Wings

author: Aprilynne Pike
Genra: YA fantasy
Grade: A

Laurel has been home schooled her whole life but her mom has decided that high school is the time she needs to get out, go to public school and have fun. To that end they leave their cabin in the woods -- a home that has been in her mom's family for generations -- and head out to a medium sized town with a decent high school and a wonderful business opportunity for her parents. Money is tight so they are thinking of selling the ancestral lands but other than that, things are looking pretty good. Her dad is loving owning his own bookstore. Her mom is loving the time she can spend doing things other than teach Laurel. And Laurel is making friends at the school. They are even pretty tolerant of her need to spend every spare minute out among trees and plants.

But things are turning weird for Laurel. Well, they have always been a bit weird. She can't drink diet sodas, only the real stuff, or she gets sick. She is on an extreme vegan diet because her body can't tolerate anything else. But she is happy and healthy until one day she finds a bump on her back. Which grows. And grows. And suddenly . . . it blossoms.

I loved this little gem of a story with its fascinating new look at the fairy realm and everything that goes with that. Laurel, David and Tam are all well drawn characters and Laurel's discoveries of the world that exists outside of the one she always knew are handled deftly. The author has created a world that is just right in terms of balancing world building between too much information. The story is told simply but with care to detail. And it is intriguing enough to make you want to keep turning pages, even when dishes are piling in the sink.

I loved this book and give it a big thumbs up.

On the side: One of the things I am jealous of with this generation is their YA lit. I mean, these books are some of the most fabulous things ever! I especially like how, unlike my generations YA lit, they are about things other than periods or sex or popularity. They tell wonderful stories. Why that fell out of vogue for twenty or so years I will never know but I am glad to see things back on track.


Tea: Country Peach Passion by those wonderful folks at Celestial Seasonings. Read the book, you'll know why.