After a busy week of going to the theatre and settling back
into school I have finally managed to finish Destined by Aprilynne Pike this
morning.
After three books we are now able to read the last one in
the series. Destined continues directly from Wild and it may be helpful to read
the last chapter of Wild before you start this book. A similar style to the
other three books is used however apart from the fact that the entire book is
written over a 24 hour period. The book is spilt between the point of view of
Tam and Laurel however the narration flows effortlessly between the two
characters so that you hardly notice the change. The characters in Destined are very consistent
and clear yet I would have liked to have seen more action from Chelsea.
To find more about Noises Off visit http://www.oldvictheatre.com/noises-off-west-end/
To find out more about The Iron King series click here http://www.juliekagawa.com/books.html
On Tuesday I was able to watch ‘Noises Off’ which transferred from the Old Vic to the West End. I have to say, I think it one of
the funniest things I have ever seen. It is certainly the best play I’ve seen.
Being a creative myself, I absolutely could relate to all the characters in the
play. If you are thinking about going to the theatre this month you would be
mad not to see it. You have to hurry as it finishes on the 30th
June. Anyway my point is that while on the train journey to Waterloo I was able
to cram some valued reading time.
If you follow me on Twitter @TellingitTeen then
you will know how often I have tweeted to my friend about the book. In truth I haven’t
been 100% loyal to the book I did have to stop reading it halfway through as I had
a Maths Unit 2 exam which just about killed me! So without further ado here is
the much anticipated Destined book review.
Destined is the fourth book in the Wings series by Aprilynne
Pike. If you aren’t familiar with the series let me give you a bit of
background info- continue review from beside the picture.
Laurel thinks she is an average human.
Until one day strange petal like shapes start to grow on her back. Unsure what
they are and struggling to settle in at her new school she doesn’t tell anyone.
Eventually she befriends a handsome boy called David, a relationship starts to
form and they become boyfriend and girlfriend.
After confiding in David about the strange petal like objects on her
back, the two of them do some tests and they discover that Laurel is in fact a
plant.
However Laurel is no ordinary
plant (surprise, surprise) she is in fact a faerie! A faerie from a magical city called Avalon,
which she left when she was seven, had her memory wiped and placed in the care
of a couple who coincidentally cannot have children. The couple live on land that
is home to the gateway to Avalon. However this isn’t the end of the book, we
read further and discover Tam; a young faerie that was sworn to protect Laurel
and who is also madly in love with her. So amidst the danger of trolls and
spells that disrupt the lives of the people she loves, a love triangle is
formed.
 |
| Destined by Aprilynne Pike features with Wings and Wild also by Aprilynne Pike. Louise Rennison in the background. |
I would recommend this book to those of you who like romance/fantasy
novels such as The Iron King by Julie Kagwa. On the book it is recommend to
readers over the age of 13 however I think people over the age of 11 would
enjoy this book. I would definitely say this book is for girls, the main themes
are romance and magic and the cover as you can see is very girly. Similar to
most sequels I do always think it is important to have read the other books
(Wings, Spells and Wild) before you read Destined as I mentioned earlier the
book continues directly from the third book. Overall there were several twists
which did keep the reader entertained for the majority of the book.
I regret to say that the book did have a few parts which let
it down. The majority of the book was based on one main event and this meant
that after a while you felt yourself drifting off. The best way to enjoy this
book would be to read it all in one sitting- which is feasible as it only has
300-odd words. Several times I would pick Destined up and feel like I was
rereading the same part. Saying this however there were quite a few twists
which did add to the depth of the novel. I was pleased to see more involvement of
the human characters David and Chelsea however I at times felt their reactions
to the situation was unrealistic- particularly Chelsea.
Maybe I was reading
it quickly however I did feel that the ending was rushed however I didn’t think
it was predictable. I do feel that is appropriate to add a warning to the
readers here. Aprilynne Pike added an extra chapter to the end which I wish I hadn’t
read now. It gave a more realistic ending to the story. If you are in any way
happy with the ending then I recommend you refrain from reading the last part!
Overall I enjoyed Destined, however I do believe that I preferred
the other books in the series much more. Due to the fact that there were a few
parts towards the ending which were hard to follow I give Destined 6/10.
Please as always post your comments below and tell me what you thought of the book.
To find more about Noises Off visit http://www.oldvictheatre.com/noises-off-west-end/
To find out more about The Iron King series click here http://www.juliekagawa.com/books.html
