The Wings Upon Her Back

[STARRED REVIEW] “A triumphant debut novel.” —Booklist
[STARRED REVIEW] “An absolute must-read.” —Kirkus
[STARRED REVIEW] “Intricate and intriguing." —Publishers Weekly
[STARRED REVIEW] “Complex and haunting.” —Library Journal

In this gripping debut novel from acclaimed Nebula, Sturgeon, and Locus Award-winning author Samantha Mills, a disgraced soldier fights to make sense of her world and the gods who abandoned it. The Wings Upon Her Back is an action-packed, devastating exploration of the brutal costs of zealous loyalty.

Zenya was a teenager when she ran away to join the mechanically-modified warrior sect. She was determined to earn mechanized wings and protect the people of Radezhda, the city she loved. Under the strict tutelage of a mercurial, charismatic leader, Vodaya, Zenya finally became Winged Zemolai.

But after twenty-six years of service, Zemolai is disillusioned with her role as an enforcer in an increasingly fascist state. After one tragic act of mercy, she is brutally cast out and loses everything she worked for. As Zemolai struggles for her life, she is must question her sect, their leader, and even the gods themselves.


Genre: Science Fiction

"Samantha Mills has crafted a truly innovative world filled with deeply flawed, compelling characters. A thought-provoking and achingly beautiful story of faith, doubt, regret, and redemption." - Amy Avery

"I've been hoping for a novel from Samantha Mills for years, ever since first stumbling upon her short story 'Strange Waters.' The Wings Upon Her Back didn't disappoint, giving us a thoughtful, wrenching, and beautifully crafted story of disappointment, failure, and redemption." - C L Clark

"Mills weaves a deft and jagged narrative of choices and consequences, raw and real and heartbreaking, as a girl fights to achieve her goal, and the woman she becomes has to live with the consequences to herself, her family, her society." - K Eason

"An intense, astute, and moving tale of redemption, by turns relentlessly grim and courageously hopeful." - Kate Elliott

"The prose in Samantha Mills' The Wings Upon Her Back is truly incredible. Every sentence beautifully written, her worldbuilding is both refreshing and captivating." - Charlie N Holmberg

"A fierce, aching battle cry of a book, both cinematically epic and painfully intimate. Mills has crafted a striking world of sleeping gods, disillusioned revolutionaries, and metal wings-and from it, she wrenches equal amounts of love and pain." - Julie Leong

"A gripping, gorgeous exploration of the perils of worshipping gods and humans alike. It's a book that refuses to look away from the damage that can be wrought by misplaced faith, but one that simultaneously insists on the possibility of redemption." - Emet North

"A frightening look at the cost of war and unquestioning loyalty against the backdrop of a gorgeous secondary world. Mills perfectly blends real-world horrors with the fantastic in this wonderful novel." - A C Wise