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Wing & Claw #3
Wing & Claw #3: Beast of Stone: An Epic Fantasy About a Healer and Animal Allies Fighting for Freedom for Children
In this third and final installment in the enchanting Wing & Claw trilogy, Newbery Medal-winning author Linda Sue Park sends her young apothecary to the front lines of a fearsome battle, where he must rely on his talents and his friends to defend what he knows is right.
Raffa Santana is a healer, not a fighter. As a gifted apothecary, he has amazing instincts for unleashing the potential of magical-seeming plants. But his skills have failed to free the animals that the heartless Chancellor captured and turned against the people of Obsidia—directly threatening Raffa’s friends and family.
Now Raffa and his ragtag group of allies are preparing to confront the Chancellor’s armies in battle. Great beasts, small animals, and humans alike will be joining the fight, and Raffa’s heart yearns to prevent injuries—and worse—on both sides of the battle. After all, the Chancellor’s creatures will be fighting against their will. Can Raffa’s instincts for apothecary arts bring a tolerable resolution to an impossibly unfair fight?
Raffa Santana is a healer, not a fighter. As a gifted apothecary, he has amazing instincts for unleashing the potential of magical-seeming plants. But his skills have failed to free the animals that the heartless Chancellor captured and turned against the people of Obsidia—directly threatening Raffa’s friends and family.
Now Raffa and his ragtag group of allies are preparing to confront the Chancellor’s armies in battle. Great beasts, small animals, and humans alike will be joining the fight, and Raffa’s heart yearns to prevent injuries—and worse—on both sides of the battle. After all, the Chancellor’s creatures will be fighting against their will. Can Raffa’s instincts for apothecary arts bring a tolerable resolution to an impossibly unfair fight?
368 pages, Paperback
First published March 6, 2018
33 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
Linda Sue Park
54 books1,188 followersLinda Sue Park is a Korean American author of children's fiction. Park published her first novel, Seesaw Girl, in 1999. To date, she has written six children’s novels and five picture books for younger readers. Park’s work achieved prominence when she received the prestigious 2002 Newbery Medal for her novel A Single Shard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
July 24, 2021
Linda Sue Park isn't known for fantasy books, but she clearly put a lot of energy into creating the land of Obsidia for the Wing & Claw trilogy. Twelve-year-old Raffa Santana is in an awful predicament as Beast of Stone begins, locked in the impenetrable Garrison in the city of Gilden as ordered by Senior Jayney. Raffa has one thing in his favor, though: Echo, the bat who gained the power of human speech after being dosed with Raffa's own apothecarial invention, is able to carry messages in and out of the jail cell...as long as he stays out of sight of the guards. Raffa shudders to think what Senior Jayney, Chancellor Leeds, and his own uncle Ansel would do to get their hands on a talking bat; it would expedite their secret experimentations to control animals for military use. Raffa routinely sends Echo out to search the Garrison's cells for Mohan Santana, Raffa's father; they need to plan a jailbreak, but who ever heard of a prisoner escaping the Garrison? Having Echo nearby is a lift for Raffa's spirits, but a good outcome to the situation seems impossible.
"Think carefully first, and then act boldly."
—Beast of Stone, P. 348
Raffa is a prodigy in the apothecarial arts for good reason: he's smart, and his intuition is rarely wrong. When an opportunity arises, Raffa executes an improbable escape from the Garrison and tastes freedom for the first time in weeks, though he regrets he couldn't also release his father. There's no time for self-pity; the Chancellor has announced plans to clear out the slums of Gilden, displacing thousands of "Afters", an ethnic group that traveled to and settled in Obsidia after the Great Quake hundreds of years ago. Where will the evicted Afters live? It sickens Raffa that his discovery of the red-vine powder that gives Echo the power of speech is being used to build an army of animals to drive the Afters out of Obsidia permanently. As he races back to his home village, the Pother Settlement, Raffa realizes the time is at hand for a final battle with the Chancellor and Senior Jayney, and Obsidia's future is at stake.
"Fight hard and fight well. But know that a quest for justice without wisdom and compassion can all too easily become cruelty."
—Haddie Oriole, Beast of Stone, P. 234
Friends new and old join Raffa and his growing coalition of those disaffected by the Chancellor's radical policies. Gilden is sure to send soldiers to hunt down Raffa and the Afters who sneak out of Obsidia ahead of the Chancellor's charge; how can a band of poor people from the slums and peaceful village apothecaries stand up to the city's mighty men? It will take brains to counter their attack without harming the animals whose minds are controlled by Senior Jayney, and Raffa is just the kid to design such a strategy. He, Garith, Jimble, Kuma, her friend Roo (the golden bear), and a host of others determined to keep Obsidia free of tyranny are prepared to put their lives on the line. Mannum Fitzer, a new ally to the cause, has information that will help: Advocate Marshall, the only member of Gilden's ruling class who outranks Chancellor Leeds, isn't aware of the plan to conduct abusive experiments on animals and wipe out the Afters. The Chancellor has kept the Advocate drugged and out of commission for months, but if he can be restored to his right mind and persuaded to act quickly, his command would override Leeds's military assault on the Pother Settlement. Raffa's mother, Salima, has been working as a spy in Gilden for months, but can she heal the Advocate in time for him to stop the Chancellor and Senior Janey? After so much hard work and desperate hope by Raffa and his allies, it will come down to one man's break-neck horse ride across the countryside to halt a would-be dictator. Is Obsidia fated to have a happy ending?
"People are a wonder. They will always surprise you, for both good and ill."
—Beast of Stone, P. 348
Forest of Wonders and Cavern of Secrets had good philosophical content, but Beast of Stone takes it further. Callian Marshall, the Advocate's teenage son, shares with Raffa and Kuma an insight from his father into the mind of those like Chancellor Leeds, and it allows us a nuanced take on her motives. According to Callian, his father "says it's natural for people to want to stick with their own. Animals do the same thing." Callian goes on. "It's not hard to care about people who are like you...Your own family, and people like them. But my da says we have to always make the extra effort with people who aren't like us. To care about them and listen to them, especially if they'e different from us. Because that's one of the things that makes us human. It's something we can do that other animals can't." Resisting the instinctive pull of tribalism by listening to and working with those who disagree with you is fundamental to a decent society, but people at all points on the cultural and political spectrum forget the importance of doing so. How can peace be maintained if we designate our ideological opponents as okay to ignore or hate? And when war is, regrettably, necessary, how do we know what tactics are ethical and which are not? Is lying to the public ever okay? In Raffa's case, is it moral to use his knowledge of medicine to hurt an armed, aggressive enemy? These gray areas are a battlefield in Raffa's mind, but he finally comes up with a principle to guide his decisions. That principle? "Using apothecary...for what's right. Whether that's healing people's bodies, or trying to stop unfairness." Raffa loathes the thought of using apothecary for war, but if it saves more people than it harms, it may be the only proper choice. Raffa still has a lot of growing up to do, but he's headed the right direction. After this adventure ends, he'll never be the same little kid he was at the start.
"Maybe kindness can get to be a habit for a person. Like a lot of other things."
—Beast of Stone, P. 284
This book is somewhat better than average. Like its two predecessors, though, it lacks the electricity and deep sense of immersion that would put it over the top as great. I love Raffa, Garith, Jimble, and other characters, but the series had potential to be better. There are also a few plot holes in Beast of Stone; I won't give specifics in the interest of avoiding spoilers, but one of them is a turning point involving Echo late in the book. Of all the things I'll remember the Wing & Claw trilogy for, Raffa and Echo's relationship is foremost. Raffa has long feared Echo reverting to his natural state, losing his ability to speak with humans. How will Raffa cope when Echo flies away for the last time, forcing him to say goodbye to a friend like no other? This is where the series comes closest to a memorable emotional moment. Ranking the trilogy, Beast of Stone is best; I rate it two and a half stars, and not a lot more would have been needed for me to round to three. Forest of Wonders and Cavern of Secrets are about equal to each other, though I might take the former because that's where the world-building is freshest. I don't recommend the Wing & Claw series as enthusiastically as Linda Sue Park's best historical fiction (A Single Shard, Keeping Score, etc.), but if you like low-key fantasy with just a touch of magic, you might enjoy the books. Goodbye Raffa, Garith, Jimble, and company. I'll think on you often.
"Think carefully first, and then act boldly."
