The Art Of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

He can grant her wishes, but only she can save his life.

Margo McKenna has a plan for just about everything, from landing the lead in her high school play to getting into a good college. So when she finds herself in possession of a genie's ring and the chance to make three wishes, she doesn't know what to do. Why should she put her life into someone else's hands?

But Oliver is more than just a genie -- he's also a sophomore at Margo's high school, and he's on the run from a murderer. As he and Margo grow closer, she discovers that it will take more than three wishes to save him.

A whole lot more.

I really like the different places that young adult fantasy books take me. I especially like when young adult fantasy books take on less common mythical creatures and tread some paths that I have not really read before. The Art Of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar is a book that has been on my TBR pile for a year. It came in my mail and I was like, yeah that sounds cool, and just tossed it on the stack as one does. A few blogger friends really enjoyed the book, but that was not really enough for me to pick it up. Finally, I was jolted into reading it when I realized it was short and when the sequel magically showed up in my mail. And you guys, I discovered that this book takes on genies and does it in such a cool way.

Margo is an upperclassmen in high school. She is passionate about making music and especially passionate about this year’s school musical: Sweeney Todd. She auditions and is fairly confident that she will receive one of the lead roles and will play Mrs. Lovette. Unfortunately, an unknown sophomore girl named Vicky gets the role and Margo is astounded by this. Vicky has no acting skills to speak of, and yet everyone seems so impressed by her. Margo is cast as Tobias who is an assistant to Mrs. Lovette I guess. I’ve only seen the movie once.

Honestly, Sweeney Todd immediately brings this episode of the Office to mind.

Anyways. So, there’s this other sophomore named Oliver who has taken on the role of yearbook photographer and takes pictures of the play. Okay, so Vicky is in the bathroom and she leaves this Celtic ring, so then Margo picks it up, and bam! there’s Oliver and he’s like yo I am a genie, let me grant you three wishes. Margo is all like, okay! Well, at first she’s super skeptical, but anyways, it turns out that these will be the last three wishes Oliver grants because he is being pursued by another genie who wants to kill him, so Margo has to make these wishes good. Unfortunately for Margo, she finds herself falling for Oliver.

Margo was a super fun main character. I mean, she’s introverted and actually okay with it. She has this best friend named Naomi who is not introverted by any means and Margo recognizes that. She’s also very no bullshit which is another thing I respect about her. I mean, she questions everything and does not just listen to what Oliver tells her. I do like a healthy dose of skepticism and rebellion in the characters that I read about. Margo is very much her own person and seems pretty comfortable in her own skin. I mean, don’t get me wrong, her life does have issues — like her parents not paying much attention to her and also her inability to write songs that she thinks are good enough. I liked that about her.

As for Oliver, the love interest in The Art Of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar, I have to say I liked that he came across as very different from a normal human. I mean, a lot of supernatural characters that I read about are essentially enhanced humans. With Oliver, not so much. I mean, he’s very blase about a lot of different things — like his masters and falling for them. He has made a total break from his human life and at this point is totally okay with it. He actually really likes granting wishes too. He is pretty good for Margo as well. They work pretty well as a couple.

Lindsay Ribar’s writing style reminded me a lot of Meg Cabot’s. This is actually a compliment. The female main character is interesting and feels like a real, flawed person thrown into an extraordinary situation. The love interest is someone you could totally get behind. The writing never feels to heavy but is breezy and quick to get through. There’s funny moments. The book is not at all boring. The Art Of Wishing is the book for you if you’ve ever read a Meg Cabot book and thought, wow this could totally use some genies.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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