“As the poets say, stories are truth told through lies.”
The Forbidden Wish is an Aladdin retelling with some familiarities, but the author manages to put their unique spin on a well-known tale.
The story is told through the PoV of the jinni, Zahra, who is an awesome main character. She's smart, witty, badass and cunning and embodies the characteristics that I would expect from a jinni - ancient and a little jaded from her experiences with the world, but still hopeful and human. I loved her character arc.
Zahra is one of many strong female characters in The Forbidden Wish. The female characters are badass, strong and smart and I love the bonds of friendship and sisterhood. The women are definitely the driving force of the story.
Aladdin seems like a fun character to write about because he's a thief and scoundrel with the potential to be so much more. He's one of the iconic 'diamond in the rough' types and his character and personality traits are so Aladdin-like.
The romance is a major part of the story, but it never overpowers the plot and is well-written. I love the forbidden romance trope and slow-burn romances and the relationship between Aladdin and Zahra develops organically.
The world is inspired by Arabian folklore and stories and the world, the magic and the plot is interesting. The Forbidden Wish is more character-driven and the plot progression is slow-paced, but I enjoyed the story and the atmosphere. I also loved the twist about the ring. It made so much sense.
The writing style is beautiful and metaphoric, but it makes the characters seem a little distant. The narrative style could be a stylistic choice, because Zahra is a jinni and she isn't meant to seem human or relatable (even though she is), but it's like there's a wall between the reader and the story and I couldn't fully immerse myself in the world.
There is a minor issue, which is a me-problem, but the villains are traditionally 'bad' and while this doesn't negatively impact the story, I prefer more nuanced villains.
The Forbidden Wish is a unique take on the Aladdin story and while it has a compelling main character, strong female characters, an interesting world and is well-written, there's some aspect that makes the story and characters feel distant.
“He is the sun, and I am the moon. We must stay apart or the world will be thrown out of balance.”