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Netherwings
Kay’s life is pretty boring. She goes to school, spends quiet evenings at home with her foster mom, and has the occasional brush with mischief thanks to her best and only friend Will. But everything is about to change.
One night, Kay tags along on another one of Will’s adventures, and they both end up recruited by a talking fox to become Netherjacks, protectors of all the worlds. Once they arrive at the training academy, though, Will is paired with a legendary Netherwing mount and quickly rises in the trainee ranks, leaving Kay behind with barely a glance.
Kay has a decision to make - go home, and forget all about Netherjacks and Will, or stay and throw herself into training. With the help of her squadronmates and her Netherwing Nax, Kay just might discover that she’s more than just Will’s friend - she could be a leader. A hero. A Netherjack.
And the world will need her skills when a long-dormant enemy returns to wreak havoc on the whole universe…
©2021 Django Wexler (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.
One night, Kay tags along on another one of Will’s adventures, and they both end up recruited by a talking fox to become Netherjacks, protectors of all the worlds. Once they arrive at the training academy, though, Will is paired with a legendary Netherwing mount and quickly rises in the trainee ranks, leaving Kay behind with barely a glance.
Kay has a decision to make - go home, and forget all about Netherjacks and Will, or stay and throw herself into training. With the help of her squadronmates and her Netherwing Nax, Kay just might discover that she’s more than just Will’s friend - she could be a leader. A hero. A Netherjack.
And the world will need her skills when a long-dormant enemy returns to wreak havoc on the whole universe…
©2021 Django Wexler (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.
9 pages, Audible Audio
First published September 23, 2021
6 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Django Wexler
54 books3,755 followersDjango Wexler graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh with degrees in creative writing and computer science, and worked for the university in artificial intelligence research. Eventually he migrated to Microsoft in Seattle, where he now lives with two cats and a teetering mountain of books. When not planning Shadow Campaigns, he wrangles computers, paints tiny soldiers, and plays games of all sorts.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 23, 2021
Release day! I've never had an audio-first project before, so I'm excited to share this with everybody. I hope you enjoy!
October 3, 2021
3.5 rounded down.
While it is definitely a story for younger readers, I very much enjoyed The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler and so listened to this one right off the bat when I got an email about it. Wexler is a fantastic author and if you haven’t read his fantasy series The Shadow Campaigns, you need to! And if you have kids or enjoy middle-grade stories, also jump on The Forbidden Library series. Anyway…
Netherwings is another magical-kid-does-stuff-in-magic-world story, but is set around the present day & still manages to throw in some fresh concepts. It is certainly worth a listen for you and your kids… or just you!
While it was fun, I didn’t quite get into it as much as I did The Forbidden Library, but I think that comes down more to personal preference. I just found the world built in that series to be more captivating and the magic elements were more to my liking. I usually don’t read books for younger audiences so the fact that I was able to enjoy this one I would say is a testament to its quality.
This book’s audio format was released first and I would certainly recommend the format as I felt the narrator did a fantastic job. Her voices for different characters were fun, she had a very pleasant reading voice, and I felt she struck just the right amount of emotion.
No need to take my word for it, go ahead and give it a try yourself 😄
While it is definitely a story for younger readers, I very much enjoyed The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler and so listened to this one right off the bat when I got an email about it. Wexler is a fantastic author and if you haven’t read his fantasy series The Shadow Campaigns, you need to! And if you have kids or enjoy middle-grade stories, also jump on The Forbidden Library series. Anyway…
Netherwings is another magical-kid-does-stuff-in-magic-world story, but is set around the present day & still manages to throw in some fresh concepts. It is certainly worth a listen for you and your kids… or just you!
While it was fun, I didn’t quite get into it as much as I did The Forbidden Library, but I think that comes down more to personal preference. I just found the world built in that series to be more captivating and the magic elements were more to my liking. I usually don’t read books for younger audiences so the fact that I was able to enjoy this one I would say is a testament to its quality.
This book’s audio format was released first and I would certainly recommend the format as I felt the narrator did a fantastic job. Her voices for different characters were fun, she had a very pleasant reading voice, and I felt she struck just the right amount of emotion.
No need to take my word for it, go ahead and give it a try yourself 😄
December 26, 2021
Notes:
Currently on Audible +
Bahni Turpin's narration was a great fit for the story. =)
- While not listed as part of a series, it's obviously the first book of a series.
- Great adventure story for kids with a smattering of darkness. Fun for adults, better for kids.
- Best part of this story were the different kinds of people. Awesome mix of mundane to weird.
Currently on Audible +
Bahni Turpin's narration was a great fit for the story. =)
- While not listed as part of a series, it's obviously the first book of a series.
- Great adventure story for kids with a smattering of darkness. Fun for adults, better for kids.
- Best part of this story were the different kinds of people. Awesome mix of mundane to weird.
December 15, 2021
Take a shy girl who has tough circumstances and must learn how to make friends to keep the only friend she knows. Add that her friend is not being friendly, and the world is completely different from all normal social constructs. Add conflict, tension, and some fighting. She learns how to be a leader in her attempt to win her friend back.
A nice array of characters from different worlds. I applaud the attempt of showing just how prejudice is more a construct of the socially elite than it is for the common person.
The story builds in tempo and then seems to end abruptly. I enjoyed the read...
A nice array of characters from different worlds. I applaud the attempt of showing just how prejudice is more a construct of the socially elite than it is for the common person.
The story builds in tempo and then seems to end abruptly. I enjoyed the read...
October 24, 2021
Rounded down from 3.5
Cute, but didn't really go anywhere. Felt more like a prologue than an actual book.
Slight spoiler:
I didn't like the relationship with the previous best friend. It make our protagonist into a support character in that everything she does until the very end of the book is in response to the actions of her friend.
Cute, but didn't really go anywhere. Felt more like a prologue than an actual book.
Slight spoiler:
I didn't like the relationship with the previous best friend. It make our protagonist into a support character in that everything she does until the very end of the book is in response to the actions of her friend.
October 9, 2021
This was a cute and fun adventure story. I will say that as there was no mention of it being a first book, I was hoping it would be a standalone, but it's clearly the start of a series. I'm looking forward to more, though.
March 11, 2022
My family listened to this during dinners and all enjoyed the story very much.
From my 8 year old daughter: “I think it’s amazing that Kay and Nax were able forge a strong relationship in just a few months, even though he ignored her for part of it.”
From my husband: “Is the sequel out yet?”
From me: Kay’s leadership ability was outstanding. I work in leadership development and I would love to assign this to folks I work with. Unfortunately, I think some folks would have a hard time being asked to follow the example of a middle-schooler. 🙃
From my 8 year old daughter: “I think it’s amazing that Kay and Nax were able forge a strong relationship in just a few months, even though he ignored her for part of it.”
From my husband: “Is the sequel out yet?”
From me: Kay’s leadership ability was outstanding. I work in leadership development and I would love to assign this to folks I work with. Unfortunately, I think some folks would have a hard time being asked to follow the example of a middle-schooler. 🙃
January 18, 2022
Netherwings is an Audible Original story by one of my all time favorite authors. So this was a bit of a different experience for me since this is an Audio book only, so I didn't really have a reading source to go off of. However, this story, as all other Django Wexler books, was such a blast to read. Netherwings follows the story of Kay as she is whisked away from her home and brought to the Nether to become a Netherjack.
Netherwings has a lot of what I love about middle grade. A colorful cast of characters, a school setting, animal companions, and so much more. If any of those tropes are a buzz word for you then check this story out. Netherwings, like I said, follows a girl named Kay and her dragon, but that is not all. Throughout the story we meet Kay's best friend Will and also her Netherjack teammates, Rise, Vicki, Omni, Yun. Those are just a few of the characters you will meet. There are also a bunch of teachers and even a character who, Illyanna, who goes by the pronouns they/them. The world of Netherwings is expansive in a sense. The entirety of the story takes place within the Nether which is like a space between all worlds, including our own. But that is not to say there is just that. Django introduces us to worlds inhabited by talking plant people, even a world where everyone is skeleton. That is only the tip of the iceberg so far. The plot of the story is incredibly fast paced. I thought this was a standalone but it is not, Netherwings is actually the start of a series. One I am incredibly excited for because Django can do no wrong for me.
If like is said this is the start of a series, nothing really has been confirmed, then I cannot wait for the next installment and find out what Kay and the gang are up to. I do hope someday done the line this comes out in print but if not then that is okay, because this story was so accessible in its current format.
Netherwings has a lot of what I love about middle grade. A colorful cast of characters, a school setting, animal companions, and so much more. If any of those tropes are a buzz word for you then check this story out. Netherwings, like I said, follows a girl named Kay and her dragon, but that is not all. Throughout the story we meet Kay's best friend Will and also her Netherjack teammates, Rise, Vicki, Omni, Yun. Those are just a few of the characters you will meet. There are also a bunch of teachers and even a character who, Illyanna, who goes by the pronouns they/them. The world of Netherwings is expansive in a sense. The entirety of the story takes place within the Nether which is like a space between all worlds, including our own. But that is not to say there is just that. Django introduces us to worlds inhabited by talking plant people, even a world where everyone is skeleton. That is only the tip of the iceberg so far. The plot of the story is incredibly fast paced. I thought this was a standalone but it is not, Netherwings is actually the start of a series. One I am incredibly excited for because Django can do no wrong for me.
If like is said this is the start of a series, nothing really has been confirmed, then I cannot wait for the next installment and find out what Kay and the gang are up to. I do hope someday done the line this comes out in print but if not then that is okay, because this story was so accessible in its current format.
May 20, 2022
This is a fabulous children's story of two friends, Will and Kay, who are encouraged/recruited by a talking twin-tail fox to join an academy to become Netherjacks and defend the universe... or something like that. They must train with their finicky companions, the Netherwings. Will is all for it. Kay is only for it because she is looking out for her friend, Will. But if she doesn't do better in the trials, she will be kicked out of the academy and sent back to Earth, never to see Will again. So she must get over herself and work as a team with her fellow trainees.
Any problems with this story? Kay seems a little bit too whiney at first, but once she gets over her tantrum she becomes the main force driving her team. Even though she is not the leader of the team, she makes the team work because if her team fails them she fails.
Any modesty issues? Well... these are kids, so sexuality is not apparent. Affection is... somewhat.
The ending winds up the major threads that were introduced in the beginning. It leaves a big opening for a sequel, but I have no idea if a sequel is forthcoming. This audiobook is less than a year old as of this writing, so it is possible one is in the works. I just don't know.
I'd be glad to listen to this audiobook again with kids in the car.
Any problems with this story? Kay seems a little bit too whiney at first, but once she gets over her tantrum she becomes the main force driving her team. Even though she is not the leader of the team, she makes the team work because if her team fails them she fails.
Any modesty issues? Well... these are kids, so sexuality is not apparent. Affection is... somewhat.
The ending winds up the major threads that were introduced in the beginning. It leaves a big opening for a sequel, but I have no idea if a sequel is forthcoming. This audiobook is less than a year old as of this writing, so it is possible one is in the works. I just don't know.
I'd be glad to listen to this audiobook again with kids in the car.
March 8, 2022
This was such a good book! After following her best friend Will one night, to make sure he doesn't get in trouble, Maya. finds herself talking to a fox-man and traveling through a portal to a school for training Netherjacks - individuals who enter into partner-bonds with a Netherwing and become protectors of the Nether and the universe.
At first, Maya thinks it could be fun to learn how to be a Netherjack with Will. But when Will - who is convinced that his destiny is to become a savior - scores really highly on the initial assessment while Kayla does not, they are placed in separate squads.
Suddenly, Kayla is faced with a decision of staying, even though she will hardly ever see Will, or going back home alone and having her memories modified so that she doesn't remember anything about the Netherwings, Netherjacks, and even Will. Kayla's decision - and her resulting actions, end up having effects far beyond what Maya would've ever thought possible.
This is a really good book, and I NEED the sequel to come out now? The narrator did an amazing job. I look forward to listening to more books in those series.
At first, Maya thinks it could be fun to learn how to be a Netherjack with Will. But when Will - who is convinced that his destiny is to become a savior - scores really highly on the initial assessment while Kayla does not, they are placed in separate squads.
Suddenly, Kayla is faced with a decision of staying, even though she will hardly ever see Will, or going back home alone and having her memories modified so that she doesn't remember anything about the Netherwings, Netherjacks, and even Will. Kayla's decision - and her resulting actions, end up having effects far beyond what Maya would've ever thought possible.
This is a really good book, and I NEED the sequel to come out now? The narrator did an amazing job. I look forward to listening to more books in those series.
October 1, 2022
This was an engaging and interesting take on the regular child gets admitted to a magic school story. The author’s creativity in the different species including living plants, dolls and skeletons among the more typical part-animal characters was particularly interesting and I hope to hear more about their home worlds. The main drawback to this book was the main character Kay’s tendency to be unlikeable. Her tendency to sulk, get angry, and her only source of motivation being a boy seem like lazy writing and I wish there was more exploration of her background and why being a foster child led to her unhealthy reliance on Will.
The narrator is top notch though! She really brings the characters to life and does an excellent job with conveying their personalities through their way of speaking.
I hope this series get continued. So much of this book was world creation, I’d love to see where the plot goes after all the training and establishing the characters as worthy fighters and heroes.
This is a great family listen and is appropriate for kids, maybe 7+ to follow the complexity of the story.
The narrator is top notch though! She really brings the characters to life and does an excellent job with conveying their personalities through their way of speaking.
I hope this series get continued. So much of this book was world creation, I’d love to see where the plot goes after all the training and establishing the characters as worthy fighters and heroes.
This is a great family listen and is appropriate for kids, maybe 7+ to follow the complexity of the story.
October 20, 2022
DNF after several hours of listening. I...just could not click with this book. The main character and her bestie are essentially kidnapped by a stranger to learn how to fight some all-important war they know nothing about. They're told over and over that they haven't been kidnapped, that these people who took them are the good guys, and that they're free to leave, no consequences...other than the kidnappers digging around in their brains and wiping out their memories.
So, like, I know it's supposed to be a fun adventure book! And the narrator was great. And other people will probably love it. But I couldn't listen to it without thinking...these children have just been trafficked into someone's child-army. I had other problems (oh my gosh, the kidnapping adult just laughs at the kids for being startled by all the different species present at the school instead of trying to give any kind of appropriate cultural crash course, what a jerk), but that was kinda the big thing for me.
So, like, I know it's supposed to be a fun adventure book! And the narrator was great. And other people will probably love it. But I couldn't listen to it without thinking...these children have just been trafficked into someone's child-army. I had other problems (oh my gosh, the kidnapping adult just laughs at the kids for being startled by all the different species present at the school instead of trying to give any kind of appropriate cultural crash course, what a jerk), but that was kinda the big thing for me.
May 1, 2024
Author Django Wexler brings us the tale of Kay and how she and her best friend Will got transported from Earth to the Acadmey where they will learn to harness the power of their Netherwings and become NetherJacks. As the story opens the both of them are hanging around a park when a fox comes up in a suit no less and begins talking to both of them. Will jumps at the chance but Kay is held back a little by the fact that she isn't comfortable with leaving everything she knows. But to keep Will safe Kay goes along, Once they're at the acadmey Kay is put into a lower league than Will. While Will is put into a higher one and he turns his nose up at her when she comes to talk with him. That sets a fire raging in Kay to get her team to rise higher and keep an eye on her fromer best friend. This is a great book and I highly recommend it for all science fantasy lovers.
December 18, 2021
Read this with my 7 year old and we both enjoyed getting to know Kay and the Netherwings. This was a fun little adventure story that is angling to be a series.
