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seemadyal50's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
betwixt_the_pages's review against another edition
5.0
She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world...
When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years—a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.
But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?
As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.
- - - - -
Rating: 5/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: an inventive retelling...with a slight character twist; THIS is the story of Aladdin I've been dying to read for years (without knowing it, of course); awesome, emotionally-charged action and a heady, over-the-moon sort of love; poetic, beautiful prose; so many twists and creative additions to genie/jinn lore; I LOVED this book!
And mahGOSH, is the cover absolutely stunning. Go ahead—go stare at it for five minutes. I totally give you permission. Heck, you can drool a little if you want; I won't tell anyone.
The prose is poetic—soft and smoky, a hint of roses and something ancient, a forgotten magic, blending with the words. Jessica Khoury knows how to weave her words with the fairy tales of old...and yet, somehow, make the story entirely her own. I will admit: I was hesitant going in to this read. I've been a bit disappointed with recent “hyped” books...and I was worried this would become the next one to let me down. Thankfully, I was much mistaken—this book is gorgeous, inside and out.
The action scenes are well-written, filled with dramatics and flair...and enough to make a reader long to pull their hair out in anxiety or frustration. I was surprised how quickly I formed attachments to these characters; despite having grown up adoring Aladdin (the Disney version, of course), I wasn't sure that partiality would journey to book-form. There are also some steamy, heart-melting love scenes; some gorgeously-done girl-power scenes; some fight-to-the-death scenes. In all honesty, there's a little bit of something for every type of reader.
The characters are just the perfect blend of realistic, fantastical, and snarky-daggers. I particularly enjoyed Zhara and Aladdin's back-and-forth relationship. However—while a large portion of this read does revolve around love—it's not romantic love that gets the main focus. Instead, girl-power and the love of best friends takes main stage—which I absolutely ADORED. Yes, there is romantic love...but it sort of falls by the wayside and lets the rest of this book shine on its own. It was a great breath of fresh air for me, given how often YA harps on about romance.
The chapters are also broken up, now and then, with “fairy tale” snippets. This helped not only to shape and mold Zhara as we grew to know her throughout the read...but also the world surrounding her, and Aladdin. Without these morsels, the story might have come off a bit confusing, the transitions awkward. Instead, Jessica Khoury found a way to work in the backstory without making it obvious that's what she was doing. And everything—and I mean EVERYTHING—comes full circle at the end, even the smallest things, the things we never thought to think twice about.
I just... I absolutely adored this read. The prose is breath-taking, the cover is stunning, the characters and the focus on best friends over romance is so well-done... I can't find enough words to tell you how much I love this book. I highly recommend this to lovers of Aladdin, fairy tale retellings, and girl-power. I feel everyone can find something to love in this read, so if you've been thinking about picking it up, you totally should! Instant favorite.
When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years—a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.
But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?
As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.
- - - - -
Rating: 5/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: an inventive retelling...with a slight character twist; THIS is the story of Aladdin I've been dying to read for years (without knowing it, of course); awesome, emotionally-charged action and a heady, over-the-moon sort of love; poetic, beautiful prose; so many twists and creative additions to genie/jinn lore; I LOVED this book!
And mahGOSH, is the cover absolutely stunning. Go ahead—go stare at it for five minutes. I totally give you permission. Heck, you can drool a little if you want; I won't tell anyone.
“I know that look.”
“What look?”
“Don’t sweat it, sister. We’ve all had it.” She sighs. “The girls he loved and left.”
Irritably, I look away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t.” Dal smiles sadly. “You can either hate him or accept that that’s just who he is. When Aladdin sets his heart on something— or someone— nothing can stop him from getting it. And when he does have it, he realizes it’s not what he wanted after all, and then something else will catch his eye, and off he goes again. Over and over. And here we are, the casualties.”
“I’m nobody’s casualty.”
The prose is poetic—soft and smoky, a hint of roses and something ancient, a forgotten magic, blending with the words. Jessica Khoury knows how to weave her words with the fairy tales of old...and yet, somehow, make the story entirely her own. I will admit: I was hesitant going in to this read. I've been a bit disappointed with recent “hyped” books...and I was worried this would become the next one to let me down. Thankfully, I was much mistaken—this book is gorgeous, inside and out.
The action scenes are well-written, filled with dramatics and flair...and enough to make a reader long to pull their hair out in anxiety or frustration. I was surprised how quickly I formed attachments to these characters; despite having grown up adoring Aladdin (the Disney version, of course), I wasn't sure that partiality would journey to book-form. There are also some steamy, heart-melting love scenes; some gorgeously-done girl-power scenes; some fight-to-the-death scenes. In all honesty, there's a little bit of something for every type of reader.
“Love is a path lined with roses,” I say bitterly. “But it leads to a cliff’s edge, and all who follow it tumble to their doom. You will not find your happiness there.”
The characters are just the perfect blend of realistic, fantastical, and snarky-daggers. I particularly enjoyed Zhara and Aladdin's back-and-forth relationship. However—while a large portion of this read does revolve around love—it's not romantic love that gets the main focus. Instead, girl-power and the love of best friends takes main stage—which I absolutely ADORED. Yes, there is romantic love...but it sort of falls by the wayside and lets the rest of this book shine on its own. It was a great breath of fresh air for me, given how often YA harps on about romance.
The chapters are also broken up, now and then, with “fairy tale” snippets. This helped not only to shape and mold Zhara as we grew to know her throughout the read...but also the world surrounding her, and Aladdin. Without these morsels, the story might have come off a bit confusing, the transitions awkward. Instead, Jessica Khoury found a way to work in the backstory without making it obvious that's what she was doing. And everything—and I mean EVERYTHING—comes full circle at the end, even the smallest things, the things we never thought to think twice about.
I lift my eyes, above it all, and see the one weaving the stars. Imohel, the God of Gods. He smiles and pauses briefly to touch a finger to the center of my forehead, and at his touch, I fall.
Fall through the stars.
Through time.
Through light and wind and fire.
Through smoke and a sky gray like ashes.
I just... I absolutely adored this read. The prose is breath-taking, the cover is stunning, the characters and the focus on best friends over romance is so well-done... I can't find enough words to tell you how much I love this book. I highly recommend this to lovers of Aladdin, fairy tale retellings, and girl-power. I feel everyone can find something to love in this read, so if you've been thinking about picking it up, you totally should! Instant favorite.
bookaholic_abby's review against another edition
4.0
4
This is a cute YA Aladdin retelling where the genie is a girl. This book has a forbidden romance element and lots of misconceptions that the two need to clear up. Very immersive and well written.
This is a cute YA Aladdin retelling where the genie is a girl. This book has a forbidden romance element and lots of misconceptions that the two need to clear up. Very immersive and well written.
mmardybum's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
When I started this I kept thinking this is it - it's been a while now, but this is going to be 5 stars. I was so happy. I really needed a good book, the one you start and can't stop until you're done with it because it's just too good.
And The Forbidden Wish was all of the above. I loved Aladdin, my sassy Arabian son. I was rooting for Zahra, I was shipping so hard, but above all I was having so much fun.
And then Aladdin fell in love. And apparently when you fall in love you lose your personality and turn into a gushing ball of "And IIIIII will always looooove youuuu".
Don't get me wrong, I love me some forbidden romance as much as the next guy, but... No. With how this book started I was hoping it'd be more subtle about the romance, and therefore will bring so much pain with how impossible this is to happen. But alas, of which turns out I am not the biggest fan.
So overall, a very enjoyable read. Sincerely, I was having so much fun. But I can't give the forth star, I'm deeply sorry, Zahra.
When I started this I kept thinking this is it - it's been a while now, but this is going to be 5 stars. I was so happy. I really needed a good book, the one you start and can't stop until you're done with it because it's just too good.
And The Forbidden Wish was all of the above. I loved Aladdin, my sassy Arabian son.
Spoiler
insert here me and my brother singing: "Arabiaaaaan nights, like Arabian daaaaays"And then Aladdin fell in love. And apparently when you fall in love you lose your personality and turn into a gushing ball of "And IIIIII will always looooove youuuu"
Spoiler
in the voice of Whitney HoustonDon't get me wrong, I love me some forbidden romance as much as the next guy, but... No. With how this book started I was hoping it'd be more subtle about the romance, and therefore will bring so much pain with how impossible this is to happen. But alas,
Spoiler
we got our happy endingSpoiler
Bring me pain or bring me nothing.So overall, a very enjoyable read. Sincerely, I was having so much fun. But I can't give the forth star, I'm deeply sorry, Zahra.
emromc's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. I really enjoyed the main character....Zahra was a fierce, flawed heroine with a fascinating, developed background. There was more than one awesome female character, no love triangle, and some great back stories. The romance got pretty cheesy, and there were some things that took me out of the world the author was building, mostly things Aladdin says. He literally calls one guy "man" at one point... like, "sorry, man!" Definitely not ancient Arabia. And he calls Zahra "Smoky." Again, not very time-appropriate. Aladdin had some decent back story too, but overall he didn't impress me as much. He was charming and flirty, sure, but compared to how well Zahra was characterized, he fell flat for me. I wondered why Zahra falls for him of all people, so the romance didn't fly as well for me.
