Book review - Wicked as You Wish

Title: Wicked as You Wish
Author: Rin Chupeco
Genre: fantasy
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Rating:

an impressive feat

Summary (provided by publisher): Many years ago, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left desolate and encased in ice when the evil Snow Queen waged war on the powerful country. Its former citizens are now refugees in a world mostly devoid of magic. Which is why the crown prince and his protectors are stuck in…Arizona.
Prince Alexei, the sole survivor of the Avalon royal family, is in hiding in a town so boring, magic doesn’t even work there. Few know his secret identity, but his friend Tala is one of them. Tala doesn’t mind—she has secrets of her own. Namely, that she’s a spellbreaker, someone who negates magic.
Then hope for their abandoned homeland reignites when a famous creature of legend, and Avalon’s most powerful weapon, the Firebird, appears for the first time in decades. Alex and Tala unite with a ragtag group of new friends to journey back to Avalon for a showdown that will change the world as they know it.

My opinion: The story of the Snow Queen has been increasingly explored in recent years, though is probably one of the more unique takes that I've read. It certainly includes an impressive number of classic tales into the world. Magic combining with technology along with racial and social issues. All of the magic has rules that must be followed; spells that exact costs with few exceptions (and those exceptions seem t o hint more of secrets to be revealed than of genuine rule breaking). There's a vast cast of characters, each with at least a small degree of complexity. It's almost too much, too big and complex. With curses and prophecies all over the place it's easy to lose track of the details. This is not a series to tackle when you're looking to relax, but rather when you have time to mull and absorb and consider.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley