I enjoyed reading several aspects of this book! The pacing was wonderful, characters were well drawn, and the reading experience on the whole was delightful.

I had a difficult time wrapping my head around the world-building and it took me out of the story. I was interested in the magic system, but the first few chapters just felt like a huge info dump.

There was a lot I loved about this book. Mainly, how the various mythologies were interwoven into the story and especially the highlighting of non-Euro centric cultures. The characters are fun and have clever interactions with each other. It did feel like a lot was happening and a lot was being glossed over, but many things are answered by the end, leaving enough of an opening for the next book.

Ugh. Guys. You know me. You know I really don’t like writing negative reviews. But that’s kind of the deal of being a book blogger, right? We’re in for the good, for the bad and for the ugly. This … is ugly. Especially coming from a writer whose other book I rated with 5 stars. What happened, you ask? Well, I have a theory, hear me out.

Rin Chupeco said that Wicked As You Wish was the first book she ever completed, BUT it’s also the seventh book she published. Meaning, this manuscript has sat probably unchanged for years, while Chupeco progressed as a writer. Then after all this time she came back to it, and I am guessing – she didn’t want to harm her baby project? It somehow stayed at the creative/writing level she was at at the time? I don’t know, but the difference between it and her more recent work is deafening.

I barely finished it. For me, it sucked. First of all, it’s YA, and not just any kind, but the cliched one. We have our usual love problems, teen tantrums, and also (W H Y) Carly Rae Jepsen??? I think the second chapter is named after her, and that’s when this novel lost me. I endured eternal agony to finish it, only because it was an ARC, but hell if I’m going to do that again.

You can read what’s it about above, I cannot repeat that, instead I’ll expand on it. This book is a meaningless info dump. Every possible fairy tale, Disney cartoon, legendary character, you name it – it’s a central character in this novel. The Firebird, Wonderland, The Snow Queen, Neverland, Jabberwocky, Avalon, Robin Hood, Baba Yaga, shall I continue? No need, you name it – it’s in the book. I LOVE retellings, and I love subtle nods to all these fairy tales and legends we love, but this? Too much, woman, know when to stop.

What else is too much, you ask? Representation. Chupeco tried to represent every possible minority, sexual orientation and my grandma’s pickle salad. The main character, Tala, is half Filipino half Scottish, but they’re (Her family) all apparently Latinx and speak Spanish because they live in Arizona?! I struggled hard to understand what they were talking about until I just couldn’t. Oh yeah, and then the gay Russian tsarevitch comes to live with them, and he turns boys into frogs when he kisses them. And the villain is Frozen’s Elsa with her ICE agents (GETIT).

There is a magical system, which is based on technology, and very weird to understand. Tala is a descendant of yet another faction – makilings – they can cancel out any magic and spells, but then Tala actually can do magic??? She and the prince Alexei are too hollow for two main characters, but then they get backup in the form of Bandersnatches (some annoying kids) who are even more one dimensional, so much that they are basically paper cut-outs?!

And what’s the plot, you ask? I don’t know! The Snow Queen is evil, and she wants to destroy the world I guess? And some lousy kids are the world’s best chance? FFS. For the last couple of chapters I was seriously debating in favor of DNFing this but alas I persevered. Even though the writing is so horrible I wanted to poke out my eyes with toothpicks.

I will still read Chupeco’s other books, because I did like The Girl from the Well, and I heard The Bone Witch trilogy is really good, but with this series I am DONE.

boring and predictable
dnf because i don't wanna get into a reading slump
will try some of rin chupeco's other stuff but I have no intention of finishing this

This book is a very mixed bag for me. In terms of the plot, I felt like the beginning was weak. It was slow and I struggled to get into the book. It took until I was about 100+ pages before I felt invested in the book. The start was slow paced as we were starting to get to know the characters and the world, and it was the set up to the journey to Avalon. Also the summary of the book makes it seems like you are following Alex's story when you're really following Tala's. I didn't mind that however, as I preferred Tala as a character. She was my favourite character whilst I really disliked Alex. Alex was annoying and irritating. He considers Tala to be his best friend but he does not tell Tala his secrets or really communicate with her. You don't really see them act as best friends, you are just told that they are but reading this book doesn't make it feel like they actually are best friends. Alex doesn't talk to Tala multiple times in this book. There was a scene where there was a battle and Alex and Tala gets separated and not for one second was he worried about her health. He told others not to worry about her because she can hold her own, but just because she can hold her own doesn't mean that she is uninjured. Also when it suits Alex, he treats Tala like she is his subject (which to be fair she is), and then other times his best friend. It's not a consistent treatment or a balanced friendship. The middle did pick up and I did end up reading the last like 200 pages in one sitting, and I am intrigued to see what will happen in the next book but I don't think I would recommend this book to people.

My favourite characters outside of Tala were definitely the ensemble of secondary characters that we met. They all felt well developed and I am more excited to see what will happen to them in the upcoming book than Alex.

In regards to romance, there isn't much in this book, and the little that was in here I didn't particularly like, enjoy, felt invested, or believed in the romance. That sounds more condemning then it actually is. It's a star-crossed, forbidden romance that will most like play a part in other books, but I couldn't see the romance actually being important to the characters as they didn't actually spend that much time together in the book. It felt more like a crush that went wrong. I will be disappointed if in the future books more attentions will be placed on the main romance. In terms of the side plots, I really hope that there is romance on the cards for the side characters. I would be so on board for that and I think some romance will happen in book 2 for some of the characters.

In terms of the word building, it was unique but I didn't particularly like it. This was the first time that I read a book that was set up in our real world but there are fictional countries and a different timeline of historical events and leaders. I wished the world was either completely in our world, or our world with an alternate dimension, or a fictional fantasy world because then it would have been easier to picture the world. This is because the mixture of real past people and fictional myths/legends/people made it hard to understand the world and it's history because you don't know what has changed until it is mentioned in the book. However, I did like the significance of ICE in the story. I liked how they were the bad guys as it is significant today.

One of the things that I really loved about this book is the representation. It's completely full of it. It was also my second ever book that I read which featured a conversation where characters talk about pronouns and what to call each other. The other book I also read for Asianreadathon and I loved it. I loved seeing these Asian authors putting these conversations in their work and normalising these conversations.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I will read the next ones in the series. I wouldn't recommend this book though. However, I would recommend Rin's other works The Bone Witch series, and Rin as an author to follow.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC to review.

I loved The Bone Witch series, so the fact that I’ve tried to complete this title a few times is difficult to admit.

Things to celebrate: a strong female protagonist from a Filipina background (yay to not following type); and a fantastic depiction of family, with strong bonds, full of both strengths and foibles; the Phoenix, which is just such a gorgeous creature (I love Fawkes in Harry Potter and the Firebird from Russian mythology).

Detractors: a mish mash of so many fairytales that it becomes hard to follow the politics.

I am a big fan of fairy tale mashups and seeing it in the context of an (alternate) modern world was really fun but confusing. That was my main problem with the book and could very well be a "me" thing- I was so confused a good portion of the time! I think the mixture of regular stuff (Indiana Jones and Carly Rae Jephson mentions) mixed with alternate history (Royal States of America, spelltech, Wonderland, etc) threw me for a bigger loop than I expected. BUT! I really liked Tala and the crew. The adventures were well-paced and exciting and there is a lot of Filipino culture present in the first half of the story in particular. I also really enjoyed the last quarter of the book especially so I'm interested in the sequel for sure. Maybe it'll be easier for me to wrap my head around this time!

Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco is an urban YA fantasy set in a rich, imaginative world with diverse and interesting characters. This is my first Rin Chupeco's book and I had a pleasure to buddy read this with some bookstagram friends.

The story follows Tala Warnock, a descendant of the legendary Maria Makiling, whose agimat was to block or break any spells. Alex, the prince of Avalon, arrived in Invierno to hide from the evil Snow Queen of Beira. He and Tala soon became best friends. Avalon was under a curse, and Alex couldn't do anything yet unless he found the treasures of Avalon that would help him defeat the Snow Queen. When the Ice Maidens found him, they barely escaped and transported back to Avalon. Together with other bandersnatchers, guided only with prophecies, the Kingdom of Avalon's future fell into the hands of Alex and Tala. Would they be able to lift the curse before it was too late?

Wow. Reading this novel was such a long ride. There were lots of things I really liked and not really a fan of this book. The world building was really intricate and well-thought off. Different fairytales I heard and listened to when I was a kid were woven into the story. This quite overwhelmed me. My friend Donna advised not to overthink things and just go with the flow since those elements were more like just the background of the current situations. The pacing was slow for me, maybe because of the world building. Don't get me wrong, I do love a book with great world building. However, it felt a little info dumping. I was informed that Rin's writing style tend to give information in the beginning of the story so the flow would go smoothly afterwards. This kind of style is a hit or miss for me and I personally struggled to it. Thankfully, the plot became interesting so I was able to push through the ending.

I liked the characters. Tala is a strong and determined character. I enjoyed reading the interactions between the Makilings, especially the Katipuneros. It still impressed me how Rin was able to instill facts and history. Although I was confused at first who was who, I grew fond of them. I also liked how everyone seemed to have secrets that might play a major role to the story. I'm looking forward to how the characters will be fleshed out more in the following books.

Overall, Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco is a solid first book of a series. After reading the epilogue, I know that this series will shock and offer more to the readers.

3.5/5 stars!

I did not make it through this book. I ended up picking the audio up through the library and after three hours chose to return it. I found it to be problematic by displaying reverse racism and verbal bullying. I did not appreciate the words used to name call.

I did like the magic set in a contemporary setting so I am disappointed. I do not feel comfortable knowing young readers will be subjected to such language.

I wanted to love this book since I love Rin's other books, but I didn't connect with the main character. Entirely personal and subjective, so I'll give it a three star,

First of all, I would like to thank Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance. This book was pending for me to review for a long time now. By the time I got it, my personal life was complicated, and I was forced to be away from any platform.

The first word that comes to my mind when I think about this book is, WOW. From the very beginning, I was captivated by the story. We have magic, technology, a new version of the US, and a vanished kingdom that was frozen by the one and only Snow Queen.

You may be asking yourselves how can all of these different components can work together in harmony. Well, we have to thank the incredible author for doing an amazing work then. All of the particular characteristics of this universe merge together beautifully, and flow smoothly throughout the story.

Family and friendship are the main keywords of this beautiful novel. The characters are so well developed, each of them featuring outstanding and different personalities. I have to highlight here the attitude of our protagonist, a powerful girl who has to keep part of her identity hidden in order to live.

But who can remain being in the hiding when you befriend Alexei, prince of the (frozen) kingdom of Avalon? Well, if you want to find the answer, go and grab this book as soon as you can.

Refugees, love and partnership. That's the words I would use to describe this awesome story.

This was such an ambitious fairytale and mythology mashup! Like welcome to a whole NEW WORLD (literally) as we enter the Royal States, where magic is normal and Ice Queens freeze whole countries, a kiss can turn you into a frog, princes go missing, and girls can cancel out magic to save their best friends. It's packed with plot and details too, and layers of history and world building. If you're into books that focus on the action, the journey, and the world, THIS is for you.

Also I'm so here for books where diversity is celebrated, not tucked into a forgotten corner. Tala is Filipino, Prince Alex is queer, and we have so many side characters who are POC and queer (and an enby Loki!). Also I appreciated that it wasn't just fairy tales, but we had Robin Hood, Norse mythology, and Firebirds and Baba Yaga in there too.

The overall story could have done with a little tightening though, as sometimes there was so much going on, I felt lost. Tala also seemed like a sidekick in her own story, though I did love her!

This has been sitting way too long so I'm calling it. I'm a big fan of the author's other books so I was really looking forward to this book but (and this absolutely kills me) this is going to be a DNF for me at 40%.

I could not get into this book. For me, the biggest downfall was the characters. There was zero connection and, honestly, I wasn't interested in getting there. Everyone just felt so....flat and trying to add in that snarky, sarcastic attitude that usually draws me in actually made me feel awkward and weird. Like they were trying WAY too hard.

There wasn't much in the way of world building but in a more urban setting I don't feel that it's as necessary as it would be in a high fantasy type setting so that wasn't a deal breaker for me at all. What really got me, and this set the tone for the entire experience, was how we were just thrown right into the story. No foreplay....just both feet right in. I was so confused right from the beginning and never bounced back. I needed a nudge....not a push.

Was it all bad? No, it wasn't. I LOVED the way the author integrated an urban setting with fairytale characterization and locations. It was such a unique way to add an extra bit of fantasy to the story and to ruin your childhood just a tiny bit. I learned more about Filipino culture and family life, not to mention some serious eye opening of immigration and ICE.

My favourite part? Chapter headings. I live for catchy and unique chapter headings and Wicked As You Wish had that in spades. The foreshadowing was a bit of icing on the cake.

I know this will be someone's new favourite book and I'm so annoyed that it won't be mine but life's too short for books that I just don't want to pick back up.

