Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic, #1)

by Rin Chupeco

[Quirky Cat]

Rin Chupeco's latest novel, Wicked As You Wish, is the first in a new series – A Hundred Names for Magic. First, can I just say that I adore the name of the series? I would absolutely dive in to a series with that name, even knowing nothing about it.

What happens when you combine a girl with secrets (including powers), a prince in hiding, a group of secret soldiers, and a firebird? Well, you get Wicked As You Wish, actually. Prince Alexei is the only surviving member of the Royal family of Avalon, which fell years ago.

Now those loyal to the kingdom help keep him safe and hidden away. That includes Tala and her family. Even though they also have secrets that people would hunt them for, should that information get out.

"People who don't look and act like you is what you hate. Every other excuse is only a pretense."

Let me tell you; I was so excited to dive into Wicked As You Wish (see all my reasons above). This raises the question – did it hold up to my expectations? Honestly? It mostly did, yeah! So I can't really complain.

What I loved the most about Wicked As You Wish because it opened the door for having a frank conversation. Many of the subjects discussed in this novel are heavy: police brutality, colonialism, genocide, and so much more. Yet these subjects need to be talked about, especially as they are an active part of so many people's lives.

Using fantasy as a lens for these subjects is brilliant, and I will always appreciate it when I see it. I also appreciate the way Rin Chupeco handled the discussions, so thank you so much for that! Moving onto what I didn't love as much, we have character development. Many of the characters just came off as flat for me. I struggled to care about them, even while feeling so hard for the situations they were in. It was an odd experience, to say the least.

One that I did find jarring enough to keep me from utterly falling in love with the story if we're being honest. Still, I will likely read the rest of the A Hundred Names for Magic series, given a chance!

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks