Book review - Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Laurel has always been a bit different – she doesn’t like to eat much, she doesn’t need much sleep. Moving house and starting school after being homeschooled for years isn’t her idea of fun, but she goes along with it because her parents have started their dream business. David knows there’s something different about Laurel. He knows she’s special and he’s drawn to her. Now something is happening to Laurel, something impossible, something magical. And they have to find out what’s going on.

Wings is a fun, light read. It has an interesting take on faeries, but I felt there was something missing from this tale. We’ve only seen a sliver of a world that Aprilynne Pike clearly knows very well. My biggest problem is that the plot is fairly straightforward and stretched out for the size of the book. However, the plot that we do get is nicely written, with a refreshingly original take on faeries. Often books have 'original' takes on mythical creatures that are incredibly similar, but Aprilynne Pike has created a whole new species with the faeries in Wings.

Laurel is a sympathetic protagonist and her need to fit in will be understood by most teenagers. Her chemistry with David and Tam was believable, and her relationship with her parents was also nicely played out. The 'bad guys' of the book were a tad formulaic, their motives were never really explained. Other than that though, Wings has a cast of believable characters.

As I’ve said, the faeries are a stroke of genius. I just wish that Pike had packed more plot in. This is a fun, entertaining book, but I have to say that I see it appealing more to younger teens than older. Usually I ignore the distinctions between teenage books, because children’s books can be totally suitable for older readers too. In this case though, I’d say young to mid teens are the ideal audience for this book if they’re looking for light, magical entertainment.