheming on Piper’s end and when everything was revealed…Ava literally forgave her for it all, pretended it didn’t happen, and their friendship resumed. I was honestly reeling from this. Erin Stewart doesn’t seem to interact with teens often because I have seen friendships burn to the ground over much less than what Piper did.
My next big peeve is the unrealistic timeline in this book. Again, Erin Stewart appears not to do her research because the week prior to a musical or play is known as hell week where the the actors and crew basically live in the auditorium and prepare and do dress rehearsals all week. I have never heard of someone getting ready at home for a play and then showing up at school in full costume for everyone to see. That is just…no it doesn’t happen.
Overall, the concept of the book was fantastic. Was Ava’s journey outside of Piper and all the other BS moving, absolutely. Did I find myself tearing up a little as she faced the ashes of her old home, yep. But was the story ruined by Piper and the blatantly lack of background research….100%.
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
