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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
This was great.
The writer created a real sense of place and character. I could genuinely picture the dusty town and didn't feel as if the characters were two-dimensional caricatures of high school teens.
Although the ending was predictable, in terms of Eldon's decision, it didn't lessen the enjoyment of the novel's build up in any way. And there were many moments which caught me off guard.
I'd love to use the book as a class text; I can imagine the hours of rich debate about the ethics of wishing and regrets.
The writer created a real sense of place and character. I could genuinely picture the dusty town and didn't feel as if the characters were two-dimensional caricatures of high school teens.
Although the ending was predictable, in terms of Eldon's decision, it didn't lessen the enjoyment of the novel's build up in any way. And there were many moments which caught me off guard.
I'd love to use the book as a class text; I can imagine the hours of rich debate about the ethics of wishing and regrets.
~ 3.5 rounded down ~
not as bad as i expected it to be. completely enjoyable. the entire ending was just kinda meh, which is why it isn’t 4 stars. really not bad though, and i would definitely recommend to anyone even slightly interested.
not as bad as i expected it to be. completely enjoyable. the entire ending was just kinda meh, which is why it isn’t 4 stars. really not bad though, and i would definitely recommend to anyone even slightly interested.
3.75 stars
It's a few weeks before Eldon's 18th birthday and his wish and he has no idea what he wants to wish for. His sister is basically brain dead from an accident so he could wish for her to be better. He could wish for money so he'd never have to worry again. He could even wish to be the most handsome, more popular, best football player...the list is endless.
You live in a town where you get to make a wish on your 18th birthday and it comes true. What do you wish for? Be careful because how you word it can change the outcome of that wish. Do you think about the consequences of that wish or are you just thinking about the wish itself? Were you happy with the outcome or do you regret it? In hindsight, do you think you should have wished for something else? I went into this book thinking it would be an average book about a magical little town and I got more pulled into the story than I expected.
Eldon spends much of the book trying to figure out what he wants and talks to other people to learn about their wishes. The reader gets to see what other people wished for, why they did, and the consequences that came with that. It was intriguing and interesting and a little heartbreaking when learning about some wishes. There's a point in the book where Eldon is acting like a typical dumbass teenager and that was probably the one time where the book was average. He's a total jerk at some points at well. There's always an angsty teenager in YA books but he pulled it together near the end.
What I had really hoped for with his wish
I loved Merrill and Norie really snuck in there. I loved her wish and I was glad that it came true. I like that he got closure with his sister even though it was bittersweet and sad.
This was an original book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
It's a few weeks before Eldon's 18th birthday and his wish and he has no idea what he wants to wish for. His sister is basically brain dead from an accident so he could wish for her to be better. He could wish for money so he'd never have to worry again. He could even wish to be the most handsome, more popular, best football player...the list is endless.
You live in a town where you get to make a wish on your 18th birthday and it comes true. What do you wish for? Be careful because how you word it can change the outcome of that wish. Do you think about the consequences of that wish or are you just thinking about the wish itself? Were you happy with the outcome or do you regret it? In hindsight, do you think you should have wished for something else? I went into this book thinking it would be an average book about a magical little town and I got more pulled into the story than I expected.
Eldon spends much of the book trying to figure out what he wants and talks to other people to learn about their wishes. The reader gets to see what other people wished for, why they did, and the consequences that came with that. It was intriguing and interesting and a little heartbreaking when learning about some wishes. There's a point in the book where Eldon is acting like a typical dumbass teenager and that was probably the one time where the book was average. He's a total jerk at some points at well. There's always an angsty teenager in YA books but he pulled it together near the end.
What I had really hoped for with his wish
Spoiler
was that he'd ask for wishes to stop. He pulled a stupid move where he let outsiders into the cave, they were caught and his wish was revoked by the mayor. I was more disappointed than he was because while he never stated he wanted the wishes to end, the people he talked to were so disappointed with how their wishes turned out. I was thrilled that he figured out that getting rid of the wishes was exactly what needed to be done, found a different way into the cave and did exactly that. The town of Madison turned ordinaryI loved Merrill and Norie really snuck in there. I loved her wish and I was glad that it came true. I like that he got closure with his sister even though it was bittersweet and sad.
