New Release Review: The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine

Title: The Wish Granter (Ravenspire #2)

Author: C.J. Redwine
1st Date of Publication: February 14, 2017

ISBN: 9780062360274
# of Pages: 432

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Age Rating: 13+

Buy on Amazon 

Book Description:
An epic, romantic, and action-packed fantasy inspired by the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, about a bastard princess who must take on an evil fae to save her brother’s soul, from C. J. Redwine, the New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow Queen. Perfect for fans of Graceling and the Lunar Chronicles.

The world has turned upside down for Thad and Ari Glavan, the bastard twins of Súndraille’s king. Their mother was murdered. The royal family died mysteriously. And now Thad sits on the throne of a kingdom whose streets are suddenly overrun with violence he can’t stop.

Growing up ignored by the nobility, Ari never wanted to be a proper princess. And when Thad suddenly starts training Ari to take his place, she realizes that her brother’s ascension to the throne wasn’t fate. It was the work of a Wish Granter named Alistair Teague who tricked Thad into wishing away both the safety of his people and his soul in exchange for the crown.

So Ari recruits the help of Thad’s enigmatic new weapons master, Sebastian Vaughn, to teach her how to fight Teague. With secret ties to Teague’s criminal empire, Sebastian might just hold the key to discovering Alistair’s weaknesses, saving Ari’s brother—and herself.

But Teague is ruthless and more than ready to destroy anyone who dares stand in his way—and now he has his sights set on the princess. And if Ari can’t outwit him, she’ll lose Sebastian, her brother…and her soul.

Setting: Fictional world of several kingdoms
Point of View: 3rd person- Arianna Glavan, Sebastian Vaughn, Alistair Teague

Goodreads Rating: 4.11

My Rating: 4.25

 

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both

View on the Cover: It looks like a quilt where there is magic involved through the circular motion as if the wind is blowing it.
View on Title: Who is the Wish Granter? Does he or she truly grant wishes or is there more to it?

Pros:

• This book is a stand-alone despite being in the same world as the previous book.
• I really like that you get to see more of the world that you saw from the first book, The Shadow Queen.
• You get to see the main characters, Lorelai and Kol, from the previous book in a short scene of this book.
• The characters I thought were also very well-developed.
• Princess Arianna is a very bold character and is relentless in what she thinks is right. She never loses her servant attitude even though she literally went from rags to riches, which is the same for her brother, Thadeus.
• Sebastian is a heartthrob and he is good with weapons. He is the perfect hero who struggles with his past and tries not to become what he is predisposed to in his early life.
• Teague is so cutthroat and manipulative. He's basically a mob boss, except that he's the only mob boss in the entire kingdom. He's willing to go at any lengths to gain the ultimate power. His character is how I really see Rumpelstiltskin. 

Cons:

• The only thing I did not particularly like was how rushed the end felt, which I felt the same with The Shadow Queen. I understand that the situation was dire and last minute, but it felt like Sebastian and Ari went from nothing to "we have to do this now."

Critics' Reviews:
“Satisfying fare for fantasy fans.” -Kirkus Reviews
“A welcome feminist revision of the classic fairy tale.” -School Library Journal

C.J. Redwine's Website:
http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/

Other Recommendations:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows
Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan