The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar
ARC received from Penguin via LibraryThing
Release Date:
3-21-2013
Reviewed by: Middle
Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say:
Sweet love story but missing the Wow factor
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.
Thank you Penguin and LibraryThing for this ARC!
When I first read the blurb for this book, I was really
excited because…genies! I’m always a
sucker for a new paranormal type of character because the YA genre is overrun
with the same old, same old vampires, werewolves, and demon hunters. So, when I saw that this book was all about
genies (and a cute one at that), I jumped at the chance to review it. After reading it, I’m kind of in limbo
because it was cute and a quick read, but it was lacking that spice that makes
a book glow.
The Art of Wishing
has a contemporary feel to it with a little paranormal twist. I liked the contemporary aspect of it because
it was light-hearted and fun, and it’s nice to be able to read something that
is simple—something that is different from what I normally read. I really enjoyed the genie aspect, too. Oliver was full of fun facts, but I wish
there would have been more depth to the genie mythology. The book ended like there is going to be a
sequel, though, so maybe it will come in the next one.
I enjoyed Margo and Oliver, even though I wasn’t blown away
by either of them. They were fun
together, and they seemed to mesh well.
However, I had a difficult time believing their ages. Margo was supposed to be 18, but I felt like
she was closer to 15. I mean, at one
point, she calls Oliver her boyfriend, and they do this geeky, “Did you just
call me your boyfriend?” type scene that was straight out of a teeny bopper
movie. They were both old enough to act
mature and more socially aware, but their actions and dialogue at points just seemed
childish.
I kind of felt like the romance was bland, too. I have a hard time with romances where the “I
love you’s” come out of nowhere and they don’t match their actions. I wanted to feel Margo and Oliver’s love, not
just hear about it. I needed to believe
it, and while it got better near the end, I still didn’t feel like it was
real. I think that has a lot to do with
the immature dialogue between the two, though.
My favorite part of this story was the music aspect. Margo is an extremely talented singer, and I
loved when she was at play rehearsal.
The descriptions of her songs and how she became the character were
great, and I could really see Margo shine on the stage. I also loved when she was in her element
writing her own music. You could see the
real Margo so much better at these times, and I really felt her love and
passion for music in these scenes. Had
this same passion come across in her feelings for Oliver, then I would have
been sold on the romance in this book.
Overall, this was a cute read, and I’m glad to have read
it. It was a nice break from the angsty
ya romance novels I tend to gravitate towards, but at the same time, it kind of
made me miss those books. I think many
people will enjoy the carefree tone and the innocent romance, even if I didn’t
really jump for it.