Destined audiobook

*****FINAL RATING: 4.55 STARS***** CATCHALL I've been with this series since the beginning, and I told myself I'd see it through. So I have. While it's had its ups and downs like any other series, I've found it thoroughly enjoyable and this book provided a satisfactory and bittersweet final novel. (It also has Tamani, who practically makes up for any faults, but more on that later.) I absolutely adored it. THE HEROINE LAURELWhile I freely admit that I often find Laurel to be too self-sacrificing and, at times, annoying, it's always been clear that she has a good heart. (Metaphorically speaking, of course.) She can be almost ridiculously reckless but at the same time I understand that she does it to protect the people she loves. She's definitely grown from the beginning of the series and now to the end, and her maturity was especially remarkable in this novel. Laurel certainly isn't a little girl anymore. THE LOVE INTERESTS TAMANII do not make it any secret that I am Team Tamani. I would follow that man faerie to the ends of the Earth. He's just so freaking hot, and it is useless and pointless to deny it. He's sweetly protective and very strong; he's almost never afraid to back down but he picks his battles. I love that about him, and I love the fierce loyalty and the strong sense of love that I can tell he genuinely feels. He tries to do what he honestly believes to be the right thing.DAVIDSo, I have a confession: In books 1-3, I am afraid I did not like David at all. But in Destined, he absolutely grew on me. I actually really grew to love him too in this book. He's brave and not afraid to offer his life for the greater good, which is so admirable. He doesn't hesitate to stand behind Laurel and he'll be there for her when she and the faeries need him. THE BEST FRIEND CHELSEAMy opinion on Chelsea in the past has been volatile at best. I generally don't really like her and only every once in a while have the occasional moment where I could see through to her. But in Destined she really grew as a character and I couldn't help admiring her. She's a wonderful, fiercely loyal friend, and it's fairly obvious that she would follow Laurel over a cliff. THE PLOT The whole of Destined takes place in a period of about twenty-four hours.So you can imagine how action-packed it is.There's almost never a bored moment, and I usually had almost no time to catch my breath.I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation at pretty much all times. I couldn't resist falling headlong into the story.Some things were stupid. I admit it. Some things were so stupid they actually made me laugh out loud, hence the barely-five-star rating.Still, overall, I absolutely loved the plot! It kept me entertained and interested, and I was never bored, which always counts for something. THE ROMANCE As it turns out, I am not telling you who Laurel ends up with. I can't even tell you if I was happy or sad with the decision because that would make it instantly obvious. I won't even put it under a spoiler tab at this time because this book is super new and I don't want to be the one who gives everything away. I will say that there's a lot of fluffy romance, but it's serious too. Some real decisions need to be made. It's not really an easy decision for Laurel but she does make it. It's logical, too. That's all I'll say. THE WRITING One thing that makes me strangely mother-duck proud is to see debut authors grow up. Writing-wise, obviously. Aprilynne's first book was sweet but clearly the work of an inexperienced writer; now, in her fourth book, she's a mature and established writer. Her writing voice has become absolutely beautiful and I love it so much. In Wings and Spells we get Laurel's voice; in Illusions and Destined Tamani's voice joins her, showing her increase in diversity. Tamani's voice is better than Laurel's, in my opinion, but I'm probably biased. THE ENDING The ending was everything one could want. It was heartbreaking in some ways but devastatingly beautiful in others. There were happy endings, there were sad ones. People died, people lived. Just like in life. It was realistic and believable and clearly well thought out. In my opinion, the letter at the back of the book cements everything as still more real and more heartbreaking, but be warned: It's not all happy, not at all. So heed Aprilynne's warning before you read the letter if you decide to do so. WRAPUP In general, I was very happy with the Wings series. I thought Aprilynne did a wonderful job, and I'm looking forward to seeing future works from her such as Life After Theft. The title and prospect seem interesting, and also I have a fetish for the name Jeff, because there is this cute guy named Jeff who sits next to me in my physics class and this other really handsome guy named Jeff who used to be in my class and then there's a third adorable Jeff and…uhhh, I'm rambling. So I'll stop (particularly since my boyfriend will read this). But anyway, I'm looking forward to Aprilynne's future projects.FINE.Read more of my reviews on Sparkles and Lightning!----------------------------My pre-review:More Tam, pretty please :) He's the best part of this series. I admit it, I'm in love. Who's with me?Oh my God, and the cover is gor-geous!!!!!!!! And I think that thinking about the blurb is going to kill me. It's so unbelievably tempting and leaves me even more eager for this book's release!!

whoooooo! Finished. That was awesome. perfect ending.

This is one of the best conclusions to a series!I loved the way it ended. I loved how there was a happy ending but then some things about it were heartbreakingly sad. If you have not read this series, or if you have started the series but didn't finish it, then I highly recommend you do.

Hecate's eye! WOW! I LOVED IT! What a book! All I can say is Knockout! Sensational! Smashing! A great ending to a masterpiece and I must say that I am sorry that this series is at its conclusion. But, no worry I will be reading these books for years to come. Destined has everything… war, love, romance, malice, loss, fear, bravery, courage, cowardice, and most importantly friendship and trust; plus, a better future for humans and fey.Aprilynne Pike is the only author who has woven a tale that made me understand that a love triangle doesn’t have to be unpleasant. To me, in the end… it didn’t matter who Laurel ended up with. I loved both Hero’s or should I say love interest…Tamani and David, I loved them both… no lingering resentment and this is the first for me. EVER. Pike made sure that they all had their HEA (happily ever after) as it should be. It was flawless. Aprilynne Pike is… there are no words to justify how talented she is and I admire what she has written. I am also a fan for life. It was a perfect ending NOT a bitter sweet end, but a perfect end to a well-told story. Triumph! Well-done!

OMG I JUST CAN'T RIGHT NOW.

2012?!?!?! I cant wait that long! Aprilynne gives the worst cliffhanger and expects usto wait that long?!?! I love her, but she's gotta be crazy! I've been Pro David since day 1 and I'm obsessed with these books-she has posted that 'some major characters dont make it out' after reporting running, fighting, and death and the whole book lasts about 24 hrs. SOMEONE KILL ME NOW!!!

Beter dan de vorige delen hoewel ik dat einde beetje smeriglief (nieuw woord, ik keur het goed) vind... Hier kan je mijn recensie lezen: http://nerdygeekyfanboy.com/recensie/...

It's so hard to say good bye to a series you've grown to love, but let me just say that Aprilynne Pike ended her Wings series on such a bittersweet note. I loved the way she wrapped things up and though some tough choices were made, and I commend her for staying true to the story with everything that happens, including Laurel's choice. There's some great plot twists, shocking revelations and some great swoon worthy scenes between Laurel and.... you'll have to read the book to find out who. I enjoyed the beginning of the book, I felt the middle slowed down the pace of the book just a bit with all the descriptions of what was happening, and I loved the ending. There's an epic battle, lives are lost, tough choices are made, hearts get broken, love grows stronger from some characters and in the end everything comes together in a nice, surprising way. Though there were some moments that Laurel frustrated me with her decision making in this story, I did like getting to see why she made the decisions she did. I like the way Laurel has grown as a character through out the course of this series. She really steps up to the plate in this book, and FINALLY makes her decision! I seriously wish I could talk about her decision process and why she picked who she did, but that would be one huge spoiler. I'm not a huge fan on love triangles like I used to be when I first started reading YA, but I'm a fan of this particular one. Aprilynne has created two well written characters in Tamani and David that I've come to love as much as Laurel has. They're both fabulous choices, and I really liked the roles they played in this particular book. Both of them totally surprised me with some of their choices and their actions. Honestly, Laurel had a hard choice to make and I love that Aprilynne made her choose.There are so many little things I want to talk about in my review about DESTINED, but I can't. It would spoil so much. As I mentioned above, I really like the plot twists that Aprilynne threw into the story. It kept me invested with the entire story line. I really enjoyed being back into the fey world that she's created and being able to read about characters that were introduced previously in the series. I did have a hard time staying connected with some parts of this book, because I felt it was overly descriptive with some scenes, but in the end it all weaves together to create an ending that is so fitting for this series. DESTINED is an enjoyable, fast paced, well written conclusion to a fabulous fey series.I'm looking forward to talking about this book with Wings fans. I can only imagine the conversations that will ensue once everyone reads this and finds out who Laurel choose and why. I will say I loved the added bonus Aprilynne includes at the end of this book. Just know that in some way everyone gets their own ending, well at least one fans get to read about. If that sounds confusing it will make more sense after you read the book. If you're a fan of this series I highly recommend picking up DESTINED when it's out in May!

Whenever I get to the final book in a series, I'm excited to see how it concludes, and also sad that the story is ending. It's important that a final book is a strong finish to the series, and DESTINED is exactly that! Aprilynne Pike has done a marvelous job of finishing this story. This is a must for any WINGS fan. DESTINED was a huge change of pace from the rest of the series -- the events all take place mainly in one day. And what an eventful day it is. It's jam-packed with action and adventure. Avalon is at stake, and Laurel and Crew must fight to keep it safe. The fight scenes were done wonderfully; Aprilynne Pike has such great way with words. I could clearly see everything in my mind while it was happening. There are also lots of parts told from Tamani's point of view, which I loved. It was awesome to see his perspective on the events going on.I'm going to avoid saying too much because I don't want to give spoilers, but I was happy to find that Laurel ended up with the guy I was rooting for. I find that in love triangles I sometimes root for the guy who gets shafted at the end, and I was so happy to find that this wasn't the case with this series. I am so happy that DESTINED ended the way it did -- I feel like this decision was right for Laurel from the beginning, and I'm glad she finally realized it. I also loved the epilogue at the end -- it was very realistic and well-done. Kudos to Aprilynne Pike for such a great series! I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.

Okay first time reviewing but SOOOOOOOOO glad this is the book i get to review. I as gifted by a friend an ARC and let me say i am so glad i did not have to wait months after reading Illusions to find out the end of this journey. So without spoilers I can say only this. As I have read many faerie story and watch them unfold with the young girls destiny or the romantic love triangle, this one ended the with a bittersweet ending. I kept yelling at Laurel throughout the book. And in most love triangles i feel the author does something that never fully makes the girl have to choose. Where the story line or a dramatic event made the choice for them. But in this book the choice was clearly expressed and made. I am glad she did not take the cheap way out but instead created a strong and dominate young lady by the end of the series. But I am glad and the fans will not be disappointed with the end.I will say that the middle of the book is heavy to read. Lots of description and narrative that at sometimes i found myself rereading so that i could understand the visuals or backdrop Pike was trying to create. However it was worth sticking out until the very end.

THE FAERYS VIEWDestined by Aprilynne Pike is the final book in the Wings series and I’m so very sad about that! I have followed this series from its inception and loved every single word that Ms. Pike has written. Loving all things Fae, the biggest draw for me is that Laurel, the main character gets to spend time in Avalon aka Faery and it’s just such an amazing world to be in. Ms. Pike has absolutely amazing skills at creating this Faery world that is so rich in detail that I can almost smell the blossoms and see the sugar-pane glass.Laurel, Tam, David and Chelsea have quite the school dance when they discover that Yuki’s been playing them all along and working with Klea in Illusions. Klea’s plans to destroy Avalon come down to one thing and it all makes sense in Klea’s bizarre and twisted mind. War is coming to Avalon and they are sorely unprepared for it.David and Chelsea are the only humans to enter Avalon aside from King Arthur, who never left but they love Laurel enough that they risk entering with the possibility of having to stay in Avalon forever in order to help with the upcoming war. Amidst the war between Klea’s army of trolls and Avalons Fae, it seems hopeless but some remarkable things happen. David play’s an incredibly crucial part-I’ve always been pro-Tam but I loved seeing David get to play the ‘Man’ for awhile. Ms. Pike didn’t make this war an easy one, one very beloved character dies and I shed tears over this loss. There was tremendous death and destruction but there was also triumph and joy. I loved the ending and I feel like maybe Ms. Pike isn’t quite finished with Avalon’s story quite yet…THE FAERY SAYS THAT DESTINED BY APRILYNNE PIKE SET MY WINGS A’FLUTTER!