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Fairy Wings #1
Wings: A Fairy Tale
There's always been something a little unusual about Tamisin. Her freckles look more like sparkles, and the full moon makes her want to dance.
But nothing could have prepared her for the day when real, working fairy wings sprout from her back. At school there's a new guy named Jak, who seems to know something she doesn't. As her world gets stranger by the minute Tamisin finds out more about herself and the fairy world.
But nothing could have prepared her for the day when real, working fairy wings sprout from her back. At school there's a new guy named Jak, who seems to know something she doesn't. As her world gets stranger by the minute Tamisin finds out more about herself and the fairy world.
307 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2008
90 people are currently reading
2,475 people want to read
About the author
E.D. Baker
40Ìýbooks1,557ÌýfollowersE.D. Baker made her international debut in 2002 with The Frog Princess, which was a Texas Lone Star Reading List Book, A Book Sense Children's Pick, a Florida's Sunshine State Readers List pick & a 2006 Sasquatch Book Award nominee. The Frog Princess inspired the Disney's Princess and the Frog!
E. D. Baker was born in Buffalo, New York and spent most of the next eighteen years in the Town of Tonawanda with her older brother and her parents. She married her husband while in college, and had two children a few years after graduating from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. When her son was four, the family moved to the state of Maryland. With two young children at home, E.D. worked part time in her husband’s business and took writing classes at the local community college. She continued taking writing classes after the birth of her second daughter, but when she and her husband divorced, she went back to school and entered the SIMAT (School Immersion Masters in the Art of Teaching) program at Johns Hopkins University. After graduating, she taught fifth grade until her parents� health began to fail. Her son had already graduated from college when E.D. and her daughters moved north to be closer to her parents. Having gained a new perspective on what is important in life, E.D. decided that it was time to believe in herself and devoted her time to writing. Her first book, The Frog Princess, was published in 2002. E.D. has written 25 books to date and has no plans to quite writing anytime soon.
Currently E. D. Baker lives on a small farm in Maryland where she and her family breed Appaloosa horses. They also have dogs, cats and goats.
If you have a question or a comment for E. D. Baker regarding her books, you can e-mail her at [email protected] and she will try very hard to reply to your e-mails. (Just keep in mind it may take a while before she responds, because she is working on a new book for you to enjoy!) For updates, announcements on upcoming books and daily posts by E.D. Baker be sure to follow her on Facebook.
E. D. Baker was born in Buffalo, New York and spent most of the next eighteen years in the Town of Tonawanda with her older brother and her parents. She married her husband while in college, and had two children a few years after graduating from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. When her son was four, the family moved to the state of Maryland. With two young children at home, E.D. worked part time in her husband’s business and took writing classes at the local community college. She continued taking writing classes after the birth of her second daughter, but when she and her husband divorced, she went back to school and entered the SIMAT (School Immersion Masters in the Art of Teaching) program at Johns Hopkins University. After graduating, she taught fifth grade until her parents� health began to fail. Her son had already graduated from college when E.D. and her daughters moved north to be closer to her parents. Having gained a new perspective on what is important in life, E.D. decided that it was time to believe in herself and devoted her time to writing. Her first book, The Frog Princess, was published in 2002. E.D. has written 25 books to date and has no plans to quite writing anytime soon.
Currently E. D. Baker lives on a small farm in Maryland where she and her family breed Appaloosa horses. They also have dogs, cats and goats.
If you have a question or a comment for E. D. Baker regarding her books, you can e-mail her at [email protected] and she will try very hard to reply to your e-mails. (Just keep in mind it may take a while before she responds, because she is working on a new book for you to enjoy!) For updates, announcements on upcoming books and daily posts by E.D. Baker be sure to follow her on Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 305 reviews
May 29, 2018
"Unicorns spout the worst kind of drivel. Get up you old fool..."
I'm a complete sucker for stories about the fae, so it wasn't hard for me to get immersed in this fun, little fantasy novel.
Our lead character, Tamisin, is different from other girls, she has pointy ears, dances by the moonlight and has a set of wings growing out of her back. Yep, wings! This is starting to complicate things for her a little bit at highschool. It also doesn't help that she sees little men and creatures all over the place that no one seems to notice but her. That is until Jak shows up.
This story was quite enjoyable. The first half of the book takes place in the "real world" where Tamisin is trying to figure everything that is going on with her. Whereas the second half, which was my favorite, when they actually enter the land of the fae. I loved that there were many different creatures such as fairies, goblins and halflings. Once we were in the fae, I was totally hooked. Taminsin and Jak had great chemistry and were a pleasure to take an adventure with. They were very endearing I thought and I'd be more than happy to read more of their story.
I gave this four stars but it would probably be more of a 3.5 and that is due to a couple of major issues with this book. Tamisin had major things happening in her life, things that are out-of-this-world weird and she never really reacted much to it. Grows wings, meh no big deal. Finds herself in the land of the fae being chased by golblins? Totally normal Tuesday activity for every sixteen year old girl. I wanted to feel the excitement, the terror, everything that a human being would be going through if this was happening to them. Sadly, I got none of that from this book and it really missed that mark in that way. I also love a book with a great cover and this one was kind of blah for me. I think an illustrated cover would have really set the tone better, but now I'm just being nit picky!