I will continue to read new books this author puts out. One disappointment for me isn't a deal breaker. I'll look forward to the next one!

I liked this book, though I don't really think that it was right up my alley. I liked the character and the diversity. I also think it was a great story. There were times when I felt like I didn't know much about their world, and this is the only place it really fell short for me. With that aside, I enjoyed it.

This is an enjoyable new YA book with great representation and a beautiful cast of characters ! The world building could've been a bit more flashed out with less info dumping for my taste but I appreciate the originality of this book !

I tried, but this was just too much of an info dump of qualities that didn’t mesh well together. There was so much STUFF thrown my way that I really didn’t know what to make of it all. In the end, I was 25% through and I wasn’t a fan of it. I wish I had loved this, but it’s not for me at all.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I found it to be confusing and even though I tried to keep pushing through it, I had to set it down. I couldn’t finish it because I just couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening in this book.
From the beginning it felt like we were thrown into this world with no explanation, and it felt like none was ever given. I also didn’t like the combination of urban fantasy and dystopian elements and I also didn’t understand the magic system and who has it and who doesn’t and why.

Wicked as You Wish by Rin Chupeco is the first book in the urban fantasy series, A Hundred Names For Magic. It explores what happens when you mix politics, magic, and teenage angst. While bright, colorful and full of #OwnVoices magic and wonder, the book is light on world building and as a result, comes off as a mixed bag.

Wicked As You Wish takes place in the small desert town of Invierno, Arizona. Prince Alexei, the last remaining royal of the infamous kingdom of Avalon, is sent to the town to hide. Avalon was a kingdom who’s queen turned on it, forcing its people to escape as refugees across the world. We also meet Tala, who is a high schooler from a long line of Filipino spell breakers, magic doesn’t work on them. Tala’s family is charged with hiding and protecting Alexei, until he can take back his kingdom and restore it. In this world, natural magic is almost gone but people can still access it in doses, almost like prescription pills. For example, students can take certain spells to help them ace tests. When the long fabled Firebird, arrives into town, the team have to embark on a journey to fight the Snow Queen once and for all.


I loved reading about Tala and her family. Their relationship is genuine and warm. Through them we learn more about Tala’s culture and how it has shaped her as a person. The incorporation of Tagalog was very fun to read, and I enjoyed that words in another language were not italicized. The book is at its strongest when we are given insight into the depth of their connection and bond.

The concept of Spellcast, a type of modern spell technology is wickedly ha puns) cool. It is fun to see an urban fantasy incorporate elements of almost science fiction into its story line. I appreciated how Chupeco merged these two genres into a really interesting concept that felt refreshing and new.

However, the pacing of the book is a little scattered. We jump right into the action, but we aren’t given time to quite understand the world of the book. This is especially noticeable in the first act because while the plot moves forward, as a reader, you are still trying to comprehend how any of the magic, laws, and setting works. I found myself re-reading pages and stopping to think of the logistics of how events were happening while reading. The US and many magical fairy tale lands and characters (like Neverland, Peter Pan, Hook, etc) co-exist, but often they are mentioned in just passing, without greater detail. Because this book is the first in a series, I hope that in the sequels, greater attention is given to bringing dimension to the world of the story.

Fan of shows like Once Upon a Time will enjoy Wicked As You Wish, a book with great potential that plants a lot of interesting story lines for its future installments.

A few months ago, in the month of January, I tried reading "Wicked As You Wish." The premise had everything I wanted in a book: Filipino representation (because I am Filipino and heard of 'Maria Makiling') and a unique magic system (which includes a kingdom). What's not to want?

Unfortunately, I never got the chance to pick this book up again. I find myself wanting to read another book, or I find myself getting so confused to the point that I completely zoned out. I can't tell if the latter is the reason why I find the whole world-building + magic system confounding. I really thought I was going to like this book, hence I didn't give up on this one. However, March was the last straw and I didn't come back to it ever since.

One of the reasons I gave up was the large cast of characters. It made the entire world-building seemed bland to me. For instance, how can I care about this unique and magical world if the main character has this fun and close-knit family that I want to know more about? Additionally, the book felt too long. If I could not get invested in any of the characters and the world-building/magic system, I can't find any reason to keep reading. Needless to say, I was getting bored. I was disappointed with this book because I expected this one to be one of my favorite releases of 2020, however, it just was not for me.