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A review by queer_bookwyrm
Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, blood, death, homophobia, child abuse mention, ICE agents/detention center mention
Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco is book one in the A Hundred Names for Magic series. Another great Rin Chupeco book! This one was very different from the others I've read by them. This one is set in a more familiar world, but combines other fantastical lands and stories into it.
We follow Tala, a spellbreaker (a person who's curse it is to negate magic) living in the desert town of Invierno, AZ, a town that also resists most magic. Because of Tala's family curse, she is an outsider with no friend besides Alex, who trusts her and her family to keep his royal secret. All the stories we know are true in this world: Jack Giantkiller, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and more. All Tala wants is to be able to control her curse and maybe go on a date with a cute boy.
One night, the legendary firebird shows up, reigniting hope that they will be able to restore Avalon, Alex's royal home, but with ICE agents everywhere and Ice Maidens and nightwalkers running after them, nothing is simple. Tala and Alex are joined by a ragtag group of teenage warriors called the Bandersnatchers, in order to help protect Alex and help restore the country of Avalon from it's frozen curse by the Snow Queen. Alex is hiding even more than Tala and the others know.
This was an exciting read that had an interesting magic system that actually involved technology and modernity. The concept of curses and dooms (not always bad) were fascinating. Chupeco also turns all the familiar fairytales on their heads, making princesses like Sleeping Beauty badasses in their own right. We also get to see some badass Filipino octogenarian warriors.
There are themes about immigration policies, political intrigue, the abuses of ICE agents, and the cost of selling one's soul for power and revenge. I love our little found family, and can't wait to see where things go with them in the next books with each of their prophecies/dooms. Nothing is as it seems, and that was most evident with the twist at the very end that I wasn't expecting! Chupeco has done it again!
Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco is book one in the A Hundred Names for Magic series. Another great Rin Chupeco book! This one was very different from the others I've read by them. This one is set in a more familiar world, but combines other fantastical lands and stories into it.
We follow Tala, a spellbreaker (a person who's curse it is to negate magic) living in the desert town of Invierno, AZ, a town that also resists most magic. Because of Tala's family curse, she is an outsider with no friend besides Alex, who trusts her and her family to keep his royal secret. All the stories we know are true in this world: Jack Giantkiller, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and more. All Tala wants is to be able to control her curse and maybe go on a date with a cute boy.
One night, the legendary firebird shows up, reigniting hope that they will be able to restore Avalon, Alex's royal home, but with ICE agents everywhere and Ice Maidens and nightwalkers running after them, nothing is simple. Tala and Alex are joined by a ragtag group of teenage warriors called the Bandersnatchers, in order to help protect Alex and help restore the country of Avalon from it's frozen curse by the Snow Queen. Alex is hiding even more than Tala and the others know.
This was an exciting read that had an interesting magic system that actually involved technology and modernity. The concept of curses and dooms (not always bad) were fascinating. Chupeco also turns all the familiar fairytales on their heads, making princesses like Sleeping Beauty badasses in their own right. We also get to see some badass Filipino octogenarian warriors.
There are themes about immigration policies, political intrigue, the abuses of ICE agents, and the cost of selling one's soul for power and revenge. I love our little found family, and can't wait to see where things go with them in the next books with each of their prophecies/dooms. Nothing is as it seems, and that was most evident with the twist at the very end that I wasn't expecting! Chupeco has done it again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Child abuse