Wicked As You Wish

Rin Chupeco

Mar 2020 · A Hundred Names for Magic Book 1 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this eBook

What if every story you'd ever heard was true? Jack killed the giants. Red slayed the wolf. Rapunzel fled the tower. But the greatest one of all, had yet to be told.

Once upon a time, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left to wither and die after the Snow Queen encased it in ice. Its former citizens are now refugees. Which is why crown prince Alex and his protectors are stuck in... Arizona.

Tala Makiling has lived her life as an outsider. Her family curse, the one that's doomed her to be a spellbreaker, someone who destroys magic, hasn't won her too many friends. Except Alex, who trusts her and her family to keep his royal identity a secret.

And then one night, a famous creature of legend, the Firebird, appears in their tiny town, reigniting hope for their abandoned homeland. Alex and Tala team up with a ragtag group of new friends to journey back to Avalon. Their path is filled with danger—from deadly prophecies, to terrifying ice wolves, a traitor among them, and the Snow Queen herself. But if they succeed... their story would be legendary.

"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

Gripping, fantastical, and delightfully funny, Wicked As You Wish is perfect for readers looking for:

young adult magic, mythology, and folklore

LGBTQ representation

diverse characters

creative new takes on classic stories

fresh and dazzling world building

Praise for Wicked As You Wish:

"Glorious."—Shelf Awareness

"Combining legends, myths, fairy tales, and classic children's literature from Oz to Neverland, Chupeco (The Bone Witch) creates an enchanting story that is both a feast for the senses and a unique spin on the hero's journey...A nail-biting quest that introduces a gripping new series."—STARRED review, Publishers Weekly

"...A truly original novel. A deftly executed melding of folklore and reality grounded in contemporary issues."—STARRED review, Kirkus

Ratings and reviews

First thing you need to know about Wicked As You Wish is that it is a big mash-up of fairytales and folklore legends in a retelling, and has them part of history in a modern urban fantasy setting. So, magic has existed in the world and the kingdom of Avalon is one of the sources of the glyphs that power magic aside from those born with innate abilities. Avalon itself is a mix from Arthurian legends to Russian ones, and it is currently frozen under enchantment resulting from the breach that the kingdom of Beira, ruled by the Snow Queen, conducted more than a decade ago, leaving its prince, Alex, to be under witness protection, basically. The story starts with him arriving in Invernio, Tala's town, to be under the protection of her extended family, who were part of Avalon's regiment, and then skips ahead to a year later, when the prophecy concerning him and Tala is set in motion. Part of the story takes place in the Royal States of America (yep, you heard that right) where a despot king has implemented racist policies (sounds like someone we know) against refugees, particularly magical ones and especially those from Avalon, and the attitude towards harnessing magic is capitalistic, which drives most of the political issues in the book. Rest of the book is Tala and Alex and the Order of the Bandersnatch team led by Zoe, trying to reach Maidenkeep, the royal stronghold of Avalon, to hope to undo the curse that has it frozen. This part feels a bit divorced from the first part, because it is more of an adventure quest, with Tala not warrior-trained like the Order team, but her spellbreaking abilities that come with her being Makiling are quite a benefit in some situations and a liability in another. There's a lot of prophecy swirling around, with each character having something for them, and obviously a lot of them don't get fulfilled in this book, but it was quite interesting to see the ones that did. The book, as a whole, is engaging and entertaining, while also making modern issues stand out in its plot; it also takes care to build up a world where magic has been a part of history, so it alters historical events and folds them into magic-fueled events, too. However, I must also say, that initially it felt like all this was coming at you very fast - there's a lot to absorb from the world, even magic-wise, and then there were these little nuggets of details thrown in constantly to include the various fairytales, and, well, it basically became overwhelming for a while until we get to Avalon, where the chaos settles down a bit for us to actually enjoy their story.

I thought this book was incredible! The plot was so complicated and really interesting. I sat up till almost 2:00 am trying to finish it; this book grabbed my attention and was so exciting. Thanks to the author for such a good book!

About the author

Despite uncanny resemblances to Japanese revenants, Rin Chupeco has always maintained their sense of humor. Raised in Manila, Philippines, they keep four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. They’ve been a technical writer and a travel blogger but now make things up for a living. They are the author of The Girl from the Well, The Suffering, The Sacrifice, The Bone Witch trilogy, and the A Hundred Names for Magic trilogy. Connect with Rin at rinchupeco.com.