Books4Tomorrow: REVIEW: "WINGS" (Wings, #1)

Title: Wings

Series: (Wings, #1)

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Publisher: Harper TEEN

Publication Date: May 5, 2009

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Reviewed by: Books4Tomorrow

Source: Gifted

My star rating: 5/5

SUMMARY

Homeschooled Laurel enters a public high school and feels a bit different. But she feels even more so when a large blossom starts growing out of her back. Soon she discovers that she is a fairy changeling, placed with a human family to keep one of the gateways to the fairy world of Avalon safe. Torn between a human boy and a fairy, she also discovers that trolls are after her land, and that her human parents are in danger.

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

REVIEW

Not often do I come across a book where I don’t want it to end. The closer I got to the final chapter, the more I started to panic. I simply didn’t want it to end, as I was so deeply invested in these characters, it was hard for me to let go.

But wait, let me start at the beginning. First off, I have to admit that the first few chapters didn’t really hold my interest and I simply plodded along hoping the good stuff promised by the blurb will come along soon. Good thing I did, because by chapter eight I was hooked. Interesting and mysterious things started happening to Laurel and my curiosity levels hit the roof. I had so many questions by then it was impossible to put the book down before I’d gotten a few satisfactory answers to what was happening.

So on I read as Laurel and David became steady friends and David, being the mellowed-out biology geek that he is, turned out to be a character I soon became fond of. Laurel was also an unpretentious and enormously likeable character and I admired the way in which she dealt with the truth about her heritage and what she really is. Then Tamani came into the picture, and oh my goodness, I was blown away. Fans of the Vampire Diaries tv series – all I can say is, Tamani is the faerie double of Damon Salvatore. He’s dark, possessive, strong, charming, and hides his true feelings behind a snarky veneer. Of course, with Laurel being in love with both David and Tamani, this is again another novel that cannot stand on its own without the inevitable love-triangle…and we all know how I detest those. But here’s the really big BUT. The author wrote this triangle with such skill, I couldn’t help but fall in love with both David and Tamani at the same time as Laurel did, and like her, I wouldn’t be able to choose between them either. Why? Because David and Tamani are the exact opposites of each other, but they both have wonderful redeeming qualities that brings out the best in Laurel (and had me salivating, but let’s not focus on that). Also, with neither of these characters was it love at first sight. None of that insta-love garbage. With both these boys, it was a slow build-up to the point where Laurel realised she’s in love with both of them. But by then, she (and I) was already at that point where we won’t be able to choose one over the other anyway.

Most of the story is based on Laurel discovering her true identity, the world she came from, and the blossoming romance between her and David, and her and Tamani. But the plot is also filled with secrets, mysteries, danger, and coming to terms with that which would be for most too implausible to believe. It rarely happens that I have to swallow a lump in my throat while reading the last few pages of a book, but this one ended so magnificently and all the heartfelt emotions of two characters saying goodbye, simply overwhelmed me. A beautiful world infused with magic is what I discovered in this story, and because I enjoy reading about faeries, twisted faerie tales, elixirs and potions, trolls, and otherworldly elements, I finished it in less than two days. Even King Arthur and Shakespeare had their own roles to fulfil in this magical tale, and I hope to finally be taken into the world of Avalon in the sequel to this spectacular book. I guess I should stop gushing now, so let me just say Wings was way better than I imagined it could be, and I can’t wait to read the second book in this series, titled Spells.