—Beast of Stone, P. 348
Raffa is a prodigy in the apothecarial arts for good reason: he's smart, and his intuition is rarely wrong. When an opportunity arises, Raffa executes an improbable escape from the Garrison and tastes freedom for the first time in weeks, though he regrets he couldn't also release his father. There's no time for self-pity; the Chancellor has announced plans to clear out the slums of Gilden, displacing thousands of "Afters", an ethnic group that traveled to and settled in Obsidia after the Great Quake hundreds of years ago. Where will the evicted Afters live? It sickens Raffa that his discovery of the red-vine powder that gives Echo the power of speech is being used to build an army of animals to drive the Afters out of Obsidia permanently. As he races back to his home village, the Pother Settlement, Raffa realizes the time is at hand for a final battle with the Chancellor and Senior Jayney, and Obsidia's future is at stake.
"Fight hard and fight well. But know that a quest for justice without wisdom and compassion can all too easily become cruelty."
—Haddie Oriole, Beast of Stone, P. 234
Friends new and old join Raffa and his growing coalition of those disaffected by the Chancellor's radical policies. Gilden is sure to send soldiers to hunt down Raffa and the Afters who sneak out of Obsidia ahead of the Chancellor's charge; how can a band of poor people from the slums and peaceful village apothecaries stand up to the city's mighty men? It will take brains to counter their attack without harming the animals whose minds are controlled by Senior Jayney, and Raffa is just the kid to design such a strategy. He, Garith, Jimble, Kuma, her friend Roo (the golden bear), and a host of others determined to keep Obsidia free of tyranny are prepared to put their lives on the line. Mannum Fitzer, a new ally to the cause, has information that will help: Advocate Marshall, the only member of Gilden's ruling class who outranks Chancellor Leeds, isn't aware of the plan to conduct abusive experiments on animals and wipe out the Afters. The Chancellor has kept the Advocate drugged and out of commission for months, but if he can be restored to his right mind and persuaded to act quickly, his command would override Leeds's military assault on the Pother Settlement. Raffa's mother, Salima, has been working as a spy in Gilden for months, but can she heal the Advocate in time for him to stop the Chancellor and Senior Janey? After so much hard work and desperate hope by Raffa and his allies, it will come down to one man's break-neck horse ride across the countryside to halt a would-be dictator. Is Obsidia fated to have a happy ending?
"People are a wonder. They will always surprise you, for both good and ill."
—Beast of Stone, P. 348
Forest of Wonders and Cavern of Secrets had good philosophical content, but Beast of Stone takes it further. Callian Marshall, the Advocate's teenage son, shares with Raffa and Kuma an insight from his father into the mind of those like Chancellor Leeds, and it allows us a nuanced take on her motives. According to Callian, his father "says it's natural for people to want to stick with their own. Animals do the same thing." Callian goes on. "It's not hard to care about people who are like you...Your own family, and people like them. But my da says we have to always make the extra effort with people who aren't like us. To care about them and listen to them, especially if they'e different from us. Because that's one of the things that makes us human. It's something we can do that other animals can't." Resisting the instinctive pull of tribalism by listening to and working with those who disagree with you is fundamental to a decent society, but people at all points on the cultural and political spectrum forget the importance of doing so. How can peace be maintained if we designate our ideological opponents as okay to ignore or hate? And when war is, regrettably, necessary, how do we know what tactics are ethical and which are not? Is lying to the public ever okay? In Raffa's case, is it moral to use his knowledge of medicine to hurt an armed, aggressive enemy? These gray areas are a battlefield in Raffa's mind, but he finally comes up with a principle to guide his decisions. That principle? "Using apothecary...for what's right. Whether that's healing people's bodies, or trying to stop unfairness." Raffa loathes the thought of using apothecary for war, but if it saves more people than it harms, it may be the only proper choice. Raffa still has a lot of growing up to do, but he's headed the right direction. After this adventure ends, he'll never be the same little kid he was at the start.
"Maybe kindness can get to be a habit for a person. Like a lot of other things."
