Melanie Dickerson once again proved her unique ability to take a well known fairy tale, rework it and make it into a spiritual take. This go round, she takes on the story of Aladdin. We meet him as a young boy whose mother had just died and he must find a way to support himself as an orphan. He is taken in by a greedy crook who forced Aladdin to steal. Then a kind priest take a him in and shelters him and introduced Aladdin to Christ. I love fairy tales and enjoy how Dickerson puts her special skin on them. Haven't missed a one!

My thanks to the publisher for a copy of This book via Net Galley. The opinion stated here is entirely my own.
2 li

Oh My Goodness! Where has this author been all my life?!?!?!?! Christian Aladdin Retelling!! Just yes!!!!!!

Abu was well written, (and probably ONE of the best  characters in the book). Aladdin (be still my heart!) was so well written that you see how the trauma he endured as a child shaped him to who he was. Kirstyn was amazing as well, you really see so much character growth for both of them. You see how they both respect boundaries while they alone and the fact that love is holding them together. Even though he is promised to someone else but in love with another, the boundaries remain clear.

This book is very clean and a slow burn romance. It didn't feel like anything was forced or rushed. It felt like it came natural. The world building was superbly done. You can almost see, and touch the world they are in as its so vividly written.

I loved how this book grew with them from children all the way up. I feel you get a better sense of who people are and a much better respect for the characters as you see what drives them. I was glued from the into till the last page. A one click read indeed!

5/5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review""

This is the 8th book in Melanie Dickerson's Hagenheim series. If you aren't familiar with this series don't worry, you can easily pick up this book and not be confused. Each book in this series can serve as a standalone novel.

The Orphan's Wish is a loosely based retelling of Aladdin. I say loosely based because Dickerson changes a lot of the events and background of the character Aladdin in this story. If you are looking for a retelling that is extremely accurate to the original tale then this book may night be for you.

Overall:
I enjoyed this story. Basically, this book is more mature version of a fairytale. It has all of the usual components of a fairytale--besides magic-- while also containing more mature content. It’s perfect for older audiences seeking fairytale type stories.

Characters and character growth:
First of all, I love that Dickerson decided to change one aspect of a typical fairytale: the prince rescuing the damsel in distress. When Kirstyn is kidnapped it is neither Aladdin nor her father that rescue her from her captors. Kirstyn saves herself by taking an opportunity to escape. I really loved this aspect of the book! In regards to character growth, Kirstyn grew a lot during her time apart from both Aladdin and her father. Her kidnapping helped her realize how fortunate she is to have her life and family back home. This realization only reinforces Kirstyn's lifelong dream of opening an orphanage, so that all children feel loved and accepted. As the story progresses, Kirstyn also grows to realize that although she may feel neglected, in a family of 8 children, her parents love her just as much as her other siblings.

Aladdin's character, on the other hand, is growing throughout the whole novel. Due to his past (being an orphan), Aladdin wishes to make a great fortune so that others will see him as worthy--worthy enough to ask for Kirstyn's hand in marriage. It takes a while, but by the end of the book Aladdin realizes he was wrong. Kirstyn has never cared about how much money he has, all she has ever wanted from him was himself. It's in this moment that Aladdin stumbles upon the realization that he was always good enough for her in her eyes. He was just too blinded by his insecurities to see it.

My One Complaint:
This story felt a bit slow a couple of times. Towards the end of the book, in particular, I would find myself skipping over several passages so that I could find a more action packed, interesting passage. If you like a slower paced novel then this book is perfect for you. I just felt it lagged too much in certain areas of the book. Other than that, I truly did enjoy this story. I just wasn't a fan of the pacing.

This is a well written book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I found it to be a very sweet coming of age story. Melanie does a great job of taking you on a wonderful journey. This author is a master at character development. Our two main characters meet at a very young age. Aladdin has grown up poor and all alone. He meets Kirstyn, a beautiful young daughter of the duke of Hagenheim, at a birthday party. Lady Rose, Kirstyn's mom, is the patroness of the orphanage where Aladdin lives. Despite the big differences between the two of them, they become best friends who are inseparable. As time goes on and they grow older their feelings start to change toward each other. It happens for Aladdin a little quicker than for Kirstyn who is a few years younger. I love the way Melanie was able to draw hope out of the darkness in this story. She was able to keep me guessing until the end. And then left me wanting more. I would recommend this wonderful story. I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers through NetGalleys. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was touching and this small boy went thru so much. The man that took him from his mother's body taught him how to steal. He tried to steal from a knight and got caught. The priest traveling with the knight decided to take Ala ad din with them. They got to the town of Hegenheim where the priest lived. when the priest died he went to the orphanage where he met Lady Kirstyn. She is the daughter of the duke there and she likes to play with the children. As time goes by they are great friends.
This similar to Alba and the 40 thieves. The are differences but it still a good story.
The characters seem so real, but when they are bad they really are. bad. The plot twists around and makes a story that keeps your attention, it is mesmerizing. I loved the part where the kids play Blind's man Bluff or when they went to the Forest, to enjoy the day.

