“It goes against all tradition for Aisulu to train an eagle, for among the Kazakh nomads, only men can fly them. But everything changes when Aisulu discovers that her brother, Serik, has been concealing a bad limp that risks not just his future as the family’s leader, but his life too.

When her parents leave to seek a cure for Serik in a distant hospital, Aisulu finds herself living with her intimidating uncle and strange auntie—and secretly caring for an orphaned baby eagle. To save her brother and keep her family from having to leave their nomadic life behind forever, Aisulu must earn her eagle’s trust and fight for her right to soar. Along the way, she discovers that family are people who choose each other, home is a place you build, and hope is a thing with feathers.”

I wasn’t sure what to think about this book when I read the synopsis, but I have really enjoyed a lot of Erin Bow’s books so I thought I would give it a try. This ended up being a really really awesome book. I loved the modern day setting in a hunter gatherer tribe in Mongolia, this was really intriguing to read about.

Aisulu is trying to be a proper girl but she loves riding horses across the mountains and plains and sometimes she gets sick of how much attention is paid to her brother…the eldest son of the tribe. When her brother is injured and they find he has a deeper illness, her parents are forced to take him into the city for treatment leaving Aisulu behind with her uncle and strange aunt. Then Aisulu rescues a young baby eagle and ends up raising it; something that is unheard for women to do. However, when her brother’s medical expense look like they are going to force Aisulu and her family out of their nomadic lifestyle it may be Aisulu’s skill with her eagle that can save them.

I enjoyed all the characters and watching as Aisulu learns how to train eagles. It was amazing to see how the community came together to support her and how brave she was and how hard she worked. I also really loved the modern nomadic setting in Mongolia. I learned a ton about this lifestyle through this book and it was a lot I didn’t know and really enjoyed learning about.

This ends up being a very emotional read about Aisulu’s ties to her family, tribe, and eagle. It was incredibly engaging and hard to put down (I read it one sitting). I loved Bow’s afterword as well where she talks about the research she did for this book; a lot of care, hard work, and thought went into writing this story.

Overall this was an amazing read that I would recommend to everyone. Especially to those who enjoy books about strong female characters fighting against the odds, animals, or are curious about nomadic lifestyles.

Review – Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow (5/5 stars)

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