Other than that I have no major complaints. The story moved at a decent paced, the main and side characters were all great. The side characters actually stood out more than the main, they got all the great lines. My favorite had to be Jak's grandmother, I could read an entire book just on her alone. The fact that this book goes into the land of fae makes it hard to screw up too much in my world. So, I'd recommend this to anyone who refuses to grow up and just wants to play with unicorns, fairies, and goblins.
June 24, 2024
This book is NOT good.
But damn. It’s my Roman Empire.
But damn. It’s my Roman Empire.
December 22, 2008
Tamisin has always been a little strange. She can see things no one else can, and she has pointed ears and sparkly freckles she calls spreckles. She hides these things from other people at school because she doesn’t want them to make fun of her. After being selected and performing for her school’s elite dance group, Tamisin suddenly sprouts wings. When she confronts her parents about her birth and heritage, they finally admit that she was adopted, but they can’t tell her anything about her birth parents. Meanwhile, some of the things that Tamisin has seen have noticed her as well. The goblins have sent one of their own to find her and bring her back to their world. They plan to use her as a bargaining chip with her birth mother, Titania, the queen of the fairies.
While packaged attractively with an enticing cover depicting a very fey-looking girl with long blonde hair, sparkles across her cheeks, and purple iridescent wings, this story did not live up to its fetching promise. It seemed mass-produced. The characters were shallow and difficult to sympathize/empathize with. Their relationships with one another aren’t well-developed. The reader is supposed to believe that Tamisin’s parents love her, but they manhandle her when she shows them her wings � hurting her. There’s really no reason for this. And, although they’ve been family since Tamisin was a baby, they don’t seem very close. Tamisin is understandably angry that they didn’t tell her about being adopted, but she breaks away from them without giving them a chance and doesn’t seem particularly bothered that she’s all on her own. Baker basically starts over again about 50 pages into the book to change from Tamisin’s to Jak’s perspective. While the reader needs the information Jak has, there is no reason for his conversations with Tamisin to be repeated word for word � it’s already been said! Even with this excess verbiage, the story rushes along to its conclusion with little delay, and there’s little time or desire to linger and enjoy it. The only point of this exercise seems to have been to churn out a book of a certain length on a certain topic. It doesn’t stick to you at all. Unfortunately, because of its ending, you know there’s at least the possibility of a sequel.
While packaged attractively with an enticing cover depicting a very fey-looking girl with long blonde hair, sparkles across her cheeks, and purple iridescent wings, this story did not live up to its fetching promise. It seemed mass-produced. The characters were shallow and difficult to sympathize/empathize with. Their relationships with one another aren’t well-developed. The reader is supposed to believe that Tamisin’s parents love her, but they manhandle her when she shows them her wings � hurting her. There’s really no reason for this. And, although they’ve been family since Tamisin was a baby, they don’t seem very close. Tamisin is understandably angry that they didn’t tell her about being adopted, but she breaks away from them without giving them a chance and doesn’t seem particularly bothered that she’s all on her own. Baker basically starts over again about 50 pages into the book to change from Tamisin’s to Jak’s perspective. While the reader needs the information Jak has, there is no reason for his conversations with Tamisin to be repeated word for word � it’s already been said! Even with this excess verbiage, the story rushes along to its conclusion with little delay, and there’s little time or desire to linger and enjoy it. The only point of this exercise seems to have been to churn out a book of a certain length on a certain topic. It doesn’t stick to you at all. Unfortunately, because of its ending, you know there’s at least the possibility of a sequel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2015
Here we have a children's book with high-school characters and a budding romance, which my TEN year old piano student recommended to me. This book is the kind that I've always thought of as YA. But some newer YA romances depict premarital sex and/or adult situations. The definition of children's and young-adult novels has certainly changed, and you can no longer count on a YA book being "squeaky clean". My recommendation to all parents is to read what their kids are reading. You used to be fairly safe giving a child his own children's library card (which can only be used for X or YA books) and letting them run free. This all very sad. Parents beware.
July 9, 2011
This is a story with an interesting premise: A girl discovers she's a fairy. But that's all it is. An interesting premise.
ALL IT IS.
In truth, this story is about a mary sue and a gary stu. If you are unfamiliar with the terms then please read the following:
MARY SUE: A fictional character (especially in fanfic), usually female, whose implausible talents and likeableness weaken the story
Tamisan is beautiful, has sun colored hair, sparkly freckles, gorgeous turquoise eyes, and the ability to dance well. That might not seem too bad at first considering she's a fairy but it gets worse.
She's half human, half fairy and not just the daughter of any fairy but the fairy queen Titania herself!
Like Titania, she has the ability to control the weather with her emotions. If that already sounds over the top then you're right. It is. But it does get worse.
Apparently being a halfling is better than a full fledged fairy. Actually in this entire book it seems like being half human in general immediately makes you better than being a full blooded anything.
Jak, the gary stu of the book, is horrendous himself. He's supposed to be half cat goblin but he possess no features of actually being a cat. It also doesn't help that he's described as being very sexy. He's the books love interest to Tamisan obviously. Goblins can change natural things into anything else that's natural, like a rose into an apple. Jak somehow, probably because a halfling, can change "manufactured" items into other "manufactured" items. This is ridiculous to me. I don't know if the author is going to use the excuse that being half is "unnatural". Anything that EXISTS is technically natural. Also the fact that he was still born like any other goblin but with human traits still means he's natural, not "manufactured". So that's a logic fail there.
The inconsistencies in this book are ridiculous. First of all, it's assumed that time flows differently in the fey world than in the human world. That's not a problem. What's the problem is the fact the author can't seem to make up her mind just HOW different it is. When Tamisan learns about her birth from Titania, she notes that the ordeal is similar to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Titania fell in love with a man pretending to be a donkey goblin and conceived Tamisan from it. But hold up here! How in the world did Shakespeare even know about this? Shakespeare was alive in the 1500s. It does say in the book that magical beings and humans did live together once but how did Shakespeare know about this at all at the time? It's a plot hole. But that's not where the madness ends.
If that was during the 1500s, did it take over 500 years for Tamisan to be born? It makes little sense. When Tamisan first returns to the human world, she notes that the season changed from autumn to summer. Also it's ridiculous how at this point Tamisan's family is nearly forgotten. Anyway, she rushes back to the fey world and discovers that several days have already passed.
Hold on there, I thought time went A LOT slower in the fey world? This makes NO SENSE.
Tamisan also seems to forget about her wings often. In the part where she runs into the Sograssy Sea, she SHOULD have just flown up. Honestly, she's not a very smart heroine. Jak is a lot more tolerable.
Speaking of Jak, I HATED how the author repeated the entire story from Jak's perspective after about 50 pages or so. That was RIDICULOUS and could have been discussed later on in the book anyway.
The beginning is slow compared to how all the events mesh together later on. It goes by so fast that you wonder why the author wasted a good number of pages just recapping Jak's life.
Fairies are also a load of BS themselves. All they do is trim grass and look pretty. That's KIND Of all they do, or at least by what's going on in the book. Shouldn't they be doing important stuff like keeping the balance of nature in check? Obviously the author wasn't thinking this. In contrast, the goblins seem just to be bad to... be bad. They don't really have any substance to them which is unfortunate. More of the actual fey world would have been interesting to flesh out.
Despite all this CRAP, I did LIKE some ideas in the book. I think the whole thing about goblins being what Ancient Egyptians worshiped is a FASCINATING idea that is sadly not explored. Also the wizard who made the gates was probably an interesting character of his own. "Herbert" and Lamia Lou were also really unique characters.
The ending is left open ended but I doubt this terrible book is going to get a sequel and even if it does I doubt it'll be better than this.
ALL IT IS.
In truth, this story is about a mary sue and a gary stu. If you are unfamiliar with the terms then please read the following:
MARY SUE: A fictional character (especially in fanfic), usually female, whose implausible talents and likeableness weaken the story
Tamisan is beautiful, has sun colored hair, sparkly freckles, gorgeous turquoise eyes, and the ability to dance well. That might not seem too bad at first considering she's a fairy but it gets worse.
She's half human, half fairy and not just the daughter of any fairy but the fairy queen Titania herself!
Like Titania, she has the ability to control the weather with her emotions. If that already sounds over the top then you're right. It is. But it does get worse.
Apparently being a halfling is better than a full fledged fairy. Actually in this entire book it seems like being half human in general immediately makes you better than being a full blooded anything.
Jak, the gary stu of the book, is horrendous himself. He's supposed to be half cat goblin but he possess no features of actually being a cat. It also doesn't help that he's described as being very sexy. He's the books love interest to Tamisan obviously. Goblins can change natural things into anything else that's natural, like a rose into an apple. Jak somehow, probably because a halfling, can change "manufactured" items into other "manufactured" items. This is ridiculous to me. I don't know if the author is going to use the excuse that being half is "unnatural". Anything that EXISTS is technically natural. Also the fact that he was still born like any other goblin but with human traits still means he's natural, not "manufactured". So that's a logic fail there.
The inconsistencies in this book are ridiculous. First of all, it's assumed that time flows differently in the fey world than in the human world. That's not a problem. What's the problem is the fact the author can't seem to make up her mind just HOW different it is. When Tamisan learns about her birth from Titania, she notes that the ordeal is similar to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Titania fell in love with a man pretending to be a donkey goblin and conceived Tamisan from it. But hold up here! How in the world did Shakespeare even know about this? Shakespeare was alive in the 1500s. It does say in the book that magical beings and humans did live together once but how did Shakespeare know about this at all at the time? It's a plot hole. But that's not where the madness ends.
If that was during the 1500s, did it take over 500 years for Tamisan to be born? It makes little sense. When Tamisan first returns to the human world, she notes that the season changed from autumn to summer. Also it's ridiculous how at this point Tamisan's family is nearly forgotten. Anyway, she rushes back to the fey world and discovers that several days have already passed.
Hold on there, I thought time went A LOT slower in the fey world? This makes NO SENSE.
