An unforgettable alternative history fairytale series from the author of The Bone Witch trilogy about found family, modern day magic, and finding the place you belong.Many years ago, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left desolate and encased in ice when the evil Snow Queen waged war on the powerful country. Its former citizens are now refugees in a world mostly devoid of magic. Which is why the … of magic. Which is why the crown prince and his protectors are stuck in…Arizona.
Prince Alexei, the sole survivor of the Avalon royal family, is in hiding in a town so boring, magic doesn’t even work there. Few know his secret identity, but his friend Tala is one of them. Tala doesn’t mind—she has secrets of her own. Namely, that she’s a spellbreaker, someone who negates magic.
Then hope for their abandoned homeland reignites when a famous creature of legend, and Avalon’s most powerful weapon, the Firebird, appears for the first time in decades. Alex and Tala unite with a ragtag group of new friends to journey back to Avalon for a showdown that will change the world as they know it.
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Thank you Rin Chupeco and Sourcebooks Fire for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Wicked As You Wish
By: Rin Chupeco
REVIEW
First, thank you, Rin, for having me as part of your street team. It was a fun unique experience! #100namesformagic
Now, as for Wicked As You Wish, it’s also a unique experience. I’ll bet you have never read anything quite like this book. It’s a serious mish mashup of fairytales and folklore, some familiar and some not, from everywhere. The cast of characters are very diverse in culture, sexual orientation, etc. This cast is also a large one, and it’s confusing at times because there are numerous stories overlapping and occurring all on top of each other. Not only is this a fairytale infused world, it also occurs in an alternate world of the United States, but still in Arizona, before moving to other worlds. These characters must work together to fight against a force of evil for something bigger than themselves. This story is harder to read than The Bone Witch was, and the content is totally different with a denser feel. The world of Wicked As You Wish is complicated and complex, but under that is a good story about understanding, unity and acceptance. I hope you give this one a try!
Oh my what on earth do I say ? If you can imagine every fairy tale, myth and legend not to mention fictional world all regurgitated into one new series then you have a slight inclination about what this author has set about. It’s a contemporary setting in Arizona of all places with a neighbourhood that has more than a few displaced citizens. Tala has grown up loving her family but occasionally struggling to meet expectations regarding her ability to cancel out spells. When a new boy arrives in town Tala quickly realises that Alexei isn’t just any orphan but the missing cursed Prince of Avalon ! A land left frozen and unreachable after battling the fiendish Snow Queen. Can Tala help hide Alexei in a world where magic is both feared and outlawed ?
This is hard to review because as much as I absolutely loved that the author took my favourite villain the Snow Queen and made her integral to this story there is an awful lot thrown in. We get a lot about the Filipinos who are hiding in plain sight and if I’m blunt I struggled a little with their terms of endearment and just how they referred to each other but cannot fault their loyalty and bravery. Of course bad guys come hunting Alexei but this also allowed for protectors to show up and they dear reader just defied belief ! I won’t spoil the surprises but they have abilities and gumption that I found as much baffling at times as I did entertaining. I think the author had fun with these characters because she frequently set them up with seemingly impossible odds against them !
This is not a typical YA with romance and the dreaded triangle. Yes Tala is growing up and on the verge of womanhood but she’s definitely Alexeis best friend. There is clearly relationships blossoming potentially here but this was all about the journey as good faced up to evil. I do wish that perhaps some of the fairy tales and myths had been saved for the next book because honestly there’s an awful lot mentioned here. However I enjoyed the surprises with only a slight inclination of how this might end so as much as I had initially thought perhaps three I will rate this a four simply because it’s unlike any other book I’ve read.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
This book had a really interesting concept. But I think it was trying to do too much. There were too many fairytales that were being incorporated and it made it confusing. It also didn’t allow for as much development of the plot, characters, and magic. I am going to continue with the series when the next one comes out, and I’m hoping to enjoy it a bit more.
“Wicked As You Wish” is a quick-witted and fleet-footed romp through an alternate Earth in which every folk tale, fairy tale, myth, or legend you can think of is completely true… and it’s just as bizarre and fascinating as you’d expect it to be. Because who knew ICE agents would still be a huge thing in Arizona even when the refugees they’re hunting down are magical ones?
This book is definitely meant for the younger portion of YA readers. I’d even posit that this book would be a great read for middle-schoolers as well. The language is clean, there is no spice, there is a tiny bit of tension, and there is a whole lot about familial love (both biological and found) and friendship. There’s a lot of frenetic action scenes with narrow escapes, fascinating descriptions of different locations and creatures, and a whole lot of good humor.
If you want to read something bubbly, irreverent, witty, sweet, diverse, whimsical, and get a little bit swept away with the story, then this book with give you that. And it will make you crave Filipino food hardcore. Trust me.
I love the plot of this book, the world building was phenomenal, the writing was so creative, and the characters were amazing. All that aside, I felt like the author tried to cram way too many references into the book and it set my head spinning. Without that, it would have been a five star read. But again, still loved the book and can’t wait till the next one comes out. Also, I did NOT expect that twist at the end!!
Not her best work.