Book Review: As You Wish

Goodreads Summery

Ever since Viola's boyfriend broke up with her, she has spent her days silently wishing—to have someone love her again and, more importantly, to belong again—until one day she inadvertently summons a young genie out of his world and into her own. He will remain until she makes three wishes.


Jinn is anxious to return home, but Viola is terrified of wishing, afraid she will not wish for the right thing, the thing that will make her truly happy. As the two spend time together, the lines between master and servant begin to blur, and soon Jinn can't deny that he's falling for Viola. But it's only after Viola makes her first wish that she realizes she's in love with Jinn as well . . . and that if she wishes twice more, he will disappear from her life—and her world—forever.


Jackson Pearce spins a magical tale about star-crossed lovers, what it means to belong . . . and how important it is to be careful what you wish for.



Review
As You Wish by Jackson Pearce was just what I expected to be. I really love Jackson Pearce. I think she’s an amazing person, and I do fallow her on Youtube. However when I read the back of this book, I knew exactly where it was going.


Things I Liked About the Book

The characters. I really like Viola as a character. She wasn’t perfect or annoying. She was just a person who makes mistakes and has flaws just like any other human. She was very relatable. I really could feel her desire to belong and how she didn’t know what it means to be empy or whole. I think everyone feel that way in some point of their lives. You don’t know where you belong in this world and you don’t feel that being yourself is good enough.

I also liked Jinn. He was a fun character and unique in his own way. He also adds this question that what if your life wasn’t as perfect as you thought it is, that it is okay to just be normal and flawed. Although Jinn were the supernatural creature, he was the most human of all.

I liked the rest of the characters as well, and I’m so sad that we didn’t get to see more of them.
The writing had its flaw, but it’s one of the reasons why I enjoyed the book so much. I was never bored while reading it. The pacing is very good and it felt so quick. And I love Pearce's portrayal of teenagers. It felt so real with the way they talk and act.


Things I Didn’t Like About the Book

The first thing is the cover. I really, really, really hate the cover! Reasons: It doesn’t hold any significance to the plot what so ever, it doesn’t do the book’s justice, and it’s the reason why it took me so long to buy the book!

Like I said before, I knew where the story is going. It was very predictable in my opinion. Although it had a unique premise, it didn’t add anything special to it. I wished it focused more on the jinn’s world and added more conflict into the story. It instead focused more on the love story between Jinn and Viola, and the ending didn’t really satisfy me because it felt like an open ending. Not all my questions were answered.

My biggest complaint is the love story itself. I do think it was adorable, but it wasn’t believable. I thought they fall in love too deep, too fast. I just didn’t buy it that this girl whom Jinn has known for only few days made him question his own life the way it happened in the story, especially considering that they didn’t spend much time together. As for Viola, it was even more unconvincing on her part. She was deeply in love with Lawrence that it seemed impossible for her to let go. Yet after Jinn showed up, it seemed so easy. What she couldn’t give up on for 2 years seemed to be easily forgotten because of someone she has known for only few days.


How Would I Have Preferred the Story to Be

Okay, I’m not a writer, and I don’t consider myself better than the wonderful Jackson Pearce or any other published author out there, but you have to admit it, some readers intend to fantasize the plot when they read the back of the book or the first few chapters. I’m one of these people. Feel free to skip this section if you don’t want to read my fantasies.

I honestly would have preferred it if it was a friendship story instead of a love story. Even after I reached half way through the book, Viola and Jinn didn’t seem more than friends to me. The love connection, though I knew it was coming, happened so suddenly. I imagined the love connection would happen slowly as Viola gets over her issues, gets to know more about the jinn world, even goes into the jinn world, and then falls in love with Jinn. The book would have been longer that way, maybe 400 pages or so.

Well, these were my fantasies. Don’t take it too seriously.


Readable?

Definitely for teens. Most of them would relate to Viola and enjoy Jinn’s sarcasm and sensitivity. I think both boys and girls can enjoy this book, not so sure about the boys though. Adults who enjoy stories of a teenage girl falling in love with a paranormal creature will enjoy this as well.


Overall

Quick and entertaining read with some significant themes to it.


Final Rating: 3.5/5

I really liked it. I can imagine myself reading it again, and I’m looking forward to reading Sisters Red because I heard that one is so much better.