Tamisan also seems to forget about her wings often. In the part where she runs into the Sograssy Sea, she SHOULD have just flown up. Honestly, she's not a very smart heroine. Jak is a lot more tolerable.
Speaking of Jak, I HATED how the author repeated the entire story from Jak's perspective after about 50 pages or so. That was RIDICULOUS and could have been discussed later on in the book anyway.
The beginning is slow compared to how all the events mesh together later on. It goes by so fast that you wonder why the author wasted a good number of pages just recapping Jak's life.
Fairies are also a load of BS themselves. All they do is trim grass and look pretty. That's KIND Of all they do, or at least by what's going on in the book. Shouldn't they be doing important stuff like keeping the balance of nature in check? Obviously the author wasn't thinking this. In contrast, the goblins seem just to be bad to... be bad. They don't really have any substance to them which is unfortunate. More of the actual fey world would have been interesting to flesh out.
Despite all this CRAP, I did LIKE some ideas in the book. I think the whole thing about goblins being what Ancient Egyptians worshiped is a FASCINATING idea that is sadly not explored. Also the wizard who made the gates was probably an interesting character of his own. "Herbert" and Lamia Lou were also really unique characters.
The ending is left open ended but I doubt this terrible book is going to get a sequel and even if it does I doubt it'll be better than this.
March 9, 2011
REVIEW
Wings offers a bit of a twist to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While there are fairies, magic, and a spooky forest in both, the plots are quite different.
Tamisin was always a little different from the other girls at school. Sometimes her face would sparkle, she would dance when the moon was full, and she could see invisible goblins. A little different became A LOT different though when Tamisin sprouted wings. She was startled by this, but she did not go berserk like I would have expected.
Tamisin’s quest to understand why she had wings led her to an enchanted land of fairies and goblins. She didn’t go there willingly though � she was kidnapped. While there, she met her fairy mother and fell in love with Jak, who was half goblin. It was all very confusing in the goblin world and I was glad that Jak offered some explanations.
I would have liked the story better if it had all taken place in the fairy/goblin world. It was hard to picture the characters going back and forth between worlds without being found out in the human world. As well, I still had questions at the end of the story and wondered what eventually became of Tamisin and Jak.
A good book, but not as fantastic as E.D. Baker’s other titles.
RATING
3 Plot
4 Characters
4 Attention Grabbing
4 Girlie Meter
3 Ending
18 TOTAL
4 STARS
Wings offers a bit of a twist to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While there are fairies, magic, and a spooky forest in both, the plots are quite different.
Tamisin was always a little different from the other girls at school. Sometimes her face would sparkle, she would dance when the moon was full, and she could see invisible goblins. A little different became A LOT different though when Tamisin sprouted wings. She was startled by this, but she did not go berserk like I would have expected.
Tamisin’s quest to understand why she had wings led her to an enchanted land of fairies and goblins. She didn’t go there willingly though � she was kidnapped. While there, she met her fairy mother and fell in love with Jak, who was half goblin. It was all very confusing in the goblin world and I was glad that Jak offered some explanations.
I would have liked the story better if it had all taken place in the fairy/goblin world. It was hard to picture the characters going back and forth between worlds without being found out in the human world. As well, I still had questions at the end of the story and wondered what eventually became of Tamisin and Jak.
A good book, but not as fantastic as E.D. Baker’s other titles.
RATING
3 Plot
4 Characters
4 Attention Grabbing
4 Girlie Meter
3 Ending
18 TOTAL
4 STARS
August 22, 2008
An amazing book with adventure, suspense and magic. I reccomend this to anyone who has a need for fantasy.
June 6, 2022
I read this book last year for book club and I remember liking it alright. The main characters were cool and I would probably recommend
April 21, 2021
I picked this up mostly for nostalgic reasons; I remember reading it years ago and liking it, so I thought I'd give it a shot again.
CONS OF WINGS
The characters really just bothered me during the whole story. They were inconsistent, annoying at points, and not even totally likeable??
And the romance was so... blunt? And just undeveloped overall.
Character decisions would constantly backtrack, which was annoying, because that we had to go through things we already thought we were done with.
I put it down just under halfway through, and then didn't pick it up for a very long time after. I didn't really want to read it.
PROS OF WINGS
I mean, I guess the magic in the world was cool? That's about all I can think of put down.
OVERALL
Definitely for a younger audience! I think I'm probably just too old (read: too critical) for this book, as I definitely remember enjoying it when I was younger. It's too bad it really didn't hold up that standard for me now.
CONS OF WINGS
The characters really just bothered me during the whole story. They were inconsistent, annoying at points, and not even totally likeable??
And the romance was so... blunt? And just undeveloped overall.
Character decisions would constantly backtrack, which was annoying, because that we had to go through things we already thought we were done with.
I put it down just under halfway through, and then didn't pick it up for a very long time after. I didn't really want to read it.
PROS OF WINGS
I mean, I guess the magic in the world was cool? That's about all I can think of put down.
