bookbragger's review
5.0
16 year old Elva has a secret, she can see the future in reflective services. One day she glimpses a terrible disaster that she will do anything to prevent knowing that all her visions come true. She embarks on a quest to find the witch of the north woods hoping that she will understand her visions, whilst searching she comes across the witches old cottage, deciding to have a look around she discovers a mirror, using it’s power to navigate her way to Mathilda (The witch of the north woods). Just like her parents seventeen years ago she forms a friendship with Mathilda travelling there every night when her parents and brothers are in bed; to avoid arising suspicion Mathilda grants Elva with a pair of magical shoes that hide her footsteps and masks any sound. gaining Mathilda’s trust Elva gains advice on how to best treat her visions and use her magic to her best advantage. Now it’s up to Elva to find a way to come to hand with her magic before it’s to late.
I really enjoyed this historical dark fantasy as a male reader reading a book with mostly female characters and written by a female author, although not a horror it has the same chills and thrills as one. I fell in love with Elva fearing and wishing the best for her. This book has all the emotions and magical elements it needs (there reverences to the Brothers Grimm and classic fairy tales). Exactly what I was expecting from a dark fantasy inspired book. Broken Wish is the first book in a quartet all following a different generation of the family and all written by different authors after book two [b:Shattered Midnight|57007816|Shattered Midnight (The Mirror, #2)|Dhonielle Clayton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1620329338l/57007816._SY75_.jpg|79185925] the series will follow a nine month publishing plan with the following books to be written by [a:J.C. Cervantes|16948228|J.C. Cervantes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1535749086p2/16948228.jpg] and [a:L.L. McKinney|16354343|L.L. McKinney|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1485606521p2/16354343.jpg]
I really enjoyed this historical dark fantasy as a male reader reading a book with mostly female characters and written by a female author, although not a horror it has the same chills and thrills as one. I fell in love with Elva fearing and wishing the best for her. This book has all the emotions and magical elements it needs (there reverences to the Brothers Grimm and classic fairy tales). Exactly what I was expecting from a dark fantasy inspired book. Broken Wish is the first book in a quartet all following a different generation of the family and all written by different authors after book two [b:Shattered Midnight|57007816|Shattered Midnight (The Mirror, #2)|Dhonielle Clayton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1620329338l/57007816._SY75_.jpg|79185925] the series will follow a nine month publishing plan with the following books to be written by [a:J.C. Cervantes|16948228|J.C. Cervantes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1535749086p2/16948228.jpg] and [a:L.L. McKinney|16354343|L.L. McKinney|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1485606521p2/16354343.jpg]
azazou78's review
3.0
Lecture mitigée. Les évènements de la première partie m'ont fait mal au cœur, mais donnaient envie de poursuivre la lecture. Une fois l'histoire d'Elva débutée, j'attendais un peu plus d'actions et de magie, deux choses qui ne viennent jamais ou trop peu. J'ai trouvé le tout trop léger, pas assez developpé, autant pour les personnages que pour l'intrigue. Je n'ai réussi à m'attacher qu'à Mathilda, et un peu à Elva, les autres personnages m'ont paru assez transparents, et la fin m'a quelque peu déçue.
Néanmoins, le tout se laisse lire sans problème et relativement rapidement. Le niveau d'anglais est accessible, facile à lire. Quant à lire la suite, peut-être, je verrais quand elle sortira.
Néanmoins, le tout se laisse lire sans problème et relativement rapidement. Le niveau d'anglais est accessible, facile à lire. Quant à lire la suite, peut-être, je verrais quand elle sortira.
riverlasol's review
4.0
I loved the idea of this series as soon as I heard of it and I’ve been wanting to read some of Julie Dao’s work for a while, so I was really looking forward to reading this! I found that the lyrical prose and the characters easily pulled me into the story. The romance element felt a little flat to me, but it didn’t really bother me as the book went on and it wasn’t the main focus. I thought Julie Dao did a great job of talking about prejudice and I really liked the magic elements, too. The magic itself wasn’t anything spectacularly unique, but it was talked about in a unique way: give and take was a recurring theme and one that lent itself amazingly to the surprising ending. The ending is what made this a four star read for me, in fact, and it leaves me wondering what is to come in this series! I’m glad I got to read this and I would recommend it to any YA fantasy fan who is looking for any easy read (by which I mean it’s easy to just enjoy without thinking too hard).
anxiousdaydreamer's review
4.0
A little slow of a start, but it did get better as it went on! It's a good start to a series, and I do want to see where it goes.
contisha's review
2.0
This fairytale started strong with the backstory. However, as we got into Elva’s part of the story, the story got slow and repetitive. Same words and phrases were monotonous. I plan to still read the second book, but this wasn’t what I had hoped for.
kylielovesbooks's review
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book surprised me in the best way! I flew through it. It was so easy to get lost in this story.
The characters were wonderful. I loved getting to know Agnes and Oskar who later become the parents of the real main character Elva. Agnes and Mathilda had the cutest friendship and I was so heartbroken when she allowed Oskar to persuade her to end that friendship. It was a very good way to have a backstory before the "real" story started. The rest of the story is the aftermath of that broken promise between Agnes and Mathilda.
Elva is a great female character. She cares so much about her family, but realizes that the gift she has is just that, a gift, not a curse and she wants to go against her family to really perfect it. She was a great friend to Mathilda and I loved the growth of their relationship. Cay was an absolutely adorable brother.
The plot was very interesting as well. I was immediately sad that Elva was supposed to hide her power of seeing the future just because other people might not like it. Once she finally used it and saw the big storm coming to ruin the family's farm I was on the edge of my seat wondering if the vision would come to be.
The only thing that kind of bothered me was how over the top Mathilda was. In my opinion she completely overreacted at once certain thing that I don't want to give away having to do with Elva. After all Elva did and all the promises she kept, one thing happened and she threw a tantrum and literally moved away.
Knowing that this is the first book in a series that spans over several generations, it really sets up well for the rest of the series!
This book surprised me in the best way! I flew through it. It was so easy to get lost in this story.
The characters were wonderful. I loved getting to know Agnes and Oskar who later become the parents of the real main character Elva. Agnes and Mathilda had the cutest friendship and I was so heartbroken when she allowed Oskar to persuade her to end that friendship. It was a very good way to have a backstory before the "real" story started. The rest of the story is the aftermath of that broken promise between Agnes and Mathilda.
Elva is a great female character. She cares so much about her family, but realizes that the gift she has is just that, a gift, not a curse and she wants to go against her family to really perfect it. She was a great friend to Mathilda and I loved the growth of their relationship. Cay was an absolutely adorable brother.
The plot was very interesting as well. I was immediately sad that Elva was supposed to hide her power of seeing the future just because other people might not like it. Once she finally used it and saw the big storm coming to ruin the family's farm I was on the edge of my seat wondering if the vision would come to be.
The only thing that kind of bothered me was how over the top Mathilda was. In my opinion she completely overreacted at once certain thing that I don't want to give away having to do with Elva. After all Elva did and all the promises she kept, one thing happened and she threw a tantrum and literally moved away.
Knowing that this is the first book in a series that spans over several generations, it really sets up well for the rest of the series!
emmalui's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.75
phyrre's review
4.0
You can read my full review on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Den, here.
Many thanks to Disney-Hyperion and Rockstar Books for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I confess I’ve never read a Julie C. Dao book, even though her books have been on my TBR for a while and I’ve heard wonderful things about her. This one, though … this got me. I’m a sucker for fairy tale retellings, and this one just grabbed my attention. Plus, I read an excerpt, and the writing? *chef’s kiss*
Broken Wish is a retelling that blends together several fairy tales in a nod to the stories we all know and love, but with a fresh take, focused on friendship, the power of promises, and the ways in which magic can be used—for good and for evil.
Dao clearly has a talent for writing. I have no complaints on that front. The prose is absolutely gorgeous, and the whole thing felt perfectly like a fairy tale. I’ll admit that there were times there just didn’t seem like a direction or plot, so it felt a little slow until something happened again to give it a direction. The ending was also a little … sudden? There were things about the ending I loved and things I didn’t, so middle of the road. Overall, though, I really enjoyed it, will definitely keep an eye out for the rest of this series, and I do plan on picking up more Julie C. Dao books for sure after this.
My Thoughts:
- Dao does a marvelous job creating a dreamy, fairy tale atmosphere, filled with magic and gorgeous, atmospheric writing. I mentioned there were times when the plot was a bit slow or meandering, but honestly, I never had the desire to actually set it down and leave it, because the masterful writing more than made up for the occasional lag in the plot. Not only does Dao’s writing perfectly elicit the feel of a fairy tale, it takes it one step further by blending in little nuggets from a whole host of tales we’re familiar with. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I’m a huge fan of little Easter eggs in stories. It feels like winning a treasure each time you find one. Which is why I’m not going to delve too deep into specifics on this front, but there were definitely little nods to other stories, from mentions of the Grimm brothers and their stories (which I loved) to scenes that include iconic fairy tale items. Read this one with eagle eyes, reader, because there is so much good stuff to be discovered!
