A reimagining of the beloved folktale, Aladdin, set in medieval Germany.Orphaned and alone, Aladdin travels from the streets of his Arab homeland to a strange, faraway place. Growing up in an orphanage, he meets young Lady Kirstyn, whose father is the powerful Duke of Hagenheim. Despite the difference in their stations, Aladdin quickly becomes Kirstyn’s favorite companion, and their childhood … companion, and their childhood friendship grows into a bond that time and opposition cannot break.
Even as a child, Aladdin works hard, learning all he can from his teachers. Through his integrity, intelligence, and sheer tenacity, he earns a position serving as the duke’s steward. But that isn’t enough to erase the shame of being forced to steal as a small child—or the fact that he’s an orphan with no status. If he ever wants to feel equal to his beautiful and generous friend Kirstyn, he must leave Hagenheim and seek his fortune.
Yet once Aladdin departs, Lady Kirstyn becomes a pawn in a terrible plot. Now, Aladdin and Kirstyn must rely on their bond to save her from unexpected danger. But will saving Kirstyn cost Aladdin his newfound status and everything he’s worked so hard to obtain?
An enchanting new version of the well-known tale, The Orphan’s Wish tells a story of courage and loyalty, friendship and love, and reminds us what “family” really means.
- Full length clean fairy tale reimagining
- Includes discussion questions for book clubs
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The Orphan’s Wish by Melanie Dickerson
Could this orphan ever be good enough for the duke’s daughter?
My rating is 4.5 stars
Aladdin felt compelled to be perfect. He remembered the sins of his youth with shame and felt he had to somehow be perfect to atone for them. He loved Lady Kristyn from the first time he saw her and didn’t think he was good enough to aspire to her hand. These were such strong motivations for him, driving him to excel in all he did and to leave Haggenheim to seek his fortune.
My heart went out to Aladdin when his mother died and he found himself destitute at the age of 5. The shame he felt over the thieving he had been forced to do until he was rescued by Priest and brought to Germany to live followed him throughout his life. I loved his strong protective nature towards Lady Kristyn. . .
It was interesting to see the way Aladdin viewed himself, flawed and insignificant, compared to the way others saw him, perfect and able to succeed at anything he put his hand to. I think we often do this very same thing, look at ourselves through the veil of our sins and not through the new life and forgiveness which comes through Christ. I appreciated the way author Melanie Dickerson brought Aladdin to the place where he was able to see his worth in Christ in such a sensitive and compassionate way.
Lady Kristyn is a younger daughter and often feels invisible. Her dad even forgot her birthday one year. Granted, he was dealing with a serious situation, but what young girl wants to have such an important day overlooked? The one person she always knew who heard her was Aladdin. From the time they were young, he had been her dearest friend and her champion. He even bore scars as a reminder of the time he almost lost his life to save hers. Anyone who has struggled with feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy or invisibility will be able to relate to her.
While some aspects of the story were anticipated, there were also a number of unexpected twists. One of the characters made me mad when he betrayed Aladdin unexpectedly, however it fit and needed to happen. I do wish more details would have been given about the situation with the merchant in Hagenheim. and its resolution Yes, it was obvious that it was resolved, but it felt like something more should have been said about it.
I have enjoyed all the books in this series I have read (I missed one somehow!) I appreciate the way the author integrates her faith so naturally into the lives of the characters. I also like the way she tells the stories in the time and place I picture the original fairy tales to have taken place and yet writes them as “regular” stories without magic and fairies. Melanie Dickerson is one of the authors on my “if the book is by her it is worth reading” list.
Read the full review of The Orphan’s Wish by Melanie Dickerson with a Preview at AmongTheReads.net
I would like to thank JustRead Tours for giving me a copy of this book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
I have read the first seven Hagenheim books and I really enjoyed them. I didn’t necessarily read them in order because I did not realize it was a series until kind of late but that’s okay. These books can be read in any order and still be enjoyed. Now on to The Orphan’s Wish… I liked this book. I loved Aladdin and it’s one of my favorite Disney movies so I was happy to see a retelling of it by one of my favorite authors. I actually liked the set up of this book starting with Aladdin being only five years old and in the holy land. His mother had just died and he was forced into stealing by an evil man but when he tried to steal from the wrong person, he was caught and it was the best thing to happen to him. He was taken to Hagenheim and goes to live in the orphanage. He meets Kirstyn and they quickly become friends. The first few chapters take the reader through Aladdin and Kirstyn’s relationship from when they met until they are older and Aladdin has decided to leave; Aladdin was eighteen and Kirstyn was sixteen. I liked that I got to see them as children and it made me feel closer to the them.
I loved Aladdin. I loved his dedication to hard work, his loyalty, his faith, and his devotion to Kirstyn. He was determined to make something of himself and not be a servant for the rest of his life. I admired that and I understood why he left Hagenheim and it was the right decision. He was so smart and willing to do what he needed to do in order to make his fortune so that he could marry Kirstyn one day. But in having that dream he had to leave her and that was painful to read. As I was reading I thought Aladdin was perfect as Kirstyn liked to say and that he just did not mess up but there were some things he did throughout the novel that clearly show that he was a young who indeed made plenty of mistakes. I didn’t really get a sense of Kirstyn except that she felt like the odd child out among her many siblings and Aladdin was the one person to show her kindness and give his undivided attention. She was reckless and carefree as is expected of the daughter of a duke. It wasn’t until she ends up in a horrific situation that I got to see Kirstyn’s true nature. She was a fighter and did not give up when someone else in that situation would have. She kept her spirit even if it was dimmed a bit and stayed so strong. I loved, loved that Kirstyn saved herself. She was waiting on her father and Aladdin to rescue her but even then she kept trying to escape and failing but eventually she was able to do so. I thought Michael as the villain was perfect. He was pure evil and the antithesis of an abusive man. I despised Anna but also felt sorry for her. It was sad that she longed for love so much that she accepted the abuse from Michael the way she did and never helped Kirstyn. I loved Abu; he was a cute and funny little boy. Herr Kaufmann was a good character as well. I loved seeing some of the characters I’d seen in other books in the series and hearing about others as well.
Aladdin and Kirstyn together were beyond frustrating. It took them too long to admit how they felt to each other. It took them too long to admit that fact to themselves. Because of this Aladdin ran from Hagenheim and Kirstyn did not admit how she felt for Aladdin when they were finally reunited. I understood them not being able to do so when Aladdin left but after I could not get it. So much confusion and hurt feelings could have been avoided with a little communication. I loved it when they finally figured it out because I was rooting for them. Overall, I truly enjoyed this book and it ended perfectly. I was nice to see Aladdin and Kirstyn in the future and what they were like a little. I loved the romance, intrigue, and everything else. It was well written and I cannot wait for another book by Melanie Dickerson.
Another incredibly beautiful love story/fairy tale re-telling from this author, who always delivers sweet and inspiring stories.
Hagenheim has become a place I look forward to visiting with each new Melanie Dickerson Fairy Tale Romance. I absolutely adore every one of these stories. The mix of fairy tale and historical fiction told from a Christian worldview is the most amazing combination ever! I truly cannot find the words to express how much I love them.
The Orphan’s Wish is the eighth Hagenheim Fairy Tale. In this novel we learn the story of Duke Wilhelm’s daughter, Kirstyn and her childhood friend, Aladdin. The Orphan’s Wish is Melanie Dickerson’s take on an Aladdin story. Although this is a loose retelling, the essential elements are all there ~ an orphan boy falling in love with a girl, far beyond his reach and an evil, power-seeking villain trying to ruin it all. This is a fairy tale, so you already know that good wins – God wins!
The characters are well developed, and you are drawn into caring what happens to them from the start. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about Kirstyn and Aladdin’s unique friendship through their memories and then following that grown-up relationship through the course of this story. The Orphan’s Wish is full of difficult situations – as life often can be – but throughout we are reminded of the hope we find with God in all circumstances.
I cannot recommend this book enough. If you love fairy tales…if you love historical fiction…if you love stories where good overcomes evil and love wins, this book is for you.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.