—Beast of Stone, P. 284
This book is somewhat better than average. Like its two predecessors, though, it lacks the electricity and deep sense of immersion that would put it over the top as great. I love Raffa, Garith, Jimble, and other characters, but the series had potential to be better. There are also a few plot holes in Beast of Stone; I won't give specifics in the interest of avoiding spoilers, but one of them is a turning point involving Echo late in the book. Of all the things I'll remember the Wing & Claw trilogy for, Raffa and Echo's relationship is foremost. Raffa has long feared Echo reverting to his natural state, losing his ability to speak with humans. How will Raffa cope when Echo flies away for the last time, forcing him to say goodbye to a friend like no other? This is where the series comes closest to a memorable emotional moment. Ranking the trilogy, Beast of Stone is best; I rate it two and a half stars, and not a lot more would have been needed for me to round to three. Forest of Wonders and Cavern of Secrets are about equal to each other, though I might take the former because that's where the world-building is freshest. I don't recommend the Wing & Claw series as enthusiastically as Linda Sue Park's best historical fiction (A Single Shard, Keeping Score, etc.), but if you like low-key fantasy with just a touch of magic, you might enjoy the books. Goodbye Raffa, Garith, Jimble, and company. I'll think on you often.
June 29, 2018
This trilogy is something we should be reading and discussing with our kids. Ethics, morals, misunderstanding, miseducation, bias, bigotry, disregard, inequality, exclusion, power and greed are among the topics that can be connected from this story to our current social reality. Are you more like Raffa, Trixin, Jimble, Kuma, Garith, Ansel, Jayne, ... who do you relate to and why. How do you see this story playing itself out in your town - what might you do to alter it and how?
January 15, 2021
Absolutely amazing and a great way to end the series. I loved it.
January 7, 2025
2nd time listening to audiobook, this time with the kids: we all loved it!
_
1st time: After finishing this last book, I highly recommend the series! It is rich with thought-provoking and important themes, is creative and clever, and is very well written.
Characters aren’t portrayed as all bad or all good; they have different motivations and blind spots. There are also gray areas where the “right thing” isn’t very clear.
I love this nuanced approach! The book humanizes the individuals within groups (and their thoughts / circumstances) rather than assuming the worst of the other group’s actions / motivations.
The author accomplishes this without crossing into moral relativism. The emphasis is on understanding WHY people do what they do, without excusing wrongs. Actions have consequences. However, groups are made up of individual people who are likely not completely aligned with or aware of everything that comes from the leaders.
_
Other themes from book 3:
Integrity, honesty, courage, and the associated inner struggles
Understanding people who are different from yourself
Evaluating options based on morals / ethics
Prejudice
Strength in community
Loyalty and betrayal
Sacrificial love
Being good stewards of wild animals and the use of botanicals for/against people (without animal/nature spiritualization)
_
Notable Quotes:
“Know that a quest for justice without wisdom and compassion can all too easily become cruelty.”
“It’s natural for people to want to stick with their own […] it’s not hard to care about people who are like you. […] we have to always make the extra effort with people who aren’t like us. To care about them and listen to them - especially if they’re different from us.”
“The load of responsibility was heavy, and uncomfortable. But he would choose it any day over hopelessness.”
“A few thoughtless words had exploded into a dreadful fraud. He had lied to all those people, just like the Chancellor who had been lying all along. […] He had lied to people who were depending on him. Not only that, but his mistake was grounded in a cowardly yearning: the wish to make a difficulty vanish without effort. […] Now he was making things worse by trying to justify what he had done.”
“How could he fix his dreadful mistake? It did not take long for him to come to the conclusion that how was not the hard part. He knew what had to be done. The only way to undo a lie was by telling the truth, and getting people to believe it. […] I know that what I did was wrong and I have to fix it.”
“He thought grimly that it would be much easier to tell who the enemy was if they would at least look or sound evil. But they don’t. They look and sound like anyone else.”
Pitying someone “For the choices he had made and for being too weak to renounce them.”
“There have always been those who would divide us; who would have us think more on our differences than on what we have in common.”
“You made mistakes, it’s true. Even so, you’re not responsible for the actions of others. […] Think carefully first, and then act boldly.”
“[He] had shown Raffa how to fight unfairness with both determination and decency. It was hard to think of a more valuable legacy.”
_
Content:
Description of someone trying to get glass out of their own cut (fairly long and graphic) - but this section has purpose.
There’s a lot of preparation for battle and there is a battle, but I didn’t think it was too graphic. Animals attack people and there are some summaries of injuries. People worry about impending animals attacks and are afraid during attacks, but there is courage and strategy.
Someone gets stabbed (two brief mentions of blood) and dies.
Orders to execute people.
Occasional use of “he cursed,” but no profanity.
No romance. A girl acts funny around a guy (presumed crush), but this section is short, vague, and not developed.
_
1st time: After finishing this last book, I highly recommend the series! It is rich with thought-provoking and important themes, is creative and clever, and is very well written.
Characters aren’t portrayed as all bad or all good; they have different motivations and blind spots. There are also gray areas where the “right thing” isn’t very clear.
I love this nuanced approach! The book humanizes the individuals within groups (and their thoughts / circumstances) rather than assuming the worst of the other group’s actions / motivations.
The author accomplishes this without crossing into moral relativism. The emphasis is on understanding WHY people do what they do, without excusing wrongs. Actions have consequences. However, groups are made up of individual people who are likely not completely aligned with or aware of everything that comes from the leaders.
_
Other themes from book 3:
Integrity, honesty, courage, and the associated inner struggles
Understanding people who are different from yourself
Evaluating options based on morals / ethics
Prejudice
Strength in community
Loyalty and betrayal
Sacrificial love
Being good stewards of wild animals and the use of botanicals for/against people (without animal/nature spiritualization)
_
Notable Quotes:
“Know that a quest for justice without wisdom and compassion can all too easily become cruelty.”
“It’s natural for people to want to stick with their own […] it’s not hard to care about people who are like you. […] we have to always make the extra effort with people who aren’t like us. To care about them and listen to them - especially if they’re different from us.”
“The load of responsibility was heavy, and uncomfortable. But he would choose it any day over hopelessness.”
“A few thoughtless words had exploded into a dreadful fraud. He had lied to all those people, just like the Chancellor who had been lying all along. […] He had lied to people who were depending on him. Not only that, but his mistake was grounded in a cowardly yearning: the wish to make a difficulty vanish without effort. […] Now he was making things worse by trying to justify what he had done.”
“How could he fix his dreadful mistake? It did not take long for him to come to the conclusion that how was not the hard part. He knew what had to be done. The only way to undo a lie was by telling the truth, and getting people to believe it. […] I know that what I did was wrong and I have to fix it.”
“He thought grimly that it would be much easier to tell who the enemy was if they would at least look or sound evil. But they don’t. They look and sound like anyone else.”
Pitying someone “For the choices he had made and for being too weak to renounce them.”
“There have always been those who would divide us; who would have us think more on our differences than on what we have in common.”
“You made mistakes, it’s true. Even so, you’re not responsible for the actions of others. […] Think carefully first, and then act boldly.”
“[He] had shown Raffa how to fight unfairness with both determination and decency. It was hard to think of a more valuable legacy.”
_
Content:
Description of someone trying to get glass out of their own cut (fairly long and graphic) - but this section has purpose.
There’s a lot of preparation for battle and there is a battle, but I didn’t think it was too graphic. Animals attack people and there are some summaries of injuries. People worry about impending animals attacks and are afraid during attacks, but there is courage and strategy.
Someone gets stabbed (two brief mentions of blood) and dies.
Orders to execute people.
Occasional use of “he cursed,” but no profanity.
No romance. A girl acts funny around a guy (presumed crush), but this section is short, vague, and not developed.
June 5, 2024
How does the third book have the highest rating?? Definitely the worst of the three books and it took us FOREVER to get through it because it just seemed to drag on and there was a lot of Raffa thinking he was a failure/making mistakes etc. we all knew how the story would end but it took forever to get there.
Interestingly, Park did say something that really stuck out to me because of an emotionally abusive relationship. Raffa's Uncle Ansel betrayed him and his family and was unwilling to sacrifice himself for them. Raffa says "he would always love the man of his memories, but he could only pity the one here now, for the choices he had made and for being too weak to renounce them". Wow-truth bomb!!
Interestingly, Park did say something that really stuck out to me because of an emotionally abusive relationship. Raffa's Uncle Ansel betrayed him and his family and was unwilling to sacrifice himself for them. Raffa says "he would always love the man of his memories, but he could only pity the one here now, for the choices he had made and for being too weak to renounce them". Wow-truth bomb!!
