Book Review of Spells by Aprilynne Pike

Title: Spells

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Release Date: May 4, 2010

*If you have not read Wings this might contain spoilers*

Goodreads Review: “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?”

My Review: We come back to this world at the beginning of the summer where Laurel has been summoned to Avalon to take classes and learn more about her faerie heritage.  This education is also supposed to help her learn how to make potions that will help her defend herself against the never-ending parade of trolls that are after her.  I was eagerly looking forward to reading about Avalon in this book and hopefully getting to meet more of the fae that live there.  Laurel is studying at the academy in Avalon with fellow faerie, who all remember her, but she has no clue who any of them are.  I can imagine that it is hard enough to go to school and be the new kid, but to be at that school and have all of them remember you, but you have no recollection of them must be a nightmare.  I felt for Laurel because she was trying hard to get to know people, but her friendliness was not always reciprocated.  It was also interesting to see how the hierarchy works in Avalon, not all fae are created equal here and it shows in their houses, clothes and possessions.  Things are quite different in Avalon and my only disappointment in this book is that we did not get to spend that much time there as I would have liked.  I enjoyed hearing about the different types of potions, but I would have liked to see more.  Maybe Aprilynne is saving that for one of the next books, I am not sure but I hope we get to go back there and explore more.

I have to say though after reading this I am still team Tamani, sorry David, you are a super nice guy, but there is something about Tamani that makes me think he is a better fit for Laurel.  The festival is my favorite time with Larual and Tamani, I loved how they both push each others comfort zones, I will not say anymore than that because I do not want to spoil anything, but it’s good.  On the down side, throughout the story I almost feel like Laurel is trying to deny who she is, which irks me a little.  I get that she is just getting used to being a faerie, but some of David’s  behaviors in this book are a little strange to me and I think Laural is taking safe way out of both the love triangle situation and her being a faerie.

Overall I really enjoyed this sequel; I liked getting to know some of the fae that lived in Avalon and getting a glimpse into that world.  I am looking forward to the next book in this series, even though I don’t think there is even a title for the next one yet, anyone know?