- I loved the focus on platonic love in this. While there is some romance, the spotlight really goes to the sibling bonds and the friendships and the many ways there are to love another person. I’m not usually a huge fan of romance in the best of times, so it may come as no surprise that the little romance in this did absolutely nothing for me. But the friendships and sibling bonds? YES! Elva has always been close with her younger brother, Cay. Both of them believe in magic and see the world with the same curiosity and wonder. Unfortunately, Elva’s secrets drive a rift between the two of them. I loved the honest struggle in this book of wanting to protect your loved one but not quite knowing how to go about it. My two favorite friendships in this book, though, are actually foils, each one truly testing the boundaries of friendship. I can’t say much about them, because they’re spoilers, but I loved the way they were similar and yet very different, but asked the same question: how important is friendship?
- The theme of this book is really promises … whether you keep them, how you break them, and what consequences that might entail. Going in, I didn’t expect to love this aspect nearly as much as I did. Promises have a sort of power unto themselves, though, once spoken into existence. Breaking them has consequences. So you really have to ask yourself: how much am I willing to give up for the sake of not keeping my word? The way this is spun is so unique in that it’s really a discussion about the birth of family curses, where they come from and how they come to be. This book peels back the curtains a little and shows how someone’s fate can be altered by the actions of the previous generations, sometimes without them even have intended it. I absolutely loved this discussion, because how often do we promise to do things without giving it any thought? It’s so simple to utter, “I promise,” without really thinking there’ll be consequences to it if you just break that.
- This entire book conjures up the feelings of a fairy tale, sitting somewhere between the traditional happy ones and the darker Grimm’s ones, with a feeling that not everyone gets a happily ever after. This book promises nothing, which is honestly so refreshing for a retelling. It feels like a fairy tale, but unlike Disney stories, not everything is guaranteed to end up all sunshine and roses. It’s definitely a bit darker. Unlike Grimm’s fairy tales, though, it’s not so dark that a parent might hesitate to let their child read it. Broken Wish walks a fine line somewhere in between that allows just enough room for surprises. I just loved that nothing was guaranteed or even as it first seems, and it really makes you question first impressions.
Sticking Points:
- While I thoroughly enjoyed everything, I still found myself wanting a little more: from the characters, the plot, the world. It didn’t feel as fleshed out as it could have. The characters don’t really seem to have motives. They appear to be stumbling from one plot point to the next for convenience, rather than some inward desire. This changes for Elva toward the middle of the book, which is the part that I like best, when there seems a clear direction of things. I loved the world, but I wanted more about it, too. It’s like we get a little bit of a primer, just the basics, but there’s not much delving into the real interesting parts like the magic and such.
Many thanks to Disney-Hyperion and Rockstar Books for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I confess I’ve never read a Julie C. Dao book, even though her books have been on my TBR for a while and I’ve heard wonderful things about her. This one, though … this got me. I’m a sucker for fairy tale retellings, and this one just grabbed my attention. Plus, I read an excerpt, and the writing? *chef’s kiss*
Broken Wish is a retelling that blends together several fairy tales in a nod to the stories we all know and love, but with a fresh take, focused on friendship, the power of promises, and the ways in which magic can be used—for good and for evil.
Dao clearly has a talent for writing. I have no complaints on that front. The prose is absolutely gorgeous, and the whole thing felt perfectly like a fairy tale. I’ll admit that there were times there just didn’t seem like a direction or plot, so it felt a little slow until something happened again to give it a direction. The ending was also a little … sudden? There were things about the ending I loved and things I didn’t, so middle of the road. Overall, though, I really enjoyed it, will definitely keep an eye out for the rest of this series, and I do plan on picking up more Julie C. Dao books for sure after this.
My Thoughts:
- Dao does a marvelous job creating a dreamy, fairy tale atmosphere, filled with magic and gorgeous, atmospheric writing. I mentioned there were times when the plot was a bit slow or meandering, but honestly, I never had the desire to actually set it down and leave it, because the masterful writing more than made up for the occasional lag in the plot. Not only does Dao’s writing perfectly elicit the feel of a fairy tale, it takes it one step further by blending in little nuggets from a whole host of tales we’re familiar with. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I’m a huge fan of little Easter eggs in stories. It feels like winning a treasure each time you find one. Which is why I’m not going to delve too deep into specifics on this front, but there were definitely little nods to other stories, from mentions of the Grimm brothers and their stories (which I loved) to scenes that include iconic fairy tale items. Read this one with eagle eyes, reader, because there is so much good stuff to be discovered!
- I loved the focus on platonic love in this. While there is some romance, the spotlight really goes to the sibling bonds and the friendships and the many ways there are to love another person. I’m not usually a huge fan of romance in the best of times, so it may come as no surprise that the little romance in this did absolutely nothing for me. But the friendships and sibling bonds? YES! Elva has always been close with her younger brother, Cay. Both of them believe in magic and see the world with the same curiosity and wonder. Unfortunately, Elva’s secrets drive a rift between the two of them. I loved the honest struggle in this book of wanting to protect your loved one but not quite knowing how to go about it. My two favorite friendships in this book, though, are actually foils, each one truly testing the boundaries of friendship. I can’t say much about them, because they’re spoilers, but I loved the way they were similar and yet very different, but asked the same question: how important is friendship?
- The theme of this book is really promises … whether you keep them, how you break them, and what consequences that might entail. Going in, I didn’t expect to love this aspect nearly as much as I did. Promises have a sort of power unto themselves, though, once spoken into existence. Breaking them has consequences. So you really have to ask yourself: how much am I willing to give up for the sake of not keeping my word? The way this is spun is so unique in that it’s really a discussion about the birth of family curses, where they come from and how they come to be. This book peels back the curtains a little and shows how someone’s fate can be altered by the actions of the previous generations, sometimes without them even have intended it. I absolutely loved this discussion, because how often do we promise to do things without giving it any thought? It’s so simple to utter, “I promise,” without really thinking there’ll be consequences to it if you just break that.
- This entire book conjures up the feelings of a fairy tale, sitting somewhere between the traditional happy ones and the darker Grimm’s ones, with a feeling that not everyone gets a happily ever after. This book promises nothing, which is honestly so refreshing for a retelling. It feels like a fairy tale, but unlike Disney stories, not everything is guaranteed to end up all sunshine and roses. It’s definitely a bit darker. Unlike Grimm’s fairy tales, though, it’s not so dark that a parent might hesitate to let their child read it. Broken Wish walks a fine line somewhere in between that allows just enough room for surprises. I just loved that nothing was guaranteed or even as it first seems, and it really makes you question first impressions.
Sticking Points:
- While I thoroughly enjoyed everything, I still found myself wanting a little more: from the characters, the plot, the world. It didn’t feel as fleshed out as it could have. The characters don’t really seem to have motives. They appear to be stumbling from one plot point to the next for convenience, rather than some inward desire. This changes for Elva toward the middle of the book, which is the part that I like best, when there seems a clear direction of things. I loved the world, but I wanted more about it, too. It’s like we get a little bit of a primer, just the basics, but there’s not much delving into the real interesting parts like the magic and such.
momwithareadingproblem's review
4.0
I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
A promising start to a new series, The Mirror: Broken Wish by Julie C. Dao is a prequel of sorts telling a story about a witch, her ill-fated friendship, and the by product of feuding. Elva is a young girl on her way to womanhood with a remarkable gift of foresight. She sees the future when she looks at her reflection, mostly through liquid. For her protection, her parents have taught her to keep her ability a secret. Don’t want the villagers burning a witch at the stake
A promising start to a new series, The Mirror: Broken Wish by Julie C. Dao is a prequel of sorts telling a story about a witch, her ill-fated friendship, and the by product of feuding. Elva is a young girl on her way to womanhood with a remarkable gift of foresight. She sees the future when she looks at her reflection, mostly through liquid. For her protection, her parents have taught her to keep her ability a secret. Don’t want the villagers burning a witch at the stake
kmspedden's review
5.0
*I received a free ARC of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
What a book.
It's honestly the first phrase that comes to mind with everything that Julie C. Dao writes. She weaves such amazing stories that you can't put the book down until you're done and once you are, you want more. Broken Wish was an amazing story weaving together the perfect start to a family curse that will flow through the four books in The Mirror series. Honestly the only thing I was disappointed in was that it took place in Germany because I love the settings for all of her other novels. but it was truly amazing. Everything in the story relies on choices. Whatever choice you make can change your life and the world around you. Elva's mother made the choice not to visit Mathilda after she took the tonic and later on Elva made choices of her own that changed everything.
Honestly I don't know how to describe everything without giving away spoilers which I don't want to do. Everyone should pick up this book and I can't wait to see what happens in Book Two which will be written by Dhonielle Clayton. I just can't believe I have to wait almost a year for it!
What a book.
It's honestly the first phrase that comes to mind with everything that Julie C. Dao writes. She weaves such amazing stories that you can't put the book down until you're done and once you are, you want more. Broken Wish was an amazing story weaving together the perfect start to a family curse that will flow through the four books in The Mirror series. Honestly the only thing I was disappointed in was that it took place in Germany because I love the settings for all of her other novels. but it was truly amazing. Everything in the story relies on choices. Whatever choice you make can change your life and the world around you. Elva's mother made the choice not to visit Mathilda after she took the tonic and later on Elva made choices of her own that changed everything.
Honestly I don't know how to describe everything without giving away spoilers which I don't want to do. Everyone should pick up this book and I can't wait to see what happens in Book Two which will be written by Dhonielle Clayton. I just can't believe I have to wait almost a year for it!