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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
One of the better paranormal romances out there for sure. WOOHOO! FIFTY BOOKS DOWN!
1) Really interesting take on faeries, and an interesting mythology, and I love the whole idea of Avalon
2) Laurel and David got on my nerves sometimes, but in the end I didn't find them
3) Favorite characters had to be Chelsea and Tamani
4) Slow at some parts, but it really picks up at the end
5) Interesting, since I've never seen faeries and trolls in the same YA series until now, so this is definitely more refreshing than fallen angels, immortals, etc.
6) Aprilynne Pike's writing style is very flowing, and she really conveys emotions very well
Definitely cannot wait to see what Spells has in store!
1) Really interesting take on faeries, and an interesting mythology, and I love the whole idea of Avalon
2) Laurel and David got on my nerves sometimes, but in the end I didn't find them
3) Favorite characters had to be Chelsea and Tamani
4) Slow at some parts, but it really picks up at the end
5) Interesting, since I've never seen faeries and trolls in the same YA series until now, so this is definitely more refreshing than fallen angels, immortals, etc.
6) Aprilynne Pike's writing style is very flowing, and she really conveys emotions very well
Definitely cannot wait to see what Spells has in store!
Faeries have never been my thing. I honestly don't know that much about them or their lore, and, if I'm being completely honest, I probably wouldn't have ever picked this book up if it wasn't for the Goodreads book group I'm in. This was their pick as a group read for March, sooooo I read it.
So, okay. The basic plot here is that the main character, Laurel, has moved to a new town because her parents decide to open a book store. Then she discovers that she is a faery--this happens when Laurel all of a sudden sprouts petals, that look like wings, from her back. It's important to note that they are petals, because in this series, *SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT* faeries aren't genetically people--they are plants who look and act and feel like humans. Anyway, Laurel befriends a very sweet and scientifically-minded boy named David who thinks that she's the cat's pajamas, and she doesn't really know what she thinks about him, at least romantically speaking. All the while her parents are trying to sell their old house/land and are having difficulty getting a buyer. Then when they do get a buyer, Laurel has a weird, weird, super weird feeling about him, and turns out that--surprise!--the land she grew up on belongs to the faeries and she has to make sure it isn't sold to someone who is not a faery. Get it? Goooood.
I found the first half of the book achingly slow. It was all about Laurel adjusting to life in her new high school (she had been home schooled), and it was literally "Laurel sucks at biology," "Laurel has weird eating habits" [OMG major sidebar--Her eating habits are this: she eats raw fruits and veggies and drinks Sprite. No, the play on words is not lost on me here. Anyway, while reading all about her raw foods diet, I was scarfing down chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and enjoying every second of it. I did not once feel guilty.], "Laurel is really pretty," "Laurel is still getting used to this whole school thing," "David is paying Laurel attention and she's not sure why," for about half the book.
That would be a-okay with me if the main character was interesting. Laurel is definitely different, but there's just something so squeaky clean about her--there's no edge, and once you realize that she's a faery (which is never really a mystery) there's nothing all that mysterious about her.
Things finally started to heat up when Laurel meets another faery, Tamani (boy!), who is the first character in the book that isn't completely vanilla. Although I like David, and find him very sweet, he's boring. I assume that in the trilogoy, that's his role--he's the sweet, safe choice while Tamani will be the edgy, more seemingly-exciting choice.
Anyway, the book kept going, and I kept reading, and then finally there was some much-needed action thrown in about 3/4 of the way through.
But my favorite part was when Tamani briefly (so briefly!) explained the history of faeries to Laurel. This included Avalon (!!!), King Arthur (!!!!), Merlin(!!!!!), and King Oberon (!!). Like I said earlier, faeries aren't really my thing, so maybe this is typical in the faery-canon and is old hat for all you faery genre readers, but I TOTALLY DUG this part. I really wished that all of that had come earlier in the book. In fact, I wish the editors had cut out a lot of the adjusting to the new school, sucking at biology stuff, to insert more faery history stuff. But then again, I was a history major in undergrad, so maybe I'm biased. ;)
As the book started to wrap up, the last couple pages kind of force a love triangle--not that it wouldn't have come by itself--I'm sure that it would have. While reading there is definitely a discernible romantic tension between David-Laurel and a more sexual tension between Tamani-Laurel, but I figured the love triangle would come to fruition in the second book. Instead, it was thrown in at the end of the first book, and to me, felt very very awkward.