OVERALL
Definitely for a younger audience! I think I'm probably just too old (read: too critical) for this book, as I definitely remember enjoying it when I was younger. It's too bad it really didn't hold up that standard for me now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 20, 2022Reread this for our summer cousin book-annotation club! This book is so silly and inconsistent. None of the lore makes any sense and every plot point is highly convenient for the author. Tamisin and Jak are terrible to their friends but honestly pretty cute as a team when that finally happens. The scene where Tamisin gets her wings is (iconically) weirdly graphic. I would never have read it if not for this book club but with Lindsey's commentary it was a delightful revisit!
July 20, 2022
I read this book as a part of a sister/cousin book club where we revisited somewhat obscure books we used to be obsessed with.
Rereading this was a little rough lol. The first half of the book is DEEPLY boring and the two main characters are pretty much huge jerks to their friends the whole time. I can definitely tell why I used to enjoy it� the fae world was fun and I would have loved a secret like Tamisins!
Rereading this was a little rough lol. The first half of the book is DEEPLY boring and the two main characters are pretty much huge jerks to their friends the whole time. I can definitely tell why I used to enjoy it� the fae world was fun and I would have loved a secret like Tamisins!
February 27, 2023
My favorite childhood book! I read it in a couple of hours just for funsies & nostalgia
Read
December 12, 2023so fun so cute so nostalgic. i loved this book as a kid, me and my best friend read it and i thought about it for years, i was surprised how little i remembered about it once i picked it up, what a fun time!
April 17, 2024
I love this book. It's cute and speaks to all of us feeling like we don't really belong.
August 31, 2012
A young girl with wings, halflings, the Fairy Court, fey, goblins, a dash of danger, a smidgen of excitement, and a hint of romance.
Tam's reaction to having wings grow forth from her back! is something like:
"hmmm.....That's cool.
My reaction would have been:
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! MOM! LookatthisitsgrowingfrommybackandithurtsandImconfusedandscaredandwhattheheckgetitoffgetitoff!!! I'm a mutant and Stryker is coming for me!"
Her reaction was kinda unbelievable. Mine is truth in my case. At least until I realized what they were and all the awesome stuff I could do with them.
Also, I have never been in the position of being informed that I was adopted but for some reason I feel that I would not react the way characters do in books. I think I would be hurt that my (adoptive?) parents didn't tell me sooner, depending on when they told me. ( But, in Tam's case, wouldn't you at least guess there was something hinky going on with your parentage when WINGS are sprouting from your back? And your parents most certainly do not have wings. Not a very perceptive child, is she?)I would want to try to contact my biological parents. But I don't think I would pretty much disregard all the years of love and care that my (adoptive?) parents gave to me and shun them. I certainly wouldn't call them by their names. This is just a generalization of what adopted characters do in books. Only some of them are Tam's reaction.
It is an enjoyable read by not by any means in my favorites of 's books. There be a sequel out: .
May 15, 2009
I wasn't expecting much of a plot for this story, the cover was intriguing, but not deep. When the story took some unexpected twists, I was surprised, but pleasantly pleased. The beginning of the story was nice and all, but it was a lot of background details that could have been neatly edited into a shorter version without loosing much substance. I was a little annoyed when we had a break in the story and went to a completely different one. I had liked Jak's character a lot and was interested in finding out more about him, but I did not like the way the author just switched focuses completely and did several chapter's from Jak's point of view. It was a little abrupt. I also thought it was kind of interesting how the story started out as a simple little juvenile book and then morphed into what I thought was a young adult fantasy novel. It didn't flow very well though, and I kind of wished the author had fleshed out more details about the fey. While I was entertained by this book, I thought it had some flaws. The disjointed breaks in the story along with the overall uneven cohesiveness made it a little less likeable. I might recommend this book.
*Taken from my book reviews blog:
*Taken from my book reviews blog:
June 14, 2012
I think that books about fairies are awesome.
Especially this kind of fairies. There are different types of fairies: evil fairies, psycho fairies, fairy godmothers, etc. This book's fairies seemed more in the "fairy godmother" category because they were very friendly and shrunk and sparkled and stuff.
The book is narrated through the point of views of Tamisin and Jak.
Tamisin (what an interesting name she has) has sparkles for freckles and enjoys dancing under the full moon. When Jak takes her through a portal to the Fey world she realizes that she is Titania's daughter.
(yes, Titania, from A Midsummer Night's Dream)
Jak is half goblin. Not the creepy, green, hunched over goblins we know about. These goblins are more like human-animal hybrids. For some reason Jak's goblin side doesn't show through so he doesn't have to walk through school with whiskers and a tail.
May 12, 2014
This was another great book from Baker. I loved the characters, their personalities, the imagination and creativity, the way this was written, and pretty much everything in between. I'm pretty sure this is going to be a really good series. There was some humor, good dialog, great creatures, emotions, some growth, and a good ending. This book was interesting and not really slow at all. The beginning wasn't slow but full of info to get you started and a little suspense thrown in. I can't wait to read more and am hoping this is something I could read again with my youngest when they get older. Ready for the next... Enjoy!
October 2, 2016
Tamisin has always been a little odd. But when fairy wings grow out of her back, that tops all. Jak is the new guy at school. He is half goblin half human and came from the world of fey.
