Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Wings is the debut novel from Aprilynne Pike that came out in May of 2009. I have been wanting to read this for over a year, since I saw it featured on the TwilightMoms Books of the Month Club. Living in a small town, I was lucky to find that our library had a copy because they really don't get new releases of YA books that reliably. They just don't. As it is, the second book in the series, Spells, has been out since May of 2010 and they still haven't gotten around to getting a copy. Long story short, I have been on the waiting list for this book for months and I FINALLY got it- and proceeded to read it in one evening, of course!!



Anyone who knows me even a little bit can tell you what really drew me to this book: FAIRIES! I love fairies. I have at least two huge books on fairy lore research, my house has fairies strewn throughout it, my garden has fairies all through it, my profile icon is a fairy, one of my favorite book series is about fairies. Fairy lore has always fascinated me. I love that nearly every country that the Celts ever touched has a rich fairy history. It's one of the things that makes Ireland, Cornwall, Scotland, Wales and Brittany so intriguing. Now, while the fairy lore is what drew me to the Wings Series, it is also what kinda ruined the book for me. It didn't ruin it completely but it left me a little... dissatisfied. Most of the research that I have seen from the Celtic lore and beliefs is a bit different from the direction that Aprilynne took her fairies and that made it uncomfortable in the sense that Stephenie Meyer's sparkly vampires make die hard, old school vampire fans. It was unsettling, but the book was still really good. Another thing that grated a tiny bit was that there is a love triangle. It's like a current requisite for YA books. Must have a love triangle. But again, the little bit of annoyance was easily overcome by a great story.



Basically, the story follows Laurel as she realizes that not only is she weird, but she is not human. She can not eat processed foods, meat, anything with salt, she doesn't bleed, she's 15 years old and never started her period, and she wakes up one morning with a flower blooming out of her back. Yeah... not normal or human. She meets David, a human who she attends high school with, and he helps her come to terms with what she is and what she is not. David is so sweet, patient and kind. He doesn't get discouraged even when Laurel blows up at him or repeatedly refuses to go out with him. He sticks it out and is a true friend to her through it all. Laurel also meets another fairy, Tamani, on the land that her old house sits on. He is the one who tells her why she has sprouted the blossom and that she is a Fall Fairy. He makes her feel things that she doesn't understand and he makes it very clear that all he wants in the world is for her to be his forever. Laurel, David and Tamani have to work together over the course of the book to keep Laurel, her parents and the land on which their old home sits safe from harm.

In the end, this was a wonderful book and I am looking forward to hunting down a copy of the second book in the series, Spells, so that I can read it before May when the third book, Illusions, is released. I would suggest this book to anyone who likes fairies, supernatural books and/or clean YA reads. It is really very clean. There is some kissing and that is about it. Not much in the way of swearing either. Adults can enjoy this book as much as teens. It is a thin little book and a quick read, about the same size as a House of Night novel. I hope you'll give Wings a try if you haven't yet!!

Wings earns 4 Fairies for a wonderful modern fairy tale.

You can find Aprilynne Pike on her WEBSITE, on Twitter and on Goodreads. Check her out!