Spells

Spells begins about six months after Wings ends.  The interesting mythology that I so loved about the first books continues in this one.  Some of it is blended with more traditional mythology and some of it is blended with reality as we know it and that makes the entire premise of the book that much more believable.  One of the key parts of that was the Academy.  I liked that the Academy, despite the fact that it is an institution of faerie learning, was very much like a live-in school in the human world.  That brought a level of understanding that bridged the gap between the human world and the faerie world.  Reading the titles of her newly acquired textbooks was a lot like reading those in the Harry Potter books.  Another new bit of mythology was Shakespeare and his part in it all.  There were a lot of references to Shakespeare and his written work, weaving him into the mythology of Avalon that is unique to this story.  According to this mythology, Shakespeare’s work is a human retelling of faerie lore.  The play shown at the Festival of Samhain was based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I love that no matter what happens to Laurel or how much she learns about her true self, she remains very human.  It is clear that much of the faerie world sees humans as rather inferior.  No matter how much she learned about her heritage, she never lost her humanity.  She, despite her faerie nature, seems to be more human than faerie, flaws and all.  And that more human than fae feeling was made pretty clear throughout much of the book.  I didn’t like that at times she was almost judgmental about that which she didn’t understand about the faerie world and their ways.  This is obviously because of her human upbringing, but it sometimes came off as obnoxious.  There was often a tone of superiority when she questioned various aspects of faerie ways or beliefs.  Her biggest problem with faerie ways seemed to be the class system of seasonal faeries and how they were viewed within faerie society.  Winters, being the rarest, were seen as the top level.  Falls, as Mixers, were next, followed by Summers and then Springs.  Because Tamani was Spring, she hated how the rest of faerie society treated them.  Her heart was in the right place from a human standpoint, but she tended to judge the faerie from within that framework which just doesn’t translate.  But all of this fit the story because it showed her struggle to live in two worlds.  The love triangle between David, Tamani, and Laurel also grew more complex and probably helped Laurel’s character to change.  Conflicting feelings, along with her struggles in her new world, changed her a lot during this book.  While her character did grow, there were times when Laurel just didn’t handle things well and that made her character much more believable and likeable.  Balancing her two worlds was often next to impossible and she often failed miserably at it.There were several different themes in this book.  One was about balance and maintaining it through life-changing times.  Balancing her faerie heritage with her human life was often immensely difficult for Laurel, and one she was often unable to maintain without hurting either David or Tamani.  There were a lot choices to be made in this book, many that can’t help but result in pain and heartbreak for someone, no good choices.  I like that these choices were presented in a real way, without trying to tie them up neatly in impossible ways.  Things to love about Wings...   --The mythology.  Just like the first book, I loved the blend of mythologies, as well as the blending of mythology with reality.   --The messages.  The theme of acceptance is all the way through these books, as is the concept of social class.  I loved that there was no sugar coating those subjects.Things I wanted more or less of...   --A little more acceptance by Mom.  I really did not like Sarah, Laurel's mom.  Her attitude irritated me to no end.  When she finally started to come around, it was in a moment of fear rather than with love and understanding.   --A little more of Chelsea.  She turned out to be so much more than I ever imagined.Some quotastic goodness...   --Getting involved with Tamani was like playing in a roaring river. Take one step too far and the current would never let you go (1).   --As crazy as the truth actually turned out to be—that Laurel was a changeling, a faerie child left in their care to inherit sacred fae land—they had accepted it with remarkable ease, at least at first. Her dad’s attitude hadn’t changed, but over the last few months her mom had grown more and more freaked out by the idea that Laurel wasn’t human. She’d stopped talking about it, then refused to even hear about it, and things had finally come to a head last month when Laurel got the invitation (5).   --“That’s silly,” Rowen said dismissively. “How could a faerie be a human? Humans are strange. And scary,” she added after a short pause. Then she whispered conspiratorially, “They’re animals (60).”   --“When you told us you were a faerie, it was weird and unbelievable, but more than that, it made me feel completely useless. You were this amazing thing and had spent your whole life having all these faerie…guards, or whatever, watching out for you. You didn’t need me (348-349)."My recommendation:  One of my favorite fae-themed books that I have read.  I definately recommend this one, but only after reading Wings.

Could not put it down!

"Wings" was so new and fresh and unexpected that it isn't surprising to find out that the follow up "Spells" isn't quite as magical. I can't point to many flaws in the pacing, plot, or characters in "Spells". Pike starts us off with a trip to Avalon (and Tamani) where Laurel starts school there for the summer, just to teach her some basic protections as well as some background into the Fae world. Laurel meets a few different fae and learns the customs and the four social castes of Avalon. Laurel is a Fall fairy and so she ranks pretty high, right under the very elite Winter fairies. Under the Fall fairies are Summer (artists, actors and other entertainers) and the lowest fairy, the Spring fae. Tamani is one of the Spring. They are assigned to mostly labor jobs and they live in simple homes and wear simple clothes. This information is all interesting and necessary. Unfortunately we move through this summer in Avalon so quickly that the reader doesn't really get a chance to become involved with these characters. Far too quickly, summer is over and Laurel is back in the human world, starting school with boyfriend David and best friend Chelsea. For some reason the time spent in the human world was much more entertaining for me and reminded me a lot of why I loved "Wings" so much. I agree that the Tamani and David triangle really become wearing but it was realistic. It would be so easy to like each one more when you are with that person, especially for a teenager. The conflicts in the story were still compelling and me on the edge of my seat. There was also a strange new character introduced without much of a purpose. I am assuming we will see more of her later. The last page or two was set up to keep the readers dangling for another year for the next book. I am totally invested in the series and I will be among the first to buy the third installment. For a YA book, this has universal appeal. Take a chance on it.

I have to say... this is a really good second outing for Aprilynne Pike! For some reason the second book in most series are just not that great for me. This one did manage to hold my interest quite well.It starts off where Wings left off. (This isn't a great stand alone book so read Wings first.) Laurel is going to spend time in Avalon to start her Fall Faerie training. The description that Pike gives us for Avalon is just incredible. She creates an amazing world and gives just the right amount of detail so you can picture it beautifully! After 8 weeks of feeling like she doesn't quite fit in Laurel goes back to her "human" home. She finds herself trying to keep her 2 different worlds (and love interests) separate... and doing a poor job of it. While there isn't as much action as in the first book, there is a lot of detail. Laurel learns a lot of new things about her new world and herself.The last 70 pages of the book go really fast and almost make me want to give it 5 stars. (Since Wings was still better though, it gets 4.) The end does end on a bit of a cliff hanger but it doesn't seem as intense as the first ending. This one leaves you more curious than anything else. A good read but not quite as good as the first.

LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS SERIES!!!! I hope she finds a way to continue the series somehow. Even if it was with a whole new set of characters, different timeline.. ANYTHING!!

Fab follow up book to Wings, the storyline is absolutely great and I must declare I'm Team Tamani.Love the twists in this book and the way it keeps you trying to figure out where its leading.Great book and it is a book that I would read again and again.

Perfect size, lovely book

This is a really good book. I bought it as a present for someone who likes this kind of genre and they enjoyed it so much they got the other books in the series too!

Lovely story line a lot of nice twists, laurel the main character has so much to learn, as well as try to choose which boy belongs in her life, a really good read.