I hate to say it, but I was extremely disappointed in this book. I've enjoyed most of Melanie Dickerson's books because I'm a sucker for fairytales. This one, in my opinion, just didn't measure up.

The story had so much potential. A young orphan from another culture who wanted to prove himself and a young woman from a large family who feels forgotten. With the added dangers in the story it could have been amazing. Unfortunately, it just felt really flat.

The characters were extremely one-dimensional, and the dialogue was stilted. There was no depth, so I never felt invested in their lives. Kirstyn comes across as very immature and she never really grew from that. At one point I found myself thinking, would someone in that kind of danger really be thinking such selfish thoughts about her siblings? Really? The book suffered a lot from the telling instead of showing problem. I couldn't even point to a secondary character who had much depth.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. And there were some good parts to it as well. The thoughts and feelings of the characters are relevant to many people today. And I'll probably still read the next book because I have enjoyed this series. I just think you might be able to skip over this one.

Melanie Dickerson's fairy tale remakes usually capture my attention. I love her take on the stories. She sprinkles in a little bit of her Dickerson magic and tosses what I know of the popular tales and whips up a batch of a new perspective. With her latest installment of her Hagenheim series, The Orphan's Wish, I believe it wasn't as good as the others preceding it.

The only approach to Aladdin I had is the Disney version with the Genie and Jasmine, so I'm not that familiar with the true written story. Dickerson does a great job at inviting me into the Hagenheim kingdom and bringing back familiar characters that I'm familiar with. Clear and concise writing is what Dickerson does best. She really invites me into the character's mind and allows me to feel and think right alongside the characters.

But . . . I have some issues with The Orphan's Wish. First, the first forty percent of the book features a lot of flashback into Aladdin and Kirstyn's early relationship. I would be reading the story, and then be thrown into an aspect of importance to show how Aladdin and Kirstyn's past cemented their present world. Second, I believe, there were too many internal dialogue and thoughts from Aladdin and Kirstyn about the other person. Every decision Aladdin made was because of a "might" relationship with Lady Kirstyn. He couldn't really make any decision on his own. He thought about Lady Kirstyn ALL THE TIME.

The romance appeared a little childish. They met as young kids and became best friends. Then the romance grew, even though Aladdin and Kirstyn were not socially in the same station in life. Aladdin and Kirstyn's thoughts drove me nuts. They thought of each other all the time like a young couple in love. Plus, they were too afraid to admit to each other how they honestly felt.

I wish the bad guy was more. I don't know how to explain it without giving away the plot. He appears, kidnaps, and threatens. Not too much of a threat. Then he is captured, released, and captured / killed for the final time. The conflict wasn't deep enough for me. If felt too shallow.

Overall, I really looked forward to Melanie Dickerson's take on Aladdin with The Orphan's Wish, but it fell short for me. The romance and the plot didn't capture my attention and left me wanting more with the story. I believe I will still collect the book to complete my collection. Fans of Dickerson's other novels should read the novel and see if they enjoy it for themselves.

I received a complimentary copy of The Orphan's Wish by Melanie Dickerson from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Aladdin was an orphan, stealing on the streets of the Holy Land, before he was taken to Hagenheim by a crusading knight and a priest. He befriends the duke's daughter, Kristyn, and they form a close friendship that lasts through time and distance.



Aladdin cares for Kristyn and he goes off to make his way in the world. He gains the trust of a businessman, Herr Kauffman, who treats him as a son. But just as things begin to fall in place, they begin to unravel.



Will Kristyn and Aladdin be able to cling to their faith and their friendship despite the situations that threaten to tear them apart?



This was a difficult one for me to review, because I had such high expectations, but it just wasn't for me. I've read other books in the series, and other books by this author and loved them all, but this one just didn't do it for me. Kristyn is a brave heroine, she weathers the trials that come her way, and she doesn't give up hope, even when things look darkest.



Aladdin is a man of integrity, who finds himself tested multiple times over the course of the book. He is loyal, and compassionate. I love how he reaches out to Abu, a young boy who lives by his wits on the streets. Aladdin in my mind was a lot like Joseph of the Bible, he is given great responsibility and prospers, yet he is faced with horrible misfortunes not of his doing.



I think the reason that I struggled to like this book was because so much of the relationship between the characters depended on past experiences, memories, and sometimes it felt like they both expected the other person to be a mind reader. Kristyn and Aladdin are separated for much of the book, and so it was hard to see their relationship really grow over the course of the story.



I did like the way that Ms. Dickerson drew from the story of Aladdin, and bringing him to Hagenheim through the Crusades. And I thought that the main elements of the story were wonderfully transposed. While this wasn't my favorite of the collection, I still eagerly await reading the future installments in the series.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

I was either deprived or preserved from experiencing fairy tales in Disney fashion outside of  reading them in an encyclopedia or other books. 

Melanie Dickerson's retellings are enchanting. They give fresh spins on the old tales that I loved from the books from long ago and make me wish I enjoyed Disney movies. I really enjoyed this story, with the germanic twists and turns. 

I feel as though, when I want a comforting story, where I know that the character will suffer, but in the end, things will go right, I can pick up one of her books and know it will be that way. But what is even better than that, is the skillful way the life lessons are woven into each one. 

I obtained this book from the Netgalley and the publisher. The opinions contained herein are my own.

The Orphan's Wish is part of the Hagenheim series but definitely can be read as a stand alone. This is the story of one of the Duke's daughters, Kirstyn and the orphan Aladdin. This is a twist on the original story we know of Aladdin. It was a refreshing point of view of the story with lots of twists and plots I was not expecting. I loved the instant friendship and connection of Kirstyn and Aladdin as it grew throughout their childhood into adulthood, All Aladdin wanted was a family to call his own and he definitely found that in Kirstyn. Clean with religious references throughout the book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Orphan’s Wish continues the Hagenheim saga, this time featuring Kirstyn, one of the middle children of Duke Wilhelm and Lady Rose. As the middle child, she often feels overlooked and underappreciated in her large and rambunctious family. Her elder siblings have lives of their own, and her younger siblings are too young to understand her.

Her young life changes one day while visiting the local orphanage when she makes friends with a young Saracen named Aladdin. Their friendship blossoms over the years as they become best friends.

From the day his mother died, Aladdin has longed for the security that a family provides. As his friendship with Lady Kirstyn grows over the years, he realizes that most of all, he wants to earn the respect of Duke Wilhelm and earn Lady Kirstyn’s hand in marriage. Although he seems successful at everything he does, he never feels worthy of the Duke’s respect.

When he decides to leave Hagenheim in search of fortune, Aladdin can scarce handle leaving lady Kirstyn behind. But he knows that without making a name for himself, Duke Wilhelm will never accept him as a suitor.

Unfortunately, his leaving triggers a series of events that puts Lady Kirstyn’s life in danger. Will Aladdin find her before it’s too late?

I had a hard time getting into this book. It just did not captivate me. Since I did not finish the book, I do not intend to publish a review.

3.5 Stars
A medieval middle grades novel very loosely based on the Aladdin story. This adaptation starts off well, somewhere in the Middle East, then continues in communities in Germany (this book is part of a series). Many of the themes from the original story are included here: orphans and the meaning of family and romance between two people from opposite side of the tracks, but with some Christian elements and written for a younger audience. There were not as many parallels between the Aladdin story and this retelling as many of the other works by this author; however, if you have enjoyed the previous novels in the series, then you will like this one too.

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The story of Aladdin is given a new spin in this latest fairy tale from Melanie Dickerson. The story begins in the Holy Land when Aladdin is just a small boy and we get to watch him grow up before our eyes. As an orphan, Aladdin feels like he has to work harder and strive to be perfect in order to earn love and affection.

Lady Kirstyn has a tender heart for those less fortunate. She longs to give love and a sense of family to the orphans of her family’s homeland. As the middle child, Kirstyn often feels overlooked and under-appreciated in her large family.

Aladdin & Kirstyn are children when they meet and they quickly become friends, going on adventures, and exploring the woods around Hagenheim. They learn to trust one another and build a special bond of friendship. But no one said growing up is easy.

I enjoyed this face-paced story. This story can easily be read as a stand-alone, however, you are sure to treasure Melanie’s other fairy tale stories! I would have like to have seen a little more character growth and maturity before the last couple of chapters. However, that alone shouldn’t discourage you from reading this fun story! Aladdin & Kirstyn are sure to find their way into your heart and take you along on their incredible journey!

If you, like me enjoy reading the fairy tale stories from Melanie Dickerson, then you won’t want to miss out on this latest addition. I give this story 4 stars and would encourage you to pick up this story to enjoy!

(I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

I really enjoyed this retelling of Aladdin. I have enjoyed most of Melanie Dickerson's books so far and they don't disappoint.

Rating: 3 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Melanie Dickerson is one of my all-time favorite authors so when I saw that she had new book coming out I knew that I had to have it. I have always loved Dickerson’s writing, her ability to develop a plot, and the fact that all of her novels contain clean romances and interactions.

One thing I love about Melanie Dickerson is how she never fails to create diverse and interesting characters in her novels. In this Aladdin retelling we meet Aladdin and Kirstyn. I loved Aladdin and his desire to impress and demonstrate his abilities to everyone he meets (this is something that I can relate to). He was also so gentle towards Kirstyn and willing to help in any way possible. But I had issues with his low idea of self-worth. After all he had many people telling him that he was worthy of Kirstyn’s favor all throughout the novel, however, I can understand why he might feel this way based on his skewered views of some of his childhood experiences

I enjoyed Kirstyn; I loved how resilient and strong she was after being kidnapped, and I loved how her faith in God never wavered. There were a couple of thing about Kirstyn that bothered me even though I enjoyed her overall as a character. One issue I had was how oblivious she was to Aladdin’s feeling throughout a vast majority of the novel. The other issue I had was how she often thought that her family didn’t value her as highly as some of her other siblings. Not only were the main characters loveable this novel had plenty of secondary characters to fall in love with such as Abu, Herr Kaufmann, and Hilde.

The overall plot of this novel was enjoyable. Seeing Aladdin find his way in the world and forge a working and personal relationship with Herr Kaufmann was amazing. On the other hand, reading about Kirstyn’s ordeal after being kidnapped and held hostage for so long was heartbreaking. While I liked the foundation for The Orphan’s Wish I felt that at times there was to much going on. I also think the ending could have been cleared up earlier; I felt that the last meetup between Aladdin and the antagonist was unnecessary and made the plot a little less believable. Overall I don’t believe that the minor plot and character issues undermined the beauty of this novel.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings, clean romance, or a good read in general. While there are several fights that utilize swords there is nothing graphic about the novel and therefore I think it is appropriate for all age groups.

Another fairy tale retelling from Melanie Dickerson! For those of you who’ve been waiting for Kirstyn’s turn to fall in love, it’s finally here in The Orphan’s Wish. Strangely enough, did you know Aladdin left the Middle East as a little boy and grew up in Hagenheim? I guess it’s a whole new world for him to explore….

Kirstyn is the daughter of Duke Wilhelm and Lady Rose of Hagenheim, raised in the proverbial lap of luxury in 1400s Lower Saxony. But her closest companion is Palestinian orphan Aladdin, rescued as a child from a life of forced thievery. The two grow up together, their friendship surviving every trial, until Aladdin leaves to make his fortune. He believes he’ll never be worthy of Kirstyn’s affections without one, and so he moves to the city of Lüneberg, where he finds success as a merchant.

But Aladdin’s departure from Hagenheim leaves Kirstyn lonely and vulnerable to those envious of wealth, and it’s not long before she’s in very real danger. Will Aladdin and her family be able to rescue Kirstyn in time?

I wasn’t expecting so much intrigue from this book! Romantic drama, sure, and of course there had to be a villain (what’s an Aladdin story without a Jafar?), but the way it plays out in The Orphan’s Wish surprised me. Let’s just say Michael is a special kind of creep and leave it at that. I did love the relationship between Aladdin and Kirstyn as they grew from friends to sweethearts. I found some parts of their story a little hard to believe considering their ages, but if you factor in the medieval era, I suppose it balances out. I did want more resolution between Kirstyn and her family, though.

Overall, a fun fairy tale reimagining with a gentle romance that leaves you smiling. Be sure to catch up with the Duke of Hagenheim and his family when The Orphan’s Wish hits stores later this month!

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.

