Reviews

Destined, by Aprilynne Pike

shesnicky's review

2.0

I wish I could give this more stars, but see I have a rule with stars. Sometimes, after I've finished a book I'm always a bit emotional. Which usually affects the way I rate the book, sometimes I give it lesser or more stars based on things that might be considered redundant by others. Yet, I persist, because I believe that the emotions you feel when you read a book are more important in your rating (liking) of the book then technicalities like grammar or some other fancies.

Continuing on... With this series, every book seemed to be better than the last, or at least, that's what the librarian who recommended it to me said. I believed it. Until

Spoiler

it was confirmed that Laurel would be with Tanami at the end of the series.

That kind of ruined it for me. I can't relay to you my extensive feelings about David, but they are basically this: he was a good guy, and a very well written character, with very human flaws and very real emotions. His love for Laurel was nice and did not feel smothering as a reader, he was my favourite character, and yet it seemed, in my eyes, that he ended up with the least happiness. To put it plainly, Tanami's all consuming love for Laurel creeped me out and made me uncomfortable and was generally unrealistic, unhealthy, and problematic. He was obsessed with her, he couldn't live without her, he couldn't see anything but Laurel and he let that get in the way of so many things. He's basically addicted to Laurel.

Spoiler

I know she feels the same, but what difference does it make, in my eyes any relationship they form is unhealthy.

Also the action was confusing and I couldn't follow it well enough.

marylou1993's review against another edition

1.0

Το ότι μου πήρε έξι ολόκληρους μήνες για να τελειώσω αυτό το βιβλίο νομίζω ότι τα λέει όλα.Είχα την ελπίδα ότι τα πράγματα σε αυτό το τελευταίο μέρος της τριλογίας θα βελτιώνονταν αλλά κατέληξαν ακόμη χειρότερα.Ναί μεν είχε πολύ δράση αλλά ουσιαστικά πρόκειται για ένα μέτριο φινάλε χωρίς καμια ανατροπή ή κάποια συνταρακτική εξέλιξη.Το ρομάτζο δε ήταν που ήταν χαζοχαρούμενο, εξακολούθησε να βρίσκεται στους ίδιους τόνους, χωρίς καμιά αγωνία αφού ήταν αναμενόμενο από το πρώτο βιβλίο με ποιον θα καταλήξει η Λόρελ.Δεν πιστεύω πως τα υπόλοιπα βιβλία ήταν καλύτερα αλλά περίμενα από το τελευταίο τουλάχιστον να είναι πιο επικό κάτι που δυστυχώς δεν έγινε.

randijeanreads's review

5.0

I loved this series! I'm so sad that it is over.

hagarhussein92's review

The ending made me cry so much. I wish listened to Aprilynne after all.

lemmyrose's review

4.0

What a marvelous ending! I'll admit that my interest in the first three books of the series was only mild, but this book is what really sold it for me. The characters are rich and have REAL development, which includes mistakes, wrong decisions and consequences. The ending of the book is bittersweet but not totally unexpected, and above all things is very realistic. I fell very much in love with this world and reading this conclusion to the series that ties it all together very well was definitely worth it. Even though I didn't love the first three when I read them, I know that going back and reading them again would be even more of a treat than the first time, now that I know all of the wonderful change that takes place.
One word of caution, this book is definitely intended for the young adult. If you go into it expecting a great classic piece of literature, you will be disappointed. But if you appreciate this series for what it is, I believe you will fall in love with the characters and the fascinating world presented with its subtle hints of history; including for example King Arthur, Lancelot and Guinivere, along with Oberon from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer's Nights Dream."

mayasgroove's review

5.0

As I finished reading this book, it left me a sad ache and longing as I am going to miss the characters and the story itself. I wish it could continue. I will keep this series in my collection. It is that worth keeping.

angelicasreads's review

3.0

“Anyone can pluck a flower...true strength is knowing how to give it life.”

My overall rating was…well I actually don’t know. Part of me says 2.5 while the other part is like ‘WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU THIS BOOK DESERVES BETTER REMEMBER THE OTHER BOOKS!!!’ But honestly I don’t even know if I liked it or not. I don’t even know what to think. This whole time I have been reading this series because there was just something about it that I liked. I don’t think I ever did find out what it was, there was just something. Maybe it was that I finally wanted to see laurel STOP BEING AND IDIOT and love Tamani already, I mean really the guy has done sooooo much for you just love him already! Maybe I just wanted to see how this story was going to play out, I don’t know, all I know is that read it.

I have to say that I am one of those people that just about 90% of the time hates the last book in the series. I don’t know what it is about authors that make them think that they can just go through whole books of build up just to end in a sucky, overly dramatic, predictable, let down kind of way. Really people, way to get my hopes up for nothing. ANYWAY, this was one of those books, though I can’t say I’m too surprised about it. So much build up in Illusions with all the Yuki thing and finding out that she’s a winter and all. Then you go to Destined and it’s just like what are you doing Aprilynne just what?.

So the book starts exactly where the last one ends, with our wonderful heroes having captured Yuki, the winter fearie who has been working with Klea all along, blah, blah, blah Klea rescues her, blah, blah something that I don’t want to give away happens, blah, blah and then our heroes go to Avalon (yes all four of them Laurel, Tamani, David and Chelsea). That’s the boring begging that like in all books takes forever to be over. Finally, the real action starts but from that first moment you’re left like WTF? Let me explain why…

First, Queen Marion is being too snobby, arrogant, selfish and too much of an *itch to help with the trolls that are going to invade her people, and her home. (Nice one your highness, nice one -_-)

Jamison has a secret plan that could save the world and so he disobeys his queen (which she does nothing about!!! Way to show how powerful you are Marion)

(Now this part really got me) The plan is that he gives Excalibur to David and claims that he’s destined to use it and save them all. (Yes people, Excalibur) And apparently as long as he holds that sword nothing can touch him, not a troll, not a fearie not the million bullets that get fired at him, NOTHING AT ALL. (Oh and he can’t harm any fearie that’s an important fact later on.)

Well, David goes crazy killing trolls with his shiny new weapon though he’s never fought a day in his life. (Yeah that’s realistic) and he actually ends up holding them back.

Jamison gets knocked out in the middle of a fight thanks to some hard core sleeping gas and three of our heroes go to Tam’s house while one goes to warn the fall fearies.

Blah, Blah, Blah things happen that I don’t want to give away because it would kill the experience of reading

.

Those things lead to many fearies deaths, like thousands according to Laurel, and the academy of the fall’s is completely destroyed.

Finally Klea and Yuki show up and they all have the most boring, least climactic fight EVER!(Yuki, what a waste of power, and here I thought you were tough)

Tam is dying and Laurel is thinking about saving him instead of Avalon (just like every other stupid YA girl *rolling eyes*)

Then like always there is a big happily ever after (predictable)

That there is really the main plot and the main points of this whole story. It had potential and it could have been good but…it failed. I was expecting so much and I was looking forward to the final conclusion where everything finally came together. I felt it lacked something I don’t know what it is I simply felt like it could have been better and it didn’t live up to its full potential. If it had simply sucked it would have been one thing but it being half way is worse. Over all I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it, in the end it was just a little more than ok, like ok .5.

sea_su's review

4.0

4.2
The book started off right where the 4th one ended and it went straight into action. The battle was pretty much the entire book and the last 3 chapters? By the time I finished I still wanted more out (it is the ending of the series). Some of the story points/actions by characters felt cliche.

cettipr's review

1.0

Wings was really good. The books went downhill from there. I couldn't even read this one. Just skimmed it for closure to the series.

nightshade_novels's review against another edition

5.0

The last book in this series had a lot to live up to and it delivered. The plot was great bringing together all the strands of the story. I was happy to see the set-up of David and Chelsea’s romance was pulled through, even if it didn't last.
It was intriguing to have technically two endings, the typical happy ending of the story and a kind of epilogue in the form of a letter from David to Chelsea several years in the future, which gave the book a more realistic ending, showing that things don't always work out and people can’t always learn to cope with what they've experienced, but they can still be happy (even if they have to erase their memory to do it!) I think that this is one of the things that makes this story so good; the fact that it doesn't have the typical happy fairy-tale ending, but keeps it real.
Having reached the end of the series I was intrigued to find that the author believed that "in some ways, the whole Wings story is about [David]." Because she wanted to explore the idea of what happens to the rejected member of a supernatural love triangle.
This book gets 5 stars, because the plot had the right amount of suspense, danger, love and struggle. This combination made the story very realistic, even if it was set entirely in a world of faeries. I would definitely read this book again.