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melanie_books's review
4.0
In the wake of tragedy, Thaddeus, the illegitimate son of the king is desperate to protect his twin sister Arianna. And Alistair Teague knows that desperation will encourage people to make wishes they wouldn't otherwise make - and he has big plans for Thad. Three weeks later, he is king and contracted to Teague for the next 10 years. But Ari is safe - or would be if she stopped trying to find a way to destroy the Wish Granter. When she's not snorting through Assembly meetings, she is studying the fae and learning self-defense from Sebastian, the new (unfairly distracting) weapons manager.
This book is the second in a series but really is a complete story on its own. Based loosely on the story of, the titular character is reimagined as a type of mob boss which was excellent. But the best part of the book though was Ari: she doesn't let anything stop her; when obstacles come up, she just figures out a way around them (reminiscent of Lia Mara from A Heart So Fierce & Broken.) Sebastian recognizes early on that his greatest asset in protecting Ari is the princess herself. His quiet strength and determination to do whatever it takes, no matter what it cost him, to help Ari made him such a great character. Overall, great characters and great reimagining of a story that isn't explored very often.
This book is the second in a series but really is a complete story on its own. Based loosely on the story of
Spoiler
Rumpelstiltskinl_noona's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
mjoyced's review
2.0
I wanted this to be more like 30% Rumplestiltskin back story, but it was only 1%.
pizzamyheart's review
2.0
Kinda fun, but also dragged. I found myself bored and started skipping ahead. insta-love, and makeout scenes in the middle of danger? Plus the constant mention of food? Yeah, girl I love my food too, but can we focus on the plot?
mycatismybookmark's review
3.0
I was reluctant to pick up The Wish Granter since I did not care for The Shadow Queen (book #1 in the Ravenspire series; although there are complete standalones set in the same world) but was surprised that I liked it quite a bit more than TSQ.
The writing is fast-paced, intriguing (it keeps readers guessing) and very dark. There are no happy woodland creatures and delicate singing princesses in these fairy tale re-imaginings. TWG has hope, heartbreak, and a dash of sweet budding romance in a high-stakes gamble to save the ones they love, but unlike TSQ we get a nice breathe of levity every now and then thanks to Ari (which really saves the story).
I really like Ari. She's fierce, loyal, determined and courageous. She doesn't care what anyone thinks of her and she's not afraid to put others in their place. She's intelligent, fiery clever and determined, and described as tall, "curvy" and at times hopelessly uncoordinated. Sebastian is a brave man to teach her weapons training and certainly doesn't come out unscathed. She loves to bake and eat, and would much rather be in the kitchen with her hands in pastry dough than whatever a proper princess should be doing. She's a fun, friendly character that's easy to relate to. Her dialogue and quirks bring much needed moments of levity to this dark tale. I wish there were more of these light moments: weapons training with Sebastian (I don't think she ever managed to learn anything - always getting distracted by Sebastian shoulders...) threatening to withhold chocolate cake from people who annoy her or promising snacks to those that please her, and jokes between her and Thad about what proper princess behavior is (which definitely don’t include inarticulate noises or smuggling snacks out of the ballroom in a handbag).
I would have liked more interaction between her and her twin brother, Thad overall. I don't really feel a connection between them, even though they always tell each other: "You and me against the world." "Always." He's too busy trying to protect Ari and keep her out of it, that we don't see/feel their connection as brother and sister.
"... and for one glorious moment, nothing existed but the steady patter or the rain and the boy who'd followed her to the liar of a monster and who was willing to risk everything to stay."
The budding romance between Ari and Sebastian is very sweet. He has such a tragic past and he's rather determined to keep everyone out that Ari's stubborn insistence that they be friends is completely new territory for him. He doesn't know quite what to make of her. But Ari is so determined to be his friend he never anticipates that she's capture his heart. They have such a wonderfully compassionate understanding and respect for one another, and both are determined to do anything to save the other.
“He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers. He was still horrified. Still grieving. So was she. But they weren’t facing any of it alone.”
Redwine’s re-imaginings are very dark, but what I think saved TWG is Ari and Sebastian. I found them more relatable than the characters in TSQ and far more likable. Ari’s unique, quirky, friendliness and sense of humor were the highlights of TWG and I would have like more of those moments to balance the dark tale.
The writing is fast-paced, intriguing (it keeps readers guessing) and very dark. There are no happy woodland creatures and delicate singing princesses in these fairy tale re-imaginings. TWG has hope, heartbreak, and a dash of sweet budding romance in a high-stakes gamble to save the ones they love, but unlike TSQ we get a nice breathe of levity every now and then thanks to Ari (which really saves the story).
I really like Ari. She's fierce, loyal, determined and courageous. She doesn't care what anyone thinks of her and she's not afraid to put others in their place. She's intelligent, fiery clever and determined, and described as tall, "curvy" and at times hopelessly uncoordinated. Sebastian is a brave man to teach her weapons training and certainly doesn't come out unscathed. She loves to bake and eat, and would much rather be in the kitchen with her hands in pastry dough than whatever a proper princess should be doing. She's a fun, friendly character that's easy to relate to. Her dialogue and quirks bring much needed moments of levity to this dark tale. I wish there were more of these light moments: weapons training with Sebastian (I don't think she ever managed to learn anything - always getting distracted by Sebastian shoulders...) threatening to withhold chocolate cake from people who annoy her or promising snacks to those that please her, and jokes between her and Thad about what proper princess behavior is (which definitely don’t include inarticulate noises or smuggling snacks out of the ballroom in a handbag).
I would have liked more interaction between her and her twin brother, Thad overall. I don't really feel a connection between them, even though they always tell each other: "You and me against the world." "Always." He's too busy trying to protect Ari and keep her out of it, that we don't see/feel their connection as brother and sister.
"... and for one glorious moment, nothing existed but the steady patter or the rain and the boy who'd followed her to the liar of a monster and who was willing to risk everything to stay."
The budding romance between Ari and Sebastian is very sweet. He has such a tragic past and he's rather determined to keep everyone out that Ari's stubborn insistence that they be friends is completely new territory for him. He doesn't know quite what to make of her. But Ari is so determined to be his friend he never anticipates that she's capture his heart. They have such a wonderfully compassionate understanding and respect for one another, and both are determined to do anything to save the other.
“He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers. He was still horrified. Still grieving. So was she. But they weren’t facing any of it alone.”
Redwine’s re-imaginings are very dark, but what I think saved TWG is Ari and Sebastian. I found them more relatable than the characters in TSQ and far more likable. Ari’s unique, quirky, friendliness and sense of humor were the highlights of TWG and I would have like more of those moments to balance the dark tale.
ameserole's review against another edition
5.0
"Thad: But this is a boy, and you need to think of your reputation if you're spending time alone with him...
Ari: Learning how to put a man's eye out or take him down at the knees. Very romantic stuff, Thad. Very romantic. Oh, and we also hid a body together, so we're practically engaged."
I AM SO HAPPY THAT I READ THIS BOOK.
I LOVE THIS BOOK.
I LOVE C.J.
Now The Wish Granter is a standalone in a series where each book is a standalone... But I am not disappointed at alllllll. Like I said earlier, I really did love this book. I liked the characters and I was really happy that there was a small scene where Lorelai and Kol were mentioned (they are from the first book The Shadow Queen).
Since Shadow Queen was a fun re-telling about Snow White, the Wish Granter is a re-telling of Rumpelstiltskin. The new king is a bastard and his sister is, you guessed it, the new princess who is also a bastard. They are also known as King Thad and Princess Ari.
I absolutely adored Ari. She acted the complete opposite of how a princess is supposed to act. This is due to her upbringing--because her mother was a commoner. Thad and her received an education that the privilege earned but they lived much simpler lives like commoners. At least until their real dad, his wife, and newborn son mysteriously died. Also, how she had generous curves and wasn't the stereotypical beautiful stick girl. Although I did hate when other characters would call her "fat" because I wanted to reach into the book and bitch slap them so hard.
The amount of sass on this girl impressed me too. Because she didn't take anyone's shit. If anyone pissed her off she would definitely put them in their place. I loved her!! Then there's Thad. Ugh I just pictured him weak-minded. I get that he was trying to save his sister from the huntsmen that the Queen hired to kill both of them... but I mean he made a deal and didn't even read the fine print!! WHO DOES THAT?!? I didn't really care for his character because he didn't really do anything. Ari basically saved his ass every damn time.
Then there's Sebastian <3. Aw man, I loved his character. I loved his relationship with Ari. I loved how they worked together to take down Teague (aka Rumpel). Aw man I loved them. I wanted more of them but I was satisfied with the ending. I wanted them together. She needed a real guy to protect her but then butt heads with her at the same time.
I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book, The Traitor Prince. Anyone wanna give it to me?!? ANYONE?!?! I need it pronto.
Ari: Learning how to put a man's eye out or take him down at the knees. Very romantic stuff, Thad. Very romantic. Oh, and we also hid a body together, so we're practically engaged."
I AM SO HAPPY THAT I READ THIS BOOK.
I LOVE THIS BOOK.
I LOVE C.J.
Now The Wish Granter is a standalone in a series where each book is a standalone... But I am not disappointed at alllllll. Like I said earlier, I really did love this book. I liked the characters and I was really happy that there was a small scene where Lorelai and Kol were mentioned (they are from the first book The Shadow Queen).
Since Shadow Queen was a fun re-telling about Snow White, the Wish Granter is a re-telling of Rumpelstiltskin. The new king is a bastard and his sister is, you guessed it, the new princess who is also a bastard. They are also known as King Thad and Princess Ari.
I absolutely adored Ari. She acted the complete opposite of how a princess is supposed to act. This is due to her upbringing--because her mother was a commoner. Thad and her received an education that the privilege earned but they lived much simpler lives like commoners. At least until their real dad, his wife, and newborn son mysteriously died. Also, how she had generous curves and wasn't the stereotypical beautiful stick girl. Although I did hate when other characters would call her "fat" because I wanted to reach into the book and bitch slap them so hard.
The amount of sass on this girl impressed me too. Because she didn't take anyone's shit. If anyone pissed her off she would definitely put them in their place. I loved her!! Then there's Thad. Ugh I just pictured him weak-minded. I get that he was trying to save his sister from the huntsmen that the Queen hired to kill both of them... but I mean he made a deal and didn't even read the fine print!! WHO DOES THAT?!? I didn't really care for his character because he didn't really do anything. Ari basically saved his ass every damn time.
Then there's Sebastian <3. Aw man, I loved his character. I loved his relationship with Ari. I loved how they worked together to take down Teague (aka Rumpel). Aw man I loved them. I wanted more of them but I was satisfied with the ending. I wanted them together. She needed a real guy to protect her but then butt heads with her at the same time.
I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book, The Traitor Prince. Anyone wanna give it to me?!? ANYONE?!?! I need it pronto.
psinghjagpal3's review
4.0
Such a cute retake on one of the classical tales. I love the fact that Redwine mention so much details on the food. I also appreciated that the main character was a little curvy, which gives me a bit hope. The awkward romance between the main female lead and the main male lead was so cute and adorable. You'll love Sebastian, Arianna and Thad.
booklover160's review
4.0
HMMMM I really liked the book overall. I am going to consider buying it or at the very least reread it.
Trigger warning for this book: murder, child abuse, fatphobia.
Pros:
- Characters. I LOVE THEM. I grew very attached to them fairly quickly. I absolutely adore Ari, not just because that's one of my favorite names, but shes a plus sized, smart, sassy, kickass princess. I love her so much. I also loved Sebastian! He's so sweet and understanding and I am so proud of how far he came to overcome his trauma. I loved Thad and Cleo and the other minor major characters!
- Plot. The story starts out very strong and held me captivated all throughout. I tried to finish this book before the new year, and it was only because I didn't have time that I didn't. I found the plot to be full of excitement and twists that I didn't see coming.
- The writing. I found that it was perfectly paced and well written in terms of descriptions and actions. I really lost myself in the book.
Cons:
- This isn't really a CON but like... this book is DARK. There's more triggers in this book than I expected and it caught me off guard.
- I am left with a few questions about the fae and how some of it works but I feel like some of the questions would have been addressed in the first book, so I will have to get my hands on a copy of that at some point.
Overall, AHHHH I WANT MY HEART BACK. But I also don't because it belongs to this book.
Trigger warning for this book: murder, child abuse, fatphobia.
Pros:
- Characters. I LOVE THEM. I grew very attached to them fairly quickly. I absolutely adore Ari, not just because that's one of my favorite names, but shes a plus sized, smart, sassy, kickass princess. I love her so much. I also loved Sebastian! He's so sweet and understanding and I am so proud of how far he came to overcome his trauma. I loved Thad and Cleo and the other minor major characters!
- Plot. The story starts out very strong and held me captivated all throughout. I tried to finish this book before the new year, and it was only because I didn't have time that I didn't. I found the plot to be full of excitement and twists that I didn't see coming.
- The writing. I found that it was perfectly paced and well written in terms of descriptions and actions. I really lost myself in the book.
Cons:
- This isn't really a CON but like... this book is DARK. There's more triggers in this book than I expected and it caught me off guard.
- I am left with a few questions about the fae and how some of it works but I feel like some of the questions would have been addressed in the first book, so I will have to get my hands on a copy of that at some point.
Overall, AHHHH I WANT MY HEART BACK. But I also don't because it belongs to this book.
bremonty15's review against another edition
5.0
I love the way C.J. spins the classics into something new. I don't want to spoil it but the way the story unfolded to reveal the antagonist was fantastic. Can't wait to read the next one!