When Glory St. Pierre finds an odd looking vase in her recently deceased grandmother’s basement, little did she know she was about to discover the existence of djinn, as well as a whole new world. This is where Irving comes into it, and grants Glory three wishes. There isn’t really much more I can say without giving too much of the story away. There is the djinn element, of course, plus a romance element (isn’t there always?), and plenty of action.
I’ve never before read any books based in djinn mythology, although as with all fantasy, I was intrigued. I’ve got to say, I wasn’t let down and the book made me want to delve into more djinn-type books. Wish for Me also has a strong steampunky type feel to it, what with all the goggles and tiny top hats, the clockwork and the steel, the fashion and even the attitudes to some degree. At first, I was really surprised. When the first automaton comes into the story, it didn’t seem to fit at all but I soon got comfortable with it and began to look forward to reading more of it. I don’t know whether djinn literature and steampunk often go hand in hand like that, but I really enjoyed that element of this book and it made me want to read more by A. Star (who, as a side note, is also Diantha Jones. I’m confused, but let’s just leave it at that).
The descriptions too were something to behold. When describing Shrinelyn (the djinn realm) especially, I was really able to picture the people, the places, and the all the clockwork and steel creations. Star has an excellent way with words when writing descriptions and if I had the chance to see the beauty of Shrinelyn for myself, I would most definitely jump at the chance! It’s a shame, it must be said, that Star’s way with words didn’t quite stretch to the rest of the narrative.
Written in first person narrative, the inner monologue of Glory was nowhere near as pleasant as the descriptions and was often a little crass. Glory as a character annoyed me, as did Irving in fact, and only good writing can make you feel so strongly for a character. However, it almost seemed as though the author couldn’t quite decide on which character she wanted Glory to be. Was she the cool, funky girl who swore and had casual sex because it’s fun? Was she the insecure girl who guards her heart closely and has casual sex to hide her pain? Was she the soppy, loved up romance novel type chick who swooned over the handsome man? In reality, she was all of these and actually, that would be fine, except these separate parts of one character weren’t melded together as well as they could have been.
The story as a whole was engrossing and I raced through the book to the end. For quite a short book, it packs a lot of punch. There are lots of twists and turns – some of which I guessed, some of which I didn’t – and there was enough suspense to keep wanting to read more. The excitement built to a great crescendo at the end but ultimately, I was left feeling disappointed. The story was not resolved and the book as a result seems unfinished. I do appreciate that there is a second book (which, luckily, I already have) but even in a series, I think the individual books need to have a complete story in order to be satisfying. One thing’s for sure though, I’m definitely going to be reading the second in the series, and right away too. That in itself tells you all you need to know. Moral of the story here: read this book, but make sure you have the next one on hand!
For more about A. Star, visit her website here, or you can buy the book here.
Review by Riley J. Froud. For more reviews and other bookish nonsense, go to www.rileyjfroud.com.
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