Review : Wings
Wings by Aprilynne Pike
Pages : 270
Genre : YA, Fantasy
My Rating : 
What it’s about :
It first begins as a lump on Laurel’s back. Worried, she’s sure the worst is happening : she’s dying of cancer. Imagine her surprise when the lump turns out to be not a tumor, but the blossoming point for a beautiful, flower-like pair of wings! After a surprising encounter in the woods with Tamani, a stunning yet very mysterious guy, Laurel learns the truth about what she is : a plant or, more precisely, a faerie.
Between her new friend/love interest David and her new “condition”, Laurel already has more than enough to deal with. Unfortunately, being a faerie isn’t only about sprouting beautiful wings, and Laurel finds herself thrown into a story that is far more dangerous than she could have imagined.
Now, I don’t like to be mean towards books, because I know they’re the result of many, many hours of hard work from hopeful writers who put all their heart into it, but I have to be honest : Wings was for me a huge disappointment.
I really was in love with the idea of faeries being plants. It was cute and original, and my favorite part of the book was to discover what Laurel was and how was the world she came from. Sadly, that’s about where the fun stopped for me.
As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t care for the characters. The relationship between Laurel and David fell flat, and I couldn’t see them being more than good friends. As for Laurel, I found her to be interesting for what she was, but not for who she was. My favorite character was probably Tamani, but we didn’t get to see that much of him. Then again, his possible romance with Laurel was barely more believable than the one with David.
One of my major problem with the book though was the writing. I found that there was little subtlety in the descriptions of scenes or of Laurel’s emotions. The dialogues, especially between Laurel and David, seemed forced and uncomfortable. It was a little better when she was with Tamani, but still not believable. Also, the pace of the story was uneven, and the scenes weren’t flowing naturally from one to another.
In a few words, I would say Wings was a beautiful idea badly executed. From what I heard, Wings is actually the first in a 4 books series. Will I read the next one? Maybe, if I can find it at the library, I’ll give the author another chance. The great news is, plenty of people loved this book! My opinion is a small one in an ocean of great reviews, and I suggest you read some of them too!
Other Opinions : The Story Siren, Life in the Thumb, The Book Butterfly, My Favorite Author, Books and Movies, Tales of Whimsy
I felt exactly the same way about this book. My review is here: http://zenleaf.blogspot.com/2009/06/wings-by-aprilynne-pike.html
You are not the first to have these disappointing thoughts after finishing the book. I have read quite a few reviews that echo yours. Oh, well! On to the next one 🙂
I want to try a faery book, but I don’t think I’ll start with this one.
Amanda : Yes! I saw your review when after I finished writing mine and was looking for more positive ones. I share completely your thoughts on that book.
A bookshelf Monstrosity : Yes, opinions are really either good or bad on this one! We can’t like all the same things, can we? Like you said, on to the next one! 😀
Kathy : I don’t know many faery books sadly, but I’m sure there’s something great for you that includes faeries!
Sorry you didn’t dig this one. I loved it.
I did enjoy reading your review.
We can’t all love the same things 😉 I did add you review to my post though! 😀
I’m right in the middle of this one and I am having such a hard time really getting into the story. I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one who did!
That idea is cute, isn’t it? Too bad you didn’t enjoy it. So awesome that you ‘criticized’ in such a nice way! I totally hate criticizing a book, too, because who knows how many hours of hard work the author had to go through to produce a book. No matter what, I still applaud his/her effort for even putting it out there – the more books the better! Anyway, I might pick it up if I see at the library.
“I found her to be interesting for what she was, but not for who she was”
Ugh, I hate it when that happens. It’s really annoying to see that lack of character in books. It really is.
(Also for bemudaonion, if you do read this: If you’re interested in faery books, maybe try something like Lament by Maggie Stiefvater, or perhaps Melissa Marr’s books.)
I had huge expectations from this book too and after paying almost double the price than a normal book for Wings, it has kind of left me even more dissapointed. I might borrow the next book or possibly buy it if I get it in a sale.
Sorry this didn’t work better for you. I was disappointed in Wings too. The plant thing wasn’t quite what I expected and I found the rest a little too predictable.
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