This was an original book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Felt like I read this at the right time. Really made me wonder. Good to read about flawed yet still lovable characters. I loved the old names as well, made the town and book a lot more atmospheric.
*** I received an ARC of this book from Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. However, this does not influence my opinions in any way.***
I received this novel a few months ago and started it right away. I was so excited to have it in my hands after loving Sedoti’s last novel, The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett. That being said, it took me a lot longer to finish this novel than expected. However, it was of no fault of the book and more like bad timing for my personal life. All that aside, let’s talk about why I loved this novel.
Yet again, Sedoti has blown me away with a wonderful book. She has a knack at writing unlikeable characters that you can’t help but still care about. In As You Wish, Eldon grew up in Madison, a desert town where everyone is granted a wish on their 18th birthday. In the novel, Eldon is questioning everything and is at a crossroads in his life – to wish or not to wish. Throughout the novel he is constantly faced with ultimatums. Save your sister vs. save yourself, wish vs don’t wish, good vs evil, etc. Much like most people would be in this kind of situation, Eldon feels lost and in no real control of his life. He spends the whole book in a constant debate. Honestly, at points his fickle nature can be a bit exhausting, but in the end it is all for the best.
There is a scene towards the end of the book where Eldon asks Abby if people really ask kids what they want to be when they grow up. After saying of course they do, Eldon starts contemplating a life without wishing. Overall, the two concepts are as similar as can be. Wishing, like growing up and deciding a career path at such a young age, is life changing. Additionally, much like Othello hints at, most people live their lives asking “What if?” In Madison, it is just a different form of pressure. That’s why Eldon is the perfect main character for this novel. He is fickle and unsure of his future let alone the future of his family, friends, and town. In his extreme way, he is the embodiment of teenage questions that are debated every day.
The idea behind “what if” is something that plagues most people in everyday life. Seeing that concept in such an interesting portrayal throughout this book was refreshing. And much like in The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett, the ending of As You Wish is left ambiguous. Sedoti allows the reader to make up their own judgment of Eldon and how his decisions affect the people around him. Personally, I believe he did the right thing. Wishing is a power far too powerful for any one town, let alone person, to control. Life is complicating enough without adding wishing to it.
Additionally, a topic that is briefly hinted at yet not fully discussed is the idea of working for what you have in life. If you can wish for the perfect life, will that life ever be satisfying? Fletcher put it best when he said, “How could I ever feel like it was really my accomplishment”. Whether you wish for money, schooling, to be a pilot, etc – if you didn’t earn it will it ever make you happy?
Madison is a town full of sad and angry people who have been given everything they wanted, yet it never made a difference. If you take one lesson from this novel, it is that life is hard and doesn’t always go to plan, but what is the point of living if you have nothing to live for? Nothing in life should be easy. It’s an uphill battle, but where you leave off in the end is what makes it worth the fight.
I recommend this book to anyone feeling like they have lost their way. It is a wonderful novel about regrets as well as self-discovery and the journeys we all take to achieve our goals and dreams. Additionally, this novel introduces the idea of what it means to be handed something verse earning something the hard way.
I received this novel a few months ago and started it right away. I was so excited to have it in my hands after loving Sedoti’s last novel, The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett. That being said, it took me a lot longer to finish this novel than expected. However, it was of no fault of the book and more like bad timing for my personal life. All that aside, let’s talk about why I loved this novel.
