Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Title:  Wings

Author:  Aprilynne Pike

Ratings Explanation

Language:  There are a handful of hells and damns.  One use of the “s” word and a few uses of the word sucks.

Violence:  Laurel and David are thrown through a window and receive cuts that bleed.  They are tied up, weighted down and thrown into a river to die.  Two trolls have their heads knocked together and then their necks snapped.  Another troll is sedated with a dart and then killed with drops in his eyes.  Tamani is thrown against the wall a couple times.  He is shot in the legs with a pistol.  He is kicked in the legs after he is shot as torture.  Laurel shoots a troll with a gun.

Sexual Content:  A comment is made about kids making out at lockers.  Laurel talks about being 15 and not starting her period yet.  There are a few kisses throughout the book.  Tamani and Laurel discuss sex and reproduction.  Tamani says sex is just for fun.

Synopsis

Laurel has never really worried about the things that make her different than other people.  Sure, she only eats fruits and vegetables, she never has to wash her hair and she has never had a cut or scrape that she can remember.  But that isn’t so odd, is it?  Then one day Laurel realizes there is something growing on her back.  At first she thinks it’s just a pimple, but when it grows to the size of a softball, she knows something is definitely different.  The flowers that bloom from her back are not normal and a trip to the forest where she meets Tamani confirms her theory.  She is faerie.  And the faerie people need her help to save the land they live on and protect the gateway from our world to theirs.

Faerie, trolls and some romance.  This was a classic YA paranormal read.  I enjoyed the scientific approach to figuring out what Laurel was with the help of her friend, David.  This was a light, easy read with a simple story line.  The characters were well defined and likeable.  Booklist and School Library Journal give age level reading of 6^th-10^th grade.  While I agree that an 11 year old could easily read and understand this book, I don’t think all of the content is age appropriate for a 6^th to 8^th grader.  I would recommend 10^th grade and up for this book, which is in keeping with the books YA (ages 15-25) classification.