A sweet, simple, if fairly predictable story...A worthy option for anybody wanting to read a clean romance/historical fiction. That said, what "bugged" me is the choice of names for the main characters. ʻAlāʼ ad-Dīn would have been a lovely "original" name that could have been anglicized to Al. Aladdin, and especially Abu, are so strongly tied to Disney's Aladdin...and the story is in essence a retelling of 'some' of the fairy tale (thief falls for rich noble daughter), minus all magic. But Aladdin without magic becomes just a plain romance and I think this book would have done better to break completely from the fairy tale. Also, in my opinion,if one uses a fairy tale as a spring board, it would be good to actually research the original and expand on that. As such, Aladdin is Chinese (not from the Holy Land) and lives with his mother (not an orphan). But if that doesn't bother you, then you will find a lovely friendship turned romance in these pages, tying in a character from the Hagenheim series.

It was with great trepidation that I picked up The Orphan's Wish. I have never liked Alladin and the only reason I picked up this book was that Melanie Dickerson wrote it. I have loved everything she has written and to my delight, I also loved this story. The plot is engaging and I loved the characters. This book will definitely go on my keeper shelf. Now if she could only make Alice in Wonderland palatable...but that's another issue. So grab your spiced chai and settle in for a great read!

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley.com with no expectations for a positive review, All thoughts are my own.

From the streets of the Holy Land, all the way to an orphanage in the far off kingdom of Hagenheim, Aladdin has grown up alone. But, that changes when he meets Kirstyn. Since her father is the Duke of Hagenheim, and her mother is the patroness of the orphanage where Aladdin lives, Kirstyn is a member of the most powerful family in the land...and therefore, out of his league entirely. But, despite the differences in their stations, Aladdin quickly becomes Kirstyn’s favorite and most trusted companion for taking walks in the woods, and their friendship only grows alongside them. Through his intelligence and hard work, he secures a position serving in the Duke’s household, but he knows that this isn’t going to be enough for him to achieve his dearest heart’s desire: Kirstyn’s hand in marriage. Seeking to change his station in life, in the hopes that he will feel worthy of marrying Kirstyn, Aladdin decides that he must leave Hagenheim in order to seek his fortune . But in doing so, he’s no longer at Kirstyn’s side to protect her, and some greedy men seeking to take advantage of her father’s fortune quickly notice this. Aladdin finds his background coming between him and the future that he’s been working so hard to obtain. And now, he not only needs to win her hand , but also find a way to rescue Kirstyn, as well.

The Orphan’s Wish is Book 8 in Melanie Dickerson’s Hagenheim Series, and yet another example of Melanie using her keenly creative mind to create a new version of a classic fairytale and spinning it into something new, complete with plot twists and turns and surprises, as well as beloved characters that are now uniquely her own. I know I’ve said this before about other books in the series, and I mean it every time I say it, but I genuinely think that this may be my new favorite book in the Hagenheim series, or possibly even, my favorite Melanie Dickerson novel. I absolutely loved reading the story of Aladdin with a Christian perspective. When I first started reading, I did sort of wonder how the whole Aladdin being a thief thing would be handled, and without going into detail as to how it was done, I can say that it was handled perfectly, in my opinion. One of the main themes of this novel was Aladdin’s feeling like he had to earn love, that he had to be “good enough.” I think that some of his fears may have been put to Red if he had known how Kirstyn’s parents met, and their backstory, but I don’t think even that would have settled it completely. It was just something that he had to work through, in his faith. It also seemed like Kirstyn didn’t see her own value, both in her family, and in general. She seemed to not know how much her parents and siblings truly adored her. She felt like she didn’t get enough notice, so maybe there was a bit of “middle child syndrome” going on? All in all, I loved every minute of this story but now that I’m finished, I don’t see a next book, so I’m hoping this isn’t the last of the series? If it is, I almost wish I had read it more slowly, not that I could have, as the book was simply too good to put down!

As perhaps the world’s biggest fan of the cinematic masterpiece that is Disney’s Aladdin, and a similar admirer of Melanie Dickerson’s previous work, I have greatly anticipated this novel. However, due to these aforesaid circumstances, and my extensive knowledge of all the subject matter, I have to warn readers that this review will likely come across as rather critical. (Oh, and also there will be spoilers of course!)

While I'd like to begin with a summary, this story had a lot of more separate parts that I think would be best to list in a more bulleted style:
- Ala ad'din is forced into thieving by the evil Mustapha, but is quickly removed by Priest from Hagenheim (and when I say quickly I mean very quickly) and given the name Aladdin, because the Priest misheard him and just decides that's what it's going to be from now on (which is great for reader pronunciation, but seems a bit sad when you think about the boy truly losing everything he's ever known including his name)
- Aladdin grows up with Kirstyn, Duke Wilhelm of Hagenheim's second daughter. Highlights include falling in love with her as an eight-year old and getting mauled by a bear.
- Aladdin heads off into the world to make a living, and the first person he encounters offers him a job.
- Aladdin does excellent business with Herr Kaufmann in Lüneberg, and gets to be like his second son; Herr Kaufmann offers Aladdin his daughter in marriage. Kirstyn is kidnapped by Herr Kaufmann's son and dragged around for about a year (the timeframes throughout the novel were slightly unclear)
- Eventually Kirstyn is found but is separated from Aladdin as he wishes to continue his business (there are some other weird complications involving Herr Kaufmann's daughter and son and lies but I won't get into those now). Kirstyn suffers PTSD.
- Aladdin moves back to Hagenheim and is again miraculously offered a job by the first person he meets. Him and Kirstyn do not go to each other, endlessly plagued by the "s/he doesn't love me"/"I cannot provide for him/her"/"s/he's too good for me" classic Dickerson complexes.
- A couple shady merchant plots later, an advice session from Kirstyn's big brother Valten, and a spicy trip to the castle tower and voila! Kirstyn's PTSD is miraculously healed, Aladdin gains success again, and they agree to marry in five days' time (what happened to waiting a few weeks to cry the bans?) and they all lived happily ever after! (Oh and also they opened an orphanage and adopted Abu. Not the monkey, he's actually a kid. And he's only like 9 years younger than Kirstyn which is a little odd but that's besides the point)
- The end.

So, my problem with the overall plot was that it felt like there were just so many things being squeezed into it. But then, there wasn't enough room in the story to properly develop these important features, and so they were quickly resolved and set aside (as you can see by my somewhat cynical remarks in parentheses). I am very wary of this in a book. If there is a tragedy, make it tragic, let the characters simmer in the emotion. Don't resolve that situation right away.
And honestly, there really is no need to fit all these things into the book. Simplicity is preferable if it means more development for the plot.

Another thing that frustrated me about this book was the main character flaw and development with both Aladdin and Kirstyn. Aladdin’s flaw is that he’s kinda a perfectionist. He feels like he needs to be perfect and do all these things in order to be successful in life. I can relate to that idea, but I don’t know if it was portrayed as well as it could have been. Kirstyn kept saying that he felt like he needed to be perfect, but to me it just seemed like he was trying to make a living in general. Then, in the end he resolves to not be perfect anymore, and the way it happens just seems so odd to me and kind of sudden and disjointed. However, Aladdin really isn’t the problem. The main issue I had was with Kirstyn.

Kirstyn feels forgotten, ignored, and unloved by her family. This is pretty much the first time in the series that we see the Hagenheim family as anything but the perfect loving family. I’m fine with the idea of an imperfect family, but again, the way it is portrayed in this novel just didn’t make sense to me. I think this is because I know the family; I know Wilhelm and Rose, I know the siblings, and I know their capacity and ability for love for their family. I mean the fact that we already know that Kirstyn exists in the former books proves that she hasn’t been forgotten by her siblings. However, let’s assume that she doesn’t see that and still feels unseen and unloved. That's fine. That's essentially the point of this novel: for Kirstyn to develop as a character. Which she does, but in a way that I find quite unsettling. One line that still haunts me is:
"And I had to get kidnapped to realize how much my family loves me."
I just... I'm not sure how I feel about that. It’s a rather alarming sentiment, to say the least. And Kirstyn herself throughout the novel seems a little unstable. Not in a real-life sense though. More like she was an underdeveloped character, much as I hate to say it.
Another thing that I really didn't appreciate was when she kept telling Aladdin that she needed him. She needed him to leave his life and sacrifice everything for her. I think it's okay for a character to be selfish and need their significant other and even ask them to give up everything for them, but there didn't seem to be any self-reflection, guilt or justification that went through her mind, and just didn't seem to make sense to me.

However, in a way, I think that her and Aladdin complete each other, and while they might not make complete sense on their own, each fractured half makes a mended whole, which is really how it ought to be. In the end, everyone ends up with their happily ever after and all is well.

And again, please note that though my review may seem overly critical, I did heartily enjoy this book, and think I speak for most when I say that it was a delicious piece of literature that I am sure to be picking up again!


**I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Melanie Dickerson once again proved her unique ability to take a well known fairy tale, rework it and make it into a spiritual take. This go round, she takes on the story of Aladdin. We meet him as a young boy whose mother had just died and he must find a way to support himself as an orphan. He is taken in by a greedy crook who forced Aladdin to steal. Then a kind priest take a him in and shelters him and introduced Aladdin to Christ. I love fairy tales and enjoy how Dickerson puts her special skin on them. Haven't missed a one!

My thanks to the publisher for a copy of This book via Net Galley. The opinion stated here is entirely my own.
2 li

Oh My Goodness! Where has this author been all my life?!?!?!?! Christian Aladdin Retelling!! Just yes!!!!!!

Abu was well written, (and probably ONE of the best  characters in the book). Aladdin (be still my heart!) was so well written that you see how the trauma he endured as a child shaped him to who he was. Kirstyn was amazing as well, you really see so much character growth for both of them. You see how they both respect boundaries while they alone and the fact that love is holding them together. Even though he is promised to someone else but in love with another, the boundaries remain clear.

This book is very clean and a slow burn romance. It didn't feel like anything was forced or rushed. It felt like it came natural. The world building was superbly done. You can almost see, and touch the world they are in as its so vividly written.

I loved how this book grew with them from children all the way up. I feel you get a better sense of who people are and a much better respect for the characters as you see what drives them. I was glued from the into till the last page. A one click read indeed!

5/5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review""

This is the 8th book in Melanie Dickerson's Hagenheim series. If you aren't familiar with this series don't worry, you can easily pick up this book and not be confused. Each book in this series can serve as a standalone novel.

The Orphan's Wish is a loosely based retelling of Aladdin. I say loosely based because Dickerson changes a lot of the events and background of the character Aladdin in this story. If you are looking for a retelling that is extremely accurate to the original tale then this book may night be for you.

Overall:
I enjoyed this story. Basically, this book is more mature version of a fairytale. It has all of the usual components of a fairytale--besides magic-- while also containing more mature content. It’s perfect for older audiences seeking fairytale type stories.

Characters and character growth:
First of all, I love that Dickerson decided to change one aspect of a typical fairytale: the prince rescuing the damsel in distress. When Kirstyn is kidnapped it is neither Aladdin nor her father that rescue her from her captors. Kirstyn saves herself by taking an opportunity to escape. I really loved this aspect of the book! In regards to character growth, Kirstyn grew a lot during her time apart from both Aladdin and her father. Her kidnapping helped her realize how fortunate she is to have her life and family back home. This realization only reinforces Kirstyn's lifelong dream of opening an orphanage, so that all children feel loved and accepted. As the story progresses, Kirstyn also grows to realize that although she may feel neglected, in a family of 8 children, her parents love her just as much as her other siblings.

Aladdin's character, on the other hand, is growing throughout the whole novel. Due to his past (being an orphan), Aladdin wishes to make a great fortune so that others will see him as worthy--worthy enough to ask for Kirstyn's hand in marriage. It takes a while, but by the end of the book Aladdin realizes he was wrong. Kirstyn has never cared about how much money he has, all she has ever wanted from him was himself. It's in this moment that Aladdin stumbles upon the realization that he was always good enough for her in her eyes. He was just too blinded by his insecurities to see it.

My One Complaint:
This story felt a bit slow a couple of times. Towards the end of the book, in particular, I would find myself skipping over several passages so that I could find a more action packed, interesting passage. If you like a slower paced novel then this book is perfect for you. I just felt it lagged too much in certain areas of the book. Other than that, I truly did enjoy this story. I just wasn't a fan of the pacing.