*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I also received a physical ARC from Fairyloot.*

Hmm. What to say about this book? A few pages in and I didn't want to read it anymore. I read the majority of it in one day, yes, but it's a short book and all I did was just read this slow book.

The plot is basic: help the lost prince return to his kingdom so that he can conquer the enemy that killed his parents. The characters are never really delved into, a little bit of backstory for each but nothing too complex. Everything that I wanted to know about them is wrapped in layers of secrecy, plot tokens that the author has squirreled away for the sequel. The conflict is straight-forward. Yes, there are battle scenes, but those are a bit confusing to read and they are all the conflict that we get. Otherwise, the characters are uninhibited as they move from place to place, everything falling neatly into their laps.

The world itself could have been fascinating, Chupeco shoves all of these fairy tales into the real world, she mentions Wonderland, Neverland, Avalon, yet she never really delves into anything more than briefly mentioning them. On one hand, I almost appreciate this approach. Her characters live in this world that has these countries as fact, so they can just mention them casually in a conversation. On the other hand, a world with tons of magical countries sounds awesome, and I want tor read more about it.

In the end, and it ends with a major twist, all of the things I truly wanted to know are not yet revealed. NOTHING IS EVER REALLY EXPLAIN, just the first layer. Like the character info, I assume it will come in book two, but I won't be reading it.

Bland. 2.5 stars

This book took me weeks to read and honestly it wasn't that much fun. It had a lot of things I liked but there was too much. Too many characters with complicated backstories and prophecies and family histories, too much world building, a world that was both very different with a very different history from our own yet almost exactly the same. It was so overwhelming I gave up trying to keep track or try to make sense of it that I sort of let the story happen to me.
I cared less about the plot and characters the more I read and didn't find the ending worthwhile or satisfying.

I was so excited to read Rin’s new book because I loved ‘The Girl in the Well’ but this was not what I expected at all. This book was a DNF for me at around 20%. I tried but I just could not get into it. There were wayyyyy too many world building info dumps and I got so confused real fast. I wanted to read more because, as a half Filipino myself, I loved her inclusion of Filipino culture in the book but no matter what I couldn’t get invested in reading more.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting and the plot was original. I would recommend it to an older teen or adult.

First and foremost I would like to thank SourcebooksFire, Netgalley, and Rin Chupeco for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my review as all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wicked as You Wish is a compelling novel full of folk-lore, fairy-tales, and world-building within this urban fantasy. I feel as if Chupeco is really nailing it with her imagination and style of writing for the young adult audience. The magic system was unique and and I felt like I connected well with the characters. They were diverse, interesting, and the story arcs carried them through the novel.

I struggled a little at the beginning to piece all of the story together, but I am so thankful that I stuck with it. I was pleasantly surprised with the how deeply rooted the Filipino culture was within this book (including my favorite... FOOD!) I love Chupeco's representation within this novel. It felt so natural. I feel that this is so important as a Korean American reader.

Thank you so much for writing a book I can connect with.

Thank you to Rin Chupeco,Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC 

This was my first book by Rin Chupeco and I was not disappointed! 

This book follows Tala as she and her family protect and hide Prince Alex of Avalon.  Tala is a spellbreaker who negates magic.Avalon is encased in ice and we follow as they journey back to Avalon with their new friends to try  and break the spell.

I had a hard time getting into this book at the start. I found it to be a bit slow but once I read past a certain part,I was flying through it. From then,it had a fast moving plot and I wanted to carry on reading to find out what happened next!This is told in a third person narrative that mostly follows Tala. I found it to be very effective because we were also shown glimpses of other parts but not too much. 

I loved the world building in this! All the fairy tales in this took part in one universe so there were always references to the different princess and I enjoyed that immensely! It was such a unique take and it was done very well. All of the information was told throughout the story and it was not info dumpy. It was very easy to keep up with. America is now the Royal States of America and it was interesting to learn about .

The magic system was very well done and it included the fairy tale element in it.I found Tala's ability to negate magic very interesting.It's a complex magic system and I'm looking forward to learning more about it. 

This didn't have much romance in it which I enjoyed. I did find myself shipping some characters so I'll have to wait for the next book to see if that plays out. I didn't like the romance between Tala and an earlier character and I'm happy that didn't pan out.

