Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco

1 review

allisonwonderlandreads's review

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adventurous slow-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

3.0

This fantasy is chock-full of fairy tale and legendary references in terms of history, locales, and powers, but it's also a dystopia, so naturally, the worst parts of our society remain, villainous ICE agents included. In the truly garbage Royal States of America, Tala has inherited her family's curse, making her a Spellbreaker who disrupts magic. Her best friend is the heir-in-hiding for the defeated and iced-over kingdom of Avalon. As his 18th birthday nears, it's time for Alex to take his homeland back.

There's a lot to love in this book, including funny chapter titles a la Rick Riordan. Of many favorites, "in which bad bureaucratic policies have consequences" is a true knockout, and another gem is "in which objects in mirrors are closer than they appear," and "in which the castle wants Tala to be its guest" earns a gold star. I could have literally picked any three random chapter titles, people. They're that entertaining. The pop-culture references are also sublime, from Star Wars to the TARDIS to the power of Grayskull. This provided extra tasty seasoning over a healthy diet of Wonderland, Camelot, and Neverland plot elements.

I also loved the ethnically diverse main cast with a Filipina protagonist at the helm. We are also graced with a gay King Arthur descendant and a non-binary Chinese-Canadian Loki among the main characters. The teenage leads form a promising group with hilarious quirks and a good mix of individual strengths and weaknesses that complement one another as a team.

There were some downsides for me. I felt buried in world-building at the start of this book, and other info dumps still arose later in the story. The front-loaded world-building made for a slow start to the plot and sporadic characterization. While I liked the cast, I don't feel I saw their full range. There was definitely that anticipatory "first book in a series" feeling to suggest that the real action is yet to come. The last part is a matter of personal taste. There's a lot of prophecy in the story from seers to visions to a personal "doom" spoken at birth, and these strands of fate were not always tricky to decipher. It rendered certain events predictable and paused the flow of the story.

For fans of fairy tale retellings, especially the epically chaotic variety that smooshes them all together for maximum effort, this book is for you. Definitely check it out if it sounds like your cup of ya fantasy tea. 
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