Wings by Aprilynne Pike

 

What would you do if you found out that your whole life has been nothing but lies and you weren’t who or what you thought you were? Wings is a book about a young girl Laurel, whose life is turned completely upside down when she finds out that her whole life is nothing like she thought it was and the world is much bigger and complicated than she knew. Wings is a nail-biting book that I can guarantee, once you pick up, you won’t be able put down until the very last word.

The main character, 15 year old, Laurel has always had a normal life with two loving parents. She enjoys the looks she gets because of her blond hair, lovely figure and clear green eyes. She’s naturally pretty and always gets good grades even if she doesn’t study much, but things change when Laurel moves to a new town and school and she grows a huge flower out of her back. Laurel’s life had never made perfect sense. She was left in a basket outside her parents’ house when she was 3, orphaned and abandoned. She never ate much except fruit and soda water and she always wore shorts and tank tops even if it was cold, but this was something different.

Laurel, along with her friend David begin to uncover the shocking truth which leads them to a series of dangerous and exciting events. On the way she meets a charming boy named Tamani, who seems to know everything about her. Tamani gives Laurel some of the answers she needs, although many of them don’t make any sense. Tamani tells Laurel that she must prevent her parents from selling their old house as the land contains the gate to Avalon, a place faeries have been protecting for a very long time. Laurel encounters many creatures that she once thought were from fairy tales.

As she embarks on all types of exciting and scary encounters she falls in love, but with more than one person. Since discovering who she really is Laurel is torn between two worlds-and between David, her closest friend to whom she can tell all her secrets and Tamani, a handsome faerie-guard. Both of these boys would give their life for Laurel without a second thought, but Laurel has to choose between the two boys, ultimately deciding the path her life will take. What will Laurel do as the protection of the gate to Avalon, is threatened? Laurel must help save the faeries’ secret, protect her family, sort out her confused feelings for David and Tamani, and figure out her own identity-and her place in both worlds.

I really enjoyed the novel as it contained lots of intense action, fantasy, but still found time to include twisted romance scenes. The ending allows for many possibilities in the upcoming sequels and it contains a nice mix of the world of magic and the world of high school, with well-developed characters and a quick moving plot.