The story centers around two human children from plain old vanilla Earth suddenly finding out that there are worlds "in the nether" (a different plane) and a council of sorts that protects all worlds from a mysterious enemy.
It was a short listen and the first thing my kiddo asked was if we could get the sequel. I'm giving it 5 stars since it was popular with its audience and I did not mind listening along even one bit. (I even went back to listen to sections I missed!)
The story centers around two human children from plain old vanilla Earth suddenly finding out that there are worlds "in the nether" (a different plane) and a council of sorts that protects all worlds from a mysterious enemy.
It was a short listen and the first thing my kiddo asked was if we could get the sequel. I'm giving it 5 stars since it was popular with its audience and I did not mind listening along even one bit. (I even went back to listen to sections I missed!)
March 21, 2022
This is a great kid's book probably middle school age I would guess. Did I enjoy it...YES. Am I waiting to see if there will be a sequel...YES. Do I think I might be too old to enjoy it...Maybe.
The book did start off a little slow with Kay's friendship and that was a big focus but I enjoyed the book when Django and Kay forgot about the friendship and focused on the Netherwing Training. I am Very curious to see what happens next for Kay and her team mates.
The book did start off a little slow with Kay's friendship and that was a big focus but I enjoyed the book when Django and Kay forgot about the friendship and focused on the Netherwing Training. I am Very curious to see what happens next for Kay and her team mates.
August 10, 2022
I liked it a lot. My teenage time is far behind me, but I like to read fantasy. It can be a bit dark. Adult dark fantasy books are sometimes a bit too dark. This teenage book brought everything I like: the value of friendship, learning together new things, fighting the odds. Django brought in as many believable as curious details and led the story with gripping actions. I have red the book on two sunny vacation days.
July 27, 2025
Started slow and didn’t love the main character until she turned herself around. I get it but it was almost enough for me to DNF. Enjoyed the creativeness of the characters. Liked the complicated friend aspect and how the friend was set-up for main character energy but failed that. Mostly disappointed there isn’t a second yet since this was published 4 years ago.
November 21, 2021
Rough början men kommer igång på riktigt en timme in ~ish, förvånansvärt mogen för en barnbok och satisfying hela vägen genom.
En blandning av Harry Potter och Eragon, fast inte lika bra som någon av de, ändå läsvärd
En blandning av Harry Potter och Eragon, fast inte lika bra som någon av de, ändå läsvärd
February 23, 2023
Fun story about a 12 year old girl finding her way in a new fantastical environment and bonding with a dragon and other friends along the way. It doesn’t end on a cliffhanger but clearly leaves it open for a sequel, though I don’t think there is one yet. Narration by Turpin was great.
January 25, 2022
My 11 year old loved it. We read it as an audiobook together and it was a good experience.
February 1, 2022
The entire family loved this. We laughed together, we cheered at the end of matches and battle, and momma teared up at the end.
March 30, 2022
Fun little book full of excitement chose it for my son but ended up liking it more.
January 4, 2023
This was a great read, I liked the world and the characters! It did however really suffer from repetition
August 23, 2023
Good once you get past the first couple of chapters of the main characters whining
January 21, 2025
I wish it was a seriesss:(( Feels like too good of a story to limit it to one book but otherwise great listen.
January 10, 2026
The last thing we need is another series about children playing war games.
March 30, 2022
A solid tween/early teen story, and one that doesn't have me constantly asking "where are all the parents" as most of these types of stories do at that. The main character has pretty good development and the themes are neat for the type of story its telling. Can get dark at times, but no more than others of its kind, I think. The performance is really good and elevates the telling itself.
Definitely a good one of these, and still enjoyable from an adult's perspective, though feels like it'd be a part 1 of a bigger story.
Definitely a good one of these, and still enjoyable from an adult's perspective, though feels like it'd be a part 1 of a bigger story.
November 5, 2021
It’s a mishmash of common tropes in the genre. An okay listen.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews