Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Summary

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. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

The first description of this book that pops into my head is "a feel-good novel." This seems ridiculous - the book involves a girl discovering she's a faerie and that evil creatures are out to destroy Laurel, her family, and the faerie world. Why is this a "feel-good novel?" I think it's because viewing the world through Laurel's eyes is so pleasant. She is such a nice girl. She is simple and kind without being naive. She has the confidence that one often sees with naturally beautiful people but none of the arrogance. She loves her parents; no teenage rebellion. She has romantic feelings for two boy but goes out of her way not to hurt either.

Laurel has always been a little different, but never really thought about it much. She only likes fruits & vegetables, she never gets cold, she's most comfortable outdoors. But it doesn't seem weird to her. She realizes she truly is different when petals resembling butterfly wings start growing out of her back! She is understandably horrified. The only person she confides in is David, her sweet new friend. She gets an even greater surprise when she meets Tamani, a sentry living in the forest on her family's land. He tells her that she is a faerie - not human at all!

The land Laurel's family owns contains a gateway to Avalon, the fae land. It is important that it remains in the family name. Important enough that others will do anything to get it - including murder. It is up to Laurel, Tamani, and David to save Laurel's family and keep the land from getting into the hands of evildoers.

The plot of Wings is not all that surprising. I had no doubt of the ending. And the writing is a bit clunky, especially at the beginning. But that did not decrease my enjoyment of the book. Aprilynne Pike puts a unique spin on faerie mythology (unique to me at least). Fae are plants. Their wings are flower petals - not meant for flying. We get only an introduction to the traditional faerie names in this book (Oberon, etc). I think they will play a larger role in later books.

David and Tamani, the two love interests are both wonderful. I am Team Switzerland at this point. They are both kind souls and dote on Laurel - no bad boys in this book. Laurel can't go wrong, which makes her choice all that more difficult.

Wings is a great start to a series. I cannot wait to read the next book.

Rating: 4 / 5