This is really just a four star review for the one story in here about Luke Sunborn, he of the lovable himbo with depth persuasion in the delightful In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan.
I re-read In Other Lands solely to read this story, because I feared I would not recall enough of the tale to fully appreciate it. Perhaps that would be true, but I can also say that this story is written with enough context and callback that you can enjoy it either way!
So In Other Lands is written from the perspective of Elliott, our favorite Too Much protagonist. “Wing in the Morning” is written from the perspective of Luke, just as he’s being told by his mother that his parents have an open relationship due to their respective soldiering ways (gross) and also, oh, he’s half harpy because his mother forgot the length of harpy incubation periods. Don’t worry everything is fine, he’ll just have wings but his father is still his father.
Poor Luke, however, has been having a real go of it by this time. He’s forever trying to do what’s expected of him as a Sunborn and a Good Child Soldier and friend, and this is just another thing where he can’t express his feelings and has to keep a poker face.
While I very much enjoyed having In Other Lands be from the perspective of Elliott, I appreciate what we missed by not having more time in Luke’s head. He’s neurotic in all the best ways, and he tries so hard (he went and bought a dictionary and thesaurus to try and keep up with Elliott’s vocabulary, but gave up when his pronunciation was mocked). Hearing his calm when he makes up a little white lie that Elliott is his boyfriend makes you realize just how much he cared for his friend and how much he was hiding about his feelings. And having the little tête-à-tête with this Aunt Harpy reveals how much he’s been…shouldering (heh) (I mean his wings, he’s been hiding them in his shoulders).
Would I recommend this without the novel? Probably, if you want to make sure you’ll like the vibe of In Other Lands, but it would be a pity to spoil the romantic endgame.
