The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury
Published 23rd February 2016 by Razorbill
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 11/75
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years—a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.
But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?
As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.
But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?
As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.
My Thoughts
This was a deliciously sensual novel that was full of deception, desire and forbidden love. The author did a wonderful job of weaving a magical story that flowed beautifully. The writing was exquisite. It was lyrical and whimsical and gave the book an almost poetic feel to it. I found the writing style quite unlike anything I have read before. Usually I find these sorts of books a bit too flowery for my liking, I generally prefer fast paced, action filled plots, but this one seemed to work well with the story line.
This was quite a romance heavy plot and this also isn't something that I'm usually a huge fan of but again I enjoyed that way the romance was woven into this story. It wasn't just a straight forward romance either and that helped to keep my interest. I enjoyed the female characters too. I thought they were very strong willed and determined and the author did a great job of portraying their emotions. You could really feel their own wants and desires as well as their internal conflicts and how they overcame these.
I've been on a bit of a fantasy binge recently, particularly retellings, and I think this was another good example. This one was a retelling of the story of Aladdin and it had enough aspects to tie it in to the original but with enough differences that it was a good story in its own right. If you are unfamiliar with the story of Aladdin then you shouldn't be put off reading this. I don't feel like you need to know the original in order to enjoy this one.
Overall another really enjoyable standalone fantasy read, this one quite different to my last. Where as the last one was quite dark and gritty this one was much more lyrical and magical and it was a nice change. If your looking for a novel to draw you in with a beautiful poetic writing style and themes of desire and forbidden love then I would recommend this one.
This was quite a romance heavy plot and this also isn't something that I'm usually a huge fan of but again I enjoyed that way the romance was woven into this story. It wasn't just a straight forward romance either and that helped to keep my interest. I enjoyed the female characters too. I thought they were very strong willed and determined and the author did a great job of portraying their emotions. You could really feel their own wants and desires as well as their internal conflicts and how they overcame these.
I've been on a bit of a fantasy binge recently, particularly retellings, and I think this was another good example. This one was a retelling of the story of Aladdin and it had enough aspects to tie it in to the original but with enough differences that it was a good story in its own right. If you are unfamiliar with the story of Aladdin then you shouldn't be put off reading this. I don't feel like you need to know the original in order to enjoy this one.
Overall another really enjoyable standalone fantasy read, this one quite different to my last. Where as the last one was quite dark and gritty this one was much more lyrical and magical and it was a nice change. If your looking for a novel to draw you in with a beautiful poetic writing style and themes of desire and forbidden love then I would recommend this one.
Overall Rating
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