Wish

Wish by Alexandra BullenWish by Alexandra Bullen
Publisher: Point
Number of pages:  336 pages
My copy: Kindle edition, free

For broken-hearted Olivia Larsen, nothing can change the fact that her twin sister, Violet, is gone… until a mysterious, beautiful gown arrives on her doorstep. The dress doesn’t just look magical; it is magical. It has the power to grant her one wish, and the only thing Olivia wants is her sister back.

With Violet again by her side, both girls get a second chance at life. And as the sisters soon discover, they have two more dresses-and two more wishes left. But magic can’t solve everything, and Olivia is forced to confront her ghosts to learn how to laugh, love, and live again.

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I’ve been seeing this book for a long time, but I wasn’t into investing on hardbound books when I first saw it. I was very glad that I didn’t get it then, because I found that the book was free on Kindle a year later. I never say no to legit free books. :)

Wish tells the story of Olivia Larsen, who moved into a LA shortly after the death of her twin sister, Violet. Olivia fades into the background, feeling that her life would never be as colorful as her sister’s. When forced to attend an event for her mother, Olivia finds a beautiful gown delivered to her with magical wish granting powers…and suddenly, Olivia has her sister back. As it turns out, Olivia is suddenly a part of a “Wish Club”, with two more wishes in two more dresses. With the help of these dresses and her sister, Olivia finds just how much she’s missing and how she can get her life back after the loss that she went through.

This book had so much interesting premise – dealing with grief, magical wishing dresses and sisterhood. The idea, the cover and everything just gave me a vibe that I’d like it, and the stars were a plus. Olivia was truly a sad character, and I couldn’t really empathize with her sadness because I don’t have a sister and I’ve never experienced grief that way. I remember writing a story with a character whose twin passed away in an accident, but I always treated it lightly because I couldn’t really write what she felt. I felt sad for Olivia here, and at the same time I wished she could pick the pieces of her life by not fading into the background. I don’t think her sister would have wanted her to be like that.

The overall plot was okay, and I kind of liked the twist at the end. It’s really pretty cute as far as the premise is concerned…but that’s it. I would’ve liked this book more if it wasn’t so…bland. I don’t know. I never felt enchanted with it even if I felt it was supposed to have that vibe. I never felt any true connection to any of the characters, like I was only watching them from a distance. I found some parts of the book a little cheesy and sometimes trying hard to be witty but failing. I also found the lack of stirring conflict that to make me want to know more about what would happen — I can’t pinpoint a real villain in the story, and even Olivia’s internal struggle wasn’t even much of an antagonist. It just really fell short, and frankly, boring.

It’s not bad, really, but just okay. Nothing to squeal about. Wish worked well as an in-between book to cleanse the palate after reading some deeper books, but it’s far from being mind-blowing.

Rating: [rating=2]

Other reviews:
Steph Su Reads
The Bookologist
Books Love Me
Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf

4 Thoughts on “Wish

  1. at least you got it for free, haha. I have read a fair few similar reviews to this one… I know what you mean about when some authors try to be witty and it just doesn’t work…

    I did enjoy As You Wish which is another jinn/genie story. I gave it 3.5 ~ it was a sweet kind of clean read and not too melodramatic for the premise. If the blurb interests you I don;t think you’ll be disappointed: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/121577753 (my mini mini review, you know, if you’re interested :D)

    • I read As You Wish last year and I was positively charmed. :) I liked Jinn a lot and I sympathized with Viola’s plight there more than I did with Olivia here. And I really liked how the ending was played out there, too. :)

      Another wish book is Mandy Hubbard’s You Wish. It’s more on magical realism than fantasy, and it was a hilarious read. :)

  2. THANKS for this review, Tina! Matagal na akong naintriga sa book na ito but I wasn’t sure if I should give in.

    • You’re welcome Chris! I’m glad I got this one for free, so it wasn’t as painful for me to give it a not-so-good rating. :D

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