Illusions (Wings #3) by Aprilynne Pike
Paranormal YA
May 3, 2011
Hardcover
HarperCollins
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “I closed my eyes….and imagined she was you.”
In Illusions, Laurel is back in high school, being a normal teen, with her human boyfriend David. She made a choice between David and Tamani and has every intention of sticking to it. That is until Tamani shows up at her school as a foreign exchange student. He is a sentry and he has sworn to protect Laurel for all time. The only way he can do that is to be with her. This causes confusion in Laurel as she is not as indifferent to Tamani as she’d like to think.
With Tamani comes another exchange student-Yuki. Yuki is an unknown player who has ties to Klea. No one is sure if she is friend or foe. When Tamani decides the best way to figure out Yuki’s intentions is by getting close to her, Laurel experiences extreme jealousy and once again questions who she should be with.
This is my first time reading Aprilynne Pike. Unfortunately I started reading Illusions not knowing it was the third book in an established series. My fault and I own up to that. Wings (the series name) is a YA that tells the story of Laurel, a teenager who discovers she is a fairy. The series follows her life as she discovers and deals with her fae heritage. Ms. Pike steps away from the usual Fae legends in here, creating subtle differences that make it all her own.
While Illusions is touted to be an enjoyable YA, suitable for the 12-15 year old crowd, I found the storyline to be lacking. Arc advancement is at a minimal as the majority of the story is centered around Laurel’s indecisiveness between her love interests -David and Tamani. The constant tug of war Laurel plays between David and Tamani annoys quickly. Personally, if I were David or Tamani I would have dumped Laurel and found someone less fickle. She is quick to accuse and judge-I found myself hard pressed to believe Laurel is seventeen years old. Her attitude and dialogue (in matters of the heart) is that of a younger person.
Tamani is an interesting personable character. His love for Laurel is a tangible presence in the book yet he also understands that as a sentry her protection is what comes first. He isn’t shy about his feelings and despite risking Laurel’s anger, he lets her know he will what he needs to do to be with her. I enjoyed reading from his POV. David, Laurel’s boyfriend, comes off a bit two dimensional. The chemistry and dialogue between he and Laurel shows clearly that he is merely the antagonist to build up the tension between Tamani and Laurel. Other characters round out the story and add a sense of realism.
Slow pacing, uninspiring dialogue, and multiple fillers leaves you feeling unsatisfied by the time you reach the last page. While there was some intriguing action scenes, they were too few and far in between. I would have loved to have spent more time in Avalon and the academy as that seems to be where the story was alive. The action leading up to the ending promises some redemption yet it stops abruptly, leaving you wondering what just happened. The cliffhanger ending left a lot to be desired and it felt like a cheap editing ploy. All in all, I found this to be a great disappointment.
Rating: D+
Recent Reviews:
A Bookworm’s Haven
Goodreads
Author’s Website l Series Listing
That’s how I felt about the first book, Wings. It was kind of ridiculous, the set-up had no real explanation behind it (like – why is the human okay with the girl with a giant flower on her back?), and the characters felt hollow. The action scenes also got really O_o
Some readers just LOVE this series, though, so it’s one of those love/hate kind of things. I just am on the not-love side of things. Excellent review. :)
Thank you John. Yes, this is a extreme love or hate series. :) I needed more action and story line advancement.
Thanks for the review. I was lost right up front and was thinking maybe going back in the series would help… but then your review suggests it’s really not for me at all. I really like “fae” mythology, but I am very picky if/when I read YA and it seems this is not one to read. Thanks!