Wicked As You Wish

Oh no! I haven’t pushed the dnf button for any book for a long time! But I cannot go on however I tried sooooo hard!<br />I gave up. I’m at page 125 and I listen my inner voice kept screaming me; “Put the book down! Nice and slowly!” So I did as I’m told! I raised my hands to the air and surrendered! <br /><br />I did my best to be patient! I uncounted sheep and drank triple shot espressos at the night time to focus on the story. (I sacrificed a great bottle of wine during my read which gives me more inner screams. Yes I silently cry now!)<br />But I felt like the author acted like a newbie cook who added so much ingredients to create her signature dish but all these ingredients didn’t fit well together and the result cane out something complicated. <br /><br />One cup urban fantasy, two table spoon magical realism, two cups fables and one pinch of fairy-tales are not my ideal mixing for delicious book. The world building was confusing and I did everything I could but I couldn’t relate with the characters. They’re not layered, well-developed ones and I didn’t understand their struggles, motives, challenges, too. I didn’t feel for them so if there is no character or a great story to hold on to, I have no reason to continue!<br /><br />So I did everything to get into the world that has been created by the author, losing myself with fairy-tale universe but it actually didn’t work for me!<br /><br />I was so excited to consume this at one bite but it destroyed my teeth so unfortunately I needed to feed myself with another book to fight with my hangerness. <br /><br />Special thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for sharing this Arc Copy in exchange my honest review! <br />I wish I could like it more. I tried but unfortunately this is not my cup of wine!<br /><br /><a href="https://niluferozmekik.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">blog</a><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nilylovestoread/" rel="nofollow noopener">instagram</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/nilufer.ozmekik" rel="nofollow noopener">facebook</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/NiluferOzmekik" rel="nofollow noopener">twitter</a>

EDIT: for everything you might like to know about WICKED AS YOU WISH, a thread: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/RinChupeco/status/1131706674631208961">https://twitter.com/RinChupeco/status...</a><br /><br />Join the street team: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://t.co/BdYEVFWpwL">https://t.co/BdYEVFWpwL</a><br /><br />---------------------------<br /><br /><br />This was the first book I'd ever written, shelved way back in 2010 because it wasn't "marketable", according to the feedback that I'd believed then.<br /><br />Except every book I'd published since wasn't really marketable either. THE GIRL FROM THE WELL wasn't marketable because "horror didn't sell". THE BONE WITCH wasn't written like a Western fantasy and readers "wanted something different but not that different". THE NEVER TILTING WORLD's premise was "too weird".<br /><br />I have since decided, if you will pardon my Tagalog, na punyeta na lang, so here it is, anyway. I am tired and I too would like to sleep for a dozen more years, but I am also very proud. I am forever appreciative of the people who have always supported my odd little books, from my publishers to my readers. Hope you like this one.<br /><br />(edit: this sounds so woefully bitter when I read it again, haha! To better reiterate: I am happy and thankful that the book that gave me so many rejections wayyy back in 2010 because of "why not make the character white instead, I'm not sure readers will relate" syndrome has finally found an amazing publisher without my having to change that.)

haven't read this, but people are flooding this book with 1 star reviews because the author called out Mackenzi Lee for signing/defacing (Lee's words) the book without Rin's consent.<br /><br />People are trying to punish an author of color for standing up for themselves when a white person does something insulting and demeaning. NOPE.<br /><br />Your racism is showing!

After reading this synopsis, 12 years were added to my life. <br /><br /><a href="https://meltotheany.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Blog</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/meltotheany/" rel="nofollow noopener">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.twitter.com/meltotheany" rel="nofollow noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://meltotheany.tumblr.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Tumblr</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4RbHEg_fH6CewJrh_0xJ9g" rel="nofollow noopener">Youtube</a> | <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/meltotheany" rel="nofollow noopener">Twitch</a>

<b>I should have loved this. </b><br /><br />A world that combines every single fairytale into one. A large cast of characters. Political intrigue. Filipino culture. <br /><br /><i>so why oh why did this disappoint?</i><br /><br /><b>the summary </b><br />In a world much like our own, but with a fantastical twist- the Royal States of America are joined by Wonderland, Neverland and Avalon. Their histories are intertwined with our own, creating an interesting political landscape and blend of cultures. Tala is a young girl with a curse of repelling and negating magic. Her family is charged with concealing Prince Alexei of Avalon until he can reclaim his rightful throne. When the Firebird comes to them- Tala, Alex and a host of Bandersnatches set off on a quest to fight the Snow Queen and her evil ICE Agents. <br /><br /><i>"cease the deception. People who don't look and act like you is what you hate. Every other excuse is only a pretence."</i><br /><br /><b>the writing</b><br />One of my favourite parts of this book, the writing was well done. I marked a few quotes that particularly resonated with me, mostly about filipino culture, political statements and morality. <br /><br /><i>"Wanna be known far and wide as a great warrior? Slay a dragon! Wanna impress the princess two kingdoms down from yours? Slay a dragon! Wanna impress the two kingdoms down from yours? Slay a dragon! Wanna show you've got better claims to the crown than the despot in power? Slay a flipping dragon! Genocide, all packaged up as feats of bravery." </i><br /><br />Additionally, I loved the chapter headers that foreshadowed what would happen in the chapter, but in a non-sensical way that would usually only click once you got to the event. for example<br />Chapter One: In which a kiss does the exact opposite.<br /><br /><br /><b>the plot</b><br />For the first few chapters, I really enjoyed it. I liked the characters, the world and just gently being eased into the story. But as soon as the plot started and our characters left for their quest I found myself loosing interest. My eyes began to glaze and skip down the page of their own accord- waiting for the end of the chapter so I could go do something else. I began to get confused about the intricacies of the world and politics (despite the numerous info dumps) By the end, I didn't know what was going on, and couldn't bring myself to care about who even one. It didn't evoke any emotion in me, which really is my best indicator about whether I am invested or not. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the latter. <br /><br /><b>the world building</b><br />Alternatively, I could have put this section under the header 'the info dumps' because that seemed to be all the world building was made up of. (okay, maybe that's a little harsh- but I'm bitter)<br />It could have been so good! I loved the little references and cameos of fairytale figures, worlds and how they interacted with one another. For example, 'The Burn' was a huge fight between Peter Pan and Hook in the twelfth century that caused a magical explosion leaving a desert that separated various parts of the kingdom, eventually leading the the destruction of Neverland. <br /><br /><b>the characters</b><br />aka the main disappointment of the book. I could have gotten past the info dumps. I could have gotten past not completely understanding. I could have gotten past the pacing. <br />If I liked the characters. <br />When the characters are developed and interesting, it is easier for me to connect with the story. Unfortunately, the majority of them fell flat and were quite one-dimensional. The diversity was amazing! There were people of different genders, sexualities, races- but that felt like their defining characteristic. I found myself getting confused between some of them, which led to me not really caring about what happened.<br /><br /><i>"If I were a monster, I would have let you drown back in the swamps"<br />"And that's the difference between us. You think one act of kindness, even self-serving, is enough to not make you one."</i><br /><br /><b>the verdict</b><br />overall, this has the potential to be someone's favourite book ever- or their least favourite. I have seen some quite polarising reviews even before this book's release, but if it interests you I would still recommend you give it a go. it is definitely one that will appeal to a specific group of people, with its quirky world and filipino elements. If you end up picking it up, I hope you love it! Unfortunately however, it wasn't quite for me. <br /><br />2.5 stars<br /><br /><i>Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC</i><br /><br /><b>Release Date:</b> 3 March 2020

ARC from December FairyLoot <br /><br />Mel ????

<b>Was this the worst book I’ve ever read? No. But it was close. I didn't like this book. Not even a little bit. Let me tell you why.</b><br /><br />A few months ago I read Rin Chupeco's <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/36321739.The_Never_Tilting_World__The_Never_Tilting_World___1_" title="The Never Tilting World (The Never Tilting World, #1) by Rin Chupeco" rel="noopener">The Never Tilting World</a>. It was another book with a beautiful cover and an exciting premise that left me dry and bored while reading. I have since then come to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, Rin Chupeco's books just aren't for me. Although considering the ratings for this one and <i>The Never Tilting World</i>, they aren't for a lot of people.<br /><br />I didn't care about the overly dense worldbuilding or any of the extensive infodumps. I didn't care for the large cast of characters or the magic system. I didn't care about anything that happened. I would constantly zone out while reading and had to get myself back into focus. It made the book feel longer than it was like it was never going to finally end.<br /><br /><b>I was afraid this was going to throw me into a reading slump.</b><br /><br />I felt like the book was predictable and yet, all over the place. The characters were one dimensional and bland. The world was needlessly complex and hard to get into. The writing was OK at best.<br /><br />Overall, I just didn't have a good time reading it. And life is much too short to read books you don't like.<br /><br /><i>**I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**</i><br /><br />Follow Me Here Too:<b> <a href="http://www.thebookcovergirls.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow noopener">My Blog</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/covergirlreads" rel="nofollow noopener">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/book-cover-girl-19339391" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thebookcovergirls//" rel="nofollow noopener">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://thebookcovergirls.tumblr.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Tumblr</a> || <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/thebookcovergirls/" rel="nofollow noopener">Pinterest</a></b>

I honestly try not to let other reviews and ratings affect me prior to diving into a book but unfortunately this one was definitely a victim of me doing a whole lot of side-eye as the GR rating went down, down, down in the weeks leading up to release (and, as of writing this review, there's still three weeks to go..). I stayed away from reviews for the most part but I went into this with concerns not only due to the rating but also after seeing a few DNFs pop up in my feed.<br /><br />Suffice it to say, I understand why this was a struggle for some readers. The worldbuilding, the mythology, the folklore, the history.. it's so much. It's so extra. This is a world where, like, fairytales are on crack. Think of every story, every myth, every legend, everything you've ever heard of or read, throw them into a blender, and top it all with a sprinkling of real-world concerns and politics. That's what this universe is like. There is so much going on just in the every day common knowledge (or not, if you're the MC, who knows almost nothing, Jon Snow), not to mention this big life-changing, world-altering event, of Avalon, a country where magic first began (or something..?) was frozen over by the Snow Queen, killing Avalon's rulers, and sending the prince into exile and hiding. Said prince shows up into the armpit of Arizona, where most of this story takes place, and is now being taken in by Tala, our protagonist's, family, who are all a bunch of famous ex-Avalonian.. militia, or something.<br /><br />Anyway, eventually they are discovered, the Snow Queen invades a place they once believed she never could, and Tala, the prince, and a ragtag group of teens, find themselves returning to Avalon to break the curse. One of the many curses because, like, everyone has a curse or a doom or a geas and like.. I'm already tired trying to explain this. Because, again, it's a lot. There's a huge cast of characters. Prophecies and secrets abound and there's a lot we, as a reader, are left in the dark about, while other characters seem to prefer to just spout weird prophetic statements without any care to shed light on things, and we bounce from one battle or confrontation to another, all while watching this group form rather predictable connections, despite themselves, and while the Prince acts like an ass.. for no discernible reason.<br /><br />So, yeah, I have no idea what to do with this. This book was a big floppy trade paperback of an ARC, with tiny tiny writing, and I spent two days slogging through what was, admittedly, a clever and interesting world that I should've really loved reading about, but somehow never quite did, and dealing with a pile of characters who should've been interesting and fun and only ever sometimes managed a little of that. <br /><br />The upsides? Beyond the creativity and the astounding amount of work it must've taken to put this together and keep it all consistent (seriously, my brain, it hurts), this is heavily steeped in the author's own culture and there is a lot of representation. Also, I might even pick up book two. But that last point is probably less to do with the book and more to do with my stubbornness and curiousity, so. I don't know. I can't recommend. But nor do I think I want to not recommend. There are definitely going to be people who love this but I see just as many, like me, who won't know what to do with it.. or can't even get far enough to bother.<br /><br />** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **<br /><br />---<br /><br />This review can also be found at <a href="https://atakefromtwocities.home.blog/2020/03/06/wicked-as-you-wish-by-rin-chupeco/" rel="nofollow noopener">A Take From Two Cities</a>.

First of all, let me just say that I am at a loss for words after reading this book. As a Filipino, I have accepted the fact that the chance of being represented in books and films are close to none. This book proved me wrong and gave me so much hope. You might look at this as a slight bias on the way I see the totality of the book, but I actually enjoyed reading this one.<br /><br />I have 2 books of Rin Chupeco on my TBR mountain that I have not read yet, which means that this is my first time to fully experience her work. As much as fantasy is not my go-to genre, I have to say that I loved this one a lot.<br /><br />But, before we go ahead, let me say this first: I had a slightly difficult time immersing myself with the world building. I don’t know if this is because I do not have the most active imagination and I always struggle to imagine fantasy-related stories. I felt a little lost with all the political system, magic, and history – so I took down some notes to make things much easier.<br /><br />I should say, though, that finding pieces of the Filipino culture was still a fun easter-egg-hunting-ish experience for me. (If you are like me, though, I still hope that you give this book a chance because you will miss on something amazing!)<br /><br />One key point of my loving this story is the characters. I love Tala and I cannot believe that we have a strong Filipina heroine like her! I love her family and the other support characters – especially when there is banter (which feels like the author is a master of!). The characters are very endearing and I find myself rooting more and more for them as the story dives much deeper.<br /><br />The writing style also deserves all the stars! There is something about Rin’s writing that is easy to read, while being genuine and sincere. It is able to bring up various emotions that made me laugh, made me nervous, and tugged at my heartstrings.<br /><br />A bonus point to like is the quirky chapter titles, which made reading this definitely much more fun!<br /><br />Overall, this book made me fall for Rin Chupeco and I am now itching to read their other works! I know this book is the first that they have ever written and I am so happy to see how much they have changed and grown in their writing approach. (I am also very happy that this story was given a chance to be shared to the world!)

<i>Wicked As You Wish</i> is wickedly determined to make the readers fall in love with every character on the right side with the determination, magical talents, or humour they bring to the table. A Filipina warrior family must protect the prince who has been assumed long dead by the racist authoritarian government to restore the frozen kingdom which is a source of magic-powering glyphs. <br /><br />From the fantastical beings like a phoenix or an ice-woman to the group of formidable teenagers who are perfectly capable of saving the day, the idea of a modern setting on magical grounds work greatly to create an urban fantasy. <u>A racially and sexually diverse cast is commendable</u>: the main protagonist is a half-Filipina and belong to a warrior Filipina family, the prince is a gay, the squad has a Chinese non-binary character, a Jewish girl, and all the members of this squad are destined to serve a purpose in the series, according to interesting myths-inspired prophecies. <br /><br />Several important themes like racist immigration policies, ill-treatment towards refugees, and the Western avarice that deteriorates a culture, are wonderfully explored. Overall, a definitive recommendation for those who wish to see more diversity on the line that connects the real world to a fantasy one. <br /><br /><blockquote> <i>↣ a digital copy received via netgalley.</i> </blockquote><br />