erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
This was a book that was recommended to me by StoryGraph, but I'm not really enthused. Still trying to decide if I should give it 3 stars? because it's not really worth that.
It ticked a lot of the boxes that should put it in the running for a favourite for me: teen quest with prophecies in a world where magic is real and incorporating a lot of myth and legend from different places, loads of puns, multicultural rep with characters who are an international grab-bag, shape changers, geriatric warriors, magical creatures, an unknown betrayer, a non-binary character, and some LGBT+ rep. The title itself could even be considered a reference to Princess Bride "..as you wish." And yet..
I don't know how much of the cringe I get from this title comes from the performance of the narrator, who seemed to be hired for her talent with Tagalog but who fails MISErably when challenged to pronounce Japanese, Irish or French words, and even some English ones. I don't believe that they camped near a corpse of trees (copse, surely), groused doesn't rhyme with caroused, plover doesn't rhyme with clover, or wizen with horizon. English aside, the narrator sounds like she hasn't heard of the Marquis de Carabas (from the story of Puss in Boots), and I struggled to hear the actual name of the mythical Japanese sword but from guessing it as Ju-uchi ? I managed to websearch 十千夜寒 Juuchi Yosamu (clearly I haven't watched enough Naruto). I just about howled and threw down the book in disgust when she tried to read Oisín as Oy-sin.
I would feel like the work of the author had been heinously wronged by these abuses, but it seems to match with her literary prowess, in that while it is functional and sometimes interesting, it is often not very aesthetically pleasing. I feel like parts of the story are written to make it more accessible, but it just means lots of clumsy tautologies; saying everything twice... (humour intended). Descriptions were full of things like "noisy din", "large titan" or the mindboggling "daybreak broke through the horizon". I TRY to ignore these things and focus on story. I'm owning that part of this is my own snobbish insistence on conventional language.
It's really unfortunate that most YA fantasy authors seem to think that stories become more exciting with magical weapons, mythic monsters, and cinematic fight scenes. Possibly this book would work better as a graphic novel, because blow by blow battles are not really made any more fascinating for me with mythic swords, sticks, extending staff, electric whip or groovy scythe. A protracted fight scene is still... kinda dull. Multiple protracted fight scenes.. even more so.
I wonder if I got more or less out of this book by already knowing quite a few of the stories the characters were based on. Kay and Gerda were obviously lifted from the Snow Queen, though in this telling he was also Sir Kay from Arthurian legend. The Locksley and Nottingham family feud was no surprise to those who recognise the names from the Robin Hood stories. I did have a chuckle at the transMOGrification of Cheshire. Melucine was combined into the legend of the Little Mermaid in stories told by the characters. There was a lot of world explanation, history and politics that was spelled out in dialogue between characters. Unfortunately that didn't make it feel much more relevant or less dull. The theory of how the magicks work was, as is common in this type of story, covered in training montages or discussions of magic-school lessons.
Although there was a diverse cast, and some cool Pinoy family parties with loads of food, which made me smile, there were also a lot of low-key problematic things in the story.
Pro: a powerful city in the magic land that is inhabited by beautiful people from Africa
Con: and we think it's really important to focus on how hot these women are, that they win Miss Universe pageants, and we need to try and keep the boys from flirting with them
Pro: a diverse cast of teens from different areas of the world and different strengths and weaknesses
Con: casual meanness / teasing about those people's gifts and weaknesses, such as trying to get a character to "shut up" when he's having a conversation with an animal, or laughing at the guy who doesn't understand idioms, or the guy who is always honest and doesn't understand how it hurts people's feelings.
Pro/con: The use of pro/con lists, and the hassling of the use of pro/con lists.
I was so keen to like this story. I still rate it as better than Shannon Messengers "Keeper of the Lost.." series, but (as so wonderfully addressed) "m'ladies, m'gentlemen, m'NBs"... unfortunately, for me, that's a bounce.
It ticked a lot of the boxes that should put it in the running for a favourite for me: teen quest with prophecies in a world where magic is real and incorporating a lot of myth and legend from different places, loads of puns, multicultural rep with characters who are an international grab-bag, shape changers, geriatric warriors, magical creatures, an unknown betrayer, a non-binary character, and some LGBT+ rep. The title itself could even be considered a reference to Princess Bride "..as you wish." And yet..
I don't know how much of the cringe I get from this title comes from the performance of the narrator, who seemed to be hired for her talent with Tagalog but who fails MISErably when challenged to pronounce Japanese, Irish or French words, and even some English ones. I don't believe that they camped near a corpse of trees (copse, surely), groused doesn't rhyme with caroused, plover doesn't rhyme with clover, or wizen with horizon. English aside, the narrator sounds like she hasn't heard of the Marquis de Carabas (from the story of Puss in Boots), and I struggled to hear the actual name of the mythical Japanese sword but from guessing it as Ju-uchi ? I managed to websearch 十千夜寒 Juuchi Yosamu (clearly I haven't watched enough Naruto). I just about howled and threw down the book in disgust when she tried to read Oisín as Oy-sin.
I would feel like the work of the author had been heinously wronged by these abuses, but it seems to match with her literary prowess, in that while it is functional and sometimes interesting, it is often not very aesthetically pleasing. I feel like parts of the story are written to make it more accessible, but it just means lots of clumsy tautologies; saying everything twice... (humour intended). Descriptions were full of things like "noisy din", "large titan" or the mindboggling "daybreak broke through the horizon". I TRY to ignore these things and focus on story. I'm owning that part of this is my own snobbish insistence on conventional language.
It's really unfortunate that most YA fantasy authors seem to think that stories become more exciting with magical weapons, mythic monsters, and cinematic fight scenes. Possibly this book would work better as a graphic novel, because blow by blow battles are not really made any more fascinating for me with mythic swords, sticks, extending staff, electric whip or groovy scythe. A protracted fight scene is still... kinda dull. Multiple protracted fight scenes.. even more so.
I wonder if I got more or less out of this book by already knowing quite a few of the stories the characters were based on. Kay and Gerda were obviously lifted from the Snow Queen, though in this telling he was also Sir Kay from Arthurian legend. The Locksley and Nottingham family feud was no surprise to those who recognise the names from the Robin Hood stories. I did have a chuckle at the transMOGrification of Cheshire. Melucine was combined into the legend of the Little Mermaid in stories told by the characters. There was a lot of world explanation, history and politics that was spelled out in dialogue between characters. Unfortunately that didn't make it feel much more relevant or less dull. The theory of how the magicks work was, as is common in this type of story, covered in training montages or discussions of magic-school lessons.
Although there was a diverse cast, and some cool Pinoy family parties with loads of food, which made me smile, there were also a lot of low-key problematic things in the story.
Pro: a powerful city in the magic land that is inhabited by beautiful people from Africa
Con: and we think it's really important to focus on how hot these women are, that they win Miss Universe pageants, and we need to try and keep the boys from flirting with them
Pro: a diverse cast of teens from different areas of the world and different strengths and weaknesses
Con: casual meanness / teasing about those people's gifts and weaknesses, such as trying to get a character to "shut up" when he's having a conversation with an animal, or laughing at the guy who doesn't understand idioms, or the guy who is always honest and doesn't understand how it hurts people's feelings.
Pro/con: The use of pro/con lists, and the hassling of the use of pro/con lists.
I was so keen to like this story. I still rate it as better than Shannon Messengers "Keeper of the Lost.." series, but (as so wonderfully addressed) "m'ladies, m'gentlemen, m'NBs"... unfortunately, for me, that's a bounce.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Gore, Grief, Abandonment, Ableism, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, and War
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Slavery, Murder, Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Colonisation, Genocide, and War
guessgreenleaf's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Homophobia
Minor: Deportation, Violence, Blood, and Confinement
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Genocide, Grief, Homophobia, Police brutality, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Outing, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Vomit
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
5.0
Chupeco’s The Never Tilting World duology is one of my top five favorite fantasies of all time, so even though I didn’t know much about it, I was very excited for Wicked as You Wish. From the very first page, it hooked me, and I had such a fun time reading. It’s definitely a new favorite!
This book is unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s an urban fantasy set in an alternate version of our world, where America is a monarchy and various storybook worlds like Wonderland and Neverland are actual countries. This world’s history is an amalgamation of different fairytales blended with real world history, with King Arthur as prominent a historical figure as George Washington. Other stories and characters mentioned include Cinderella, Robin Hood, Briar Rose, the Snow Queen, Alice in Wonderland, and more. Loki is a prominent side character. Although it seems like a lot for one book, Chupeco made it all work. In fact, I found the creativity of it all quite fascinating.
I loved the characters. Tala, Alex, Zoe, Ken, West and Loki are all brilliant and complex, with such fun dynamics between them. They’re now one of my favorite found families. I know I say that about nearly every found family I come across, but I can’t help it. It’s one of my favorite tropes, and I really do love this ragtag group of heroes. I think Tala, Loki and Zoe are my favorites of the bunch.
One thing I noticed that I really appreciated was the lack of romance. Aside from a crush Tala has early on that quickly goes south, the only love here is familial and platonic. Zoe’s dating someone but they’re never actually on-page. As much as I was hoping for Tala and Zoe to end up together—despite there being no evidence of attraction on either end—I like that Chupeco chose to put the story’s focus elsewhere.
Although the story was slower at times, I never minded because the characters kept me entertained. I found myself always wanting to get back to the book whenever I had to put it down.
The ending went much smoother than expected, given that there’s a sequel, but I’m not complaining. My heart can only take so many cliffhangers. I will say that I found one thing predictable, saw it coming a mile away, but Tala’s reaction to said thing was interesting. I’m very curious to see if she changes her mind in the sequel.
And then there’s the epilogue….. excuse me, what? Like I said, not a cliffhanger, but also not something I ever, ever expected.
Looking very forward to book two!!! Stop sleeping on Rin Chupeco’s books, y’all!!!
Representation
This book is unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s an urban fantasy set in an alternate version of our world, where America is a monarchy and various storybook worlds like Wonderland and Neverland are actual countries. This world’s history is an amalgamation of different fairytales blended with real world history, with King Arthur as prominent a historical figure as George Washington. Other stories and characters mentioned include Cinderella, Robin Hood, Briar Rose, the Snow Queen, Alice in Wonderland, and more. Loki is a prominent side character. Although it seems like a lot for one book, Chupeco made it all work. In fact, I found the creativity of it all quite fascinating.
I loved the characters. Tala, Alex, Zoe, Ken, West and Loki are all brilliant and complex, with such fun dynamics between them. They’re now one of my favorite found families. I know I say that about nearly every found family I come across, but I can’t help it. It’s one of my favorite tropes, and I really do love this ragtag group of heroes. I think Tala, Loki and Zoe are my favorites of the bunch.
One thing I noticed that I really appreciated was the lack of romance. Aside from a crush Tala has early on that quickly goes south, the only love here is familial and platonic. Zoe’s dating someone but they’re never actually on-page. As much as I was hoping for Tala and Zoe to end up together—despite there being no evidence of attraction on either end—I like that Chupeco chose to put the story’s focus elsewhere.
Although the story was slower at times, I never minded because the characters kept me entertained. I found myself always wanting to get back to the book whenever I had to put it down.
The ending went much smoother than expected, given that there’s a sequel, but I’m not complaining. My heart can only take so many cliffhangers. I will say that I found one thing predictable, saw it coming a mile away, but Tala’s reaction to said thing was interesting. I’m very curious to see if she changes her mind in the sequel.
And then there’s the epilogue….. excuse me, what? Like I said, not a cliffhanger, but also not something I ever, ever expected.
Spoiler
The firebird is loyal to the Snow Queen?? Was, this whole time?? I’m very concerned about what this means for Tala and Alex and the rest of the crew. Much concern, very feelings.Looking very forward to book two!!! Stop sleeping on Rin Chupeco’s books, y’all!!!
Representation
- Filipino protagonist and side characters
- gay side character
- East Asian side character
- Chinese nonbinary side character that uses they/them pronouns
- side characters of color
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism
Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse and Genocide
A prominent side character’s parents died prior to the story and that’s referenced a few times. Same with the genocide and the child abuse, though the latter is regarding a minor side character.angelicathebookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Violence, Xenophobia, and Racism
malloryfitz's review against another edition
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Xenophobia
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Violence, Racism, Murder, Homophobia, Genocide, and Cursing
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