Tattered Wings by Kassie Angle | release + review

Annnddd we have another blog tour.

Wasn't it like last year when I said I was going to do less blog tours and that type of post? Yet here I am again. I digress. There's just so many epic books out there. How can I not support other Indies? <3

Anywho, moving on. Because today I get to fangirl about one of my favorites books so far this year. Maybe my favorite book so far this year. I mean, yes, I've read almost 20 books in 2020 to date, but still. Still a compliment. ;)

I give you—Tattered Wings by Kassie Angle. <33 You can find Kassie's post with more details about the book and the blog tour and whatnot here. (Heck, even if you aren't that interested in the book, go check out this gal's blog. The total bomb. :D)

About the Book

Some scars can’t be seen. And some can’t be hidden.

Layla Trent’s life is pretty much perfect, except for the little matter of a dog of her own—and maybe a brother. So why does a random nightmare of a princess dress, a hospital, and a stranger who’s definitely not her daddy feel more like an aching wound? And can a broken, glassy-eyed puppy somehow help her release the pain she didn’t even know she was carrying?

Corporal Andrew Reyes has proven he has what it takes to be the best—a US Army Ranger. But when a double tragedy rocks his world, his resolve is shaken to the core. What’s left for a man to live for when he’s lost everything he ever wanted to be? And is the sudden appearance of a teenage girl with a three-legged dog a cruel joke or a divine appointment?

Some scars can’t be hidden. But some don’t need to be.

Goodreads • Amazon • Paperback

Review

When I say I jumped at the chance to read and review this book, know that I mean that in the strongest sense possible without meaning that I actually physically jumped on something.

I mean, c'mon. A girl with dreams of a painful memory she can't place. A soldier who loses all that gives his life meaning. Dozens of little instances that just made me smile. And there's a dog—a darling Golden Retriever. Does this book have my name written all over it or what? (Again, not literally.)

First, there's Layla. I love that child. Although, to be honest, I went into this book planning to love Andrew's story the most. I didn't really care about Layla's story too much. But by the epilogue, I loved her story just as much. Maybe more.

I love her personality and her spunkiness. I love her heart. I love her parents and her dog and her life. Reading about her dreams and all that comes to light through them... it broke my heart in the best way possible. I might have cried.

The whole service dog aspect of this story and all that surrounds it was very nice to find. That's something I don't see much in fiction, so I really appreciated that being shown in an accurate way.

And then, Andrew. As I said, I expected to love his story—and I wasn't disappointed. I cried. A lot. I actually probably cried as much or more over Isaiah as I did over Andrew. My dudes. <333

I did find myself wishing we would have seen more of Cpl. Reyes and his crowd in earlier chapters. As it was, the reader doesn't know him super well until THAT happens. Although there was plenty of impact as it was, it could've been more impactful if we were more attached to him before it happened. I also, for the majority of the book, was under the impression that Andrew's dad wasn't around, because he's like...never mentioned. So unless I missed it somewhere, I would've liked to known more about his family earlier on.

The writing could use some polishing, but overall, I found it to be engaging, in a laidback style. The story itself was heartfelt, well detailed, and easy to follow for the most part.

So, to sum things up:
- girl with fragments of a memory she can't grasp
- a family finding healing through a hurting dog
- a visit to a cemetery plot
- ARMY RANGERS, Y'ALL
- wounded soldiers
- family of said wounded soldiers binding together
- epic military setting
- one heck of an epilogue
- go read this book

Take-away: Your wings aren't broken. They might be tattered, but they'll still fly.

*wanders off wiping tears*

About the Author

Kassie Angle is a teenaged Christian author, cowgirl, therapy dog trainer, stereotypical INFJ, and Army girl to the core. Her first love, i.e. debut novel, O to be Like Thee, swept her unsuspectedly into the world of indie authors. She tries to use her stories to fill the silences in literature, helping more people understand the world of the Army and showing how God heals the broken-hearted. You can find her and more of her writing at SoldierGirlStories.com.

have you read Tattered Wings?