The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

By Leslye Walton

A girl with wings seeks belonging, unaware of a dangerous obsession looming.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 43,505 ratings

301 pages· 69,413 words· Est. 6.5 hour read

$17.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

Ava Lavender, born with bird wings, yearns to fit in despite her oddity. As she navigates a world filled with hidden dangers, she encounters Nathaniel Sorrows, who believes she's an angel. His growing obsession threatens to unravel her life during a fateful summer solstice. Will Ava's quest for understanding lead to acceptance or disaster? In this mesmerizing tale of love and identity, the Roux family saga reaches a breathtaking climax, exploring the beauty and tragedy of human hearts.

From the publisher

A 2015 William C. Morris YA Debut Award FinalistMagical realism, lyrical prose, and the pain and passion of human love haunt this hypnotic generational saga. Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava – in all other ways a normal girl – is born with the wings of a bird. In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naive to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the summer solstice celebration. That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava’s quest and her family’s saga build to a devastating crescendo. First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.

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