Overall, Wings was a quick, light read, and since finishing it, I've found myself wondering about where Pike took the story in the next book. I'm not necessarily in a rush to read the next one, but I'll definitely put it on my list of things to-read.
So, okay. The basic plot here is that the main character, Laurel, has moved to a new town because her parents decide to open a book store. Then she discovers that she is a faery--this happens when Laurel all of a sudden sprouts petals, that look like wings, from her back. It's important to note that they are petals, because in this series, *SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT* faeries aren't genetically people--they are plants who look and act and feel like humans. Anyway, Laurel befriends a very sweet and scientifically-minded boy named David who thinks that she's the cat's pajamas, and she doesn't really know what she thinks about him, at least romantically speaking. All the while her parents are trying to sell their old house/land and are having difficulty getting a buyer. Then when they do get a buyer, Laurel has a weird, weird, super weird feeling about him, and turns out that--surprise!--the land she grew up on belongs to the faeries and she has to make sure it isn't sold to someone who is not a faery. Get it? Goooood.
I found the first half of the book achingly slow. It was all about Laurel adjusting to life in her new high school (she had been home schooled), and it was literally "Laurel sucks at biology," "Laurel has weird eating habits" [OMG major sidebar--Her eating habits are this: she eats raw fruits and veggies and drinks Sprite. No, the play on words is not lost on me here. Anyway, while reading all about her raw foods diet, I was scarfing down chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and enjoying every second of it. I did not once feel guilty.], "Laurel is really pretty," "Laurel is still getting used to this whole school thing," "David is paying Laurel attention and she's not sure why," for about half the book.
That would be a-okay with me if the main character was interesting. Laurel is definitely different, but there's just something so squeaky clean about her--there's no edge, and once you realize that she's a faery (which is never really a mystery) there's nothing all that mysterious about her.
Things finally started to heat up when Laurel meets another faery, Tamani (boy!), who is the first character in the book that isn't completely vanilla. Although I like David, and find him very sweet, he's boring. I assume that in the trilogoy, that's his role--he's the sweet, safe choice while Tamani will be the edgy, more seemingly-exciting choice.
Anyway, the book kept going, and I kept reading, and then finally there was some much-needed action thrown in about 3/4 of the way through.
But my favorite part was when Tamani briefly (so briefly!) explained the history of faeries to Laurel. This included Avalon (!!!), King Arthur (!!!!), Merlin(!!!!!), and King Oberon (!!). Like I said earlier, faeries aren't really my thing, so maybe this is typical in the faery-canon and is old hat for all you faery genre readers, but I TOTALLY DUG this part. I really wished that all of that had come earlier in the book. In fact, I wish the editors had cut out a lot of the adjusting to the new school, sucking at biology stuff, to insert more faery history stuff. But then again, I was a history major in undergrad, so maybe I'm biased. ;)
As the book started to wrap up, the last couple pages kind of force a love triangle--not that it wouldn't have come by itself--I'm sure that it would have. While reading there is definitely a discernible romantic tension between David-Laurel and a more sexual tension between Tamani-Laurel, but I figured the love triangle would come to fruition in the second book. Instead, it was thrown in at the end of the first book, and to me, felt very very awkward.
Overall, Wings was a quick, light read, and since finishing it, I've found myself wondering about where Pike took the story in the next book. I'm not necessarily in a rush to read the next one, but I'll definitely put it on my list of things to-read.
when I picked up this book and saw that the author of twilight thought it was good I thought to myself "You should put this book down." But I didn't and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I liked that the main character wasn't boy crazy but it's hard to like a skinny girl with perfect skin, great hair, and movie star looks. Turning her in to a farie... its like the author wanted us to hate her (or at least be really envious). I didn't, but I can see why other people did.
Recensione sul blog: http://thereadingpal.blogspot.it/2017/10/recensione-139-wings.html
La giovane Laurel è una ragazza particolare: il suo corpo riesce ad ingerire solo frutta e verdura, non mostra i segni tipici dello sviluppo della sua età, e ha passato tutta la sua vita a studiare a casa. Ora che si sono trasferiti, i genitori la fanno andare in una scuola normale, cosa che certamente la destabilizza. Ma non quanto quello che succede improvvisamente al suo corpo e che la porterà a scoprire chi è davvero e qual è la sua missione.
Allora, devo dire che le fate non sono esattamente il mio forte. Penso che questo (assieme al libro che recensirò giovedì) sia il primo che leggo a riguardo, se non si contanto i libri di Shadowhunters in cui le fate comunque appaiono.
Questo libro era di mia sorella, e non mi ricordo perché l'ho messo nella mia TBR sinceramente. Riguardandolo, il fatto che ci sia un commento di Stephanie Meyer non prometteva nulla di buono (odio profondo per Twilight e compagnia bella), ma alla fine non si è rivelato malaccio. Oddio, non una bellissima lettura, ma non lo schifo che pensavo.
Di solito parlando di fate si ci concentra sul loro essere creature ambigue, di solito piuttosto malvagie e manipolatrici. Aprilynne Pike ha deciso invece di rivisitare la cosa, facendole diventare fondalmente buone, per ora, e mettendole a difesa del loro regno. Le ha anche descritte in modo diverso, rendendole molto meno umane e più legate alle piante. È un concetto interessante che però la Pike utilizza in modo strano. Molto, molto strano. Di fatto, l'episodio che scatena tutta la catena di eventi successivi è la cresciuta di un fiore sulla schina di Laurel.
Le fate, in questo libro, sono anche divise in quattro categorie, derivate dalla stagione in cui sono nate, ed hanno caratteristiche particolari limitate solo alle fate nate in una certa stagione. Non mi pare di aver mai letto una cosa del genre in giro, e mi pare piuttosto interessante (ma, come ho detto, non sono molto ferrata sulle fate).
Le altre creature presenti sono invece i Troll. Non so se è per via del fatto che il libro è diretto a persone piuttosto giovani o se la scrittrice proprio non sa descriverli bene, ma a me non sono sembrati la metà terrificanti di quello che dovrebbero essere e di come li pensavano i personaggi. In questo ambito avrebbe potuto fare molto meglio.
Parliamo invece dei personaggi. La protagonista, Laurel, all'inizio non mi è piaciuta molto: sembrava la tipica ragazza perfettina, senza brufoli, senza nessun tipo di problema, una sorta di fotomodella con voti perfetti e una vita fantastica. Impossibile, per una quindicenne. lmeno per quelle normali. Tutto ha comunque un senso andando avanti, per quello che è e per quello che può fare.
I due amori sarebbero David e Tamali. Io non capisco questa cosa degli inutili triangoli amorosi nei YA. Non possono essere poly e farla finita? No? Peccato.
David sarebbe il ragazzino umano, che è sempre gentile e premuroso nei confronti di Laurel, e che l'aiuta in ogni momento. Tamali invece è una sorta di guardia del corpo/stalker che mi è stato sullo stomaco per tutto il libro. No, seriamente, ogni parola che dice (specie un uno specifico episodio, al loro primo incontro), il comportamento di Tamali verso Laurel non mi è piaciuto per nulla. Eppure ho il bruttissimo sospetto che "sceglierà" lui. Uff.
Il libro è piuttosto breve e si legge abbastanza velocemente, senza problemi. Ho trovato lo stile di scrittura un pochino scialbo, ma comunque leggibile.
Forse quello che mi ha lasciato più "meh" di tutto il resto è stato proprio il finale. Ma di quello ero a conoscenza per via delle altre recensioni, quindi fa lo stesso. Non credo che leggerò il secondo volume della serie molto presto, ma ho intenzione di farlo per vedere come va.
La giovane Laurel è una ragazza particolare: il suo corpo riesce ad ingerire solo frutta e verdura, non mostra i segni tipici dello sviluppo della sua età, e ha passato tutta la sua vita a studiare a casa. Ora che si sono trasferiti, i genitori la fanno andare in una scuola normale, cosa che certamente la destabilizza. Ma non quanto quello che succede improvvisamente al suo corpo e che la porterà a scoprire chi è davvero e qual è la sua missione.
Allora, devo dire che le fate non sono esattamente il mio forte. Penso che questo (assieme al libro che recensirò giovedì) sia il primo che leggo a riguardo, se non si contanto i libri di Shadowhunters in cui le fate comunque appaiono.
Questo libro era di mia sorella, e non mi ricordo perché l'ho messo nella mia TBR sinceramente. Riguardandolo, il fatto che ci sia un commento di Stephanie Meyer non prometteva nulla di buono (odio profondo per Twilight e compagnia bella), ma alla fine non si è rivelato malaccio. Oddio, non una bellissima lettura, ma non lo schifo che pensavo.
Di solito parlando di fate si ci concentra sul loro essere creature ambigue, di solito piuttosto malvagie e manipolatrici. Aprilynne Pike ha deciso invece di rivisitare la cosa, facendole diventare fondalmente buone, per ora, e mettendole a difesa del loro regno. Le ha anche descritte in modo diverso, rendendole molto meno umane e più legate alle piante. È un concetto interessante che però la Pike utilizza in modo strano. Molto, molto strano. Di fatto, l'episodio che scatena tutta la catena di eventi successivi è la cresciuta di un fiore sulla schina di Laurel.
Le fate, in questo libro, sono anche divise in quattro categorie, derivate dalla stagione in cui sono nate, ed hanno caratteristiche particolari limitate solo alle fate nate in una certa stagione. Non mi pare di aver mai letto una cosa del genre in giro, e mi pare piuttosto interessante (ma, come ho detto, non sono molto ferrata sulle fate).
Le altre creature presenti sono invece i Troll. Non so se è per via del fatto che il libro è diretto a persone piuttosto giovani o se la scrittrice proprio non sa descriverli bene, ma a me non sono sembrati la metà terrificanti di quello che dovrebbero essere e di come li pensavano i personaggi. In questo ambito avrebbe potuto fare molto meglio.
Parliamo invece dei personaggi. La protagonista, Laurel, all'inizio non mi è piaciuta molto: sembrava la tipica ragazza perfettina, senza brufoli, senza nessun tipo di problema, una sorta di fotomodella con voti perfetti e una vita fantastica. Impossibile, per una quindicenne. lmeno per quelle normali. Tutto ha comunque un senso andando avanti, per quello che è e per quello che può fare.
I due amori sarebbero David e Tamali. Io non capisco questa cosa degli inutili triangoli amorosi nei YA. Non possono essere poly e farla finita? No? Peccato.
David sarebbe il ragazzino umano, che è sempre gentile e premuroso nei confronti di Laurel, e che l'aiuta in ogni momento. Tamali invece è una sorta di guardia del corpo/stalker che mi è stato sullo stomaco per tutto il libro. No, seriamente, ogni parola che dice (specie un uno specifico episodio, al loro primo incontro), il comportamento di Tamali verso Laurel non mi è piaciuto per nulla. Eppure ho il bruttissimo sospetto che "sceglierà" lui. Uff.
Il libro è piuttosto breve e si legge abbastanza velocemente, senza problemi. Ho trovato lo stile di scrittura un pochino scialbo, ma comunque leggibile.
Forse quello che mi ha lasciato più "meh" di tutto il resto è stato proprio il finale. Ma di quello ero a conoscenza per via delle altre recensioni, quindi fa lo stesso. Non credo che leggerò il secondo volume della serie molto presto, ma ho intenzione di farlo per vedere come va.
La verdad no sé que pensar aún... creo que está bien, debido a que me parece algo muy original todo eso de las hadas plantas, pero a la autora se le pasaron algunos errores respecto a el funcionamiento de las plantas, pero bueno tampoco es que yo sea buena en biología.
Un buen libro para entretenerse un rato.
Nota: Prefiero a David, aunque a todos parezca gustarle más Tamani.
Un buen libro para entretenerse un rato.
Nota: Prefiero a David, aunque a todos parezca gustarle más Tamani.
This book, after reading the ones that follow seems like a filler. I love this series, but once I reread this particular one I felt like it danced a dangerous line at the beginning as two of the characters boarder lined on perfect and how the main character felt guilty after eating half a peach. I liked this book because it is so different from other fae books, but the main character annoyed me quite a bit for being petty, over dramatic, and, well. starved. I would not let the young impressionable type read this one for those reasons.
I loved the cover. The cover is just beautiful and simple at the same time.
The actual book was pretty good.
Laurel is a fairy, but at first her "blossom" starts out as a bump in her back that gets bigger and bigger everyday until it is the size of a softball. I thought at first she was being stupid about not telling her parents when the bump was then size of a golf ball. There was a large and stange bump on her back the size of a golf ball and she didn't even tell her parents. What if it did turn out to be cancer but when she finally told them it was to late to remove it. But it turned out to be a large flower growing out of her back. Which is kind of weird. As the story goes one she finds the it that she is a fairy which is a advanced plant and she has no heartbeat and can help led her breath for 15 minutes. Laurel keeps denying that she is a plant but I though that was stupid because she has a flower growing out of her back so why not her being a plant?
I wonder what her powers are going to be and if we find out in the second book. She is a Fall fairy which is a rare type of fairy. But the out rare of the all is a Winter fairy.
David was ok. But Tamani was way better! I hope that Laurel ends up being with Tamani instead of David. She has known Tamani since they were kids, not that she remembers it. And she had known David for about 3 months! And she already think she is in love with him. Tamani understands Laurel because he is a fairy himself, but David does not understand what Larel is going through because he is human. I thought it was weird when Tamani explained how fairies reproduce. Like what? A guy fairy has to put pollen in the girls blossom then she would plant the seed. That is totally weird and makes no sense at all.
I can't wait to see what Avolon looks like and what it will be like for Laurel to see her home again.
Pike could have had a very unique story if she only decided to not plagiarize the first half of the book from Meyer's [b:Twilight|41865|Twilight (Twilight, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41DcKN0STkL._SL75_.jpg|3212258].
Her writing technique needs some help. The characters weren't ever fully developed, she didn't make you fall for anybody in the book, and she lacked enthusiasm for her own plot until the very, very end.
Like most of the readers for [b:Wings|33441|Fluke Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings|Christopher Moore|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168444068s/33441.jpg|1684116], I concur that the last half was far superior to the first half. So much so though that it almost isn't worth the begrudgingly long haul to get to. I may give the sequel a chance... if there aren't any "to reads" on my tangible bookshelf.
This may leave you wondering why then I marked it as 3 star-worthy rather than just 1- or 2-stars. Well fellow reader... I have to give [a:Aprilynne Pike|2096360|Aprilynne Pike|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1246443462p2/2096360.jpg] credit where credit is due. Her imagination allowed her to finally develop a very good story (again, towards the end) that is all her own. The twist with fairies (or, "faeries" as she writes) as you may not really imagine them being is really quite creative. I do admire her creativity. She lost 2 stars due to her lack of ability in formulating an original story from page 1. Had she been able to do so, I think she may have had a larger following than she does already.
Do not read it for the author's ability to write fluidly. She is no poet and brings forth no radiance like [a:J.K. Rowling|1077326|J.K. Rowling|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1242557663p2/1077326.jpg] does. There is no dark and emo feel as there is to Meyer's saga.
Do not read it for the author's ability to suck you in on every page. This is by no means a page-turner. This is for the disciplined reader; one who can force themselves through a story that is seemingly unoriginal.
Do not read it because the story/writing is diverse for both young adults and adults. Unfortunately, Pike seems to be the kind of writer with good ideas... but not writing talent. Thus she can't harmonize the reading world of adult and YA.
I actually wouldn't recommend this book. I can't even say it's for young adults. Even in high school I would have been insulted that someone would write so juvenilely for my age group.
It's not a bad book if you have enough time to waste on it -- and/or you want to say you've read it.
Her writing technique needs some help. The characters weren't ever fully developed, she didn't make you fall for anybody in the book, and she lacked enthusiasm for her own plot until the very, very end.
Like most of the readers for [b:Wings|33441|Fluke Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings|Christopher Moore|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168444068s/33441.jpg|1684116], I concur that the last half was far superior to the first half. So much so though that it almost isn't worth the begrudgingly long haul to get to. I may give the sequel a chance... if there aren't any "to reads" on my tangible bookshelf.
This may leave you wondering why then I marked it as 3 star-worthy rather than just 1- or 2-stars. Well fellow reader... I have to give [a:Aprilynne Pike|2096360|Aprilynne Pike|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1246443462p2/2096360.jpg] credit where credit is due. Her imagination allowed her to finally develop a very good story (again, towards the end) that is all her own. The twist with fairies (or, "faeries" as she writes) as you may not really imagine them being is really quite creative. I do admire her creativity. She lost 2 stars due to her lack of ability in formulating an original story from page 1. Had she been able to do so, I think she may have had a larger following than she does already.
Do not read it for the author's ability to write fluidly. She is no poet and brings forth no radiance like [a:J.K. Rowling|1077326|J.K. Rowling|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1242557663p2/1077326.jpg] does. There is no dark and emo feel as there is to Meyer's saga.
Do not read it for the author's ability to suck you in on every page. This is by no means a page-turner. This is for the disciplined reader; one who can force themselves through a story that is seemingly unoriginal.
Do not read it because the story/writing is diverse for both young adults and adults. Unfortunately, Pike seems to be the kind of writer with good ideas... but not writing talent. Thus she can't harmonize the reading world of adult and YA.
I actually wouldn't recommend this book. I can't even say it's for young adults. Even in high school I would have been insulted that someone would write so juvenilely for my age group.
It's not a bad book if you have enough time to waste on it -- and/or you want to say you've read it.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes