Book Review - Wings: A Fairy Tale

Title: Wings
Author: E.D. Baker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Release Date: Reprint edition Sep 2009
ISBN-13: 978-1599903804

Synopsis
Tamisin has always recognized that she's a bit odd and doesn't quite fit in. Her appearance and the fact that she sees things others don't has always set her apart.
But she's shocked when she suddenly grows wings and is kidnapped and taken to a world where goblins and fairies exist. She'll soon learn that many things, even love, aren't all that they appear to be at first.
 
My Review
I bought this book about a year ago in an Amazon sale, it got shoved on my shelf and forgotten about. When browsing my shelves friday for my next read I came across this and decided to give it a go. The beginning is very similar to the book by Aprilynne Pike by the same title, high school girl unsure of who she is, doesn't fit in, then suddenly grows wings - although I have to say Pike does it a lot better. Up to there though this is where the similarities end, and the stories take on very different routes. 
Tamisin has always been able to see goblins, but now they are showing up more often and they seem to be very interested in her. Jak turns up at school, he is cute and friendly, but does he have a hidden agenda. When Tamisin gets carried through a Gateway into the fey world by a group of goblins, Jak follows and sets out to rescue her, but their journey takes them to places they never thought they would see and meet creatures they had only dreamed of.
I have to admit that bits of this book seemed very slow and I would put it down for a few minutes, but then would be intrigued enough to know what happens that i would pick it back up. In the end it really came to a point of just trying to finish it.
The story is fairly well written, but I didn't feel particularly connected to the characters, I was sort of interested in the two main characters, but the rest I couldn't really care about.
This book also plays on an adaptation of Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream, including Titania, Oberon and others into the story line. Just seemed like a poor adaptation.
This book isn't all bad, it does have some good action scenes and some of the descriptions are well detailed. I could really picture the forest of magic flowers, it sounded beautiful, but overall I was left feeling disappointed with the book.


My Rating
I would give this book 5.5/10 - some good parts but overall disappointing.