When goblins come for Tamisin, Jak saves her but they fall through one of the gates that lead into the fey world. Now they must journey to Jak's uncle without getting poisoned, eaten, killed, or kidnapped.
Why isn't it ever easy for the fairy tale characters?
This book, in my opinion, wasn't E. D. Baker's best, but I still give it four stars. And I totally have to read the sequel! Hope this review helps.
When goblins come for Tamisin, Jak saves her but they fall through one of the gates that lead into the fey world. Now they must journey to Jak's uncle without getting poisoned, eaten, killed, or kidnapped.
Why isn't it ever easy for the fairy tale characters?
This book, in my opinion, wasn't E. D. Baker's best, but I still give it four stars. And I totally have to read the sequel! Hope this review helps.
June 29, 2009
awesome!!! not quite as good as the Frog Princess series, but really, really good all the same!
January 14, 2025
5 stars for sentimentality, plus it held up pretty well. Some spoilers ahead.
Okay, so despite having reread this book many many times as a kid, I opened it this time without being able to summarize the plot. I knew there was a fairy girl (was she half goblin or half human?), goblin boy, and titania in the fairy forest. I had forgotten the dancing, Sograssy sea, Tobi, the cave, Lamia Lou, the unicorn... basically the entire story. Which was good! It meant that there was still some suspense and the experience of reading it was like figuring out if you emailed someone in a dream or in real life.
I picked up on a few things that went over my head as a kid. For example Herbert the unicorn is a stand in for a totally creepy, possessive man. He's this sardonic portrayal of simps. Surely a critique on purity culture. The stroking of the horn, especially, was very sexual but implicit enough to not offend kids. I thought it was clever and off-putting all at once. It was funny how Baker paired him with Lamia Lou who is also a biting portrayal of codependent, narcissistic women. She is extremely clingy towards Tamisin and talks everyone's ear off out of loneliness. I'm not saying she's as bad as the unicorn, but you can see how her desperation makes her enjoy someone who is relationally toxic. Tobi is a pretty selfish friend. He throws food into the well and accidentally gives Jak a concussion, an allegory of well-intentioned harm. I believe the reader is meant to take that Jak would be better off without him (he is a spy after all). The history of their friendship keeps them together. Titania is also selfish and only wants to give love when it makes herself look good. More classic narcissism. She pushes away anyone who makes her confront herself. Gammi is flawless!
As for the construction of the story, The chunk from Jak's perspective could've been executed MUCH BETTER. There were too many descriptions and dialogue that were copy pasted from the first half. Have some faith in the reader! I don't think kids need that much hand holding through the timeline. I have yet to watch or read Midsummer Night's Dream but I believe I got which was a direct pull and which was original. Were the 3 old women a pull from the play or Greek Mythology? I'd love to watch the play live now! I'm particularly curious about the intent of disguising the human as a goblin, and why he wants to get with Titania. I'd like to know more about Oberon as well.
The racism towards half-breeds was crystal clear as an adult. I think the way Jak can transform manmade items instead of natural is clever. The fight scene was really cool to see how each creature uses the elements as weapons. Bees, frozen mud, sleeping fairy dust, monsters, swords, changing size, transforming roots, etc. Really cool, and I liked how we got to see both Jak and Tamisin take charge when they were separated. It ended in a very diplomatic way which was cheasy/deus ex machina, but also nice to have a war that ended with some pacifism.
All in all, a romp in the park.
Okay, so despite having reread this book many many times as a kid, I opened it this time without being able to summarize the plot. I knew there was a fairy girl (was she half goblin or half human?), goblin boy, and titania in the fairy forest. I had forgotten the dancing, Sograssy sea, Tobi, the cave, Lamia Lou, the unicorn... basically the entire story. Which was good! It meant that there was still some suspense and the experience of reading it was like figuring out if you emailed someone in a dream or in real life.
I picked up on a few things that went over my head as a kid. For example Herbert the unicorn is a stand in for a totally creepy, possessive man. He's this sardonic portrayal of simps. Surely a critique on purity culture. The stroking of the horn, especially, was very sexual but implicit enough to not offend kids. I thought it was clever and off-putting all at once. It was funny how Baker paired him with Lamia Lou who is also a biting portrayal of codependent, narcissistic women. She is extremely clingy towards Tamisin and talks everyone's ear off out of loneliness. I'm not saying she's as bad as the unicorn, but you can see how her desperation makes her enjoy someone who is relationally toxic. Tobi is a pretty selfish friend. He throws food into the well and accidentally gives Jak a concussion, an allegory of well-intentioned harm. I believe the reader is meant to take that Jak would be better off without him (he is a spy after all). The history of their friendship keeps them together. Titania is also selfish and only wants to give love when it makes herself look good. More classic narcissism. She pushes away anyone who makes her confront herself. Gammi is flawless!
As for the construction of the story, The chunk from Jak's perspective could've been executed MUCH BETTER. There were too many descriptions and dialogue that were copy pasted from the first half. Have some faith in the reader! I don't think kids need that much hand holding through the timeline. I have yet to watch or read Midsummer Night's Dream but I believe I got which was a direct pull and which was original. Were the 3 old women a pull from the play or Greek Mythology? I'd love to watch the play live now! I'm particularly curious about the intent of disguising the human as a goblin, and why he wants to get with Titania. I'd like to know more about Oberon as well.
