On a remote Scottish island, fourteen-year-old Max’s life changes forever when he loses his hearing in a boating accident. Struggling to make sense of his new life and finding it hard to adapt in school, he begins to notice other — even stranger — changes taking place when a new wind farm appears off the island’s coast.
With the help of three school friends with additional support needs, Max discovers that a sinister scientist, Doctor Ashwood, is using wind turbines to experiment on the islanders. They must find a way to shut down the government’s secret test before it spins out of control…
When fourteen-year-old Max loses his hearing in an accident on his dad’s boat, his whole life changes. Old friends drift away, he’s placed into specialist classes at school, and even his mum and dad struggle to communicate with him. At least, Max thinks, the new wind farm might bring the promise of decent Wi-Fi to the remote Scottish island that he calls home. But when the wind turbines are switched on, no broadband connection arrives. Instead, mobile phones are sent to the islanders – phones that seem to be doing something to people’s sleep patterns and behaviour. Suddenly there are soldiers guarding the new substations and dead bats covering the rocks around the island. Something is very wrong with Max’s home and it’s up to him and ‘the specials’ – his new friends Erin, David, and Beanie – to discover what.
War of the Wind is an exciting eco-thriller that is perfect for upper middle-grade and younger YA readers. As an adult reader, I found the story a little predictable in places but I know I would have been utterly gripped if I had read this at the target age.
Max makes for an engaging protagonist and much of my enjoyment in the book came from seeing him grow and develop throughout his adventure. At the start of the novel, he is struggling to come to terms with his disability and is dismissive of his fellow ‘specials’: Erin, deaf since birth; David, who has cerebral palsy; and Beanie, who has Downs Syndrome. However, as the four teenagers work together to uncover the sinister plot being carried out on their island, Max is not only forced to come to terms with the loss of his hearing but also begins to see his new friends as people who are not defined by their additional support needs.
Victoria Williamson portrays all four of her main characters with great sensitivity and care and, whilst I cannot claim to be an expert, I felt that the book does an excellent job of challenging stereotypes around disability and special educational or additional support needs. I certainly learned a lot from reading it and I loved the way that Williamson represents various different methods of communication between the four central characters. The novel also sensitively examines the challenges faced by families who suddenly find themselves supporting a loved one with additional needs, as Max’s mum and dad struggle to adjust to his hearing loss whilst also caring for his baby sister.
As mentioned above, the plot wasn’t the main driver for adult-me but I imagine tween-me would have enjoyed the Famous Five-style shenanigans that see Max & Co going toe-to-toe with the evil Doctor Ashwood and the forces of twisted technology. Williamson has also done a great job of capturing a sense of what living on a remote island, with its close-knit community and isolated beauty, would be like.
Overall, although I am not the target audience for the novel, War of the Wind was an enjoyable and fast-paced read that contains a strong emotional core. Packed with friendship and compassion, it will make a fantastic read for older middle-grade readers and younger teens.
War of the Wind by Victoria Williamson is published by Neem Tree Press and is available now from all good booksellers and online retailers including Hive, Bookshop.org, Waterstones, and Wordery.
If you can, please support a local indie bookshop by ordering from them either in person or online! Some of my favourites include Booka Bookshop, Sam Read Booksellers, Book-ish, Scarthin Books, Fox Lane Books, and Berts Books.
My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review and to The Write Reads for organising and inviting me onto this blog tour. The tour continues until 18 January 2024 so please do check out the other stops using the #TheWriteReads #BlogTour for more reviews and content!
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