The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

Content Tags: Retelling, Substance Abuse, Death, Manipulation, Violence

Description from Storygraph:
She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world. . . .

When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years--a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes. 



But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity--only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of the Aladdin story from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I was a little hesitant going into this book because retellings, especially with elements such as this story contain, can be a little hit and miss. Overall, I was not disappointed. While there were some similarities to Aladdin (such as the main character who finds the lamp being named Aladdin) there were a lot more unique elements in this book. I enjoyed that the jinni was a woman and that her story was explained more than the genie in the Disney version.

The author included a couple of twists and information drops that I did not see coming as well. I really enjoyed that. All in all, it was a pretty good book and I would read it again.


Book Reflection Wrap-up:
Was the pacing— beginning, middle, and end— done well?
The beginning dragged on a bit with explaining and laying the groundwork. That could've been handled a little bit better so there was more time to focus on the end bits.

How did you feel about the ending? Was it satisfying or did you want more?
I wanted, as stated above, more time to focus on the end bits. The exciting part felt a bit rushed and too short compared to everything else. It was still exciting and interesting, but I wanted more of those parts.

November Book Club Book
Finished 11/24/2023

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