Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Wings by Aprilynne Pike was a fantasy YA book I recently bought.
Fifteen-year-old Laurel has led a sheltered, home schooled life in a very small town, so when her parents decide to move and enroll her in high school, she has trouble getting used to her new life. A life, as it turns out, that’s not at all like those of other kids. One clear sign is a winglike blossom that blooms on her back. Oh, and her new best friend, the scientifically minded David, reveals under a microscope that her cells are more plant than animal. But it takes an encounter at her old home with the handsome but decidedly different Tamani to convince her that she is a faerie. She also learns it’s up to her to save her land from the evil influences that are trying to take it away from her and her family. This first novel is clearly designed to attract the Twilight set, though there’s significantly less edge (and blood). There is, however, a familiar triangle. Will Laurel choose solid, steady David, or will she be unable to resist Tamani’s lure? Stay tuned. Fine escapist fare, this neatly mixes the everyday with the otherworldly

The book drew me in from the beginning. The awkwardness Laurel felt as she started school was very much believable. She was also a very believable character. Her friend David was even believable despite everything. When things begin to change for her the awkwardness and fear she felt was also very believable.

What I especially liked was the fact that this was a faery book that was very different from others. The lore seemed to have been created from the author and I enjoyed that immensely, especially after reading so many books that followed traditional faery lore. I did find the Troll part to be rather strange though and could have done without that.

All the characters were pretty decently well rounded. I did wonder about David some and the way he accepted things so easily, but that seemed to be his personality. The friends that Laurel make are especially easy to believe and instead of being there 100 percent from the beginning had their own problems as well that showed up. However, since Laurel and David were the main characters they did not take up too much space in the book.

With that said, I thought the ending was a little different and I'm assuming there will be more books in the future because it ended with that very open note that made it possible for a sequel. The troll was never destroyed and there is a romance triangle between her, Tamani, and David.

While the plot was decently predictable, it still had a lot there for the reader. I also found it to a fun read and enjoyable. I do hope that there are other books in the future because I do wonder what happens. So if anyone is looking for a light, fun, and intriguing read with it's own lore I highly recomend this. Over all I give this a 7 out of 10. I'd go for a 6.5, but I want to stick with whole numbers and a 7 seemed more suitable than a 6.