wicked as you wish by rin chupeco (review)

I officially finished my TBR for the #asianreadathon! I'm so glad I didn't fail this time, although, to be honest, I chose only two books (Wicked As You Wish and Of Curses and Kisses) for this exact reason. 

The challenges I completed by reading Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco were Read any book by an Asian author — Rin is Chinese Filipina — and Read a book featuring an Asian character or written by an Asian author who you can relate to — Tala is half-Asian like me!

Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1)
by Rin Chupeco
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Pages: 432
★★★★/.5
Synopsis: “A great read for fans of fairy tales, myths and legends… Come for the adventure, stay for the sassy jerkwad firebird.” —Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series
When a hidden prince, a girl with secrets, a ragtag group of unlikely heroes, and a legendary firebird come together…something wicked is going down.
Many years ago, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left encased in ice when the Snow Queen waged war. 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 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.
A new hope for their abandoned homeland reignites when a famous creature of legend, the Firebird, appears for the first time in decades. Alex and Tala must 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.
“First, do no harm; King thou may be, Thy divine right to magic Is no cause to be As wicked as you wish.”― Rin Chupeco, Wicked As You Wish
Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco is a YA Fantasy set in a contemporary world where tales — such as Sleeping Beauty —, well-known stories — like Alice in Wonderland, King Arthur of Avalon, Peter Pan and the Neverland — and myths and are true (even if a bit different). 

Tala Warnock is a Makiling, a spell breaker descendant of Maria Makiling, a hero from the Philipines. And her best friend is Alex, or Alexei Tsarevich, the last remaining prince of Avalon and current refugee. However, when the legendary Firebird appears close to Alex's eighteenth birthday, a new hope of rescuing the frozen Avalon and defeat the evil Snow Queen arises. So, alongside the great Bandersnatches, an elite team of soldiers, Tala and Alex join a quest to return to the Maidenkeep, Alex's castle, and claim the throne of Avalon. 

"Magic barely worked in Invierno, this dry forgotten armpit of a town in Arizona, so nobody ever knew Tala was responsible." ― Rin Chupeco, Wicked As You Wish

Tala is the protagonist of Wicked As You Wish. but there are SEVEN other important characters in the book and, usually, I find it hard to keep up (and care) for every single one (I'm a dumbass, sorry). This time was no different, however, I'd like to confess a few things as well. 

First, I didn't like Alex. I know he's like super significant to the plot, I know he's going through a lot and whatever, but I didn't care enough for him, as a person. Sure, I was emotionally invested with the mission of saving Avalon and therefore his righteous king, but as a character he's kind of a jackass. 

"Sure, he was an idiot. But it was also partly her fault for being best friend with an idiot." ― Rin Chupeco, Wicked As You Wish

Secondly, the Bandersnatch team totally grew on me. I loved the dynamics of the group and even the characters individually (even though there are very few scenes in which they're not all together). Also, I'm kind of sensing some romantic feelings blooming amongst them and I'm curious about what will happen. 

And, lastly, Tala and her parents were the best characters. I loved that they are all badasses who can fight (you don't find it in a lot of books!) and their whole relationship is great (and even when it's not, it's still well written). Tala is relatable to, mostly in the sense that I am half-Asian as well, so I could see myself in a lot of her struggles. But I also didn't find it hard to care for her and her actions throughout the book.  

“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.” ― Rin Chupeco, Wicked As You Wish

The world that Rin Chupeco wrote is beautifully built. I found so interesting how she managed to intertwine stories that we all know and some others we don't to construct an original reality that is both foreign and very familiar to us. I have to admit it took me a while to comprehend how it worked and to get all the history and mythology involved, but that's not necessarily Rin's fault (again, I'm a dumbass).

As for the plot, I thought it was very gripping and full of conflicts. Like I said before, while reading, I was emotionally invested in saving Avalon. However, I have to address the fact that the romance part was not exactly spot on. There's still the angst and the enemies-to-lovers trope I like, but it's clear it's not a love story. It felt a bit rushed and on the nose, but it's understandable since there's a lot of other things happening. 

“How do you offer your condolences to someone whose parents were killed when he was only five years old? How do you cheer up a prince whose kingdom had been literally frozen, seemingly for all of eternity?” ― Rin Chupeco, Wicked As You Wish

Also, I'm aware Wicked As You Wish is just the first book of a series, so I get why there's so much the readers don't know yet. The plot is still incomplete but the ending, though, was on point. It has just the perfect amount of twists and cliffhanger and happy ending for me to be satisfied, crave the next book and feel relieved my favorite characters are okay. 

Regarding the author, I've been curious about Rin Chupeco for a while now (curtesy of Shealea), and finally reading one of her books was everything I wished it would be. I can't wait for more! Actually, I'm thinking about reading The Bone Witch trilogy while I count the days until the Wicked As You Wish sequel. 

“I’ve done things, love, and you know it. A lot of things I should’ve done if I wanted real repentance, but I’d rather have their hate as long as I have your forgiveness.” ― Rin Chupeco, Wicked As You Wish

Speaking of the sequel, here are the things I'm looking forward to:

  • I want to know more about the Snow Queen! Including her ulterior motivations.
  • I want more of Tala fight scenes! I know she has trained with her Mom and Dad and I need more badass scenes!
  • Also, Loki needs to have more scenes as well. I'm begging Rin.
  • And I craving to see all the things the Dame predicted happen. It will be so good.

As for some points that stood out to me while reading, I loved the addition of Seers (prophecies and predictions are a goldmine, really) and ICE as a villain (even if it's a secondary one) was AWESOME (and so true).  

Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco is a fresh and compelling YA Fantasy. I recommended it to everyone looking for diverse, addictive (and #ownvoices!) story that will take you to an adventure!


till nex time!



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