Wings, by Aprilynne Pike

Wings
by Aprilynne Pike
reviewed by Megsly

Ahh, you will never hear me whine about my Kindle. It allows me to find many, many new books I otherwise would have NEVER looked at, and it lets me buy them instantly, no matter where I am in the world and usually, for cheap.  I have to admit, I’m a huge browser of the Kindle discount book store. They have everything you can imagine in there, for super cheap. In fact, I buy approximately 5-10 new books a week, and rarely do I spend more than 5-10$ for all of those books combined. It’s a  pretty sweet deal!

This week, I went on a buying spree. There’s an awesome website I use, called Swagbucks, that rewards you for using their search engine by awarding you points. The more points you get, the cooler the stuff you can get. Me? I’m a big fan of the Amazon $5 gift card, which I can get for 450 Swagbucks, which takes me about a week or two to accumulate. I’m getting about 10-15 dollars a month in Amazon gift cards, which translate in anywhere from 5-15 free books a month. I mean seriously, can you beat that? No, no you can’t.

This week, as I decided to use my beloved Swagbuck’s Amazon gift card, I came across this little jewel called Wings, by Aprilynne Pike. Our own beloved Saluki reviewed it previously (you can find her review here) and I thought you may like a second opinion!

Wings is the coming of age tale following Laurel, a beautiful girl who’s been home-schooled her entire life by her adopted parents, until she turned 15 and they moved. Now, the previously home-schooled vegan is forced to enter the public school system and will embark on quite the journey!

Once she’s in the school, Laurel feels very overwhelmed, which makes her very relatable to anyone who’s ever had to be “the new kid,” but fortunately she meets a boy, David, who is more than willing to take her under his wing and help her find her niche in Crescent City, California, which is a short 45 minute drive from her old home. Their friendship buds, and Laurel finds herself slowly adjusting to life outside of her home. She has a new group of friends, she’s doing well in school, and she’s happy, which is something she had wondered about when she’d originally moved. But then, things begin to crash around her; a small bump appears on her back and not only will it not go away no matter how much salve and cream she applies, but it continues to grow…and grow….and grow until it’s the size of a soft ball!

And then…the soft ball sized lump disappears, and a beautiful flower sprouts from her back…just a note here, I’d totally freak out. And that’s exactly what Laurel did! And she runs straight to David, who’s a self professed science geek, hoping he won’t flip out and will give her some sort of answer for the insanity on her back. There’s some mouth swabbing action, some snippage of the tip of the flower and some up close and personal time with a microscope…and voila! Our handsome nerd with the shining science lab deduces that Laurel is totally not human…she’s a plant. Weird, right? She has no heartbeat, no blood (yeah, the girl bleeds sap) and it’s completely understandable as to why she totally freaks. And she freaks out in a way that a 15 year old would.

Shortly there after, with scarfs tying the petals of her blossom down to her body, and a baggy shirt covering the bulge, she returns to her old home, which still hasn’t been sold and disappears into the forest. And then the truth comes out and we’re introduced to a twist in fae lore that I personally haven’t encountered before. Laurel, upon meeting a boy in the forest who knows the secret of her past, discovers that she’s a Fall Faerie, and that she’s been placed intentionally within the human world to inherit the land her family home is on, to save the Gate to Avolon.

Now, I’ve went into more plot detail on this book than I normally do, simply because it’s nearly impossible to gloss over the plot and expect you to read it. It’s a beautifully written book, simple in it’s language while easily painting a picture that steals your breath and your imagination. So without telling you more of the plot (and there is a LOT more going on than I’ve explained here) I’d like to tell you of the characters.  They’re all good kids, and they are truly kids. They have kids’ dreams and passions, they behave like kids, and they kid things, even though they’re thrust into a world of responsibility that even the more mature adult would have difficulty adjusting to.

I love the characters, I love their simple passion, and their ways of speaking and acting, and their innocence. The plot is perfect for your young adult, there’s nothing indecent in it, and the issues Laurel encounters are something young girls of practically any age can relate to. Over all, I was thrilled with this book and can’t wait to read the next in the series!

Below is my rating of Wings by Aprilynne Pike. These are reflective strictly of my opinion of the novels I’ve read and reviewed, and are not necessarily reflective of the other staff members of MVF.

-Story Elements (plot) – 9.5
-Character Development – 9
-Grammar & Punctuation – 9
-Prose – 9
-Paranormal Element – 8.5

Total Score: 9/10
(total score is derived from the average of the 5 individuals scores)