I'm certain that similar concepts have been explored before. However, Patterson had a novel idea for stories centered around illegal and unethical scientific research, with the outcome being human-bird hybrids.

Maximum Ride is one series of books that emerged from this core concept.... But prior to Maximum Ride, there was Max... in this book (along with one sequel)....

This book takes a distinct approach.... It doesn't have a global scope.... The story is presented more from the perspective of Frannie, a veterinarian who discovers, tracks, and captures Max, and Kit (or Tom), an FBI agent who suspected something was amiss but was being misled.

There is a greater emphasis on science, and the horror of regarding everything as a specimen, anticipating them to be 'put to sleep'.

I found the story engaging.... But I can understand why he wrote Maximum Ride.... One feels a stronger connection to the characters in that series compared to these.

Overall, both works have their own merits and offer unique perspectives on the theme of scientific experimentation gone awry.

The premise of the book was indeed appealing. It had the potential to be a great read.

However, the writing was abysmal. As my first Patterson read, I am truly horrified by the popularity of this writer. The flaws were spread evenly throughout the text, making it difficult to pinpoint specific points. I had a conversation with an enamored coworker and ended up looking into the use of ghostwriters. Apparently, James Patterson is more of a brand than an author. While he might come up with most of the ideas, it seems that a significant portion of the writing itself is outsourced. I can understand this practice to some extent, but I would definitely read and ensure that the work is not garbage before putting my name on it.

The transition music/footsteps was extremely annoying. It was like having illustrations of black-haired adults in a forest in a book about a bunch of blonde children in a school. This false, fleeting, and forced feeling of suspense only made what little suspense there was even more hollow.

The writer, whoever that was, simply could not write children. The romance that was thrown in was completely ridiculous and unnecessary for the plot to progress in the same way. Any paranoia or betrayals were blatantly obvious the moment the character appeared. Additionally, the writer completely missed several crucial elements.

Despite all these flaws, I did like the premise. I only learned about the ghostwriters after I had finished the book and was writing my review comments. As for the writing, the dialog was so lame that it detracted from the rare moments when some suspense was able to build. If this dialog was in a fluff/humor book, it might have elicited some odd looks from coworkers, but in this serious story, it just made me groan and dislike the writing even more with each line.

Overall, while the premise had promise, the execution was severely lacking.

This review holds a special place for me as it is not only my very first book review but also of my first ever James Patterson novel.

My encounter with this book was quite accidental. I had already devoured every novel on my bookshelf. My boyfriend, being a huge Patterson fan, handed me this book without having read it himself.

When the Wind Blows turned out to be a huge disappointment for me. I was anticipating an exciting and engrossing crime thriller. However, I was rather shocked when a girl with wings was introduced into the storyline.

What followed was a lackluster plot, uninteresting and flat characters, and a general sense of silliness that was勉强 justified with links to the genetic enhancement seen in Jurassic Park.

It was only after I completed reading that I realized When the Wind Blows was written as an adult sequel to Patterson's Maximum Ride series for young adults. Maybe it would have been more enjoyable if I had read the other books in the series. Then again, perhaps not.

One thing I was grateful for was the page-long chapters and the large print, which enabled me to breeze through the novel quickly and not waste any more time or brain cells than was absolutely necessary.