Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Another book from 2010. This is actually the book I read right before reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Took me a few days but it was easier to read a book quicker when I had limited internet access. And I did like this book. At the time, I considered going to a conference where the topic was faeries in fantasy though I ended up not going. I hadn't read many faery books, so this might be another first, though I don't remember for sure.


From Goodreads: 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 liked this book for the most part. The faery (or fairy if you want to spell it that way) element is an interesting one for me. While I love faeries, I'll admit I haven't read many books that have them even though they are another popular topic. Yet, I could tell this book had a different approach to them.

This is the first book in a series, as most books are or so it seems these days. Hard to find single novels in fantasy/young-adult but I guess that's good since I write series (lol). I haven't read the second book nor have any plans of reading the second book because I have too many books in my to read pile, but I might consider reading it in the future. Which probably is an indication of my opinion over the novel. It was good but not great. I actually bought the book at a conference called Sirens. So, it's one of the few hardback books you'll see me review.

The main character is a female that is interesting. She does have the new girl situation, which is common but she has... parents! Yeah, surprising but it works. They don't get in the way of the story at all and I like that they aren't killed off, though there is a story line about them and her but I won't give any of that away. And the boy character she meets in the beginning of the book is one I liked and could cheer for. It's nice to see a character who is there despite the danger but doesn't do it to take over or necessarily be the savior, she is still the focus.

One thing I didn't really like about this book is the love triangle. I don't like them in general and the way this one just randomly seems to show up and how her feelings are shown for the second one didn't make sense to me. But it had to be that way. I commend the author for staying within the main characters point of view even though it made the love triangle harder to believe. The reader has to learn things when the main character does. People who like stories with love triangles may have no problems with the one in this book, but it's not quite something I can enjoy as much.

Overall, it's a good story with a different approach to a common fantasy creature that readers of YA fantasy might enjoy. It's not epic fantasy, but the story is interesting and can captivate a readers attention.



Dawn's Verdict: 7/10

 

1 comments:

Denise Covey said...

Hi Dawn, good review. This book sounds a bit different with the parent presence and pleased they don't get killed off. You're right. It's hard to find a YA which isn't a series which can be annoying when helping students choose books to read from the library. Some will only start with No 1 in the series and it can take ages to get it, then No 2 is no longer available.

Glad to see you're getting into the reading!

Denise :)

  • Powered by Blogger.