The Wish Granter by C. J. Redwine

Thank you to Kid Lit Exchange for the free copy of The Wish Granter by C. J. Redwine in exchange for an unbiased review.  
All opinions are my own.

Inspired by the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, The Wish Granter is an adventure like I’ve never experienced before.  Teague is the infamous and titular Wish Granter, a fae who grants people their greatest desires in exchange for something quite valuable: their souls.  The exchange leads to nothing but misery for now King Thad and his sister, Ari.  Their mother was murdered, the former king and his family were killed, all in exchange for Ari’s safety.  When Ari learns about the magical contract between her brother and Teague, she’ll stop at nothing to save her brother and her community from the reign of the Wish Granter.  She gains a friend, Sebastian, along the way, who may not be exactly who he says he is.  Everything is on the line for both Ari and Teague, and if Ari can’t outwit him she’ll lose everything, including her soul. I loved this one so much that I’m giving it a full review on the blog! Read more to see my rating and full review. 

The Wish Granter is a magical story with a strong female protagonist and a page-turning plot.  I found myself staying up past my bedtime and making excuses to spend just a few more minutes finding out what happened next.  The characters are fully developed without feeling overly-written.  The plot is fantastical, something just out of a fairy tale, but won’t leave older fantasy lovers feeling like they are picking up their childhood story books.  The Wish Granter is a completely different tale than I’ve ever read before.  While it does have the familiar Rumpelstiltskin thread throughout, there was nearly nothing recognizable or recycled in this novel.  All of the interactions and conflicts felt new and original, which added to its page-turning appeal.

What I enjoyed most about this was that the hero isn’t the King we’re introduced to in the beginning of the story.  Instead, it is his sister, Ari, the one whom he trades his soul for her safety, that is the heroine.  She moves with agency, not allowing the societal expectations of her abilities to slow her down.  In fact, it is the doubt that the men around her share about her station and her intelligence that drives her to become the heroine the community needs.

One thing to note about this novel is that it is the second in a series.  Not to worry, though, as all of them are meant to be stand-alone novels.  As someone who did not read any of the others in the series, I didn’t have a problem understanding the context of the plot.  Redwine explained on Goodreads that there were some references to the first book in The Wish Granter, but they were not overwhelming or isolating.

Overall, this is a solid fantasy read with a great conflict, realistic characters (if you look beyond the magical elements), and a plot that will leave you on the edge of your seat.  It made my workouts fly by!  The Wish Granter is a fun read for kiddos age 13 and up who love a bit of mystery, magic, and mayhem in their reads.

TL/DR: Wish the old Rumpelstiltskin tale told a little bit more of the story? Look no further than The Wish Granter.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars