Wings:
by Aprilynne Pike

So, many of you already know that my wife's authorial debut hit #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List for Children's Chapter Books. Am I proud of her? Indeed I am. Has this been an incredibly positive experience for our family? Yes, it has. Am I an impartial observer in the process? Not by a nautical mile.

But who is? Neutrality is the grand illusion of Western thought. One is never truly impartial. Furniture is impartial. Rocks are impartial. But people? People are inevitably biased. Everyone who judges Aprilynne's book does so with their own set of biases, and I see no reason to privilege theirs over mine. If you think my opinion is somehow inferior because I have a stake in Aprilynne's success, then stop reading now. And if you're still reading anyway, go get someone to slap you in the face until you stop feeling so smug and self-important. I'm not here to assuage your confirmation bias. I'm going to tell you why my wife's book is awesome, and along the way I'm going to say some interesting things about the writing community.

Chapter One: The Husband's Dilemma

Of course, in all of this, there is protocol... etiquette... tradition... whatever you want to call it. Aprilynne would never "review" her own book; that would be tacky. But I didn't write it! Can I review it? What's the "etiquette" for me? The only author spouses I know pretty much stay out of the writing world (see Pancho Meyer), or join it 100% as a co-author (see Leigh Eddings). I've done neither; a quick perusal of this blog should give you a pretty good idea of just how meddlesome, outspoken, and opinionated I can be. d^_~b I'm not going to leave the internet and stop speaking my mind just because my wife is a minor celebrity. And the days of "husband and wife count as one person" are long gone in every other profession--surely no one in the progressive, enlightened world of literature still believes it?

So, absent obvious precedent, what would be the wisest move? To just keep my mouth shut? Perhaps. I have already gotten flamed for commenting on certain Amazon reviews. One much kinder person even changed her rating based on my comments, which actually wasn't my goal... but hey, if I can persuade people that Aprilynne's book is great, is that a bad thing? Aren't I supposed to be on my wife's team?

Of course, that's tricky. I would like to push her book as best I can, but I certainly don't want to attract negative attention. I'm a polarizing person, unlike my infallibly amicable angel of a wife. Lots of people find me abrasive, arrogant... I certainly wouldn't want to sour folks on Wings because the writer's husband is a putz. Keeping my mouth shut would definitely avoid that!

And yet, I don't want to keep my mouth shut! I am a philosopher! Thesis--antithesis--synthesis is my bread and butter. (Well, actually Wings is my bread and butter right now, but if this were ancient Athens...!) Anyhow, my obsession with lively debate is probably why my wife makes all the money while I make all the enemies. We're a team! d^_~b

But let's face it: this may be the only chance I'll ever have to review so famous a book from so close a perspective. Realize that most of what I'm about to say, my wife would never think, let alone write. She's a better person than I am, and much better suited to the notoriety she has earned (and so richly deserves). She knows better than to respond to negative reviews and the like; she shrugs off the sprinkling of negativity and basks in the deluge of positive response. I, on the other hand, am deeply opinionated, jaded to a fault, pathologically unable to overlook the tiniest flaw, and altogether devoid of self-restraint. And while I would hate for anyone to avoid my wife's wonderful writing by virtue of my personal penchant for prolific pedantry...

Well. This is not about astroturfing--I'm not pretending to be a grassroots movement. Whether you buy it or not, you've heard my disclaimer. So I'm going to express my opinion, now, same as everyone else who reads Aprilynne's book.

Chapter Two: Spoiler-Free Recommendation

Wings is a story about a 15-year-old girl who discovers she's a faerie, only it's nothing like the storybooks say. There's a love triangle, some adventure, and some light suspense, but nothing over a PG rating (one hard swear and one fleeting mention of sex in an educational context). Girls aged 11 to 16 will find this an entertaining summer read; readers of any age or gender who love faeries, fantasy, or gardening will appreciate the original, yet somehow familiar, mythology. Wings is the first in a four-book series, so while the main plot does not end on a cliffhanger, there are definitely some questions left unanswered and some room left to grow.

Chapter Three: Who Reviews the Reviewers?

I would typically put something like a synopsis here, but Wings is a special case. It is a journey of discovery, both of self and of a magical world hiding just beyond the tree-line. What I love about Wings is that it is one giant metaphor. The story literally blossoms.

This has led to some interesting reviews; a lot of folks on Amazon have said that the first half is slow or boring despite an awesome ending, while others loved the first half and found the second half "rushed." But then, contradictory reviews seem to abound; I have seen the prose referred to as "silky" by some, "plodding" by others. Some people loved the mythology and some were completely grossed out by its botanical roots. Some felt it lacked appropriately adolescent angst, while others disliked Laurel because she is too angsty. David has been described as "boring" by some, while others proudly declare themselves members of "Team David." Overall, reviews have been good, but the rare negative reviews have ranged from scathing indictments of Aprilynne's commercial, accessible prose to bizarre rants about the publishing industry.

Weirdest of all, though, are the "anti-fans." One online persona, "Rabbit Reader," went so far as to register on Goodreads for the sole purpose of giving Aprilynne one star, "voting up" every negative review, then appearing on at least one blog to comment on how Aprilynne's book would not be a bestseller without Stephenie's endorsement (possible, but unlikely, given Harper's impressive marketing this summer--HarperTeen has dominated the Young Adult best-seller list for weeks). No one has to like Aprilynne's book--it's light commercial fiction, aimed at a tween and early-teen market, after all! Most online reviewers fall outside the target audience, and virtually everyone I've spoken with inside the target audience loves the book. d^_^b But to actively disparage it at every opportunity just reeks of sour grapes.

Somewhat more disturbingly, a lot of writers have completely snubbed Aprilynne over her success. She has been involved in the writing community for years, and made a lot of friends in that time. A lot of them are still her friends, but she finds herself appreciating them all the more based on the number of people who have withheld praise, stopped responding to her online, or even ignored her to her face. She even did one author a huge personal favor, only to be completely ignored afterwards.

(As an aside, most of you will never see this, or particularly care, but I want to say thank you to the writers who have continued to show kindness to Aprilynne. We appreciate you now more than ever.)

She's actually pretty resigned to the odd mistreatment, but I have to tell you, it makes me really mad. No one is more loyal, more friendly, or more unfailingly kind than my wife. She hasn't got a mean bone in her body. Well, maybe one, but it's mostly there for spice d^_~b. Point is, she has done nothing to deserve such spiteful treatment. She is being punished for her success. Maybe people think she hasn't worked for it, that she's undeserving? Well, she may make it look easy, but she has worked and sacrificed, same as any author in her position.

I could go on at length about the problem with "quantified" reviews, the challenge of "recommending" art when tastes vary so widely, when audiences differ. I could prattle on, as I have in the past, about the difference between "critical acclaim" and "popular appeal," how the intersection of these pursuits is possible but, frankly, rare. I could discuss the cuts-both-ways praise from famous sources, but I will spare you these academic inquiries for now. Suffice it to say that every reviewer is biased in some way, and the best thing you can do is go read Aprilynne's book and decide for yourself.

Chapter Four: My Personal Recommendation

Now, I touched on this momentarily, but let me reiterate something that I think is important. I am a great lover of complex literature. Heck, Neal Stephenson qualifies as "casual entertainment reading" for me. I consider Neil Gaiman's writing to be largely hit-or-miss (though I acknowledge, when he hits, that guy hits d^_~b). So Wings is an extremely light read in my world. I would never call it a literary masterpiece; it is commercial escapist young-adult entertainment! It is Twilight, not Dracula; X-Men, not Watchmen; High School Musical, not Les Miserables. But as an appreciator of fantasy, I find Wings intriguing. It is indeed a fairy-tale (or faerie-tale!); accessible and airy and fanciful and light.

So here's where I'm going to take unfair advantage of my position as the author's husband. One final criticism of Wings that I have seen a couple places is that Wings is chock-full of physically beautiful characters dancing through picture-perfect lives, then whining when they don't get their way. It is a frequently deconstructed trope.

Aprilynne is aware of this.

It is part of the greater unfurling of the series at large.

That's all the spoiler you get. d^_^b Well, that, and I will formally challenge you to find the hint to a mystery that is actually central to the entire series. d^_^b

Bottom line: the first time I read Wings, I told Aprilynne: this is it. This one will sell. And with the assistance of her capable editor, it has exceeded even my high expectations. It is not a perfect book; already Aprilynne looks back and cringes, sometimes, as authors tend to do. She continues to hone her craft. The second book is done, and I think it is better than the first. With work, the third should be even better than that. Aprilynne always tries to publish the best work she can at the time, and she always seeks to improve.

So, should you read Wings? Definitely.

Am I biased? You bet.

But what kind of husband would I be, otherwise?