By: Aprilynne Pike
Received from: Personal Purchase
Synopsis (From Goodreads): Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger--and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.
When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?
When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?
My Review: Very rarely is a sequel better than its predecessor. This is one of those times. I felt like Wings
was more of a middle-grade fantasy with not much to recommend itself but a nice fluffy read. Spells
was a pretty significant improvement. The characters and the story line grew up and blossomed in the sequel. (He he he. See what I did there? Faeries blossoming?..)But, before I get into the things I liked about this book, I want to get something out there. My list of bothersome things often included in paranormal books:
- The love interest is somehow dangerous
- The female protagonist strings along one or more males and tries to keep both of them hooked.
- Parents are never involved
- Protagonist is painfully dull and stupid. Lives only for boyfriend.
scored on the paranormal cliche meter.The love interest is somehow wrong for the character or dangerous. Thankfully, no. Both Tamani and David are perfect gentlemen that treat Laurel very well.
The female protagonist strings along one or more males and tries to keep both of them hooked. *Sigh* Unfortunately, this happened. I think at one point during the story I disliked Laurel, David and Tamani for different reasons. But, they were able to pull out of it in the end and we have reconciled our differences.
Parents are never involved. I loved what Aprilynne Pike did with Laurel's parents. They were just the right amount of involved. I mean, if you have parents too involved then there is just too darn much wisdom and rationale, and then what happens to your story. BORING!
Protagonist is painfully dull and stupid. Lives only for boyfriend. Laurel was okay. I kind of wished she had been a little more sensitive to the feelings of those around her. But, she seemed pretty bright and eager to learn. And, she does have a very good friend that she remains connected with. BFF's FTW!
One last note. The climax of this book was very predictable. I like a little mystery with my endings, and this didn't have it. But, I felt okay about the book regardless. There is a lot of set up for new characters and story lines. I'll definitely be picking up the next book in this series.
My Rating:
Profanity: None
Drugs and Alcohol: MildSexuality: Mild
Violence: Mild