But that twist at the end! That made the book worth reading right there. The writing was good except for the little anachronisms. I'd recommend if you love fairy tale retellings, strong women characters, or cool twists, but not if you're opposed to teen romance (even if one of them is a few thousand year old jinni... again, she's so ancient, been around the block, met so many men... why does the pretty average Aladdin catch her heart??) or a slower paced middle section.
But that twist at the end! That made the book worth reading right there. The writing was good except for the little anachronisms. I'd recommend if you love fairy tale retellings, strong women characters, or cool twists, but not if you're opposed to teen romance (even if one of them is a few thousand year old jinni... again, she's so ancient, been around the block, met so many men... why does the pretty average Aladdin catch her heart??) or a slower paced middle section.
claudiacantread's review against another edition
4.0
This is Aladdin fanfiction and it worked for me.
So this book poses the question that I know we have all just been secretly dying to ask: what if the genie was a hot lady instead of Robin Williams? Turns out it’s a kind of cute and fun romance! And ok there are actually quite a bit of changes other than the hot genie lady thing.
‘Zara’ is the aforementioned genie who is found in her lamp after hundreds of years by the thief Aladdin. Aladdin uses his wishes to set up a plot to avenge the death of his parents at the hands of Not-Jafar (but really Jafar). We get plenty of call backs to the movie and general myths and stories of Aladdin but with new added flair for most characters.
I think the book heavily relies on the likability of Zara, who I found very enjoyable. Her inner voice is strong and well written with a mixture of naïve feelings and older wisdom. A character that has lived a long time but without actually connecting to anything for most of it. Zara and Aladdin are cute and their chemistry works. The side characters are fun and good shout outs.
My only real complaints are that it had a weaker second half, the build up was much more fun than the actual conclusion. It was definitely cheesy but like…it is what is.
Conversation Question: do you have a favorite retelling?
Spoiler for the ending:
I do hate stories where women lose their powers at the end to be with men. This wasn’t nearly as egregious as the WORST example of this ever (*glares at Leigh Bardugo*) but it was still kind of disappointing. Aladdin, at least, wouldn’t have cared either way and was never scared/jealous of her powers which makes it a little better.
So this book poses the question that I know we have all just been secretly dying to ask: what if the genie was a hot lady instead of Robin Williams? Turns out it’s a kind of cute and fun romance! And ok there are actually quite a bit of changes other than the hot genie lady thing.
‘Zara’ is the aforementioned genie who is found in her lamp after hundreds of years by the thief Aladdin. Aladdin uses his wishes to set up a plot to avenge the death of his parents at the hands of Not-Jafar (but really Jafar). We get plenty of call backs to the movie and general myths and stories of Aladdin but with new added flair for most characters.
I think the book heavily relies on the likability of Zara, who I found very enjoyable. Her inner voice is strong and well written with a mixture of naïve feelings and older wisdom. A character that has lived a long time but without actually connecting to anything for most of it. Zara and Aladdin are cute and their chemistry works. The side characters are fun and good shout outs.
My only real complaints are that it had a weaker second half, the build up was much more fun than the actual conclusion. It was definitely cheesy but like…it is what is.
Conversation Question: do you have a favorite retelling?
Spoiler for the ending:
I do hate stories where women lose their powers at the end to be with men. This wasn’t nearly as egregious as the WORST example of this ever (*glares at Leigh Bardugo*) but it was still kind of disappointing. Aladdin, at least, wouldn’t have cared either way and was never scared/jealous of her powers which makes it a little better.
joonswifey's review against another edition
3.0
this was nice. i like the story of aladdin, and it was a good retelling. i wasnt awed. it was a quick read tho, and very fun.
jessicapietro's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the writing in this book. Beautiful language and descriptions.
ashleybhaley's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
"'Love is a path lined with roses... but it leads to a cliff's edge, and all who follow it tumble to their doom. You will not find your happiness there.'" - Jessica Khoury - The Forbidden Wish
This was a cute YA retelling of Aladdin. I found myself comparing all of the characters in the book to the movie trying to figure out who Jafar or Jasmine would be. The only name that is kept is Aladdins, so it leaves room for the story to be unique and stand on its own.
