Laurel was mesmerized,
staring at the pale things
with the 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.
Laurel has never been the kind of girl who believes in fairy tales and myths, fables and legends … until the day she learns the stunning truth about her own identity, forever changing her world. In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.
Book Title: Wings Genre: Young Adult Fiction Author: Aprilynne Pike Type: Trade Paperback 295 pages Publisher: Harper Teen Publication Date: May 2009
My Thoughts
Ever have one of those books that get you all excited just thinking about them? Wings was that book for me. Faeries, magic and mystery all together in a new young adult novel. Sounds great! But in the end this story just didn’t work for me – and seeing all the stellar reviews this book is getting makes me feel like I’m missing out on something.
Maybe I just expected too much, because I didn’t find anything all that original here. There’s Laurel, whose not only starting out at school as the new girl but as the girl whose been home-schooled all her life, is a very picky eater and is a little weird about being stuck inside for 8 hours a day. So there is the awkward main character whose trying hard to fit in. No need to worry though, because now David makes his entrance to the story. David is the typical, popular, all around nice, high school guy that everyone likes. And he welcomes Laurel into his circle of friends right away.
Now that Laurel seems to be heading in the direction of normal teenage life, a problem pops up (literally) She starts growing petals out of her back! So of course she freaks out, and after confiding in David he runs some tests on her blood using his microscope and discovers she’s a plant! And that was when I knew that this book would be a bit of a stretch for me. Seriously I can deal with faeries – they’re awesome – but I didn’t care much for this particular re-imagining of the fey.
From there on out, it was pretty predictable – throw in some bad guys, a hot male faerie to threaten David’s relationship with Laurel and some family problems. I've no idea why Wings didn’t work for me, was it only because of the whole turning into a plant thing, or was the plot outline just too similar to many other young adult fantasy books? Another thing that bothered me is that it was marketed as a young adult book (ages 12+), but I would say this would be more appropriate for ages 9-12. There was really nothing overly objectionable in terms of language, violence or sexuality. I also felt that the writing and pace were more suited to younger readers.
Basically, I didn’t enjoy this one. But others love it – I’ve included links to other reviews below so be sure to check those out. However I would recommend this to younger readers, as a fun, quick read.
About The Author
Aprilynne Pike has been spinning faerie stories since she was a child with a hyper-active imagination. At the age of twenty she received her BA in Creative Writing from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found at the gym; she also enjoys singing, acting, reading, and working with pregnant moms as a childbirth educator and doula. Aprilynne currently lives with her husband and three kids in Utah, and dreams of warmer climates.
| Other Reviews Have you reviewed this book too? Let me know and I’ll add your link. |
© 2008-2010 Joanne Mosher of The Book Zombie. All rights reserved.
17 comments:
Nice review, I'm sorry you didn't like this one! Thanks for including a link to my review, I added yours to my review, as well!
Good for you - you are very nice. Not all books will strike the fancy and sometimes, overhype does play into it, methinks.
I love fantasy, but since the HP phenomenon, there have been lots of entries in the genre. Not all of them work for everyone.
There seems to be a trend these days of faerie books with butterflies on the cover. Sorry this didn't work for you.
Gulp! I bought this in hardcover. At least you say it is a quick, fun read and if I don't like it, I can pass it on to my favorite 11 year old.
Oh thank god...the last thing I need is another book to read.
Your review was great. I know not everyone chooses to review books that aren't going to give highest marks but I appreciate hearing all opinions.
Have you read the House of Night books off your TBR list yet? I just finished the first three. The first one, Marked, I loved so much I sent my son to a neighboring library to get the next two (Betrayed and Chosen)and read them in two days. Now I am jonesing for the last two books (Untamed and Hunted)and can't get my hands on them.
Great review! It's nice to hear another point of view. This one seemed interesting but now, if I read it, I won't go into it with too high expectations. I think the things that bothered you would bother me, too.
Sorry you didn't really enjoy this one. After reading your review, I think I might not really have enjoyed it either. I have read other positive reviews of this book elsewhere, so I appreciate the another point of view. Thanks!
I just saw this one reviewed at another blog.
Sorry you didnt enjoy it.
Great review.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
LOL at softdrink! ah, so true. I had made the comment in bookclub that sometimes it is a good thing when not everyone likes the book because the discussion is so much more interesting! (response to person who sug'd a book worried that somebody won't like it - that's why we are in book club, right? to challenge our reading experiences? oops - tangent. I'll stop now.)
Funny how one book can work out for someone and not another. I read a really positive review of this book last night and I kept thinking how the book sounded tooooooo weird for me! Kind of like you say, "whole turning into a plant thing." Ya.
Looks like you found a photo where you aren't wearing a hoodie! Way to go :)
Sorry to hear this was such a let down :( The premise really was very promising.
Sorry this one was a let down Joanne. I haven't picked it up and I doubt I will but I do love the cover.
I can see why you didn't like it, Joanne, but I'm also glad you can see how it is enjoyable for others.
For me, this is definitely one of my favorite books, but then I also love Twilight, and I really think the two books are quite similar. As for the younger readers thing, I think you could probably say the same thing about Twilight or Harry potter, as they are easily readable and lack graphic scenes, yet are still really popular among adults.
I'd never heard of the turning into a plant concept before, so it was fresh and new for me, but if you've encountered it before, I can see why you ended up with a different take on the book than I did. Sorry you didn't like it more. My main issue was the ever-present unresolved teen love triangle ... they drive me nuts ... lol
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