May 23, 2023
I still don't understand raffa's intuition and how it works, or why the chancellor did what she did. But it was always fun seeing echo! Raffa was less insufferable toward the end, too 😅 Echo and Kuma and everything about them made this whole series for me 💕 honorable mention to jimble who was also lovely.
January 18, 2025
I just finished the third and final installment in the Wing & Claw series, where Raffa and all his friends and allies try to thwart the evil Chancellor's plans and rescue the animals she's using as weapons.
Overall, this third book felt rather similar to the second, in that there's more prepping to do stuff than actually getting to the nitty gritty. The book took quite some time in gathering everyone they could, coming up with strategies for the eventual confrontation, etc. It wasn't terribly exciting, but it also wasn't boring, as it gave us a lot of character interactions and development, such as Jimble becoming a close friend of the group and developing a passion for apothecary. There are also some exciting parts in regards to when the animals attack.
I just wish we could have gotten more time in general, like a bigger battle, giving the Chancellor more scenes, since she had just a few scenes in each book, so I feel we didn't get her full potential as a villain, though make no mistake, she's an awful villain, what with being racist/xenophobic and classist. I did quite like the themes, about being good to animals, helping people, accepting people for who they are, among others. Though Garith's father was relegated to basically a cameo, and I really would have liked to see more into why he sided with the Chancellor and his comeuppance for his crimes. And still wish more time would have been given to the apothecary aspect in general, it's just such a fascinating topic to me, but what bits we got off it were fun and engaging.
So, in the end, books two and three weren't as good as the first book, but that doesn't mean they were bad at all. There were likable characters, a cohesive story, a satisfying ending. It had the potential to be bigger and more epic, but I enjoyed it and I'm glad I bought and read the series.
Overall, this third book felt rather similar to the second, in that there's more prepping to do stuff than actually getting to the nitty gritty. The book took quite some time in gathering everyone they could, coming up with strategies for the eventual confrontation, etc. It wasn't terribly exciting, but it also wasn't boring, as it gave us a lot of character interactions and development, such as Jimble becoming a close friend of the group and developing a passion for apothecary. There are also some exciting parts in regards to when the animals attack.
I just wish we could have gotten more time in general, like a bigger battle, giving the Chancellor more scenes, since she had just a few scenes in each book, so I feel we didn't get her full potential as a villain, though make no mistake, she's an awful villain, what with being racist/xenophobic and classist. I did quite like the themes, about being good to animals, helping people, accepting people for who they are, among others. Though Garith's father was relegated to basically a cameo, and I really would have liked to see more into why he sided with the Chancellor and his comeuppance for his crimes. And still wish more time would have been given to the apothecary aspect in general, it's just such a fascinating topic to me, but what bits we got off it were fun and engaging.
So, in the end, books two and three weren't as good as the first book, but that doesn't mean they were bad at all. There were likable characters, a cohesive story, a satisfying ending. It had the potential to be bigger and more epic, but I enjoyed it and I'm glad I bought and read the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2018
This was a really good book. It is the third book in the series and it is about a boy named Raffa who must escape the big city named Gilden because the Chancellor is kicking out all of the people in the poor neighborhoods and sending them to a mountain range. The poor people flea Gilden and set up camp in the forest of wonders. Raffa and his friends come up with many different defense strategies against the Chancellor's animal army which consists of foxes, wolves, crows, and stoats. Raffa and his friends end up saving Gilden and the Chancellor and her apprentices are arrested. But a few of Raffa's friends die.
November 20, 2021
This is the final book and is basically a battle to save the animals from the evil plans of the challencor who has told the world that he training the animals to help humans but in reality he using them to eradicate the afters. The creativeness of the upcoming battle and the attempt to not kill the animals was unique and at times heart breaking. The relationship with raffia and the dear bat echo will pull at your heart strings. An amazing ending to a series that builds very well upon each book.
June 20, 2018
Very good middle grade fantasy series. Moral issues wrapped in beautiful landscape, diverse and clever cast, and a mission to save the animals. It is inviting and engaging while promoting deeper contemplation than some young readers may even notice. However, it is still lovable and entertaining. I wish I’d read the first two as well so I could have understood more of the background and nuances in the plot.
February 24, 2019
I appreciate this series for so many reasons! There is a communitarian spirit in addition to a compelling hero, there are complex friendships, there is wonderful world-building centered around a rich natural world that is the source of fantastical plant magic, there are moral questions that resonate in the real world, and so much more! Thank you Linda Sue Park!