The racism towards half-breeds was crystal clear as an adult. I think the way Jak can transform manmade items instead of natural is clever. The fight scene was really cool to see how each creature uses the elements as weapons. Bees, frozen mud, sleeping fairy dust, monsters, swords, changing size, transforming roots, etc. Really cool, and I liked how we got to see both Jak and Tamisin take charge when they were separated. It ended in a very diplomatic way which was cheasy/deus ex machina, but also nice to have a war that ended with some pacifism.
All in all, a romp in the park.
September 9, 2018
My late grade schooler wanted me to read this, calling it "troubling," "spooky," and "scary." I didn't really find it to be any of those things very much - and I think this child has read scarier things than this without complaint. Apparently, the scary part was when Tamisin danced. I kept waiting for something much scarier to happen, something truly unnerving or frightening, but it never did.
Again, this is an appropriate time of year to read this, around Halloween, because at least two major plot developments happen on two Halloweens.
I knew who/what Tamisin - both parts of that revelation - before she did.
I liked the Jak character, but I was disappointed in the Herbert character. He was too love-sick to be as interesting as he could've been. Queen Titania was a disappointing character as well, in a different way - insufferably self-centered, although I've not finished Shakespeare's "Midsummer's Night's Dream," and she may be portrayed that way there as well.
Tamisin and Jak got a motel room together. Really? He was fifteen, and she was "younger" than the juniors and seniors, so perhaps a high school sophmore or maybe even a freshman? And no one thought that it was odd or that they were too young to get a motel room together? Admittedly, nothing untoward happened, but still not a good precedent for the series. Of course, they were trying to avoid being poisoned and stabbed, too, so maybe that little detail got lost in the rest. I have to wonder if maybe it's a good thing that my grade schooler didn't finish the book ...
I suppose I've gotten tired of stories about fairies over the years, having read more than my fill of them, and that makes them harder for me to read. But I realize, too, that I am not the target audience. All points considered, I did not think it was as awful as my child did, and so I am rating it a 3.
Again, this is an appropriate time of year to read this, around Halloween, because at least two major plot developments happen on two Halloweens.
I knew who/what Tamisin - both parts of that revelation - before she did.
I liked the Jak character, but I was disappointed in the Herbert character. He was too love-sick to be as interesting as he could've been. Queen Titania was a disappointing character as well, in a different way - insufferably self-centered, although I've not finished Shakespeare's "Midsummer's Night's Dream," and she may be portrayed that way there as well.
Tamisin and Jak got a motel room together. Really? He was fifteen, and she was "younger" than the juniors and seniors, so perhaps a high school sophmore or maybe even a freshman? And no one thought that it was odd or that they were too young to get a motel room together? Admittedly, nothing untoward happened, but still not a good precedent for the series. Of course, they were trying to avoid being poisoned and stabbed, too, so maybe that little detail got lost in the rest. I have to wonder if maybe it's a good thing that my grade schooler didn't finish the book ...
I suppose I've gotten tired of stories about fairies over the years, having read more than my fill of them, and that makes them harder for me to read. But I realize, too, that I am not the target audience. All points considered, I did not think it was as awful as my child did, and so I am rating it a 3.
March 28, 2024
I remember reading this book at one point on the schoolbus in Elementary. It really brings back memories and it was something I read so fast and quick because it was something I really really enjoyed reading. My taste in books has changed a lot since then but I really enjoyed re-reading this as an adult and it brings back a lot of nostalgia. It might not be like my favorite romance books, or youndg adult series I like. However, E.D. Baker has been the only author that I have been able to remember all these years. No other authors come to mind, and that's because I remember my fondness of all her books and even went out of my way to find this author once again because of that love for her books.
I remember staying up late enjoying these, or in between class when I could sneak in some pages.. I remember feeling sad when I completed a book because I realized eventually I would 'run out' if I kept reading so much.
I could recommend these to anyone. They're light reads, but I would hope to really introduce her books to my children one day so they can also find joy in them like I did. If nothing else, they're something easy on the mind. Like a warm and gentle hug, perfect for anytime.
I remember staying up late enjoying these, or in between class when I could sneak in some pages.. I remember feeling sad when I completed a book because I realized eventually I would 'run out' if I kept reading so much.
I could recommend these to anyone. They're light reads, but I would hope to really introduce her books to my children one day so they can also find joy in them like I did. If nothing else, they're something easy on the mind. Like a warm and gentle hug, perfect for anytime.
May 9, 2018
I have read other books by this author. She isn't my favorite but her other stories were interesting and I thought I would give this one a try. There are places where the story is rushed. Places where I have to reread to make sure I understood what she was trying to describe. There are still areas that are difficult for me to truly picture. I think there are too many side stories and too much to try to explain in such a short story. It makes this one more difficult to really fall into and enjoy. It was frustrating reading a few chapters about Tamisin then having to go through another few chapters for Jak's perspective to catch up with hers. It was like reading two different stories. I personally didn't like the way it was put together. The ending didn't feel realistic compared to the world it had been built with. There is no way they would have let her go that easily. I hate when authors force the story like that. I understand there will be more books. I am curious enough to read more. Although it isn't on my immediate TBR list.
