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marley's review against another edition
5.0
Wicked as You Wish is an intricate tapestry weaving together all sort of fairy tales in an alternate version of our world where they are actually history. The main plot follows Tala as she accompanies Alex, the heir to the throne of Avalon, a magical kingdom that succumbed to the spells of the Snow Queen, in his journey to reclaim the throne.
First up: Chupeco's use of all sorts of fairy tales and mythology was just absolute perfection. Maybe I'm biased, because the Snow Queen and associated figures has been my long-time favourite, but I honestly couldn't think of a better example of the merging of our world with fairy tales and other forms of traditional stories. They didn't overshadow the plot itself, rather they complemented it and helped it and the world building run smoothly. The way that the magic structure was built into the world fascinated me as well, and the depth to the backstory of this alternate universe (which I have to admit I really want to live in) pleased the history nerd in me immensely.
This brings us to arguably one of the most important parts of a fantasy novel: world building. This was a massively juicy book in terms of the world building, and I can understand how the massive amount of detail could turn people off. However, it was done in a way that didn't make me feel like I was in a class having information chucked at me; it was more like having someone extraordinarily passionate about the world tell me all about it, which is basically what a book is anyway. The layers and layers really helped me get right in the world, and there were some elements (like ICE's presence, which I thought was excellent) that helped diminish the distance between the reader and the world itself.
This, as well as being a heavy-on-the-world-building book, was also a heavy on the plot and plot twists. Despite the large number of twists (and there were quite a few), I never felt like I was going to get whiplash for several reasons. The main reason was that Chupeco did what the most excellent of storytellers do and left nuggets of information dotted around the framework of the story, leaving me feeling very satisfied when I came to a twist that I saw coming, and delightfully shocked when I pieced everything together post-big reveal. It's not often that I get to do this, and I really, really enjoyed the way Chupeco artfully draped the plot around the multitudinous other elements of this book.
I'm not usually a fan of large casts, however this book features one of the most delightful casts of characters I have read about. They all had their distinct personalities, and they all contributed to the group dynamic; there was a balance in character types, and I never felt overwhelmed by the number of characters that the narrative followed. The characters existed solidly as individuals, notably Tala and Alex, as the main characters. Tala was a wonderful addition to the current offering of YA fantasy main characters, especially with her status as a Makiling. Often, fantasy focuses on the characters having epic powers, or occasionally none at all; Tala finds the perfect middle ground with her magic-negation, the Makiling agimat, as well as still being a massively relatable teenager. Alex, while unlikeable at times, had the motivation and depth that many similar characters lack, and I ended up liking him more than expected. I could go over all the other characters but that would take a while, so I'll finish this review up by mentioning my personal favourite, Cole. He's the classic brooding YA character, but actually not so classic and not so broody. I'm really looking forward to seeing where his arc goes in the sequel.
Overall, I think there was no way I couldn't love this book. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's so flavourful and complex that I couldn't stop thinking about it for days, and I'm looking forward to both the sequels and my eventual reread. Hats off to Rin Chupeco for writing a book that feels like it could fill an entire 'My Favourite Things' song.
Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
First up: Chupeco's use of all sorts of fairy tales and mythology was just absolute perfection. Maybe I'm biased, because the Snow Queen and associated figures has been my long-time favourite, but I honestly couldn't think of a better example of the merging of our world with fairy tales and other forms of traditional stories. They didn't overshadow the plot itself, rather they complemented it and helped it and the world building run smoothly. The way that the magic structure was built into the world fascinated me as well, and the depth to the backstory of this alternate universe (which I have to admit I really want to live in) pleased the history nerd in me immensely.
This brings us to arguably one of the most important parts of a fantasy novel: world building. This was a massively juicy book in terms of the world building, and I can understand how the massive amount of detail could turn people off. However, it was done in a way that didn't make me feel like I was in a class having information chucked at me; it was more like having someone extraordinarily passionate about the world tell me all about it, which is basically what a book is anyway. The layers and layers really helped me get right in the world, and there were some elements (like ICE's presence, which I thought was excellent) that helped diminish the distance between the reader and the world itself.
