Wings of Starlight

The seasonal realms of Pixie Hollow—Spring Valley, Summer Glade, Autumn Forest, and the Winter Woods—are more than geographical locations in Wings of Starlight; they’re tangible representations of the novel’s arguments about prejudice and its thematic exploration of The Power of Understanding and Compassion.

Fairies born into the warm seasons are discouraged, if not outright forbidden, from interacting with Winter fairies and vice versa. The border is a literal line in the world and a metaphorical boundary of identity. Fairies fear crossing it not just for physical reasons, such as the risk of frostbite or permanent wing damage, but for what it means: entering a world presumed alien, dangerous, and antagonistic. Winter, associated with coldness, barrenness, and emotional repression, is “othered,” relegated to a domain of mythical dangers and emotional austerity. Though Clarion is ostensibly meant to rule over all seasons, she’s raised with an inherent bias against Winter. When she first interacts with Milori, the Warden of the Winter Woods, their connection is forbidden by centuries of precedent.

The other seasons, particularly Spring and Summer, are labeled vibrant and expressive but also naive and exclusionary. The division of the seasons functions as a fantastical representation of social segregation and the consequences of long-standing cultural division.