Wings

a review by Courtney

I am not entirely sure how I feel about this book!! There was a lot to love about it but I wasn't quite sure if I truly connected to the story or not! Laurel is a 15 yr. old girl who has a bunch of weird quirks about her that make her not so normal and then the biggest quirk of all is when a flower starts to bloom out of her back!! The only person she confides this major secret too is her new close friend David. Together they try to unravel who or what she is!

This was one of the weirdest books I've read and I've read a lot of weird books. I think that is what intrigued me the most about i. The beginning starts off pretty slow but thing got so weird that I had to keep reading to figure out what was going on!!

I really did think that Laurel was a pretty good character even though there were times I felt I really didn't know or understand her at all. But I was really excited when they added the other guy Tamani to the story because I was not very connected to David. He was just too nice and sweet and I am drawn to a guy that is a little harder to get!!

Tamani was great...hello forest guy!! Yum! He sounded great and I found myself wishing Laurel would find more reasons to go see him.

The reasons I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is that I struggled with the beginning a bit and I was frustrated with the whole mentioning of sex. It just about made me scream when the mom suggested that 15yr old Laurel be careful with her friend David because she could get pregnant. I was like "are you kidding me, she is 15". But other than that one paragraph or so I enjoyed the story and I think other YA fantasy lovers will enjoy the story! I plan on reading the rest of the series too because I am definitely interested in where this is heading!

Reader reviewed by Mariah

This was a great debut book by
Aprilynne Pike. She draws you into the setting and makes you feel as if
you know the characters. Throughout the book Laurel is faced with
changes to herself and her family that she must conquer. This book is
like a combination of many other fantasy books. For example Wicked
Lovely and Twilight. But at the same time it is it's own book
completely. If you liked either of those books you would probably like
this book, but even if you hate those other books this book still has
something in it for you! I enjoyed the character's personalities and
how Laurel was so completely different than any other main characters
in any book I have read!

reprinted with author's permission

Reader reviewed by Sara

Title: Wings
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Publisher: HarperTeen
Date Published: 2009
Genre: Young Adult
Main Themes: Faeries, Trolls, Love, Magic, Changelings
Pages: 294
Plot:
From inside book jacket: "Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful - too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever."

I'll be honest, when I started this book I didn't like it. More specifically, I didn't like Laurel. She was too perfect - and I hated that she knew it. I like my main characters to have some flaws - otherwise I can't relate to them all that well. After all, I'm not perfect... :) By the time I got to about the eighth chapter I couldn't put the book down! I don't know what happened: maybe it just took me some time to warm up to the book, maybe I was just being overly critical at the beginning - whatever! The point is: I loved this book.

Don't get me wrong, there were flaws. The character David, for example. He was a bit flat. I kind of forgot about him at times - especially when Tamani was around.

Tamani, in comparison, was an amazingly written character! He was so vibrant and interesting...

I think that David will develop more as a character in the next book though, now that the scene is set.

The part that really got me about Wings was the originality of the faery world. Yes, there were some allusions to other recognizable fae lore, but Aprilynne Pike created her own type of fae and fae history.

I'll be anxiously awaiting the next book and the continuation of Laurel's story! And if you start this book and don't find yourself glued to the pages - don't put the book down! Keep going because in a couple chapters you'll find yourself completely engrossed in the world Pike has imagined!

Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 10
Characters: 9
Writing Style: 10
Romance: 10
Originality: 10!
Total: 49/50 (A)

Reader reviewed by Julie H.

Laurel Sewell just moved from the only home she remembers, to a larger town in Northern California. She begins at Del Norte high school after having been homeschooled her whole life.  Laurel sticks out a bit in the lunchroom, with her light as a bird, vegan style eating, but soon makes a couple of friends in David and Chelsea.  Her father's trying to make a success at his bookstore and her mother is just pleased when Laurel eats or drinks more calories, like a can of Sprite from their stocked fridge.  One morning, Laurel wakes up with a strange bump on her back that continues to grow.  Eventually, she sprouts a flower of sorts right out of the middle of her back.  A visit to her old home near the forest helps explain her heritage. 

This is to be a four book series, there are faeries,evil trolls and touches of Arthurian legends about the gates to Avalon.  Pike has created a wonderful character in Laurel, and a great three way romantic triangle with her,  human David and the faerie Tamani.  One wonders if the Stephanie Meyer endorsement will help this be as big a phenomenon as her Twilight series.

Reader reviewed by kim

Laurel is a sheltered teenager who grew up home schooled in a small town. When her parents decided to move, they enroll her for the first time in a local high school. Laurel is just getting used to these changes in her life when she discovers a small bump on her back that quickly blossoms into a wing like appendage made purely out of fragrant flowers. David is the cute, nice guy at school who is obviously interested in Laurel.Being safe and loyal, Laurel feels like she can trust David and she goes to him more than once for assistance. He tests her cells under his microscope and reveals that they are more plant than animal. But its not until she meets the mysterious Tamani in the wooded acreage outside of her old home, that Laurel truly begins to grasp just who she really is. Tamani helps her come to terms with her heritage and also helps her understand just how valuable the land is that her family owns. Laurel is placed in a situation where she realizes some evil influences are at work to take away this land, and she has to fight for this not to happen.

 

Wings was not a very demanding story to read and took a long time to really get off the ground. The characters were interesting and unique, though I would say a bit underdeveloped. I will say that once Laurel began sprouting the blossom on her back, I was intrigued and thats where the novel really began rolling for me. The scientific, loyal David is someone that I would like to learn more about, and it should be interesting to see how he adapts to Laurels strong connections with her faery brethren and burgeoning relationship with Tamani.  I  REALLY wanted to learn more about what exactly goes on in the faery realm and to walk through the gates with Lauren, but that only makes for an exciting sequel, and I definitely look forward to reading the next in the series.