Review: The Wing Collector by Kristi Helvig

Book Blurb:

Hide…or be hunted.

When a pair of faerie wings fetch big bucks online, 17-yo Lila Kincade realizes her kind aren’t just oppressed; they’re hunted.

Due to prejudice and hostility by humans, half-human/half-faerie Lila lives in a world where faeries are required to register with the government and bind their wings in order to look like everyone else. Her fear of being discovered results in a pathetic social life and unfashionable clothing options—fitted tops just don’t provide adequate wing coverage. The increase in murders around her home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina causes Lila to withdraw further, and she accepts her relative isolation as a small price to pay for her safety… until the day she meets new boy, Ash Cooper.

Lila is haunted by repetitive dreams involving a shack in the woods, and when photos of dismembered wings appear in her school locker, she soon realizes that she is the killer’s prime target. As faerie corpses pile up around them, Lila embarks on a mission with Ash to save her race from extinction. She must figure out who she can trust and stop the killer before she—and all faeries— are obliterated forever.

Kristi Helvig is the acclaimed author of BURN OUT, which Kirkus Reviews called “a scorching series opener not to be missed.”

Find out more about the book on Goodreads

My Review:

4 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Faeries, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural, Suspense, Teen--

Lila is not like all other 16 year old girls- she is half fairy and has to hide her lineage due to the hostility towards fairies after the war. She wants so desperately to fit in, but her wings put a damper on that, making her bind them down just to go outside. Just when things seem to be looking up for shy Lila, something terrible is on the loose. Fairies are being murdered, wings removed and sold, and somehow Lila is connected.

I am a sucker for anything having to do with fairies so I was estatic to get my hands on this book. I had been wanting to read the Burn Out series (go dystopian!) by Kristi since they came out years ago but have not had the chance so I was happy to get the chance to dive into a story by her. I liked that this was a teen paranormal romance meets suspenseful murder mystery- and yes, the elements blended surprisingly well together, thanks for asking. Best part is that this is a standalone story, complete with fast paced plot, detailed unique world building and characters.

Can I just say that I felt really bad for Sophie, her best friend of 16 years, who she never told her secret to, yet this boy she just met who had been mean to her (yes he had his wounded pride issues, but still!) she reveals her life endangering secret to? Not only that, but she blew Sophie off left and right and still she was so happy for her to have a boyfriend. After all said and done, Sophie was an AMAZING friend- just thought that should be said. Also, I was a little miffed at how fast the romance seemed to develop (I am not a fan of insta-love, unless it pertains to a werewolf mate bond, but I digress)- I would have liked a slower build between the trust and love that Ash and Lila had for each other, but the fast plot and series of murdery events would not really have allowed the slow bloom of first love this time. Anyway, that was my tangent, pretty much my only complaints about the story really.

As a murder mystery, this was really well done. The reader gets to see through the killers eyes as they targets, lures and attacks his unsuspecting prey, making it an interesting experience being the villain. Kristi was able to keep me on my toes with who the killer was as well as ramp up my tension and the overall suspense aspect of the story. This was my first book by Kristi but I would love to check out more from her because I enjoyed her writing style and plot twists. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a fast read full of danger and romance with the fairies.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book​.