I really liked reading about all the characters and I'm especially interested in seeing Cole's backstory.I'm sure there's more than meets the eye. I liked Alex and Tala's friendship at the start and was upset that it soured a little but I hope they fix that in the next book.

The ending was very well done and I'm really looking forward to reading the next book when it comes out next year!

All in all, I really loved this book! I highly recommend this if you like fantasy and fairy tale retellings,

4.5/5

Wicked As You Wish is a contemporary fantasy that reminded me of those signpost charms you see on Etsy. They ostensibly point you in the direction of various fairytale worlds from the same place. There are so many different fairy tales used in this story that it made it seem like there were a few too many choices as to where Chupeco would take it.


Wicked As You Wish COverTala Warnock has little use for magic – as a descendant of Maria Makiling, the legendary Filipina heroine, she negates spells, often by accident. But her family’s old ties to the country of Avalon (frozen, bespelled, and unreachable for almost 12 years) soon finds them guarding its last prince from those who would use his kingdom’s magic for insidious ends.

And with the rise of dangerous spelltech in the Royal States of America; the appearance of the firebird, Avalon’s deadliest weapon, at her doorstep; and the re-emergence of the Snow Queen, powerful but long thought dead, who wants nothing more than to take the firebird’s magic for her own – Tala’s life is about to get even more complicated….
Goodreads

I received an eARC of Wicked As You Wish in exchange for an honest review. I am also a member of the author’s street team.
I did not take notes on the trigger warnings for Wicked As You Wish and don’t remember it clearly enough to write them as I’m writing this review a while later. I hope you’ll forgive me.



There was a lot to love about Wicked As You Wish for me, but it got a little overwhelming at times. There were so many mythologies and fairy tales in play, in addition to a very large main cast that made things a little bit harder to understand. We’re thrown straight into the action which makes it hard for readers to catch their bearings. However, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The main character is Filipina, just like the author, and there is quite a bit of diversity in the cast. One of the main characters is a gay man, while another is nonbinary. I loved that, and I loved the glimpses we got into other worlds. I think that we’ll get even more clarity as we continue reading this series, and I can’t wait to see how Chupeco does it. Overall, I would solidly recommend this book, with the caveat that it can be a little confusing and may not be for everyone.

Oh boy. I really, really wanted to like this one. The premise sounded much better than it actually was. I almost DNF but I pushed through...painfully. I couldn't relate to any of the characters, the world building was strange and the writing just didn't do it for me. I probably won't continue on with the series.

This book is a hot mess. I'm sorry but this book was so poorly written that it was genuinely painful to read.

As readers we’re not given a moment to settle into the world or become acquainted with the main character. We’re bombarded with facts and names and definitions to the point that every sentence made my eyes glaze over. It reads like a textbook. The exposition doesn't even stop when the characters head out on their adventure; every single person takes pages upon pages to explain their life story, their parents’ life story, their countries’ history, the detailed magic system surrounded their special magic object. And you want to know how much I took in? Absolutely nothing.

Let's tackle the worldbuilding. I have no idea what this book wants to be. It takes place in an alternate timeline where Earth as we know it also contains magical lands such as Avalon, Wonderland, etc., yet Earth’s history remains the exact same. Already this is horrible worldbuilding. This could be a separate review in-and-of itself but the idea that magical countries could co-exist with our world without having a drastic impact on our history is just absurd and lazy. The few things this book does change about our modern world are nonsensical. Both America and Russia are kingdoms and yet the cold war still happened. The cold war was a clash of capitalist and communist ideologies how could this have happened if they were both operating under a monarchy-based system of government??

Now if the book just wanted to use this world as a backdrop and not delve into its mechanics then I could accept that the author doesn't want this to be an exercise in worldbuilding. That's still not good worldbuilding but at least it knows that the focus of the book shouldn’t be on the setting. Yet that’s not what this book is. Why oh why would there be endless pages re-writing Earth’s history, endless pages explaining the most incomprehensible magic system I’ve ever had the misfortune to read, if the author didn’t want us to focus on the worldbuilding?

