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blueshifted 's review for:
As You Wish
by Jackson Pearce
This was a more thoughtful and introspective insight into the mind of a teenage girl. One who has grown up with the neighbor next door, dated him for 2 years, and at the moment she decides to share an intimate experience with him, he tells her he is gay.
He still loves her, he's still a very loyal friend. But Viola can't seem to recover, and she see's herself as invisible, and wants more then anything to belong, and feel wanted and needed.
Her lonely wishing attracts the attention of the Djinn and they send out a young Djinn to take care of her 3 wishes. He arrives, scares the poor girl out of her mind by showing up in her bedroom. And he's also very, very hostile about every single second that he has to spend on earth, aging. Watching his hair grow, watching Viola age from one minute to the next, knowing that his immortality is slipping away from him for every moment that she wastes, unable to make up her mind what to wish for. To her credit actually, she doesn't want things to be "fake" or be something she's not, or have someone else be who they are not.
And he realizes in his world of Calaban, where people don't have names, they don't age, they don't fall in love, no-one has any identity, and someone who forges ahead in giving him one, has a very life changing effect on him. He stops resenting humans, and starts wanting to be one of them.
Viola is easy to like, because she is kind, and funny. But she feels broken, so very broken. And thought everyone around her, tries to tell her differently, she doesn't believe it's something she can achieve on her own.
In some ways her prolonged grief has made her a little self-absorbed, she doesn't always notice the kindnesses of others, or that with just a little effort on her part, she could have what she wants. But as always, what things appear to be, and how they feel are different things, and it's easy to get those things confused.
Jinn because to realize that he's very jealous of her new relationship, he is a little psychic, in that he can tell her wishes and feelings from the bond that they have. And he knows she's not happy, when he makes his own attempts to intervene however, they are not quite appreciated by Viola, and in a fit of anger, he demands a "press" which is a procedure for unwilling wishers, where they are put in a situation where they HAVE to wish, so that the Djinn can get the whole business over with and just go home.
The press works...and soon she has just one wish left. They get over their initial fight, and realize that they like each other, but that after the third wish, he'll return, and she will forget all about him. And neither of them want that. But the press that he requested is already in motion, and she has to make another choice, and another wish....
She forgets. But she is a different girl. Jinn made the pieces fit. She makes friends, real friends, and she begins to heal from her ex-boyfriend, and feels no need to date the hot guy who wasn't really for her, just because she was lonely or enjoyed the attention.
And Jinn finds a loophole to come back to earth, but the only question is, will Viola be able to get her memories back, of what they had, or will he have to start over, and convince her of his strange tale?
I think maybe our heroine was a little co-dependant. But I also think that's where I have the disadvantage of being an adult reading a YA book. Because when I was 16, I wanted to find true love, I wanted very much to be totally codependant and completely into someone to the point of distraction (hey, hormones, how are you?). This book would have fulfilled my 16 year old fantasies.
But.
As an adult, I think finding true love (not just someone to go steady with, but a powerful mythical being who is willing to dedicate themselves to you for the rest of your and their life) at 16 is absolutely a terrible idea, and inside I'm screaming....nooooooooo, find yourself first, get your own identity and go out in the world, there's so much more to do, so do it first and then start seriously dating.
But all in all, the character does actually have something going for her, and you can see why said powerful mythical being would feel drawn to her, she's genuine, and thoughtful. And naive, perhaps a little immature, but then, so is he.
So if you want a sweet, easy read. Please read on!
He still loves her, he's still a very loyal friend. But Viola can't seem to recover, and she see's herself as invisible, and wants more then anything to belong, and feel wanted and needed.
Her lonely wishing attracts the attention of the Djinn and they send out a young Djinn to take care of her 3 wishes. He arrives, scares the poor girl out of her mind by showing up in her bedroom. And he's also very, very hostile about every single second that he has to spend on earth, aging. Watching his hair grow, watching Viola age from one minute to the next, knowing that his immortality is slipping away from him for every moment that she wastes, unable to make up her mind what to wish for. To her credit actually, she doesn't want things to be "fake" or be something she's not, or have someone else be who they are not.
Spoiler
It seems in the history of his granting wishes, people never stop to ask him about himself, where he's from, they never ask him to break rules, like calling them by their first name instead of "Master". They don't make him watch TV with them, or become visible to their friends, or offer to make him hot pockets.And he realizes in his world of Calaban, where people don't have names, they don't age, they don't fall in love, no-one has any identity, and someone who forges ahead in giving him one, has a very life changing effect on him. He stops resenting humans, and starts wanting to be one of them.
Viola is easy to like, because she is kind, and funny. But she feels broken, so very broken. And thought everyone around her, tries to tell her differently, she doesn't believe it's something she can achieve on her own.
In some ways her prolonged grief has made her a little self-absorbed, she doesn't always notice the kindnesses of others, or that with just a little effort on her part, she could have what she wants. But as always, what things appear to be, and how they feel are different things, and it's easy to get those things confused.
Spoiler
She makes a semi-drunk wish, to belong. And just like that, her first wish is granted, she's not dating the hot guy from the popular crowd, and everyone wants to talk to her, and be around her. Finally she belongs! At first she's very happy to go along, and be the center of attention, but eventually it gets old. The same parties, the same guy, that doesn't really "get" her trying to force a lot of physical affection on her, till it becomes embarassing and a burden. She belongs, but it doesn't fill the lonely ache in her heart, not at all. But now she knows that to appear, and to actually be are different things.Jinn because to realize that he's very jealous of her new relationship, he is a little psychic, in that he can tell her wishes and feelings from the bond that they have. And he knows she's not happy, when he makes his own attempts to intervene however, they are not quite appreciated by Viola, and in a fit of anger, he demands a "press" which is a procedure for unwilling wishers, where they are put in a situation where they HAVE to wish, so that the Djinn can get the whole business over with and just go home.
The press works...and soon she has just one wish left. They get over their initial fight, and realize that they like each other, but that after the third wish, he'll return, and she will forget all about him. And neither of them want that. But the press that he requested is already in motion, and she has to make another choice, and another wish....
She forgets. But she is a different girl. Jinn made the pieces fit. She makes friends, real friends, and she begins to heal from her ex-boyfriend, and feels no need to date the hot guy who wasn't really for her, just because she was lonely or enjoyed the attention.
And Jinn finds a loophole to come back to earth, but the only question is, will Viola be able to get her memories back, of what they had, or will he have to start over, and convince her of his strange tale?
I think maybe our heroine was a little co-dependant. But I also think that's where I have the disadvantage of being an adult reading a YA book. Because when I was 16, I wanted to find true love, I wanted very much to be totally codependant and completely into someone to the point of distraction (hey, hormones, how are you?). This book would have fulfilled my 16 year old fantasies.
But.
As an adult, I think finding true love (not just someone to go steady with, but a powerful mythical being who is willing to dedicate themselves to you for the rest of your and their life) at 16 is absolutely a terrible idea, and inside I'm screaming....nooooooooo, find yourself first, get your own identity and go out in the world, there's so much more to do, so do it first and then start seriously dating.
But all in all, the character does actually have something going for her, and you can see why said powerful mythical being would feel drawn to her, she's genuine, and thoughtful. And naive, perhaps a little immature, but then, so is he.
So if you want a sweet, easy read. Please read on!