January 22, 2018
Baker, E.D. Wings, 250 p. (approx). Bloomsbury, 2008.
Tamisin has always been different - from her pointy-tipped ears to her sparkling freckles. And only she can seem to see the twisted creatures that roam around her town, especially on Halloween. Then comes Jak, who seems to really like Tamisin, in spite of her differences, or maybe because of them. What she doesn't know, however, is that Jak himself is different, in a spookier way. And he is in Tamisin's town on a mission.
A bit darker than Baker's Frog Princess books, enough that this probably shouldn't go into elementary schools. But older students, following the trend of the darker fairy tale, will enjoy this one.
MS-ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library-Teacher.
Tamisin has always been different - from her pointy-tipped ears to her sparkling freckles. And only she can seem to see the twisted creatures that roam around her town, especially on Halloween. Then comes Jak, who seems to really like Tamisin, in spite of her differences, or maybe because of them. What she doesn't know, however, is that Jak himself is different, in a spookier way. And he is in Tamisin's town on a mission.
A bit darker than Baker's Frog Princess books, enough that this probably shouldn't go into elementary schools. But older students, following the trend of the darker fairy tale, will enjoy this one.
MS-ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library-Teacher.
October 11, 2019
I read this book when I was 10 or 11 and it instantly became my favorite book for that time in my life. There was just something about it, the story, the dialogue. It was all really good, and I'm kind of a huge sucker for adventure-y romances, especially of the fantastical variety.
I'm going to be 20 in like two months and reading this book again. . . Jeez. It's actually really sad how well this book did not hold up. Flat characters, poor development, and a seriously unrealistic take on how a 15 year old girl would react to having freaking WINGS grow out of her back and be transported to the land of fey.
I know I should be happy that my critiquing abilities have grown so much in the past few years where I can identify things like this, but mostly I'm just sad since I loved this book with a passion back who knows when.
There some pieces of media out there that age like fine wine and only get more and more delicious as time goes on, like, say, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And then there are pieces of media that, as time goes on, fall apart and decompose until they are no longer with us. You can read this book yourself and be the judge of which category this book falls under.
I'm going to be 20 in like two months and reading this book again. . . Jeez. It's actually really sad how well this book did not hold up. Flat characters, poor development, and a seriously unrealistic take on how a 15 year old girl would react to having freaking WINGS grow out of her back and be transported to the land of fey.
I know I should be happy that my critiquing abilities have grown so much in the past few years where I can identify things like this, but mostly I'm just sad since I loved this book with a passion back who knows when.
There some pieces of media out there that age like fine wine and only get more and more delicious as time goes on, like, say, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And then there are pieces of media that, as time goes on, fall apart and decompose until they are no longer with us. You can read this book yourself and be the judge of which category this book falls under.
October 16, 2019
This was a cute book and great for younger readers, but for some reason, it seemed to skip around weirdly for me. It wasn't just the different points of view. Things would happen that didn't seem to mesh with the story for me. But the overall idea of the story was cute and I liked the characters. Both Jak and Tamasin were likeable and endearing. I read this for my family book group and I probably won't read any more in the series, but not necessarily because I didn't love the story, but more because I have a thousand other books on my list that I'm more interested in. This would be a cute read aloud book.
February 26, 2020
I’ve never written a review on goodreads before and this is not a typical one. All I have to say is that I’m 15 years old currently and when I read this book as a child. Let’s say, 11 years old or something (I’ve read it twice), I really enjoyed it. My favourite thing about the book was the chemistry between Tamisin and Jak. When I was 11 the only thing I didn’t like about it was Tamisins brothers name as I had just seen Mocking Jay Part 1 and was terrified of Peta. And in my mind the name Petey was just a little too close to Peta. The second time I read it, when I was 13 I believe, I’d say I enjoyed it less. I loved Jak again but the book seemed strange the second time around and a little pointless. Looking back on it, all the characters are under developed and the story lacks stakes and drive. But as a children’s novel, it’s good. For children it’s an enjoyable story but as a teen I wouldn’t recommend it. Ones age really has an effect on what you think the merits of this story are.
October 9, 2024
(Note: This book is a 2.5)
This book has three hundred and seven pages. Three hundred and seven pages. Tell me why it took all day to finish this book. It should not have taken that long. This was SO dry for no reason. I feel like I never really understood the characters, they were just there. My favorite character was Herbert the Unicorn. At least he had a personality. Anyways, the pl0t was fine, and the ending was fine, but it was a little lacking.
This book has three hundred and seven pages. Three hundred and seven pages. Tell me why it took all day to finish this book. It should not have taken that long. This was SO dry for no reason. I feel like I never really understood the characters, they were just there. My favorite character was Herbert the Unicorn. At least he had a personality. Anyways, the pl0t was fine, and the ending was fine, but it was a little lacking.
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