The magic system makes absolutely no sense because it feels like the author just threw every idea she ever had into this book without trying to make it cohesive. As an author you need to be selective about how much exposition is in a book because there is only so much a reader can take. If they’re overwhelmed with info they will retain none of it.

At this point the plot barely matters because it is so difficult to concentrate on it, yet I'll discuss it. Now not every book needs to have a message but considering the number of topical issues this book covers it clearly wants to make a statement. What is the statement? Well at first I thought it was a critique of capitalism because it starts to talk about pharmaceutical lobbyists and unethical corporations but that plotline lasts all of two chapters. Then it seems to be about LGBT discrimination but that lasts one chapter. Then it goes into racially targeted police brutality and abuses by ICE which lasts maybe three chapters. I’m not saying there is a quota of social issues you can discuss but if you only bring them up long enough to say thing = bad then what’s the point of writing a whole novel? You have the space to delve into these topics with nuance and weave them throughout the entire story yet instead you discuss them with all the depth of a tweet.

Why not flesh out at least one of topics such as ICE and make an impactful statement about it? Instead the ICE officers felt almost cartoonishly evil so even though they are supposed to reflect real problems, it is hard to take it seriously. It doesn’t help that the dialogue is incredibly bad. We get a big moment when a character stands up to them and delivers this line: “No, cease the deception. People who don’t look and act like you is what you hate. Every other excuse is only a pretense.” Please try to work “cease the deception” into any conversation. There are real issues that can be addressed but if you don't incorporate it into a meaningful arc then it's not going to have an emotional impact on the reader.

Honestly this book is a tonal mess. You would think from chapter titles such as “In Which Carly Rae Jepsen Songs Make Excellent Training Tools / In Which There Is a Very Good Reason Why Someone’s Head Is on Fire / In Which Tala Dunks on an Ice Maiden” that our main character is sassy but she isn’t. What on Earth are these chapter titles doing in Wicked as You Wish? I don’t think Tala made one joke in the entire book. You might be wondering just who is Tala? Let me put it this way there were multiple times in the first third that I genuinely forgot who the protagonist was. She feels like a side character in her own novel because so much of the book is her just listening to other characters delivering exposition.

It doesn’t get any better with the side characters. There are apparently three characters called Ken, West, and Cole yet most of the time I thought there were only two: sometimes I though there was a character Ken West, sometimes I thought there was a character Cole West. I’m still not convinced West exists. It doesn’t help that the author seems to go out of her way to make it more confusing for the readers. My earlier befuddlement happened because sometimes she’ll refer to characters by their first name, other times by their last name. This novel is already confusing enough! Also only twice in the entire novel – and in different chapters – she randomly used “the prince” instead of “Alex” for no reason. I.e. “…the prince snapped…Nya opened her mouth to protest, but Alex barreled on relentlessly”. Why? It only happens randomly for no reason.

For a novel that is so dense when it comes to exposition, it surprisingly minces its words when it comes to descriptions. What does the world look like? What does it feel like when they are walking through Avalon? Does the ice crunch under their feet? There is no atmosphere to this story; just take out the unnecessary exposition and put those words towards creating an immersive environment.

You know what else those words could be put towards? Character development! The back of the book claims it's about "finding the place you belong" but it isn't! It barely factors into the story. It could have been about that and it would have made a lot of sense. If the author contrasted Alex's feeling of inadequacy because he is set to inherit the throne of Avalon but he spent most of his life away from Avalon, with Tala's search to find belonging as the first generation daughter of immigrants that could have been a great story. But that's not what happened in this book.

I was surprised that this author had previously published novels but then I read this was technically the first novel she’d ever completed, which makes so much more sense. She talks about how publishers had initially rejected her work and asked if she would write about a white protagonist instead. That is obviously horrible and I can’t imagine how degrading that felt. Yet unfortunately that doesn’t change the fact that this is a terrible book. The reason I get so frustrated at poorly written books is because they don’t exist in isolation; they literally take a spot away from a talented author. It is so difficult to get a book published and publishers could have promoted someone who had a story to tell. You can’t honestly tell me there aren’t talented authors with novels about the immigrant experience. Why not give them a platform to tell their story?