I liked that the book took an alternative route and was written from the perspective of Zahara (the jinni) and I was really rooting for the romance that developed between the characters.
Now I must warn you, Fantasy is not really my gig, so I found parts of both the very beginning and very end slightly confusing when the characters were working out the differences between the Jinn and Human worlds, but other than that it was very enjoyable. And it's a standalone.
"'Love is a path lined with roses... but it leads to a cliff's edge, and all who follow it tumble to their doom. You will not find your happiness there.'" - Jessica Khoury - The Forbidden Wish
This was a cute YA retelling of Aladdin. I found myself comparing all of the characters in the book to the movie trying to figure out who Jafar or Jasmine would be. The only name that is kept is Aladdins, so it leaves room for the story to be unique and stand on its own.
I liked that the book took an alternative route and was written from the perspective of Zahara (the jinni) and I was really rooting for the romance that developed between the characters.
Now I must warn you, Fantasy is not really my gig, so I found parts of both the very beginning and very end slightly confusing when the characters were working out the differences between the Jinn and Human worlds, but other than that it was very enjoyable. And it's a standalone.
heyjudy's review against another edition
3.0
~3.5/5
I really wanted to love this book, but it was just okay.
This is inspired by Aladdin, with the main character being Zahra, a genie stuck inside a lamp that thief Aladdin finds. Aladdin wants revenge on the vizier who killed his parents, and he also wants to be in love with the princess Caspida, so he can be prince. Zahra just wants her freedom, and she wants to not fall in love with a human after what happened last time.
I did appreciate all of the backstories. There’s a reason for Aladdin wanting revenge, there’s a reason for why Zahra is inside the cave, we get to see the people living in the city and the poverty and who they really want ruling. There’s real cruelty, to the people, to Aladdin, to the vizier. There’s war, and there’s consequences for action, including magic ones to Zahra.
While the story is quite different from Aladdin, there are a surprising amount of similarities and plot points made in reference, and I appreciated that.
One problem I had with the book was the pace. Zahra has a time limit on what she has to do to get her freedom. She has about a month. And yet for almost that entire month but the last two days, she wastes it, and there’s very little mention at all of her working toward it. It drove me crazy. So little even happened for the first half of the book.
My other problem was the romance. I so badly wanted to love Zahra and Aladdin. But I just wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t feel their chemistry, and I barely even felt anything for Aladdin’s character at all. He just seemed too under-developed. It wasn’t until the last quarter of the book that I started feeling any intense emotion from Zahra at all, let alone real romantic feelings for Aladdin. I wish all of the book had been that intense, if not more so.
It was just okay. I wanted so badly to love this book, but it was just okay in the end, sadly.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
I really wanted to love this book, but it was just okay.
This is inspired by Aladdin, with the main character being Zahra, a genie stuck inside a lamp that thief Aladdin finds. Aladdin wants revenge on the vizier who killed his parents, and he also wants to be in love with the princess Caspida, so he can be prince. Zahra just wants her freedom, and she wants to not fall in love with a human after what happened last time.
I did appreciate all of the backstories. There’s a reason for Aladdin wanting revenge, there’s a reason for why Zahra is inside the cave, we get to see the people living in the city and the poverty and who they really want ruling. There’s real cruelty, to the people, to Aladdin, to the vizier. There’s war, and there’s consequences for action, including magic ones to Zahra.
While the story is quite different from Aladdin, there are a surprising amount of similarities and plot points made in reference, and I appreciated that.
One problem I had with the book was the pace. Zahra has a time limit on what she has to do to get her freedom. She has about a month. And yet for almost that entire month but the last two days, she wastes it, and there’s very little mention at all of her working toward it. It drove me crazy. So little even happened for the first half of the book.
My other problem was the romance. I so badly wanted to love Zahra and Aladdin. But I just wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t feel their chemistry, and I barely even felt anything for Aladdin’s character at all. He just seemed too under-developed. It wasn’t until the last quarter of the book that I started feeling any intense emotion from Zahra at all, let alone real romantic feelings for Aladdin. I wish all of the book had been that intense, if not more so.
It was just okay. I wanted so badly to love this book, but it was just okay in the end, sadly.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]