Wings, by Aprilynne Pike

Well, well, well. What a book! I'm really glad I listened to James Dashner when he recommended this brand new book. (Here's the link to that post of his. He's a good friend to Aprilynne. I can't believe that was over a month ago!) I think it's really appropriate that Stephanie Meyer put a blurb on this debut novel, because it's reminded me so much of the Twilight saga. I liked everything about this book and I consider myself lucky that I was able to read it so soon after it came out.

The main character is a 15-year-old girl named Laurel (interesting name for a girl. Unfortunately it makes me think of that old comedy team Laurel and Hardy. Ever heard of them?). I really liked her. Even though it was written in third person and she was a couple years younger than Bella, Laurel managed to make me believe I was in her place while I read her story. Like me, she chooses to eat healthy, just fruits and vegetables. A strict vegan. (I'm not all that strict, but she is.) Also like me, she was home schooled by her parents. Up until the story starts, of course, when she's forced to go to school for the first time. The only different thing is that she was adopted, so I can't really relate to that.

I think if I was 15 again and going to public school, I'd probably have much the same thoughts and experiences as Laurel did. I like how it begins. Immediately she makes friends with a boy named David, who is really a great guy! I was so jealous of her, because this character is one of those guys that are so hard to find in life. He's honestly one of the best supporting male characters I've ever read about. And as a plus, he's human, so there's nothing dangerous about him. ^,~ *coughCullencough*

6 chapters later, Laurel grows something weird out of her back. At first it's like a pimple or a mole of sorts, but it grows bigger and bigger until it... well... "blossoms." She actually grows a flower out of her back! This is where she finds out she's a faerie. I think it could have happened sooner, but I'm not complaining. So to get answers, she goes back to her old neighborhood (sorry, I forgot. She had to move in order to attend school) and in the forest meets a faerie boy named Tamani. He tells her all this stuff, and somehow, I don't know how, it appears they hit it off. So like Twilight, Laurel's trapped in a love triangle, and my money is on the human. I like him better. (Of course, in Twilight the human is also part wolf, but still...)

So David is the only human that Laurel talks to about her flower, and they discover through various experiments that Laurel isn't exactly human, but actually some sort of hybrid plant. Yeah, totally weird. Faeries are intelligent, mobile, humanoid plants that can perform some magic. All I can say for Aprilynne Pike is that she was completely original.

In the middle of the book, the flower wilts away by itself, so that's a shame. But then these trolls are introduced, who play the role of bad guys. They're trying to buy the land that Laurel and her family moved away from, but the faeries can't let that happen, so Laurel has to help stop them. It's funny. Just like Twilight, it was mostly about setting up the romance part first, and then there was action nearer the end.

Honestly, this book is not to be skipped over. It will totally be worth your reading time. The problem is that it's very hard to tell whether a sequel will come of this or not. I'm not expecting anything. It does well as a standalone novel, I suppose, but I pray that Pike is busily thinking about her next installment. (BTW, here is someone else's opinion on Wings. You can bet that it's a lot shorter than my review, but it also gives this book a lot of praise.)