I know this one has a lot of differing opinions in that you either like this one or you hate it. For me, it was kind of in-between.

While I liked the concept of a world where all the fairytales merge into one, I think that there was a bit too much going on to where it took a little while to really dive into the story.

The writing really created a complex, intricate world where there was something new around every corner. There is diversity also spread throughout the story, so if you like fantasies with a bit of a kick to it, this one may be one to pick up.

I gave it a 4 out of 5 star rating. It’s a story that is set apart from the others and really explores more from what the genre can give!

I do find myself in the minority of people who loved this book (at least here in NG) but I loved the magical elements and magical references this book had. This is what caught me at first and although it took me a little bit to get into the book as I got to know the main characters I found myself inmersed in this rich story.
I would tell everyone a lot happens in the first few chapters and don't be afraid of letting yourself slowly take it in, it will be such an amazing ride you'll thank me after finishing this.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Bullying, homophobia, minor hate crime, death of a parent, loss of a loved one, grief, talk of doxxing, talk of human trafficking, talk of child abuse, talk of slavery, police brutality, death, murder, anxiety, scenes of graphic violence (with ice wolves and the Snow Queen)

ARC was given by a dear friend.

This review is being published after the release date (March 3rd, 2020)

GoodReads Synopsis
Many years ago, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left desolate and encased in ice when the evil Snow Queen waged war on the powerful country. Its former citizens are now refugees in a world mostly devoid of magic. Which is why the crown prince and his protectors are stuck in…Arizona.

Prince Alexei, the sole survivor of the Avalon royal family, is in hiding in a town so boring, magic doesn’t even work there. Few know his secret identity, but his friend Tala is one of them. Tala doesn’t mind—she has secrets of her own. Namely, that she’s a spellbreaker, someone who negates magic.

Then hope for their abandoned homeland reignites when a famous creature of legend, and Avalon’s most powerful weapon, the Firebird, appears for the first time in decades. Alex and Tala unite with a ragtag group of new friends to journey back to Avalon for a showdown that will change the world as they know it.

Fellow readers, I find myself in the minority who have read this book and actually really liked it. I truly enjoyed many elements that this book gives and it was so easy to get sucked into the banter of the characters. And let me just say, if you’re a fan of Once Upon A Time or the graphic novel series, Fables then you’re going to find many elements that you love and enjoy in this book!

Our story follows our main characters Alex, the prince of Avalon, and his best friend Tala Warnock who team up with a group of friends to save Avalon from the forces of the Snow Queen and her relentless ways. Together they will travel through portals, defend against ogres and ice maidens, build their friendships, learn of an ever unfolding prophecy, and face off with the Snow Queen! And of course, with a cheeky firebird tagging along for the ride. Though the journey ahead will be rough, they will stop at nothing to free the kingdom of Avalon.

First thing you should know, there is a lot happening in this book especially in the first couple of chapters in this book. From family shenanigans all the way to trying to fend off ICE agents, the first handful of chapters will be the biggest part many readers might struggle through. This book is set in our modern day world, only with a twist, and you really see a lot of political issues happening in the news today such as addressing treatment of immigrants and subtle nods towards endangered species and poaching. There’s also a lot of references to events in history such as the colonization of the United States. While we have the modern day element, we also see many beloved fairytales and folklore being twisted into the modern day element. I’m talking constant references to Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire Cat, King Arthur and the sword in the stone, talk of Briar Rose and the sleeping needle, or even Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf are all made as real people only they have a character or plot twist that is different from the many tales we all know them from. And if there’s one thing I’m hoping for, it’s maps in the final copy. I love maps and I think the idea of the author creating her own map to really help give the reader a better world view, not only of Avalon, but all the other realms stated in this book would be really amazing to see!

“Every encounter I’ve ever had with them has been less than cordial. Their objectives are anathema to Avalonian values. We have always opened our arms to the defenseless; it is not their crime to have been born in dangerous places.”

With all of that being said, the world building is thrown into a lot of information dumping which may also hinder a reader’s ability to read this book. My biggest struggle with the world building was understanding how the spelltech worked. Glyphs were also introduced into the world building as well, but that seemed easier to understand compared to spelltech, how spelltach works and what the main purpose of spelltech is supposed to be. There’s also threat level for the magic and spells which I thought was really interesting and that breakdown really puts into perspective how the magic can be handled or used. We also get an introduction to the nine types of magic and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was over excited about that part.

We also have a lot of characters and character introductions in this book. Of course we know about Tala, Tala’s family, and Alex, but we also have the Bandersnatchers group sent to protect Alex and we also have Lola Urduja and the Katipuneros. Every single one of them is unique and brings their own personality to the table. I mostly loved everyone that was introduced especially the Bandersnatches. The banter was fantastic and you really got the sense of a found family among all of them. Throughout the book we learn bits and pieces of them including more bits on Tala’s father, Kay. What I really wanted was more Cole Nottingham, but for now I’m satisfied with the details that slowly unravel. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I wasn’t secretly shipping Cole and Zoe together. They just have an electric connection that I just can’t get over.

However, with every group of characters, there will always be that one jerk who everyone ends up disliking and I hate to say that I really, really disliked Alex. That’s right, the Prince of Avalon is my most disliked character throughout this entire book. In the beginning Alex comes off as very caring and really listens to Tala, but once the firebird comes, he changes completely. Once the group is in Avalon, the entire time Alex is being rude, keeping secrets and giving everyone the cold shoulder, trying to put everyone’s safety (including his) and well being in jeopardy, he constantly lets his anger and frustration get the better of him to the point of him going off on all his travel companions and leaving Tala to clean up the aftermath or apologize in his stead, and so much more! Honestly, he has no redeeming moments and we never once see him actually take the time and effort to truly apologize to everyone.

“I don’t know if his attempts at redemption will ever outweigh his crimes. But I decided in the end he should at least be given the chance to… I think everyone deserves that much.”

And before I forget, the ending of this book… How dare the author give us an ending like that?! The ending of this book was everything that I was hoping for. There was something about it that blew me out of the water. Maybe it was Tala defending her da or maybe it was seeing the firebird and Tala’s connection to one another, or maybe, just maybe the very last page had my eye bulging out of my head and looking around for the next book. Whatever the case, the nail was hit on the head with that ending.

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised with how much I adored this book. I’m not going to lie, I was really nervous on how I was going to feel about this book. The beginning was really rough for me, but despite that, I loved so many elements from this book. I have said this a few times on social media, but this has a lot of vibes of Once Upon A Time and Fables. I definitely recommend checking those out if you really loved a lot of the elements from this book. I can’t wait to see what book two will have waiting for us!

The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

all the diversity
This story has so much diversity it makes my heart happy. Our main character and her large (and slightly chaotic) Filipino clan has become one of my favorite fictional families ever. There was a touch of nostalgia that came from reading about occasionally overbearing titas and lolas that can kick some serious butt with their canes and fans. I'm honestly such a fan.

our current struggles in print
With such a diverse cast, comes the topic of displacement and immigration following a major war and that is something incredibly relevant in our time. I appreciated the reality check, but it is kind of scary when the chaos of a fantasy-based novel hits home to our world today. It really makes you take a step back and reflect on how society has compartmentalized every aspect of humanity's differences and how the inability to see past divisions ultimately produce more harm than good.

so many fairytales
This is perhaps one of the few "cons" (to quote Zoe) about this book for me. Don't get me wrong, I loved how Rin Chupeco incorporated so many of our favorite fairytales from Arthur and his Knights to Chinese Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Wonderland all into one book. It just seemed as if there was a need to tie in with as many pop culture references as possible which made the world-building itself difficult to follow at times. There was just so much happening all at once that my brain underwent major sensory overload.

a journey with unlikely heroes
To end my thoughts, we have such a wide cast of characters throughout the novel, but particularly in the Order of the Bandersnatch, the elite group of warriors charged with protecting the prince of Avalon. I loved that each character had their own unique quirks - Kensington's Japanese heritage, Zoe's love for literature, and Loki and their gender accepting philosophies to name a few. Each character has that little something that makes them special and memorable and while I didn't necessarily click with any particular one character, I did feel surrounded by friends at the end of the story.

Wicked as You Wish is an intricate tapestry weaving together all sort of fairy tales in an alternate version of our world where they are actually history. The main plot follows Tala as she accompanies Alex, the heir to the throne of Avalon, a magical kingdom that succumbed to the spells of the Snow Queen, in his journey to reclaim the throne.

First up: Chupeco's use of all sorts of fairy tales and mythology was just absolute perfection. Maybe I'm biased, because the Snow Queen and associated figures has been my long-time favourite, but I honestly couldn't think of a better example of the merging of our world with fairy tales and other forms of traditional stories. They didn't overshadow the plot itself, rather they complemented it and helped it and the world building run smoothly. The way that the magic structure was built into the world fascinated me as well, and the depth to the backstory of this alternate universe (which I have to admit I really want to live in) pleased the history nerd in me immensely.

This brings us to arguably one of the most important parts of a fantasy novel: world building. This was a massively juicy book in terms of the world building, and I can understand how the massive amount of detail could turn people off. However, it was done in a way that didn't make me feel like I was in a class having information chucked at me; it was more like having someone extraordinarily passionate about the world tell me all about it, which is basically what a book is anyway. The layers and layers really helped me get right in the world, and there were some elements (like ICE's presence, which I thought was excellent) that helped diminish the distance between the reader and the world itself.

This, as well as being a heavy-on-the-world-building book, was also a heavy on the plot and plot twists. Despite the large number of twists (and there were quite a few), I never felt like I was going to get whiplash for several reasons. The main reason was that Chupeco did what the most excellent of storytellers do and left nuggets of information dotted around the framework of the story, leaving me feeling very satisfied when I came to a twist that I saw coming, and delightfully shocked when I pieced everything together post-big reveal. It's not often that I get to do this, and I really, really enjoyed the way Chupeco artfully draped the plot around the multitudinous other elements of this book.

I'm not usually a fan of large casts, however this book features one of the most delightful casts of characters I have read about. They all had their distinct personalities, and they all contributed to the group dynamic; there was a balance in character types, and I never felt overwhelmed by the number of characters that the narrative followed. The characters existed solidly as individuals, notably Tala and Alex, as the main characters. Tala was a wonderful addition to the current offering of YA fantasy main characters, especially with her status as a Makiling. Often, fantasy focuses on the characters having epic powers, or occasionally none at all; Tala finds the perfect middle ground with her magic-negation, the Makiling agimat, as well as still being a massively relatable teenager. Alex, while unlikeable at times, had the motivation and depth that many similar characters lack, and I ended up liking him more than expected. I could go over all the other characters but that would take a while, so I'll finish this review up by mentioning my personal favourite, Cole. He's the classic brooding YA character, but actually not so classic and not so broody. I'm really looking forward to seeing where his arc goes in the sequel.

Overall, I think there was no way I couldn't love this book. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's so flavourful and complex that I couldn't stop thinking about it for days, and I'm looking forward to both the sequels and my eventual reread. Hats off to Rin Chupeco for writing a book that feels like it could fill an entire 'My Favourite Things' song.

I am extremely grateful that I was sent an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher, and I really tried with this one. The premise sounds so interesting and I was very excited to start it, but I am finding myself doing anything possible to avoid reading it. I am forgetting everything immediately, I feel no connection to the plot or characters so this is a DNF at 40% for me, especially when I have so many other books I am really looking forward to reading. Maybe it is just the time in which I am reading this and if I pick it up later, I would be more interested, but I am putting it down for now.

The things that were really preventing me from getting into the story was the confusing and info-dumpy nature of the world building. The part that I did read was a lot of characters having conversations about the history of the world, but I still don't think I ever grasped exactly what was happening. This book tried to do a lot things and mix a lot of genres (typical fantasy, urban fantasy, fairy tale retelling) but it just left me really confused. The plot also seemed a little all over the place, jumping from plot point to plot point.

I thought the fact that there was a very diverse cast of characters were great, but I did not really connect with them or understand their motivation.

I hope this book finds its audience, but it really just wasn't for me.

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Wicked As You Wish is a magical, action-packed adventure with a diverse cast of characters and a sassy firebird that will keep you entertained from start to finish. It takes place in an alternate universe where fairy-tale lands and characters exist. In recent history a war between the Kingdom of Avalon and The Snow Queen of Beira resulted in Avalon being frozen and the demise of its monarchy, the disappearance of the Snow Queen and magical repercussions worldwide.

The story follows Tala Warnock, a descendant of the Makiling clan - a Filipino bloodline with a curse that repels magic. Like her mother she is a Spellbreaker. Allies to Avalon, Tala’s family were of a number of refugees that managed to escape the kingdom when it fell, and took residence in the city of Invierno, Arizona. Invierno is a place where magic doesn’t work, and in the Royal States of America where using magic means punishment and being an Avalonian refugee means deportation, it’s the perfect place to hide.

Also hiding in Invierno is Alexei “Alex” Tsarevich, Crown Prince of Avalon, the sole survivor of his family’s massacre. 12 years of living undercover and being moved from location to location for his own safety has now landed him in the custody of the Makilings and the Katipuneros (a group of celebrated Avalonian warriors). However, on his 18th birthday everything changes when the legendary firebird - Avalon’s biggest weapon - returns, setting Tala and Alex off on an adventure to save Avalon.

This was my first Rin Chupeco book and I am now determined to pick up every single one of her works.

To start off I absolutely loved the world-building in Wicked As You Wish. Rin instantly throws us into this captivating universe where fairytale lands coexist with the various nations of our modern world. Where characters from said fairytales have been intricately woven into our world history. To me it instantly felt reminiscent to the TV show Once Upon A Time, though everything has been retold in a refreshing way and the addition of Asian folklore and myths have made it all the more unique and enjoyable. It does take a few chapters to comprehend and feels a bit info dumpy at times but I personally loved all the detail.

The magic system is equally fascinating - outlined by the author to be inspired by Full Metal Alchemist and Bleach. It is pretty multifaceted and again does take some time to fully understand, but the main gist behind it is that in order to claim any form of power/magic you must sacrifice something of equal measure in return. An element of the magic system that particularly interested me was the Spelltech – items imbued with magical spells, including technological items. I mean how useful would an “antigravity hands-free selfie spell” on your phone be!?

Magic plays a key part in the overall plot of the story too, mainly in the form of curses and prophecies. However, it is a resource with many regulations attached in this world due to its involvement in past events. Thus it also has a big role in the global power play and I as a reader LOVE when there’s a dash of politics in fantasy.

Along with worldly political tensions Rin also touches on various other topics and issues which are relevant in today’s society. From racism and homophobia, to American immigration policies and the treatment of refugees, to child abuse - the writing and how thoroughly developed all these elements are makes it evident just how much time and effort has gone into this book.

Also can we take a second to appreciate how unapologetically Filipino this book is! The culture and folklore, the lingo, the family and community dynamics, the FOOD!!! Since reading this book I have had the biggest urge to eat all the Filipino food and that is the magic of #OwnVoices representation.

Tala and Alex have a heart-warming platonic friendship and as the main protagonists were wonderful to l to follow however, I really enjoyed how the third person narrative allows us to really get to know the side characters too. We have Tala’s parents and the Katipuneros who act as extended family to both protagonists. The theme of family is very central to this story and is wonderfully written.

Then we have the Banders, a found family themselves, who on orders from the Cheshire (the Duke of Wonderland) have the task of protecting Alex and Tala on their adventure. I did feel at first that some scenes involving these character were a bit congested with one too many personalities. Though that being said as the story progresses we become more accustomed to each of the members, and their banter and relationships are great. Furthermore it becomes clear that they all have a bigger role to play in the story when aforementioned prophecies and subplots come into play. This has me super excited for the rest of the books in the series. My enemy to lovers obsessed heart is particularly excited to see more of a pair at the centre of a Robin Hood inspired family rivalry.

Last but not least I need to of course mention the firebird – truly a treasure. I’m looking forward to returning to this world, all these characters and the quirky Riordan-esque chapter titles in the future One-Hundred Names for Magic books!
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars

It’s no secret that Rin Chupeco is one of my very favorites with her Bone Witch trilogy being among my top 5 series, but had I not already been a fan, this book would have made certain I was.

Wicked as you wish was like a fairytale on steroids. Not only did the story incorporate so many different fairytales and their characters (albeit in *much* different capacities), Chupeco managed to breathe new life into all the old classics all while keeping true to the familiar aspects. What followed was such a unique and super interesting mashup of the fairytale places we know and love — Neverland, Wonderland, Avalon — and a little something called the Royal States of America. Because not only is this spectacular book a fairytale lovers’ dream, but it’s also a tale of alternate history. And as if that wasn’t good enough for you, it’s also a book that takes aspects of our current state of unrest concerning immigration and shines light on the injustice towards anyone with brown skin. Whew. That’s a lot of goodness.

“Just because you’ve never been to the Philippines doesn’t mean their rivers don’t course through your blood. It doesn’t mean you don’t have their mountains in your eyes. It’s not where we are, it’s who we are. You’ll always be both a Makiling and a Warnock, and always a Filipina. Never forget that.”

If you haven’t already guessed, I loved everything about this book. I loved the super interesting world that Chupeco created, I loved how she incorporated current issues into the story, but most of all I loved the characters and the diversity among them, especially Tala and her Filipino family. Tala is one of my new favorite characters and I Ioved the strong bond she shared with not only her parents, but her titas and titos. Wicked as You Wish is definitely one of my top books of 2020 and I can’t wait to see what Chupeco brings in the next book.

*eARC received courtesy of NetGalley.

An imaginative alternate-present fantasy, weaving threads of fairy tales and mythology from around the world into a tangled web of stories and histories.

This is a book that checks all the boxes for me. It manages to be speculative and contemporary, borrowing from layers of literature, history and folklore, and yet setting the story in a present-day world with strong echoes of reality.

The US immigration and refugee crisis is knotted up in the fairy tale world, as the fairy tale Ice Queen joins forces with ICE to target and stigmatize vulnerable populations. This is a book that boasts strong diversity, with characters of many races and nationalities, including a strong #ownvoices thread of Filipina culture. There's also queer and enby rep in the main characters, though romance and identity are not central plots.

The story focused more on history and worldbuilding than character relationships, leaving me struggling to connect as deeply as I wish. This was particularly noticeable with the relationship between Alex and Tala; and I didn't find I had enough onpage time with them to define a status quo before the ground began to shift beneath them.

The book is incredibly ambitious, as it weaves together Neverland, Wonderland, Arthurian Legend, Anderson, Grimm, and more.

I found myself wishing for extra pages to let the world crystalize and the characters rise up out of the page. Since this is the first book in a series, I'm crossing my fingers that the next book can dive into the deep, building on the complex setup of book one.

A truly amazing, diverse read. I can’t get over this book and honestly love it. Rin did such a fantastic job bringing this quirky fantasy to life!!!

This was really fun, and the chapter headings were some of the best I've seen. Chupeco takes fairy tale elements from some of the most beloved stories and uses them as elements in this adventure. She also weaves in her Filipino heritage and traditions into the story and characters in such a big way. I will say as someone not versed in that culture, I often had no idea what the characters were talking about when they were making reference to certain foods or things that would seem very natural to someone part of the culture. A bit of an explanation of what they were doing, eating, or wearing would have been helpful. It did make me go look all that stuff up, so if that was her goal, she succeeded in teaching me something.



Chupeco uses this novel to make a lot of social commentary and political statements. There are quite a few references to racial inequality, political corruption, and moral compass. While this does take place partially in a fairytale setting, there are some parallels with the real world. I think this is important for young readers especially if it gets them talking about big topics.



Because the author chose to utilize familiar fairy tale characters that we already know, there are a lot of characters to keep track of. I often find that when there are so many characters, they end up lacking development. This was the case here. I would have loved to see more development in the Bandersnatchers in particular. I hope to see them develop further in the next book. The plot meanders around quite a bit, causing the pace to lose steam in places. Everytime the group seems to be focused on their current task something derails them and no one seems to quite be in charge to get them back on track.



Overall, I really like the concept of this story and I'm looking forward to where it goes next. There are quite a lot of unanswered questions. The end was pretty unexpected, it was a pretty great twist that I don't think anyone saw coming.