Wings, the debut novel by Aprilynne Pike, grabbed my attention because of its front-cover review by Stephenie Meyer, author of Twilight. While I enjoyed the book overall, it was a veeeeerrrrry slow starter. By page 50, I had thought of giving up on it -- twice. By page 100, I was becoming slowly enticed by the developing story. Luckily, by page 150, I was fully engrossed in the unique faerie mythology Pike has created in this novel.
The story follows 15-year-old Laurel, a beautiful, willowy vegan who has been homeschooled her entire life. She's just been transplanted into public school for the first time, and moved into a new town away from the land her family has owned for generations. Although Laurel quickly makes friends -- including hunky science nerd David -- its obvious that she's very different from the rest of her peers. She hates being cooped up inside, rarely eats and never gets sick. Just how different she truly is, however, isn't obvious until the morning that she awakens with a huge, wing-like flower sprouting out of her back.
The story that emerges is definitely cut from the same cloth as Twilight, only written perhaps for a younger audience. The book is the first of a four book series that will explore further the land of Avalon and Laurel's role as an autumn faerie living in the human world. It's a solid premise and a different take on fairies. Best of all, the book set the stage for a nice love triangle between normal guy David and Laurel's other love interest, Tamani, who is everything David isn't -- including, human. I'm sure this plot point will be revisited in future sequels.
Overall, I liked the book... I just didn't LOVE it. It was engaging, but very predictable. The villian might as well have been wearing a sign that said, "Hi, I'm the bad guy." The parents are very two-dimensional. And it took me quite awhile to care about Laurel and her predicament. I will probably pick up the next book by Pike to see what lies in store for her characters (especially Tamani, the most likeable and colorful of the bunch) but it's not a release I feel the need to add to my calendar. [close]
The story follows 15-year-old Laurel, a beautiful, willowy vegan who has been homeschooled her entire life. She's just been transplanted into public school for the first time, and moved into a new town away from the land her family has owned for generations. Although Laurel quickly makes friends -- including hunky science nerd David -- its obvious that she's very different from the rest of her peers. She hates being cooped up inside, rarely eats and never gets sick. Just how different she truly is, however, isn't obvious until the morning that she awakens with a huge, wing-like flower sprouting out of her back.
The story that emerges is definitely cut from the same cloth as Twilight, only written perhaps for a younger audience. The book is the first of a four book series that will explore further the land of Avalon and Laurel's role as an autumn faerie living in the human world. It's a solid premise and a different take on fairies. Best of all, the book set the stage for a nice love triangle between normal guy David and Laurel's other love interest, Tamani, who is everything David isn't -- including, human. I'm sure this plot point will be revisited in future sequels.
Overall, I liked the book... I just didn't LOVE it. It was engaging, but very predictable. The villian might as well have been wearing a sign that said, "Hi, I'm the bad guy." The parents are very two-dimensional. And it took me quite awhile to care about Laurel and her predicament. I will probably pick up the next book by Pike to see what lies in store for her characters (especially Tamani, the most likeable and colorful of the bunch) but it's not a release I feel the need to add to my calendar. [close]
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