Violet Wings by Victoria Hanley (10 years +)

June 2011, Corgi

368 pages, Paperback

Review copy 

Children's, Fantasy

Themes: Fairies, magic, magic limits, wands, gnomes, trolls, evil fairies, positive aspects of friendship, being disbelieved, betrayal, lies, deceit, misunderstanding, grief, great power, difficult choices, lots of peril, a little humour, a little violence, tissues needed

Summary from Random House  

For Zaria Tourmaline, the three years without her mother and brother have been lonely ones, living with a cold and distant guardian while she completes her education. Just as she is ready to join the world of adult fairies and genies, she finds a spellbook written entirely in her mother’s hand. But this treasured object is not safe from a new enemy, a fairy with more power than Zaria ever dreamed existed. Only among the humans – who must never know fairies and genies exist – can Zaria hide the spellbook; but hidden magic, it turns out, can expose a fairy in ways she never thought possible . . .

Nayuleska's reasons for loving Zaria...asude from her pretty name, awesome looking wings and the power she has, Zaria is special as she doesn't want to be noticed, she wants to use her powers for good and she never stops seeking the truth about her harsh circumstances

Is there another character who deserves a mention? Zaria's friend Leona is quite a handful, impetuous, hasty, but deep down she has a kind heart.

How evil/nasty is the enemy? Someone who tricks everyone into believing lies ranks highly on my evil person list, as does being consumed by greed for power and control

Are there plenty of plot twists and surprises? Im pretty sure I held my breath most chapters. I got dizzy in a good way with how quickly circumstances changed. I liked the emphasis on friends helping each other out without reward.

One of my favourite parts was...the showdown at the end, for being extremely awesome in what Zaria did and had done to her.

This magical read with lots of thrills about a strong fairy which will appeal to all fans of Winx Club  gets 10/10 from me. Plus the cover is beautiful! I did some blog delving, and discovered that I'd eyed this book up in 2010 (I think it was the US version as the cover was different. Prefer this one!) 

Head over to Victoria's website to learn more about her and her books!

Suggested read

For more thrilling adventures look at life through special faries' lives in R J Anderson's series which starts with Knife