Wow, I am so in the mood for some fantasy right now. After a lot of hot weather these past couple of weeks, I am pleased to announce that it is going to be slightly less hot! Yes, I will still be sweating, and I won’t be curling up in my blankets anytime soon. But, it is finally going to be some not suffocating weather, so I can finally be comfortable and I can finally pull out all my fantasy books.
This year, despite it being a little bit different than I was expecting, I attended YALLWEST for my third year. And I attended it from the comfort of my bedroom. It was a digital event this year, as most things had to be, but it was still a day full of bookish discussions, which was so nice, and such a good distraction. It was also really nice that people had more access to the event. You can read a little bit more about my experience with the event here!
With the event, a lot of publishers held amazing giveaways, and I was lucky enough to win one! I won a copy of Broken Wish, the first in a four-book series! This book comes out TODAY, so definitely check it out!
I received a copy of this book for free, but all thoughts and opinions on the book are mine.
This post contains affiliate links. Clicking on the title of the book will take you to book depository, where you can purchase the book. You can find more info on affiliate links here!
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Content Warnings: infertility, images of hanging
Broken Wish is about a family who is cursed, and how they learn to deal with that. The four-book series will follow this same cursed family over different generations. Honestly, this sounds amazing and I am excited about how it will turn out. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series written by other amazing authors, Dhonielle Clayton, J.C. Vervantes, and L.L. Mckinney. I am interested in seeing the more modern generations, and how it compares to this story, set in 1865.
Broken Wish by Julie C. Dao has all the makings of a classic fairytale. I felt like I was reading straight out of a Grimm Brother’s tale (who, funnily enough, were mentioned in the book!) This book has magic, witches, magical mirrors, and wishing wells. Oh, and don’t forget the rioting townspeople. It had all the makings of a fantastic fantasy story.
This book was a super-fast read. The chapters were short, which I loved, and I sped through this book within a couple days. I wasn’t always excited to see what would happen next, because I felt like a lot of it was predictable, but I did really enjoy the experience. It just felt that everything was happening way too fast sometimes, without any description or time to breathe with the characters.
This led me to feel a bit insecure in the world of the story. I didn’t have a good image of what the town of Hannau looked like, and who the characters were. I would have loved a deeper look into the characters. They felt a little flat to me, and I think a stronger characterization and worldbuilding would have elevated this story.
One thing I did really appreciate was that the magical system was explained really well! I understood the different things witches could do, and how they are different and similar to each other. It honestly made me excited to read the rest of the books in the series, because I want to see that magical system work in other stories with other characters, especially in the modern world.
Overall, I think this is a strong start to a series that promises to be intriguing! I would recommend this book to young readers who are looking at dipping their feet into the fantasy genre. I enjoyed it!
I am so thankful to Disney Hyperion for holding this giveaway, and I am thankful to the luck gods for allowing me to win! I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a fantastic way to start off my reading for the spookiest month of the year.
What books have you read this month? Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments below!
