Last year I wrote a fairly glowing review of debut author Aprilynne Pike's enchanting teen novel
Wings. Today I'm pleased to announce that she's managed to craft an equally stunning sequel!
In the last book, 15-year-old Laurel discovered that she isn't human. Instead, she is a fairy placed in the human world so that she can grow up as a part of the family who owns the land that houses on of the world's many gates into the fairy realm of Avalon. The fairies hoped that in time Laurel would inherit the land from her human "parents," ensuring that the gate would remain both secret and secure. Unfortunately, the fairies aren't the only ones who want control of this gate.
As
Spells begins, Laurel makes her first journey into Avalon to begin her studies at the Academy, where she hopes to learn the skills she needs to protect her friends and family from the trolls who wish to control her family's land. During her time on Avalon, Laurel not only learns to make useful potions, but also has her first exposure to the fairies' strict class system. When her eight weeks in Avalon are up, however, Laurel is left with even more questions. Will she be able to hone her powers in time to protect the ones she loves? When the time comes, will she choose to live in the human world or in Avalon with the fairies? Which boy - David, her loyal human boyfriend, or Tamani, her childhood fairy friend who has loved her from afar for years - will she give her heart to? Is she able to trust Kea, a fully-loaded and very strong woman who seems to know an awful lot about trolls?
When I reviewed
Wings I said that this was a book that you could easily give to fans of
Twilight. This remains true as the core elements of the book remain similar. However, it seems that while the epic love triangle and supernatural themes live on, this series will stand proudly on its own two feet. Laurel is an exceptionally well-drawn character and the way that she is torn between the human and fairy worlds - not to mention her somewhat selfish reluctance to make a firm decision between the two - is so real. You don't spend the duration of the book wanting to just tell Laurel what the right decision is. As a reader, you instead get sucked into Laurel's place and find yourself feeling just as torn and uncertain as she is. Author Aprilynne Pike seems to have also grown a bit as a writer. I can't put my finger on exactly where I see the differences, but I think that her writing was a bit smoother and stronger in her second novel.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment. Next May can't come soon enough!
Overall Grade: A
Nolan has spent his whole life as a nerd. He doesn't have a lot of friends and bully Bubba Bixby seems to have made it his goal to make Nolan's life miserable. Things are bleak until one day when Nolan has an idea. A great idea. One that will change his world forever. He decides to create a secret identity, a superhero named Shredderman, and put Bubba Bixby in his place! Nolan uses his greatest asset - his brains - and builds a website devoted to exposing Bubba for the cruel bully he really is. When Shredderman.com goes live Nolan starts by posting a few jokes, later adding photographic evidence of Bubba's misdeeds obtained from his cleverly hidden camera. Soon traffic on the website is growing and Shredderman, champion of truth and justice, is the most popular thing to hit the 5th grade. 
