Destined (Pike novel)

Plot

Beginning from the cliffhanger in the previous book, Yuki is tied up in the salt circle. Klea comes to save her, and Tamani escapes with Laurel back to her house. Shar follows Klea to her hideout, and is killed while obtaining information. Devastated, Tamani, Laurel, David and Chelsea visit Jamison in Avalon and tell him everything. David is given Excalibur, as only humans can wield the sword. A battle then ensues, against the trolls. The Fae succeed at first, but then the tables are turned. In the midst of battle, all the trolls mysteriously collapse, and in the Academy, a poisonous fog takes many lives, including Katya's. Tamani, thinking that Laurel is dead (though it was Katya he saw), finds Klea, in anger, and is about to kill her when Laurel and the others step in. Jamison, who had collapsed due to sleeping fog, arrives. Klea and Tamani duel, while Klea reveals her true ambitions to Yuki, to whom she had lied. Yuki then sacrifices herself after Jamison is struck down. Klea cuts Tamani, and it is revealed that her knife had poison on it, which is fatal, and Yuki is poisoned too. Laurel visits the Wisdom Tree for advice, and discovers the cure to the poison; Tamani is saved, while Yuki dies after creating a key which will get them out of Avalon. The book ends with a letter from David to Chelsea, in the future.

Critical reception

Destined received critical acclaim prior to its release, garnering a starred review from VOYA. New York Times best-selling young adult author Claudia Gray endorsed the book with a cover blurb stating, "The greatest part: the Wings series reaches the perfect ending. The worst part: it has to end!" The Romantic Times awarded Destined a "top pick," noting that "Pike’s clever and innovative way of reinventing fairy tales and myths to make them her own is wonderful...[The] story is rich in vivid details, action, adventure, and romance."