I’m not sure how to even start this review...my feelings on Wicked As You Wish are so mixed. On the one hand, this book had so many elements that I absolutely loved: quirky characters, a vast fantasy world to discover, references to other folklore and fairy tales, and wonderful representation. But on the other hand, the way the history and world-building were delivered was just...off. I felt like I was continuously getting thrown new pieces of info about the world, but not truly given anything in enough depth for me to relate to the story. And it really bums me out, because the world of this story is amazing, and has SO much potential! The alternate history and interwovenness of fairy tales from different times were honestly so intriguing to me that I ended up caring more about that then I did about the characters themselves! I honestly could sit there and read a fictional history of this world!

But unfortunately, that is not what this story is trying to do, and as result, every time I felt I got more tidbits of info about the world or it’s history, I found myself being drawn in more by that than I was to what was going on with the actual characters. And there was nothing wrong with the characters themselves! I honestly quite liked them all and absolutely loved how diverse the cast was! (My personal favorite was the Firebird though, to be honest!) It was just that the vastness of the world they were in and my desire to know more about it ultimately overshadowed the story for me.

Overall this is a tough one for me to review, because I really enjoyed this book, but was also frequently frustrated with it. I’m glad it’s going to be a series because I’ll definitely keep trying with the next book and hopefully the story will become a little bit more involved. One thing that I’m definitely taking from this experience is that I have to get to reading Chupeco’s other books for sure now because I can tell her world-building skills are something I really enjoy.

Wicked as You Wish reminds me of a puzzle made out of bajillion pieces sporting individual photos but when arranged correctly, paints a grandeur that is so satisfying. It’s refreshing to read about the melding of olden tales and magic in a modern day setting. Since her The Bone Witch trilogy, I can surely say that Rin Chupeco has the delicate skill of choosing the raw threads which she masterfully weaves into the perfect tapestry of a tale. This particular one’s busy and bold.

The magic system of these worlds is a double-edge sword and may dissuade a certain reader for its complexity and volatile nature. In my case, it served as a seed that slowly taken root and flourished in no time. I liked the overlapping and cross-sectional approach. Although there are clear rules and thresholds in the magic, there are times when the information was limited that it kind of blurs how things work. I liked when we are just given a glimpse enough to feed our imagination and with it I say that there is great potential for the magic in this world to be fleshed out in succeeding installments. I am happy to see familiar techniques in the use of culture and birthright as she introduces worlds, factions, and characters. Chupeco’s use of backstory and prophecies to offer a glimpse of the future without spoiling the current events is truly impeccable.

Wicked as You Wish also tackled the dark underbelly of several socio-economic and political issues that ring de facto in real world setting. It coursed through racism, discrimination, enmity in immigration, consumerism, power struggles, and more. Evidence to these are depictions of superior-complex in the Royal States of America as they question immigrants such as the Makilings and Katipuneros as well as bullying in passing laws that would allow mega-corporations to acquire Avalonian magic to their gain and without grave consequences. Moreover, I appreciated that although there is a depiction of it being challenged, sexual orientation and gender identity are somewhat normalized at least in the Order of the Bandersnatch. This one centers people often pushed to the sides in most fantasy narratives. It offered a glimpse of what a world would be without the ill prejudices people have of one another.

In the very center of it all, Rin Chupeco boasts Philippine folklore as the story is anchored to the main character Tala Makiling Warnock, one of the Spellbreakers who possess the power to negate magic — the very agimat, the gift (or curse) from Maria Makiling’s sacrifice. I am so delighted to have read accurate representation in Pinoy culture. I couldn’t help but laugh at how we Pinoys hold an extravagant feast, how we champion the hospitality spirit, as well as, the portrayal of extended families gathering at one place — the titas and titos and of course, the wisdom from our feisty lolas.

