Blog Tour: Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco

Good morning everyone! Today we are so excited for our stop on the blog tour for Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco. We are just one of the stops on the tour hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club. Be sure to check out the schedule and other tour stops for more fantastic content related to Chupeco’s newest fantasy adventure.

About the Book

Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic, #1) by Rin Chupeco
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on March 3, 2020
Pages: 432
Goodreads

Tala Warnock has little use for magic – as a descendant of Maria Makiling, the legendary Filipina heroine, she negates spells, often by accident. But her family’s old ties to the country of Avalon (frozen, bespelled, and unreachable for almost 12 years) soon finds them guarding its last prince from those who would use his kingdom’s magic for insidious ends.
And with the rise of dangerous spelltech in the Royal States of America; the appearance of the firebird, Avalon’s deadliest weapon, at her doorstep; and the re-emergence of the Snow Queen, powerful but long thought dead, who wants nothing more than to take the firebird's magic for her own – Tala’s life is about to get even more complicated….

About The Author

Despite an unsettling resemblance to Japanese revenants, Rin always maintains her sense of hummus. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. Dances like the neighbors are watching. She is represented by Rebecca Podos of the Helen Rees Agency. She is also fond of speaking in the third person, and may as well finish this short bio in this manner. While she does not always get to check her Goodreads page, she does answer questions posed to her here as promptly as she is able to.

Our Review

I actually knew very little about this book going in. In fact, this was my first book by Rin Chupeco and I was not disappointed! Wicked AS You Wish the first book in a YA fantasy duology set in an alternate America where magic not only exists but is also weaponized.

The book gave me series Once Upon A Time vibes (think first season with its clever juxtaposition of fairytales and the real world). Tala is our magic negating protagonist who calls Invierno (one of the few magical-less regions of the US) home. Descended from an Irish father and a Flilipina mother she is surrounded by her mother’s family whose magical abilities run the spectrum.

Aside from magic, life is relatively boring, that is until Alex- the former prince of Avalon who witnessed the brutal murder of his parents when he was just five years old. Now a sarcastic teenager, Alex has come to Invieron seeking asylum and with his eighteenth birthday imminent- along with the rumored return of Avalon’s greatest weapon: the fabled firebird- Tala’s family takes Alex in.

When the fire bird does in fact return to Avalon suddenly life gets interesting and a little complicated. Tala, Alex, and cast of witty and magical characters must get Alex back to Avalon to take his rightful place on the throne before the Evil Queen gets to Alex first and finishes what she started all those years ago.

There were so many things about this book that I loved. The allusions to so many childhood fairytales and fables was so fun and clever. I was sincere in my comparison of Once Upon A Time but on a larger scale. Fairytale worlds make up different regions of the world and you elements of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Alice in Wonderland, and Snow White (to name a few).

On a more serious note, Chupeco dives into questions of identity not only in terms of her mixed-race heritage but also where she fits in the magical world considering her unique ability to negate magic and spelltech (basically technology infused with magic). Tala frequently struggles to feel like she belongs. She also comes to learn that her family history is a lot messier than she originally thought.

With all that said I gave this one 4.5/5 stars. It was almost perfect and I think if I had been able to dedicate more energy to longer reading sessions I would have enjoyed it more than I already did.

Overall, I would recommend this beauty to anyone who loved The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert and Spellhacker by M.K. England

Giveaway

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What About You?

Have you had a chance to pick this one up yet? If so, what did you think? If not, are you excited to get your hands on it? Let us know your thoughts int he comments!