This, as well as being a heavy-on-the-world-building book, was also a heavy on the plot and plot twists. Despite the large number of twists (and there were quite a few), I never felt like I was going to get whiplash for several reasons. The main reason was that Chupeco did what the most excellent of storytellers do and left nuggets of information dotted around the framework of the story, leaving me feeling very satisfied when I came to a twist that I saw coming, and delightfully shocked when I pieced everything together post-big reveal. It's not often that I get to do this, and I really, really enjoyed the way Chupeco artfully draped the plot around the multitudinous other elements of this book.
I'm not usually a fan of large casts, however this book features one of the most delightful casts of characters I have read about. They all had their distinct personalities, and they all contributed to the group dynamic; there was a balance in character types, and I never felt overwhelmed by the number of characters that the narrative followed. The characters existed solidly as individuals, notably Tala and Alex, as the main characters. Tala was a wonderful addition to the current offering of YA fantasy main characters, especially with her status as a Makiling. Often, fantasy focuses on the characters having epic powers, or occasionally none at all; Tala finds the perfect middle ground with her magic-negation, the Makiling agimat, as well as still being a massively relatable teenager. Alex, while unlikeable at times, had the motivation and depth that many similar characters lack, and I ended up liking him more than expected. I could go over all the other characters but that would take a while, so I'll finish this review up by mentioning my personal favourite, Cole. He's the classic brooding YA character, but actually not so classic and not so broody. I'm really looking forward to seeing where his arc goes in the sequel.
Overall, I think there was no way I couldn't love this book. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's so flavourful and complex that I couldn't stop thinking about it for days, and I'm looking forward to both the sequels and my eventual reread. Hats off to Rin Chupeco for writing a book that feels like it could fill an entire 'My Favourite Things' song.
Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
jasmine_elizabeth's review against another edition
4.0
That was an interesting read, I actually liked all the characters I know that a lot of people didn't like the Prince but I actually liked him throughout I mean I did think he was a jerk at some points but he had his reasons.
All those twists and turns and that ending has me so excited for the sequel.
One thing I didn't like was the whole Alex x ? x ? (didn't want to say any spoilers) I didn't think it was really necessary to add to the storyline.
All those twists and turns and that ending has me so excited for the sequel.
One thing I didn't like was the whole Alex x ? x ? (didn't want to say any spoilers) I didn't think it was really necessary to add to the storyline.
sec892's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
emmanovella's review against another edition
3.0
If you’re going to make your narrator put on the accent you say a character has, can you hire someone who can do one because the dad was dangerously close to Irish instead of Scottish at times and it really annoyed me
betsyreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
thatlizhunter's review against another edition
3.0
i don't really know how to rate this because I did enjoy it but I was confused for 78% of the story.
wildfaeriecaps's review against another edition
5.0
This was amazing! I want to share it with my kids but I'm worried they don't have enough of a frame of reference for all the fairy tales (guess I'll be rectifying that). I loved everything about this - it was fun and clever and also touched on very real topics. The ending held a twist I wasn't expecting and now I really cannot wait for the next book in the series to come out! Rin Chupeco is the sort of author that could publish their to-do lists and I would happily buy them.
guylou's review against another edition
2.0
I read this book while I was on holiday. I loved Rin Chupeco’s series entitled The Bone Witch and I was looking forward to her dark writing style in this new series and did not find it. I tried to find an anchor in the story and was unable to get in it. I love how she described the Filipino way of life of her main character; that made me smile. I have a few friends from the Philippines and recognised their sense of community in the story. Unfortunately, the story and the characters sounded recycled from other books and fairy tales, and they did not bring anything new.
I am disappointed in this first book in the series and will most likely not continue reading it. However, don’t let this honest review distract you from reading this author. I recommend her other series The Bone Witch which is one of my favourites.
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millennialbookreview's review against another edition
2.0
Wicked As You Wish is a novel that I’m not sure how to feel about. I loved the idea and the writing itself was very good. However, it felt to me like the author was trying to introduce too many things, too quickly from the characters to the world and the story suffered from trying to do too much at once. Rin Chupeco put a great deal of work into creating this story and has a clear vision for the kind of story this series is going to tell. There’s an astounding amount of creativity on display in this novel. But the novel didn’t quite work for me. In short, this is a book that I’m not sure what to do with. Some readers will love this, and I might pick up the sequel out of curiosity.
My full review can be found here
My full review can be found here