Review: Wings, Spells, Illusions, and Destined by Aprilynne Pike

Summary for Destined

Tamani looked at her gravely, and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

He hesitated for an instant, then his hands found the sides of her face, pulling her to him. He didn't kiss her, just held her face close to his, their foreheads resting together, their noses almost touching.

She hated how much it felt like good-bye.

Laurel now knows the truth: Yuki is a rare Winter faerie, the most powerful--and deadly--of all, and Klea plans to use her to help conquer and destroy Avalon. But Klea's reach extends far beyond one wild Winter faerie. With Tamani, David, and Chelsea by her side, Laurel prepares to face what may be Avalon's final days, in the stunning conclusion to the Wings series. -Goodreads

Review: Wings Series (Books 1-4)

Wings, Spells, Illusions, and Destined by Aprilynne Pike

Published from May 5th 2009 to May 1st 2012 by HarperTeen

4 stars for the entire series

Ok, so I have finally finished the Wings series, and I am extremely happy with the ending. I feel like it really wraps everything up, while giving you a satisfying end. Here goes my review for the entire series.

Characters:

• Laurel: First book, didn't like her so much. I found her quite annoying in that she is shy, but very judging, and can't even save herself. What intrigued me about her was that, unlike most fairy stories, she didn't have wings, more of a blossom, and that was one of the main reasons why I continued on with the series. Second book, Laurel is stupid. She has to go start her fairy training in Avalon, and predictably, gets closer to Tamani, but when she sees David again, she is confused. Oh Laurel . . .  Third book, she's better. This time she actually has to deal with Tamani and her conflicting feelings for him because he is always near her protecting her. Fourth book, soooo much better. Although she is very reckless and self sacrificing, she does it for the people she loves and the causes she cares about. By the end she really grew on me. 
• David: I don't really have much to say for him. Although the way he falls in love with Laurel is interesting (they fall in love trying to figure out what Laurel is), and he is sweet and caring, I just didn't like him that much. He is too boring and hasn't done as much as Tamani to deserve her love. If you haven't noticed by now, I am totally a Tamani fan. The last book was where I really came to like him, sacrificing himself for the greater good. *Spoiler Alert* Destined has an official ending, but for the readers who want to know more there is a, you could say, epilogue that gives details about everyone's life later on from David's view point. I strongly suggest reading it, but only if you can take it. I almost cried.
  
• Tamani: I loved him so much. I felt so bad for him at first, he was pretty much ignored by Laurel in favor of David. All the choices and sacrifices that he has made have been for Laurel, his one true love, and he has done that his ENTIRE life.  I felt like he at least deserved a chance, which thankfully, he gets.  

Plot and Style
The plot was pretty good, even though it was one of those typical love triangles, and I enjoyed it. One thing that annoyed me though was the excessive amount of trolls, but it makes sense in the end. Wings was one of those books (for me) that although it needed a sequel and I knew there was a sequel, I didn't actively try reading it. With books I really love, I mark my calendar for when the next book comes out, but for the Wings series I didn't care that much. Eventually, I had read 'till the last book, and with the last book I was hooked on it, and couldn't put it down. I feel like Destined is the best book of the series and definitely makes up for the other books, especially the ending. If you viewed the spoiler, all I have to say that it was incredible and made everything come full circle. Pike's style was fine, simple and flowing. The cover illustrations were another aspect that I liked.


Overall, this series was pretty satisfactory. If you find yourself not wanting to read the series after reading Wings, I would suggest for you to keep on with it. The books get progressively better, and, if not for anything else, read the series for the last book. Pike definitely saved the best for last. I would make this review more detailed and include more in this review, but I don't want to make it too long. I also don't want to give away too many spoilers, this review is for the entire series.    

Purchase Wings (Wings #1) here: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository
Purchase Spells (Wings #2) here: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository
Purchase Illusions (Wings #3) here: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository
Purchase Destined (Wings #4) here: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

Review: Ascend by Amazon Hocking

Ascend (Trylle Trilogy #3)

By Amanda Hocking

Published: April 24, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Paperback, 326 pages

Wendy Everly is facing an impossible choice. The only way to save the Trylle from their deadliest enemy is by sacrificing herself. If she doesn’t surrender to the Vittra, her people will be thrust into a brutal war against an unbeatable foe. But how can Wendy leave all her friends behind…even if it’s the only way to save them?

The stakes have never been higher, because her kingdom isn’t the only thing she stands to lose. After falling for both Finn and Loki, she’s about to make the ultimate choice…who to love forever. One guy has finally proven to be the love of her life—and now all their lives might be coming to an end.

Everything has been leading to this moment. The future of her entire world rests in her hands—if she’s ready to fight for it. --Goodreads

4 Stars

Review

At last, the end draws near to an action-packed series. After experiencing the ups and downs the first two books, I am proud to say that I actually really enjoyed this series despite its faults and cannot wait to see what else Amanda Hocking has in store for in the future.

Ascend begins right after the bleak ending of Torn. Trylle world is in a state of chaos with their queen dying, numerous Vittra raids and an unhappy marriage between Wendy and Tove. So it's totally expected that everything is mellow for the first chapters. Compared to the previous two books, Ascend was better in presenting the tragic scenes as actually tragic. Instead of facepalming myself when I read the cheesy depression that the characters were going through, I really felt a tug in my heart during the desperate points of each character.

I've read some reviews that are annoyed with the epilogue at the end of the book. They comment on how the book does not resolve the flaws within Trylle society. It is true that not every problem is resolved, but Wendy does claim that they are working on the faults that have still yet to be resolved, so I don't really see why the big fuss. Well, anyway...

My only complaint is probably going to be the climax. After all of this tension built up in the past three books, you would expect the climatic battle to end this all would be one of the grandest or largest like in history. Unfortunately, the battle was wrapped fairly quickly and only lasted like 2 pages. It was a little disappointing when you consider that the same king who is extremely feared is so easily defeated.

Overall, I felt that Ascend was the most solid and the best book of the Trylle Trilogy. There is just something that Amanda Hocking just improves on each time she picks up the pen. Whether or not it is character depth or plot pacing, the journey that has been taken in this trilogy has been a great one for Wendy just as much as the author. Both have matured significantly, with Wendy being less rash, irritating, not to mention selfish, while Ms. Hocking just having a story with better flow. This is definitely a series worth trying and I recommend it to you all.

Purchase this book: Amazon/ Barnes&Nobles/ The Book Depository

Review: Torn by Amanda Hocking

Torn (Trylle Trilogy #2)

By Amanda Hocking

Published: February 28, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Paperback, 324 pages

When Wendy Everly first discovers the truth about herself—that she’s a changeling switched at birth—she knows her life will never be the same. Now she’s about to learn that there’s more to the story…

She shares a closer connection to her Vittra rivals than she ever imagined—and they’ll stop at nothing to lure her to their side. With the threat of war looming, her only hope of saving the Trylle is to master her magical powers—and marry an equally powerful royal. But that means walking away from Finn, her handsome bodyguard who’s strictly off limits…and Loki, a Vittra prince with whom she shares a growing attraction.

Torn between her heart and her people, between love and duty, Wendy must decide her fate. If she makes the wrong choice, she could lose everything, and everybody, she’s ever wanted…in both worlds.

As a special gift to readers, this book contains a new, never-before-published bonus story, “One Day, Three Ways,” set in the magical world of the Trylle. --Goodreads

3.5 Stars

Review

After the shocking events in Switched, Torn begins right after the cliffhanger that Switched was torturing us with. I can say that I was not expecting Torn to be the novel that it was because Switched was definitely a disappointment. Instead of finding myself banging my head against a door because of Wendy (I still did that, but less frequently), I found myself cheering on Wendy and the rest of Trylle.

Let me just say that Wendy is finally maturing. Yup, that's right. No longer is she as irritatingly whiny and reckless as before, Wendy has decided to become the heroine we always knew she was supposed to be. Of course her decisions are still somewhat immature and ridiculous, but now she does those recklessly for the sakes of others. Wendy is blossoming into the heroine that everyone can cheer on without hesitation and I cannot wait to see how she turns out in Ascend.

Despite the fact that Torn exceeded Switched in terms of character development, the plot was still out of whack. The cohesive flow of the book was not as smooth as it could have been. Things just went along as if there was no problem with anything, when there should have been. It felt like everything was engineered to show off Wendy, instead of being realistic. I do not mean that paranormal should be like contemporary, but the emotions and decisions should follow the same basic guidelines that normal decisions are made with. Decisions shouldn't be made with a somewhat random idealism without any thought, which is how Wendy and her friends made decisions.

There was also many references to current pop culture in the book, which doesn't make much sense in a society where human culture is looked down upon and there is no television or computer. Now that I think about it, what's the point of money if they don't even interact with humans beyond changelings? Gah... this is all going screwed up right now. This world does not make any sense, but I admit, it's enjoyable to read about.

Torn was a fun, exciting sequel to Switched. There is just so much danger and adventure that they are facing, it's impossible to not be enthralled by Torn. The stakes are so high, I can't imagine how Ascend will be able to tie all of the loose knots that are left off in the this book. Even with all of the flaws, Torn will leave you panting for the next book in the series.

You can check out my review of Switched right here.

Purchase this book: Amazon/ Barnes&Nobles/ The Book Depository

Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Switched (Trylle Trilogy #1)

By Amanda Hocking

Release Date: January 3, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Paperbck, 336 Pages

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.

Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…

This edition includes the bonus story "The Vittra Attacks". -- Goodreads

3 Stars

Review

As obvious as this is, trolls aren't featured often enough in entertainment. The only trolls known to man are the big, ugly ones that smell like dung and eat horses in Ella Enchanted. The extremely original Amanda Hocking has a created a fantasy world in which the trolls aka. trylle exist in a similar fashion as the court of Louis XVI before the French Revolution. The resemblance between the two is uncanny, creating a unique story, even among the dozens of YA fantasies published in the past decade.

Even though the premise of Switched one of a kind, Switched as a novel fell flat for me. The characters were flat, the plot was dragged out and the whole society of trolls was so messed up. I cannot enjoy a book that portrays trolls as the "good guys," while they steal money and the children of humans and party like it's nobody's business. No sign of remorse, not even Wendy, the main character, doesn't seem to really care too much. She does show signs of believing that the changeling business is wrong, but beyond that, her thoughts are still as self-centered as always.

The characters of Switched were all extremely flat to me. You can only see characters that are defined by one characteristic. No one seems to have any other emotion besides the one that was first introduced. If the characters do not feel genuine, the story will not reach its full potential, which is Switched's problem. Wendy was an unconvincing protagonist who frequently whined about how nothing went her way in the world of Trylle. Most YA novels show some change in the protagonist from the beginning to the end, but Wendy is still the same brat at the end, causing me to dislike her immensely.

I will not say that Switched was a terrible novel. It was simply mediocre in terms of plot, characters and premise. However, it was an enjoyable read that left a lasting impression because of its emphasis on family and loyalty. There were so many characters in Switched who showed powerful familial ties and incredibly loyalty, it's almost too good to be true, yet I still fell for it. Switched may not be the best read, but it is a remarkable tale that will leave you dying for more at the end.

P.S. The short story, "The Vittra Attacks," that was added to Switched was totally misplaced. It prepares the reader for the next installment, Torn, but leaves the reader many questions because of its confusing and unclear purpose, unless the reader has already read Torn, which is impossible if the novella comes directly after Switched.

Purchase Switched: Amazon/ Barnes&Nobles/ The Book Depository