Yet again, Sedoti has blown me away with a wonderful book. She has a knack at writing unlikeable characters that you can’t help but still care about. In As You Wish, Eldon grew up in Madison, a desert town where everyone is granted a wish on their 18th birthday. In the novel, Eldon is questioning everything and is at a crossroads in his life – to wish or not to wish. Throughout the novel he is constantly faced with ultimatums. Save your sister vs. save yourself, wish vs don’t wish, good vs evil, etc. Much like most people would be in this kind of situation, Eldon feels lost and in no real control of his life. He spends the whole book in a constant debate. Honestly, at points his fickle nature can be a bit exhausting, but in the end it is all for the best.
There is a scene towards the end of the book where Eldon asks Abby if people really ask kids what they want to be when they grow up. After saying of course they do, Eldon starts contemplating a life without wishing. Overall, the two concepts are as similar as can be. Wishing, like growing up and deciding a career path at such a young age, is life changing. Additionally, much like Othello hints at, most people live their lives asking “What if?” In Madison, it is just a different form of pressure. That’s why Eldon is the perfect main character for this novel. He is fickle and unsure of his future let alone the future of his family, friends, and town. In his extreme way, he is the embodiment of teenage questions that are debated every day.
The idea behind “what if” is something that plagues most people in everyday life. Seeing that concept in such an interesting portrayal throughout this book was refreshing. And much like in The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett, the ending of As You Wish is left ambiguous. Sedoti allows the reader to make up their own judgment of Eldon and how his decisions affect the people around him. Personally, I believe he did the right thing. Wishing is a power far too powerful for any one town, let alone person, to control. Life is complicating enough without adding wishing to it.
Additionally, a topic that is briefly hinted at yet not fully discussed is the idea of working for what you have in life. If you can wish for the perfect life, will that life ever be satisfying? Fletcher put it best when he said, “How could I ever feel like it was really my accomplishment”. Whether you wish for money, schooling, to be a pilot, etc – if you didn’t earn it will it ever make you happy?
Madison is a town full of sad and angry people who have been given everything they wanted, yet it never made a difference. If you take one lesson from this novel, it is that life is hard and doesn’t always go to plan, but what is the point of living if you have nothing to live for? Nothing in life should be easy. It’s an uphill battle, but where you leave off in the end is what makes it worth the fight.
I recommend this book to anyone feeling like they have lost their way. It is a wonderful novel about regrets as well as self-discovery and the journeys we all take to achieve our goals and dreams. Additionally, this novel introduces the idea of what it means to be handed something verse earning something the hard way.
I enjoyed this book a lot!
People are saying that it was very boring or that they didn't like the main character. I didn't find myself to be bored or wondering about the past of Madison and wishing - I liked being thrown into a world that didn't need an explanation, a world that was just accepted as fact. And I liked the uniqueness of the character; anger is something we see in books, but I haven't read a lot of books with an unlikable character that I actually liked because of that fact. I understood where Eldon was coming from and I followed his thoughts and concerns, and I still didn't approve of his fighting or rudeness. But I liked that change.
To me, this was a perfect book to read over the summer. It's a big book, but it's very fast paced and was a quick read.
People are saying that it was very boring or that they didn't like the main character. I didn't find myself to be bored or wondering about the past of Madison and wishing - I liked being thrown into a world that didn't need an explanation, a world that was just accepted as fact. And I liked the uniqueness of the character; anger is something we see in books, but I haven't read a lot of books with an unlikable character that I actually liked because of that fact. I understood where Eldon was coming from and I followed his thoughts and concerns, and I still didn't approve of his fighting or rudeness. But I liked that change.
To me, this was a perfect book to read over the summer. It's a big book, but it's very fast paced and was a quick read.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Read in a single sitting. And you better believe I’ve been thinking about what wish I would make for myself!
There were no surprises in this book, but it was a fun quick read. Pretty typical YA fare, but the wishing premise added some interest. I enjoyed the desert setting. The main character, Eldon, and his friends weren't the most interesting characters to me. Their story felt pretty formulaic. What I enjoyed more were the stories of wishes past woven throughout the book and the "be careful what you wish for" lesson that they inevitably relayed.
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No