Wings by Aprilynne Pike
8 of 10: I haven’t heard a lot of buzz about Wings, despite it hitting the NYT bestseller list this weekend but I think it deserves more publicity. It was so lovely and spunky; I loved virtually every word.
This is one of those books, like Twilight, where I think the official blurb gives away more of the story than I wanted to know. It’s a faerie story, and that’s really all you need to know.
I take that back – the idea of faeries is always a little off putting to me. I think I worry that the whole book will be caught up in lots of dull faerie lore and weird magic. Wings is nothing like that.
wings by aprilynne pike
Laurel, the main girl, discovers she’s a faerie and watching her discover what she’s really like, what being a faerie entails, is just fascinating (I love that kind of thing). I really don’t want to give away more than that, because the fun is in watching it unfold for yourself.
It’s not a particularly fast-paced book (although there is one pretty high-speed section towards the end), but generally it feels just so relaxed and beautiful. That obsessive, can’t-read-fast-enough feeling I associate with books like The Hunger Games or Twilight is entirely absent here. I kept picking it back up not because I HAD to, but because I wanted to. It was just a joy to read.
Fair warning – this Aprilynne Pike book is the first of a four book series, so the ending kind of leaves you hanging (not in a “there’s a sword to her throat and then the book ends” kind of way, but definitely in a “there are many many loose ends hanging wide open here” kind of way). Even so, it’s still a satisfying book, which I find remarkable.
Also, I know we’re all tired of hearing books compared to Twilight when they have absolutely nothing in common with Twilight (except, perhaps, they both have words and are sold at Barnes and Noble). And this book is not really like Twilight, but there are some similarities between Aprilynne Pike and Stephenie Meyer that I find interesting – they both got a several book deal before the first book was even published (the Wings series is going to be four books total), they have the same agent, and they’re both Mormon. Um, maybe I’m the only one who finds those kinds of things interesting (did you know E. L. Konigsburg is the only author to have won the Newbery medal AND a Newbery Honor in the same year? Did you know Sid Fleischman and Paul Fleischman are the only father and son to have both won the Newbery?).
By the way, on the UK cover, doesn’t it look like Stephenie Meyer is the author?
My ten year old daughter has been looking for her next book. Could this be it?
I’m really glad you liked this one so much. I’ve heard good things and then I read the sample chapter online somewhere and it left me worried it would be a lame Twilight knockoff. I’m glad to hear it’s not. Will definitely pick it up.
Four book series? Why are they all series books these days?! WHY?!
hmmmmm. I am so disgruntled w/ Ms. Meyer that her recommendation makes me NOT want to read the book! 😉 But yours makes up for it.
Wow, I’ve GOT to read this now! I’m partial to the US cover, because I live in the US-duh;) But also because US covers are simpler yet more elegant most of the time.
And I can’t wait to get into HP too!
-amy
i have yet to read any of the YA with faeries…i did the whole twilight scene and lurve the jessica darling series by megan mccafferty…but have yet to venture into the sprites and faeries sub-genre. i’m interested, though. maybe this book will be the one i start with!
Ok- I’ve had it for awhile- am starting tonight! As you have probably figured out….this one is right up my alley….downside- hate starting series where I actually have to wait a year for the next one…oh well!
Thanks so much for the lovely review! (And yeah, the UK version TOTALLY looks like it was written by Stephenie! I had nothing to do with that design!!!;))
A.
I have to admit that fairies really aren’t my thing, so I didn’t take the time to check this book out when Aprilynne was at the Provo Children’s Festival. I wonder if I should have.
i love your book reviews. so useful. i hope you don’t mind, but i sent some of my students to your blog to find some summer reading ideas. (i promise they were just a few students, nice honors students, not nutters).