July 28, 2020
Overall, a decent trilogy that imparts some good messages about tolerance and inclusivity, making the right decisions even when it’s hard, etc. However, this book was much slower than the other two. It felt like the entire book was devoted to planning. (I don’t want to spoil too much.) I didn’t care for the ending either. I didn’t see the point in what Raffa and his friends did.
August 17, 2022
While the first two books of the trilogy set up a good story, the third went deep. Forgiveness, grief, accountability, friendship, working to love people who are different than you—so many issues could be discussed (at the right level) because the reader was already invested in the characters. Wonderful set for younger readers (and older ones, too!).
March 27, 2018
Appropriate for: age 11+
I really liked this sequel and was sad to see the series end. I like all of the characters. I think this book teaches good values, such as believing in yourself and others. There are some scary parts, but most kids should be OK reading this.
I really liked this sequel and was sad to see the series end. I like all of the characters. I think this book teaches good values, such as believing in yourself and others. There are some scary parts, but most kids should be OK reading this.
April 11, 2019
I think the author is brilliant. What a unique, smallish world. I'm happy with the completion of this series. A number of things were too unbelievable, but in children's fiction, that's what children like, a fairy tale where anything is possible.
November 20, 2019
Gentle and gifted Apothocary Raffa is back in pursuit to set the animals of Obsidia free from the hands of the evil Chancellor. The conclusion of the wing and claw series, exciting, encouraging, and sweet!
August 12, 2020
Fantasy adventure I couldn't put down as the plot moved to a dramatic close. Characters demonstrate personal strength and sensitivity as scenes unfold. The message to care for others despite differences and to stand up for your beliefs is compelling for readers of all ages.
August 10, 2023
I loved the characters as they continued to develop. I enjoyed the plot thickening. But it fell a bit short-at times it drug on for quite awhile and then all of a sudden the book ended. It just missed something in the final third of the book.
November 10, 2018
Fantastic finale to the Wing & Claw trilogy! Highly recommended for grades 4 & up. Must read in order.
April 22, 2019
Amazing end to this great fantasy serie :) It was full of action. I loved the end, it made me almost cry but it was the right end. I will miss Raffa, Echo and Kuma.
August 3, 2019
Banal. Heavy-handed morality tale. Overly simplistic, cardboard characters. This auth can do much better but she is trying too hard to persuade her child audience here.
March 27, 2020
Good book, but be careful if sensitive
May 22, 2021
I loved this series and is so sad that it is over but I loved the happy ending.
October 19, 2021
This book was great! I loved the book.
August 28, 2023
Found in L4M YT Volume 80.
Look to first book for my review.
Look to first book for my review.
August 23, 2024
This is the third book in the trilogy by Linda Sue Park. All of the books were great stories. I enjoyed each of them. We listened to them on Audible. They were all read very well.
August 7, 2025
A great and action packed conclusion.
September 14, 2024
Awesome book omg!
Amazingly written. So much suspense, I was up all night reading this. Such a resolved ending, very good, super highly recommend. I took so Many notes during this book too, so many moments where I was just like-wow-.
Amazingly written. So much suspense, I was up all night reading this. Such a resolved ending, very good, super highly recommend. I took so Many notes during this book too, so many moments where I was just like-wow-.
May 13, 2018
The last book in the Wing and Claw trilogy is mostly about the battle between the people and the Chancellor’s army. After all they’ve been put through it was satisfying to see Raffa and his friends change into warriors without losing their core values. I also love how a lot of what could be considered little details from book one and two came together and gave me some pretty fun “Aha” moments.
Overall the trilogy rates in the high 3 stars low 4 stars to me. I need to complete my collection with this last book and I hope to see more middle grade fantasy from Linda Sue Park on the shelves in the future.
Overall the trilogy rates in the high 3 stars low 4 stars to me. I need to complete my collection with this last book and I hope to see more middle grade fantasy from Linda Sue Park on the shelves in the future.
October 31, 2021
Good conclusion to the series. Wraps up nearly everything very neatly, if not completely all "Happily ever any ter" for everyone. Good lessons to take away about family, friendship, doing what is right, and thinking ahead about your decisions. Highly recommend.
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