Book Recommendation: Wings

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Title: Wings
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Release date: May 5, 2009
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 294
Genre: Young adult, urban fantasy

Fifteen-year-old Laurel has always been homeschooled, but when her family moves to a new city her parents decide to enroll her in the public school. Being in public school draws attention to some of Laurel’s odd quirks: she eats only plain fruits and vegetables for every meal, she doesn’t have to wash her hair with shampoo and conditioner, and she is always warm, to the point where she likes to wear tank tops and shorts even in the chilly fall months. Just when Laurel starts to feel comfortable among her new friends and teachers, she finds a strange bump growing between her shoulder blades. Gradually the bump turns into a beautiful flower-like blossom, growing right out of her back! Soon she meets Tamani, a boy who lives on her parents’ property, who informs her that she is a faerie and was placed by her (adoptive) parents when she was young for a secret mission.

When Wings got a lot of hype last year, I was never motivated to seek it out. But it really does have a beautiful cover, and when I saw that my library has a copy of it in audio format, I decided it was the right time to pick it up. I was satisfied with the experience of reading it because I honestly didn’t have a lot of expectations. It didn’t wow me, but it did entertain me for my drives to and from work every day, so I got exactly what I was looking for.

I don’t read a lot of urban fantasy, and the only book I’ve read about fairies is Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely, so I didn’t have much to compare Wings to. I think this is a good thing because I didn’t have much in the way of expectations for the novel in terms of the faerie stuff – so I have no idea how Pike’s take on the subject fares with other authors’ versions. I enjoyed reading about Laurel’s new life and about her discovery of that life. I would have liked for her to have discovered her true self a bit sooner in the book, as I don’t think enough time or attention was paid to the details of the faerie world. But I did like going on this journey with Laurel, as I found her authentic and I believed her disbelief of fairies. I also liked reading about her relationship with David (her human friend/almost boyfriend) – it was sweet and innocent and paced very nicely throughout the book. I must admit, though, that the Laurel/David/Tamani love triangle was not believable to me one bit. I just didn’t think that Laurel had a chance to get to know Tamani before she was having feelings for him – it simply felt forced and didn’t work for me.

Overall, I have to say that Wings was an enjoyable book which I’m glad I had a chance to read. I don’t know if a sequel is in the works, but if it is I would probably read it as I was interested enough by this novel to want to find out more about Laurel and what happens to her now that she knows she is a faerie.

Source: Book Addiction