When Wingy Pigs Flew by Francessca Bella is the first installment in a never-ending series written in rhyme. The author calls the collection of works Bella Rariora. According to the author, this is the first-ever rhyming book series. The series is titled Rhymeland Everlasting.
The story is written in epic poetry format, specifically sonnet form. The author uses the rhyme scheme of aBaBccDDeFFeGG, which is iambic tetrameter. Iambic tetrameter is defined as: where the lowercase letters represent feminine rhymes (stressed on the penultimate syllable) and the uppercase letters represent masculine rhymes (stressed on the ultimate syllable). According to the author in the introduction, the structured rhythm and rhyme used in the story “create new ways to use words that typical prose does not.”
To help the reader organize their thoughts and create a structured plotline while reading, the author divides this story into cantos. Cantos are defined as a section within a long narrative poem. Cantos help organize the poem and make it more accessible to readers. This organizational format of writing became more popular with Italian epic poetry, most famously with Dante’s Divine Comedy.
The story opens in a whimsical and romantic setting that is reminiscent of the past, a circus, including animals, popcorn and cotton candy, and a carousel. The author masterfully uses sensory details and many types of figurative language throughout, such as “scent of sugar tickles riders’ noses, cotton candy spun fresh and soft,” to help the reader envision this fairy-tale scene. This is where the main character, Trenton, happens upon Vana, the tempting and playful love interest in the story. From here, the two banter back and forth throughout the story as they encounter magic, wishes, and the possibility of romance. Will Trenton and Vana choose each other, or will the power of magic stand in their path?
One of the story’s strengths is its vivid and masterful use of sensory details and many types of figurative language. For example, the author begins the story with onomatopoeia, “Bling! Sunshine warms, emitting light/ on the circus.” This technique immediately engages the reader and helps them build the idyllic setting in their mind. However, these writing techniques can also pose a challenge to some readers. The author states in the preface that readers need to have “what it takes” to complete reading this series in this unique format and with her new way of using words to create new meaning.
This story is noteworthy and may be appealing to some readers because it is written in a currently popular, emerging subgenre, romantasy. In addition, the writer is trying to create a new form of literature that has never been done before. This may be the very challenge that an experienced reader is looking for!