Wings by Aprilynne Pike Vampires, zombies, werewolves, witches, unicorns, faeries, and magical pumpkins are the backbone to many fantasy novels in circulation. Each author has a different take on these mythical creatures that have penetrated into all kinds of media. Vampires and werewolves have their own shows like The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This tired out genre has been twisted and tweaked until vampires sparkle and witches have homework. To ease readers into a paranormal fantasy book the story always begins in high school. This is exactly what happens in this particular fantasy book.
Laurel has just begun high school. She had previously been homeschooled, but at fifteen she is ready to join her peers. Within minutes of begining school she catches the attention of David. He is charming and takes her under his wing guiding her through her first day of public school. He introduces her to his friends becoming a love interest for Laurel within the eight hours they have known each other. Laurel is starting to believe that high school will be normal and easy until she gets this strange bump on her back. Over the next week this bump becomes a real concern when it grows bigger and bigger in size. She is able to cover it with a shirt, but she has a harder time concealing the flower petal wings that burst from it. That's right! Faeries! She is a faerie which is explained fully to her when she meets Tamani. He is also a faerie and tells her about how faeries are not as the fairy tales told them to be. They have their own realm where they live apart from humans except for Laurel. Laurel learns about who she really is. Laurel finally understands why she has always been a vegan, and that is because she is a plant inhaling carbon dioxide and exhaling oxygen. Now the reader thirsts for more knowledge about the secret fairy world that Laurel is from. Tamani is immediately a favorite character by explaining all the paranormal details of the faerie life. For example, faeries have powers dependent on what season they are born, winter being the most powerful and rare faeries while spring faeries are the most common. Tamani is a simple spring faerie and has a job to protect Laurel, a powerful fall faerie. The hidden faerie world is the most enticing thing about this book, but it is continually interrupted by Laurel's boy problems. If you enjoy the classic story of a girl choosing between two boys buckle up because this indecision between David and Tamani last for four books. At first this conflict is interesting, but when it becomes clear that Laurel and David are different species and can never work (she is a plant, and he is a mammal) the reader will most likely get tired of the endless chase. However, the slightly underdeveloped faerie world contains a few new twists on the highly popular creature. Laurel's petal wings sprouting from her back do not work as wings. I was a little disappointed seeing that this is one of the most fundamental characteristics of faeries. Petal wings are excusivily for female faeries and are actually a sign of sexual maturity. Every month Laurel's petals will appear and then fall out in a week. Like a flower, it can be fertilized by a male faerie. It's a new way of looking at faeries, but interesting nonetheless. If you are the type to enjoy new takes on paranormal creatures mixed with high school drama, this is your book.
