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lavendermarch's review against another edition
3.0
I bought the book at the bookstore yesterday. Pretty cover at least. A disappointing fairy tale retelling though, which was historical and without magic, and Christian fiction.
The story was okay, and got more exciting around halfway in. I liked the characters alright, but they weren’t phenomenal, and didn’t feel all that fleshed out. Honestly, the story, while somewhat interesting once it got going, didn’t have the most exciting characters or romance. 3 stars. The actual retelling aspect was disappointing, as pretty much the only element of the original Aladdin it retained was character names.
I would not recommend it.
The story was okay, and got more exciting around halfway in. I liked the characters alright, but they weren’t phenomenal, and didn’t feel all that fleshed out. Honestly, the story, while somewhat interesting once it got going, didn’t have the most exciting characters or romance. 3 stars. The actual retelling aspect was disappointing, as pretty much the only element of the original Aladdin it retained was character names.
I would not recommend it.
kerrycat's review against another edition
5.0
This is the sweetest story Dickerson has ever written (and that is saying something) and quite possibly the sweetest story ever. An absolutely lovely Aladdin retelling with enough that is new and enough kept of the old to keep it both interesting as well as traditional. Definite crossover appeal for teens of any age, along with adult fans of inspirational/sweet romance.
loki728's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
edenyvincent's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t truly enjoy this book. I love the series, but this one was so drawn out and frustrating. I don’t understand why she was kidnapped for so long and it wasn’t very smooth. I honestly didn’t see any resemblance at all to the Aladdin story, only his name and appearance. I love the series a lot, but this one stumbled a bit. I did enjoy this book a little, but it literally had nothing to do with Aladdin. There are some good characters, but a lot of them aren’t well kept through the series. Like how Kirstyn was not very quiet in this. I act like I didn’t like this book, but I did enjoy most of it. Beautiful cover, too. I totally recommend this series to anyone who love Christian love stories.
christian_faith_and_fiction's review against another edition
4.0
Story Enjoyment Rating: 7/10 Christian Faith Rating: 3/3
Orphan’s Wish by Melanie Dickerson is a Christian young adult medieval romance inspired by the characters in Aladdin.
This book follows the orphan Aladdin who is rescued from a life as a thief by a priest. He is taken to Hagenheim, where he meets Lady Kirstyn, the daughter of the Duke. They become great friends and grow up together. Aladdin always tries to protect Kirstyn until one day he can’t. He is also determined to prove his worth and make his fortune.
Some characters are named after and resemble characters in the Disney film Aladdin. However, I didn’t find many similarities in the plot. I enjoyed large chunks of the plot. But I found it a bit disjointed, and the ending was quite haphazard.
It wasn’t my favourite book in this series, but I still enjoyed it.
There was Christian content throughout this story. God was working in their lives and the lives of the people around them.
(Content contains some violence and abusive behaviour)
Orphan’s Wish by Melanie Dickerson is a Christian young adult medieval romance inspired by the characters in Aladdin.
This book follows the orphan Aladdin who is rescued from a life as a thief by a priest. He is taken to Hagenheim, where he meets Lady Kirstyn, the daughter of the Duke. They become great friends and grow up together. Aladdin always tries to protect Kirstyn until one day he can’t. He is also determined to prove his worth and make his fortune.
Some characters are named after and resemble characters in the Disney film Aladdin. However, I didn’t find many similarities in the plot. I enjoyed large chunks of the plot. But I found it a bit disjointed, and the ending was quite haphazard.
It wasn’t my favourite book in this series, but I still enjoyed it.
There was Christian content throughout this story. God was working in their lives and the lives of the people around them.
(Content contains some violence and abusive behaviour)
dasha_jesus_reading's review against another edition
fast-paced
5.0
Okay, if you don’t like this book…just reread it. Really savor all of it. Truly remarkable is what this book is.
english_lady03's review against another edition
4.0
After a hiatus of over a year, there's finally another Melanie Dickerson fairytale retelling out! I have read all of her previous books, and whilst I have to admit I was not very keen on The Silent Songbird and The Noble Servant, this one I liked better. Back on form I would say.
I don't know the story of Alladin well, which this is a retelling of, but I thought it kept true to the spirit of what I know of the story, including a Genie, of sorts.
It follows Kristyn, one of the 8 children of the Duke and Duchess of Hagenhiem (the family which feature in most of the other stories in this series). She has a severe dose of Middle Child syndrome. She's quiet, a little shy, and feels she often isn't noticed by her parents, especially when her naughty younger siblings take all the attention.
Her only real freind is Aladdin, a young Saracen boy who was rescued from the Holy Land from a band of thieves, as a child, and bought to Germany by a pilgrim (NOT a Crusader: there were no Crusades in the Middle East at that time), and a priest.
Kristyn and Aladdin play together as children, striking up a lasting friendship. His intelligence eventually comes to the attention of Kristyn's father, who hires him. Alladin however, strives for better things. He wants to make his fortune to prove himself worthy of love and marriage, and goes off to become a merchant: and he can't do that as a Duke's steward.
Over the years, many adventures follow, as love and faith are tested, and the story explores a number of important themes, including self-worth, identity and how the past can influence the future.
For example, everyone says Aladdin is 'perfect', because he's smart, honest, and good at almost everything: and that sets up an expectation of perfection: something which is, of course untattainable. He has to really mature and learn about life to realize that.
I also rather appreciated the fact that the Romance elements were more in the background this this novel. It wasn't just mushy kissing or longing looks all the time. The romance developed over time, and the hero and heroine were apart for long periods.
I was initially concerned that the main conflict of the story seemed to be resolved halfway through: but it was not, and there was enough tension through the rest of it.
Apart from a couple of details which I wasn't sure about historically and the occasional use of the word 'gotten', there wasn't much I found objectionable in this story.
Very enjoyable and recommended to fans of Fairy-Tale retellings, Medieval stories, and books by this author.
I requested this title from the publisher via Booklook Bloggers, and purchased the audiobook of my own volition. I was not requireed to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.
I don't know the story of Alladin well, which this is a retelling of, but I thought it kept true to the spirit of what I know of the story, including a Genie, of sorts.
It follows Kristyn, one of the 8 children of the Duke and Duchess of Hagenhiem (the family which feature in most of the other stories in this series). She has a severe dose of Middle Child syndrome. She's quiet, a little shy, and feels she often isn't noticed by her parents, especially when her naughty younger siblings take all the attention.
Her only real freind is Aladdin, a young Saracen boy who was rescued from the Holy Land from a band of thieves, as a child, and bought to Germany by a pilgrim (NOT a Crusader: there were no Crusades in the Middle East at that time), and a priest.
Kristyn and Aladdin play together as children, striking up a lasting friendship. His intelligence eventually comes to the attention of Kristyn's father, who hires him. Alladin however, strives for better things. He wants to make his fortune to prove himself worthy of love and marriage, and goes off to become a merchant: and he can't do that as a Duke's steward.
Over the years, many adventures follow, as love and faith are tested, and the story explores a number of important themes, including self-worth, identity and how the past can influence the future.
For example, everyone says Aladdin is 'perfect', because he's smart, honest, and good at almost everything: and that sets up an expectation of perfection: something which is, of course untattainable. He has to really mature and learn about life to realize that.
I also rather appreciated the fact that the Romance elements were more in the background this this novel. It wasn't just mushy kissing or longing looks all the time. The romance developed over time, and the hero and heroine were apart for long periods.
I was initially concerned that the main conflict of the story seemed to be resolved halfway through: but it was not, and there was enough tension through the rest of it.
Apart from a couple of details which I wasn't sure about historically and the occasional use of the word 'gotten', there wasn't much I found objectionable in this story.
Very enjoyable and recommended to fans of Fairy-Tale retellings, Medieval stories, and books by this author.
I requested this title from the publisher via Booklook Bloggers, and purchased the audiobook of my own volition. I was not requireed to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.
votesforwomen's review against another edition
2.0
So I made myself finish this. I did receive it in exchange for a review, but review was not required.
I'll be quite honest--I hated this book. I'm going to try to find some good things, but we'll see. XD
POSITIVES:
+The 1400s was kind of a cool setting! I didn't feel like it was utilized as much as it could have been, but that's an era I haven't read a ton of fiction from.
+Childhood friends to lovers is a trope I enjoy, so the fact that it was present (despite the fact that I wasn't thrilled with the way it was executed) was fun.
+Abu, while not a terribly interesting character, was cute.
NEGATIVES:
-Oh boy, where to start.
-For one thing there's the awkward fact that while this is ADVERTISED as an Aladdin retelling, other than the obvious fact that the male lead was named Aladdin and he had a little sidekick named Abu, I couldn't have told that for the life of me. I can kind of find some parallels? But for the most part they were not present at all.
-The characters were incredibly flat, and also insanely Mary-Sue and Gary-Stu-ish. The only word I can come up with to describe Aladdin is "perfect." Don't believe me? Take the word of the other characters for it. They probably called him that fifty times over the course of this novel. Aladdin is perfect. Kirstyn is beautiful. Abu is young. Michael is cruel. There's no depth to these characters, and it made it incredibly difficult to care about any of them. Eventually, I stopped trying.
-The writing style is uninspired, flat, and rank with "telling not showing." I'll concede that this is something I need to work on myself...I'm not always good at writing with showing and not telling. But in a published book by a famous author? I don't know. I never connected with the world, and I felt like the scenes that were supposed to be suspenseful were way too short and undetailed.
-On that note, I was never genuinely worried about the characters at all. So there's that.
-The world was simply never clear to me. Like, they were constantly talking about Aladdin being "King Midas with the golden touch" but when did that story originate? Was it around in the 1400s? I'm just not sure. And then there were some other things that maybe I simply wasn't picturing right...but again, it just didn't make sense.
-The dialogue. Oh, the dialogue. So cringey. I'm sorry. It was...sad, honestly.
In context: They are drinking water from a stream in the woods. They're like twelve.
Kirstyn: "It's refreshing. Try some."
Aladdin: "Good. Whoever lived here chose a favorable spot for fresh water."
This is just a random example. The book is full of dialogue like this, and I'm...just not a fan. Sorry. :/
-Then the sheer number of flashbacks to Aladdin and Kirstyn's childhood walks in the woods, where apparently all they ever did was talk about what good friends they were and how they never wanted this to change. I...don't know how accurate this is. Seems like they should have a lot more memories of chasing each other through a forest and swimming and playing games than of telling each other how much they love each other (JUST AS FRIENDS!!!!!) as little kids.
-The plot was kind of all over the place. I just....was there a plot, beyond Aladdin becoming successful? Besides the romance? I don't even know.
I'm going to give this book 2.5 stars, because I did finish it and I really tried to find a couple of positive things to say about it. But overall? I did not like this book. That doesn't mean I don't recommend it...this is more a matter of personal taste than anything, I think. But it does mean that I don't think I'll be reading anything more by this author in future. A pity...I had really hoped to like this one.
I'll be quite honest--I hated this book. I'm going to try to find some good things, but we'll see. XD
POSITIVES:
+The 1400s was kind of a cool setting! I didn't feel like it was utilized as much as it could have been, but that's an era I haven't read a ton of fiction from.
+Childhood friends to lovers is a trope I enjoy, so the fact that it was present (despite the fact that I wasn't thrilled with the way it was executed) was fun.
+Abu, while not a terribly interesting character, was cute.
NEGATIVES:
-Oh boy, where to start.
-For one thing there's the awkward fact that while this is ADVERTISED as an Aladdin retelling, other than the obvious fact that the male lead was named Aladdin and he had a little sidekick named Abu, I couldn't have told that for the life of me. I can kind of find some parallels? But for the most part they were not present at all.
-The characters were incredibly flat, and also insanely Mary-Sue and Gary-Stu-ish. The only word I can come up with to describe Aladdin is "perfect." Don't believe me? Take the word of the other characters for it. They probably called him that fifty times over the course of this novel. Aladdin is perfect. Kirstyn is beautiful. Abu is young. Michael is cruel. There's no depth to these characters, and it made it incredibly difficult to care about any of them. Eventually, I stopped trying.
-The writing style is uninspired, flat, and rank with "telling not showing." I'll concede that this is something I need to work on myself...I'm not always good at writing with showing and not telling. But in a published book by a famous author? I don't know. I never connected with the world, and I felt like the scenes that were supposed to be suspenseful were way too short and undetailed.
-On that note, I was never genuinely worried about the characters at all. So there's that.
-The world was simply never clear to me. Like, they were constantly talking about Aladdin being "King Midas with the golden touch" but when did that story originate? Was it around in the 1400s? I'm just not sure. And then there were some other things that maybe I simply wasn't picturing right...but again, it just didn't make sense.
-The dialogue. Oh, the dialogue. So cringey. I'm sorry. It was...sad, honestly.
In context: They are drinking water from a stream in the woods. They're like twelve.
Kirstyn: "It's refreshing. Try some."
Aladdin: "Good. Whoever lived here chose a favorable spot for fresh water."
This is just a random example. The book is full of dialogue like this, and I'm...just not a fan. Sorry. :/
-Then the sheer number of flashbacks to Aladdin and Kirstyn's childhood walks in the woods, where apparently all they ever did was talk about what good friends they were and how they never wanted this to change. I...don't know how accurate this is. Seems like they should have a lot more memories of chasing each other through a forest and swimming and playing games than of telling each other how much they love each other (JUST AS FRIENDS!!!!!) as little kids.
-The plot was kind of all over the place. I just....was there a plot, beyond Aladdin becoming successful? Besides the romance? I don't even know.
I'm going to give this book 2.5 stars, because I did finish it and I really tried to find a couple of positive things to say about it. But overall? I did not like this book. That doesn't mean I don't recommend it...this is more a matter of personal taste than anything, I think. But it does mean that I don't think I'll be reading anything more by this author in future. A pity...I had really hoped to like this one.
epaigessss's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-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