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REPORT CARD for Wings, by Aprilynne Pike

bff charm: Nope
swoonworthy scale: 4
talky talk: Straight up
bonus factors: Mysterious loner faerie
relationship status: Bad match.com match

the deal:

Laurel Sewell has just moved to a new town and is not thrilled about starting tenth grade at a public high school.  She liked home schooling and living in the country, thank you very much.  She does make a few friends, however, and things seem to be going fine, until she begins to develop a strange lump on her back.  Fearful of the strange growth, and what it’s sprouting, Laurel can only confide in David, the cute boy who would like to be more than her friend.

Then, on a visit to her family’s cabin in the woods, Laurel meets a strange and alluring boy named Tamani, who claims to be a faerie, and who also has some ideas about what’s happening to her.  What’s a girl to do? Does she believe Tam, who tells her not to let her family sell their land, or does she ignore his warnings and try to ignore what’s happening to her as well?

bff charm? Nope

Laurel is sweet and pretty and, oh so bland.  She is a vegan, because her body seems to reject anything besides fruit, veggies, and sugary soda, and I really felt that she was what she ate (no offense to vegans out there. You eat more variety than she does.) Throughout most of the story, I was so BORED by her, that by the time she started getting interesting I kind of didn’t care.  I found myself quoting Arrested Development while I was reading: ‘Bland, I mean Ann… Her?’

swoonworthy scale: 4

Cute little David is just as boring as Laurel, so I guess that makes them a good match. Just not so much fun for me to read.  Where was the excitement?  It was all so sweet and nice, and in real life, David is probably great boyfriend material- he was just written so… blah.  Then Tam shows up, and even though he has a name sillier than Peeta, the boy ratchets up the intensity! Finally, I said.  All Laurel has to do is stand there, and things are still pretty hot.

talky talk: straight up

I don’t really have any complaints about Aprilynne Pike’s writing style, other than I found two of her main characters really yawn inducing.  The story was well-crafted, and she didn’t rush it, which is something too many YA authors do. However, I like my fantasy with a bit more punch.  I began reading this book earlier in the year, and was so bored I actually put in down, with no intention of ever finishing it.  I decided to pick it back up and review it for you, dear readers, and am glad I did, because she intrigued me enough by the end of the book that I will read the sequel.

bonus factor: mysterious loner faerie

To be honest, I don’t know if I made Tam out to be so awesome in my mind because I was grasping for excitement in this story, or if he was really written that way.  Either way, I definitely crushed on him, and with his introduction the plot came alive.

casting call:

So I didn’t really like Laurel or David enough to get a good picture of them in my head, but can you guess who I did like enough to cast?

tom sturridge as tam

Ah, the English.

relationship status: Bad match.com match

So when I listed my ‘likes’ on a book dating service, ‘fantasy’ was high on the list.  The service set me up with Wings.  We had similar things in common, (i.e. home schooling, fantasy) and on paper, so to speak, I thought we’d really hit it off.  So much so that I went on a second date with it after skipping out on the movie after dinner on our first date.  It was really such a sweet book, I’m glad I gave it a second try.  It didn’t really deserve being ditched halfway though our first date.  However the chemistry really isn’t there, so we finished our second date with a handshake and an awkward hug.  And I’ve decided to stay away from book dating services in the future.

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Tagged as: faeries, plants