Notwithstanding the undertakings of the complex urban fantasy, this book celebrated diversity and representation. The cast is a handful to take. The Katipuneros are an image of teamwork and resiliency. Tala, our main character, is a reluctant hero despite having an ability that can flip the outcomes of the longstanding war with the Snow Queen. In the opposite end of the pole, we have Alexei Tsarevich, the only surviving royal and key to thawing frozen Avalon. He is headstrong and at times foolhardy displacing the people around him. We also get to meet the Order of the Bandersnatch, a band of talented Avalonians selected for their familial origins and use of segens, spelltech or weapons passed down generations of prestigious bloodlines. This group flaunts multi-faceted perspectives as they figure out individual causes while fulfilling their promise to protect the prince.

With pride, Wicked as You Wish hammered its marker deep as it delivers the opening salvo to the A Hundred Names of Magic series. Rin Chupeco never fails to at holding attention while carefully plotting the course of the next installments. This book is definitely a salad bowl teeming with stories old and new, adventure, and the quest to finding the power of choice — all these painting a vista out of magical pieces a hundredfold.

I really, really loved WICKED AS YOU WISH!

Chupeco's writing is absolutely breathtaking. Her world-building is phenomenal, and the magic system utilized throughout the story is so unique and well-developed!

I loved the entire concept of fairy-tale characters existing in *our* world, and how legends such as Sleeping Beauty were woven into the alternative-world's history. I loved the diversity (diversity in sexuality, in race, in religion, in gender identity: everything was covered, and covered BEAUTIFULLY). The story was sharp and exciting, and I couldn't put it down!

WICKED AS YOU WISH is fantastic. ALL of Rin Chupeco's works are fantastic. DEFINITELY pick this story up - you'll love it!

The combination of fairy tale worlds/countries mixed in with modern countries sounded like an interesting premise, but being thrown into the deep end from the very beginning was overwhelming and not an entirely pleasant experience. It felt like an info dump and I wasn't able to catch my breath and understand the history of this world, much less where Tala, her family, her friends etc. were meant to stand in all of it. Events and titles that sound important lose their impact because we're scrambling to figure out who belongs where or what their relevance is.

It was/is slightly confusing to be thrown into the story which, one finds out, combines many classic elements of fairy stories (i.e. Avalon, Wonderland, etc.) and trying to keep track not only of what ones are present, but what of their original source material remains in this new work and how it interacts with all the others and WAYW original casting.

Normally a boat load of fairy tale references would be fun, like Once Upon a Time or something. I think the issue was that in this instance it felt overwhelming. There was so much in the first 10%, like I was expected to know lineages and war history and so forth already and felt nigh on incompetent for not getting what Tala & others were talking about. The overload killed me.

Rin's writing is normally engaging, but the excessive info dump in the beginning made WAYW disappointing.

This is the second book I've tried from this author and I think it's time to just call it quits as it's not meant to be. I tried to read this book several times and couldn't muster any interest in the characters or story. The world was interesting enough but I wasn't latching on to anything to make it more than a cool setting. After taking months to reach the 35% mark, I DNF-ed due to a lack of interest and investment.

For this reason I will not be sharing this review beyond this platform.

I was really looking for to reading Wicked as You Wish by Rin Chupeco! It checked all my boxes with heavy world-building, a new magical system, a little romance and a diverse cast of characters.
Unfortunately, for me, this book fell flat. The first 9 chapters of the book include a lot of character introductions, a brand-new world with a complicated magical and political system, and too many plot twists. I was hoping by chapter 10 the book would settle and the introduction of new characters and new magical elements would stop. Unfortunately, the book continues to pick up speed.
I found the introduction of ICE and the comparison of magic in this world to undocumented immigrants in our world interesting, if not a little heavy handed.
I was desperate to like this book, but the continued clichés are wearing me down, murdered parents, frog prince, evil ice witch, double crossing evil love interest.
I might give this book a try again in the future but for right now I cannot dedicate anymore time to it.
DNF-didnotfinish

Wicked as You Wish is the first book in a series and its based around the Magical Kingdom of Avalon and the people of that kingdom who were stuck in Arizona after their Kingdom was set in ice after the Snow Queen waged war on the worlds. This is the story of a girl with secrets, a Prince in Hiding, a team of protectors and a firebird, all finding their way through a magical kingdom to save the land.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book (so much so that I've loaned it to a friend who is also enjoying it!) - it was a nice and easy read with a lot going on. The world building I enjoyed, it was well done and easy to understand for me. Starting in 'our' world and moving to the kingdom of Avalon the story build up well and I felt like it explained itself well. The teenager angst was written well and the nods to Disney were, for me, a very welcome addition. They really made the book for me and helped to add to the fantastical nature of some bits. The writing was well done although read quite young at times. From a little research it seems like this book was orignally written years ago by the author and shelved as it wasn't thought to be good enough to be published. It was her first book that she wrote, and although it was very good I do think that you can tell its a younger and 'first' book.

Overall this was a very enjoyable read and I look forward to picking up book 2! 3 out of 5* for me!

Unfortunately, I didn't love this book. The premise was strong, and I had high hopes for the author after hearing so many wonderful things about The Bone Witch and it's follow ups.

The story revolves around a world where magic exists, but has been blocked and destroyed. A lost prince tries to return to his kingdom with the help of a young magician and a rag tag group of allies. Sadly, I found the characters predictable and the story far too contrived. Great idea, poor execution.

I enjoyed this book the more I got into it. I felt lost at first, because there are a LOT of details. There is also a lot of name-dropping, like the author tried to put every magical being known to man in her universe history. I still don't know if all of it was necessary in the first book, or if it could have been dispersed throughout the story.

However, when the action kicked in... I was ALL IN! The magical obstacles that the group have to overcome are delightful and imaginative. I really enjoyed living this quest with them. And the ending is pure dynamite. We can be assured that the second book will be awesome.

Many thanks to Sourcebook Fire for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me at about 40%. The world building was extremely confusing and I just couldn't figure out what was going on with any of the magic system, despite the multiple information dumps that occurred. But probably the biggest problem I had with this book was I just couldn't relate to any of the characters. I really, really wanted to relate to them, especially Tala who sounds like an amazing character, but I just could not connect. I really enjoyed that the characters were very diverse but that was where the enjoyment ended. They felt very one dimensional and didn't feel like they had any substance to them. I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't push myself to even finish it. I have not rated this on goodreads because I did not finish it (I think it is unfair to give a rating to a book you do not finish) but NetGalley makes me select a rating so I had to pick something.

DNF 50%

I thought the idea was good, and the world-building was pretty cool, but I was unable to make a connection with the characters. I found myself thoughts wondering through the pages and at that point I realized I probably wasn't going to enjoy it any longer. This is a shame because I was really looking forward to this book. Will still give the author another chance.

I stopped reading this book at the halfway point. I think the premise is really cool, and I love all the culture throughout the story. However, there is so much going on that I found it hard to keep up. I didn't connect with the characters and found myself just not caring about what happened to them. I might try this again in the future because I do like the way the author writes, but this book just isn't for me at this time.

DNF @ 10%

Man, I pride myself on loving and enjoying fantasy--and I've read some that were quite dense--but Wicked As You Wish was extremely difficult to fall into and understand. I kept waiting for that moment where I could read it without having to concentrate and think so hard, where I could be taken along for the ride, but it never came. And the blurb and cover really drew me in, too, which made it even more disappointing when I couldn't enjoy it. I gave it some time after trying it prior to publication, but at this point I'm going to have to hang it up for good. It's just not for me sadly.

DNF @ 25%

I was so excited to read this book because it highlights my culture. But maybe this is not the time to read it. I think I need to get used to the author's writing style. Because I am actually having difficulties getting into it right now. But maybe it's just me.

But I will get to this once I am in the right state of mind and I have prepared myself to really invest myself into this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

DNF @ 20%

When I saw that "Wicked as you Wish" was a read now title on NetGalley I instantly downloaded. I've been wanting to read something by Rin Chupeco for a while now and I thought this would be a great opportunity. Unfortunately, this novel wasn't my cup of tea. The premise was intriguing but the world-building was way too confusing for me and there was just too much info-dumping. I really liked the characters, especially Tala and Alex, but too many characters were introduced at once and I couldn't keep track of everyone and everything that was happening.

Overall, I'm super happy I decided to give this book a go and while it wasn't for me, I can definitely see why other reviewers love it and I won't hesitate to pick up more by this author in the future! I'm planning to read The Bone Witch on Audible this month.

I could not get into this book at this time but I am going to give it a try at a later date. This was my first Rin Chupeco book and I feel like I need to go and read some of her other work before I dive into this one. I was to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this opportunity!

I received an e-ARC of Wicked as You Wish by Rin Chupeco from Edelweiss and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This novel follows our heroine Tala as she and the lost prince of Avalon, Alexei, return to their homeland to break the curse that's sealed the country away. 

Rin Chupeco has always been a hit or miss author for me. I loved her writing in The Bone Witch trilogy, but her other novel, The Ever Tilting World was a little confusing for me. This, however, I enjoyed. I'm a massive sucker for world building and the author wove well known literary locations like Wonderland and Avalon into the fabric of the world we know in a relatively believable way. The author was also a bit satirical when describing the greed of the ruler of the US, which I found hilarious...yet also remarkable believable? I mean, let's be real, if magic were real and every other country had it but the US, I think the ruling government would be pretty greedy/underhanded in trying to get their hands on it, but I digress. Chupeco also, in this beautifully crafted world, started a discussion (at least I thought) on how refugees of war were treated, especially in today's climate. I thought it was very powerful to have it written into a novel, let alone a fantasy novel, and felt it was tackled pretty well (coming from someone who's only read about these issues, mind you). 

I felt like there were parts of the novel that dragged, but I usually find that to be the case in the first novels in a new series. It's a lot of world building and lore spilling that takes up a majority of the novel. I would have enjoyed to see more interaction between some of the other characters on the team because near the end it felt as though relationships were established, but we didn't get to see when they were established if that makes sense. 

There were moments that we saw the characters bond, especially our main characters Tala and Alexei. Their friendship was pretty well established in the beginning. Another relationship established early on was the one between Tala and her parents. Rarely do we see both parents make it through fantasy novels alive, let alone have a decent relationship with their children. Tala is very close with both of her parents, but the relationship we got to see a lot of (both the good and the bad) is the one she has with her father. Now, I won't go into spoilers, but she learns a truth about her father and is pretty angry at him for it. The way he handles it is what I liked about the whole thing. He's remorseful, apologizes, and gives her space to process it instead of it just being instantly okay. 

It's the little things in this novel that I find really beautiful. The way the author wove other stories into the main one, like there were mentions of Robin Hood (essentially, I can't remember the real names of the characters from that story off the top of my head), Rapunzel, and a TON of other folklore from different countries. 

Overall, this was a pretty enjoyable read! The author took great care to make this novel fun, but also to weave social/political issues into the narrative. I think if anyone enjoys folklore, character driven stories, and strong family bonds then they should definitely pick up this novel!

This isn't going to be my usual style of review, because to be honest, I didn't finish this book. I really wanted to like this because I really like Rin Chupeco's Bone Witch series, but there was something about this particular book that I just couldn't get into. Therefore I'm DNFing it. I don't do this lightly and I feel bad about it, but it's just not for me. I'm sure lots of other people will love it.

Unfortunately this book just didn’t work for me. The premise and the writing itself has some great potential, but the world building was very confusing. I had a hard time figuring out how this fantasy world was similar and different from our real world and understanding the magic system. Ultimately this lead to me reading more and more pages without actually comprehending what was going on. On a positive note, I did appreciate the political commentaries about ICE and immigration and the overall representation in this story. Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I will admit, I read this book slowly because the world building was a lot to wrap my head around. Also, I had to read this one book format which my eyes are not thanking me for. I attest this slow reading to the fact that my overall enjoyment of this book is higher than most peoples.

This book dumps a lot of information on you and it is a bunch of fairy tales wrapped up / layered together and that can be confusing at time. I read a lot of retellings and this was still a lot for me to wrap my mind around.

A lot of what others didn’t like, I did not mind. I was okay with the character development only because I know we will get to know more about them in coming books. I will admit there was a lot of narratives to follow and that became confusing at times.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to what the rest of this series will do in the future.