Spells (Aprilynne Pike)
- ISBN13: 9780061668067
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
“I can’t just storm in and proclaim my intentions. I can’t ‘steal’ you away. I just have to wait and hope that, someday, you’ll ask,” Tamani said. “And if I don’t?” Laurel said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Then I guess I’ll be waiting forever.” Although Laurel has come to accept her true identity as a faerie, she refuses to turn her back on her human life—and especially her boyfriend, David—to return to the faerie world. But when she is summoned to Avalon, Laurel’s feelin
Rating: 
(out of 13 reviews)
List Price: $ 16.99
Price: $ 6.20
Review by K. Flegal for Spells (Aprilynne Pike)
Rating:
When I started reading Aprilynne Pike’s “Spells,” my first reaction was, “this is terrible!” and I gave up after a few pages. Then I found out that it was the sequel to “Wings,” and I decided to try that one just to see if it made “Spells” any better. Well, it definitely did! I highly recommend NOT reading “Spells” until you’ve read “Wings”–“Spells” picks up in the middle of the story, so it really doesn’t make sense without the background of having read “Wings.”
” Spells” continues the story of Laurel, a teen who discovers that not only is she a flower–not a human, but a fairy–but that evil trolls are out to get her and take over the world and she has to help stop them. The book starts out with Laurel traveling to Avalon (the fairy realm) to relearn the fairy skills she lost during her life as a human. After so many years living as a human (and believing she was one), Laurel doesn’t fit in well with the other fairies. She’s used to a completely different social structure and has trouble adjusting to fairy life. Fortunately, she only has to survive the summer in Avalon, and after her eight weeks of relearning are up, she gets to return to the human world and her human friends. But all is not as well as she thought; there are still trolls stalking her and trying to access Avalon. There’s also a new factor for Laurel, a new potential ally named Klea Wilson, who is hunting the trolls and wants to help protect Laurel and her friends. The problem is that Laurel doesn’t know anything about this mysterious woman, and doesn’t think she can trust Klea.
In the mean time, around the tight schedule of learning to be a fairy, fighting trolls, and high school, Laurel’s relationship with her human boyfriend David is getting more intense. They love each other, but Laurel is uncertain of her future and doesn’t want to endanger David. To complicate things even more, Laurel’s fairy love interest, Tamani, is still in the mix. Laurel has to choose, but she doesn’t want to hurt anyone.
The book ends on a minor cliffhanger, leaving us waiting for the next installment (there are supposed to be four books in the series).
Overall, I enjoyed “Spells” once I had read “Wings”. It’s not beautifully written or completely original plot-wise (it feels like a mix of “Harry Potter,” “Twilight,” and a fairy tale), but it is an interesting twist on the fairy tale archetype, and it was fun to read. I wouldn’t go into it looking for an enriching or enlightening piece of literature, but if you’re looking for a fun piece of fluffy escape reading, this is a great option.
Again, though, don’t bother with “Spells” until you’ve read “Wings.” This is a YA romance/adventure/fairy tale.
Review by Leah for Spells (Aprilynne Pike)
Rating:
SPELLS is a tough book to decipher. It’s a romantic fantasy story that’s more of a coming of age tale with some bad guys thrown in. The first book in the series, WINGS, presented the story of teen Laurel Sewell and her discovery that she was a faerie sent to live in the human world to protect a piece of land from trolls. SPELLS is the follow up of Laurel’s choice to stay with her human family and start a relationship with David, the boy who helped her find out who she was. Even though she’s happy, Laurel still pines for Tamani, a faerie male who loves her.
Laurel’s called back to the faerie world of Avalon to resume her education is faerie subjects, like potion making and plant medicine. While there, she reconnects with Tamani and learns more about her forgotten culture. She comes back to the human world with a drive to perfect her new skills–or lack thereof. But her struggle to balance her two lives takes its toll as she finds herself increasingly torn between the two boys. Also, the trolls begin to make their presence known again and a mysterious woman arrives who wants to help Laurel out.
The writing is good, with some decent descriptions of the beauty of Avalon and its inhabitants. However, it felt like author Aprilynne Pike got lost in her own mythology of faeries. The first few chapters have numerous descriptions of the types of faeries, how they start off as seedlings, etc. It’s a lot to take in. If she had spread out the information more, it would have been better.
Laurel frustrated me with her constant juggling of David and Tamani. Pick one or the other, don’t think you can have both. One of the characters even mentions this to her. Fortunately she grows up in this department. But she does make some Mary Sue choices which either will or won’t sit well with some readers. I also got a bit creeped out by all the makeout sessions she had with David. There was something unnatural about it.
David does some strange things which I thought were out of character (I won’t say anything to prevent spoilers). Tamani, while adorable in the first book, got stalkerish in the second. And Klea, the woman who wants to help Laurel, was very one-dimensional. A stereotypical bada** hunter who throws out cheesy one liners is in a cutesy faerie book for teens? Right.
I liked the book though and I’ll read the next two. But I hope Laurel is given time to develop into a more mature character and that her two boys will become the people they should be.
Review by imadoobee for Spells (Aprilynne Pike)
Rating:
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.
Review by S. McCullough for Spells (Aprilynne Pike)
Rating:
“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.
Review by princess bookie for Spells (Aprilynne Pike)
Rating:
My Thoughts: First, I want to say I have heard a lot of good and bad reviews about this series. I have heard a lot of people say they wouldn’t even attempt to read it. Sucks for them! I loved it! I read Wings in a day and started Spells the next day and read it in 2 sittings. I loved them both. I did like Spells a little more though. In Spells, we are once again introduced to Laurel, her family, her friend Chelsea, her boyfriend David, her other “friend” Tamani; who is a fairy! In Wings, Laurel slowly realized she was a fairy and by Spells, she has accepted this and is trying to cope with it and lead a normal life. Of course nothing can go as planned because she has Trolls hunting her down, wanting crucial information from her. I don’t want to give away the whole plot but I loved this book.This book revolves more about Laurel going to Avalon and spending time getting to learn about her heritige (being a fairy). I truly adore this series.
I started off so torn between David and Tamani. I mean, come on, David seems like a sweetheart and the kind of guy who will always be there for you. Yes, that’s comforting and hot but than there is Tamani who comes off as a hunky awesome guy. You know you shouldn’t like him because Laurel is already with David.But you find yourself thinking, come on Tamani, get the girl! And on top of his greatness, he’s a fairy! By the time the book ended, I was rooting for Tamani and wanted Laurel and Tamani together. There was so much tension between them I had to reread a few paragraphs just so I could savor it more than once. A big grin would cross my face. Sorry David but I’m more in love with Tamani. Its been a while since I’ve loved a guy in a book and I’m still awwing over Tamani. Can he please be real? Pretty please! I just loved these books! They are so good!
Overall: Loved it! I’m team Tamani! I actually liked Laurel too. The kissing scene between Laurel and Tamani- HOT! I just adored Tamani’s personality. The chemistry between them was so awesome. I wish book 3 was already out! The cliffhanger on the last page of Spells makes you just sit there and say, what what what? What is going to happen next???