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A review by starrysea98
The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury
5.0
I've heard so many mixed reviews about this book so just to sum it all up: The Forbidden Wish is absolutely worth the read.
I love fairytale retellings so when I saw this was a new take on Aladdin, I had to read it immediately. The cover is gorgeous and although my copy is one of those books where there are numerous one-lined reviews from various well known critics and zero synopsis, that did not deter me.
I liked Jessica's writing of Zahra - how she so desperately wants to set herself above humans so that she doesn't cause any more destruction like she did 500 years ago. I like how she's smart as well and that her love for Aladdin and the fact that she is an all-powerful jinni aren't her two defining features.
The writing is lyrical and the attention to detail is breathtaking. Jessica describes things so amazingly that she can make even the slums seem poetic. The plot isn't too heavy (one might even say it's basically a few events strung together by scenes between the key characters). However, this somehow works in the book's favour as it gives time to build the emotions and drop tiny hints to the ending of the story.
Really, this book just makes me want to go out into the street and yell at passer-bys to read it.
I love fairytale retellings so when I saw this was a new take on Aladdin, I had to read it immediately. The cover is gorgeous and although my copy is one of those books where there are numerous one-lined reviews from various well known critics and zero synopsis, that did not deter me.
I liked Jessica's writing of Zahra - how she so desperately wants to set herself above humans so that she doesn't cause any more destruction like she did 500 years ago. I like how she's smart as well and that her love for Aladdin and the fact that she is an all-powerful jinni aren't her two defining features.
The writing is lyrical and the attention to detail is breathtaking. Jessica describes things so amazingly that she can make even the slums seem poetic. The plot isn't too heavy (one might even say it's basically a few events strung together by scenes between the key characters). However, this somehow works in the book's favour as it gives time to build the emotions and drop tiny hints to the ending of the story.
Really, this book just makes me want to go out into the street and yell at passer-bys to read it.