The Orphan’s Wish
Melanie Dickerson

Dickerson has done it again with a sweet fairytale inspired novel. I am a sucker for fairytales and she did not disappoint. I loved the twist on the Aladdin tale and enjoyed every part of the novel. There was a lot of story packed into this book and I felt like I grew to know that characters more than her previous works. The novel kept me reading, and I didn’t want to put it down needing to know what happened next.

Such a sweet, adventurous novel. A definite must read!

A really wonderful book that touches on realistic struggles and presents well formed characters growing through those struggles. I highly suggest this book! Also, the romance is wonderfully portrayed and, I think, really does show a relationship that can prove to be an uplifting example in this day and age. Thank you Mrs. Dickerson for this little piece of joy!

This absorbing story by Melanie Dickerson is exactly what you would expect it to be: A Christian fairytale with the author’s own imaginative retelling of the story of Aladdin. She sets Aladdin’s tale in Germany, instead of the Middle East, and he interacts with some of the other characters in the Hagenheim realm. It’s a sweet, clean tale of growing up, friendship, love, and hope.

If you want your fairytale to be be “modern” and address specific issues from that viewpoint. then this isn’t the book for you. If you don’t want to read “flowery” phrases, then skip this one. But this is exactly what I hoped it would be: A lovely, captivating fairytale filled with action, suspense, and romance. Aladdin is portrayed as a young man of faith and honor who struggles at times with his own imperfections, but learns from his own mistakes. Aladdin and Kristyn have to go through many struggles on their way to their happily-ever-after. But isn’t that one of the things that makes a good fairytale?

I always enjoy a good fairytale. I loved this book.

I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Orphaned at age five in the Holy Land, Aladdin is found by a master thief and forced to steal from market goers. But when he tries to steal from a knight and gets caught, a priest takes pity on the boy, adopts him, and brings him home to the orphanage in Hagenheim. There he grows up in close proximity to the duke's family, becoming an inseparable friend of the duke's daughter Kristyn. But as they grow older, their friendship cannot help but change....

Unsure whether Kristyn even cares for him in a romantic way, Aladdin leaves Hagenheim to make his way in the world and earn enough wealth to enable him to win her. His accounting skills and quick wits stand him in good stead, and he becomes partner to a merchant in a nearby city. But when news reaches him that Kirstyn has been kidnapped by a mysterious brigand named Michael, Aladdin must try every possible lead to find his one true love.

This book was a unique retelling of the Aladdin story. I must admit, I was expecting it to stay in the Middle East instead of moving immediately to the German-esque town of Hagenheim, but many of the key elements of the Aladdin story were there, including his little friend Abu, a capricious merchant/sultan, and Aladdin's uncanny ability to turn a profit in business endeavors (even without a genie to grant wishes). The plot surrounding Kirstyn's kidnapping had some interesting elements to it, as did the aftermath of her rescue.

I have read a few of the other books in this series, books focusing on Kirstyn's siblings and their fairy tale romances with other characters. This book was, unfortunately, my least favorite of the bunch. A large part of my dislike for this book lay in Aladdin's behavior. His character flaw, which is continually spelled out for the reader, is that he tries to be perfect, but cannot be, and in the end, needs to trust in God's perfection. He is a people-pleaser, never wanting others to be disappointed in him. This gets him into hot water as he practices avoidance instead of facing his duty like a man, and it made him--to my mind--a very unattractive male lead. Although the book described him as tall and handsome, I couldn't help cringing during the romantic parts, because he was so decidedly un-masculine. While it is normal for YA books to be more straightforward in exposition and narrative style, I would have enjoyed a little more subtlety in the narrative and dialogue.

Fans of fairy tale re-tellings may enjoy this book, but if you are new to Melanie Dickerson, I recommend giving one of her other books a try first.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Melanie Dickerson is amazing! Her twist on one of my top favorite fairy-tales, Aladdin, is phenomenal! Granted, it was a bit slow at the start, but once I got passed the first few chapters, it picked right up. I couldn't put it down. The story is an inspiration and refreshing to read. It was just so good.

I enjoyed Melanie Dickerson's new vision of the Aladdin's story in The Orphan's Wish. This eighth installment from the Hagenheim series was wonderful! I love how Aladdin and Kirstyn interacted with one another.
I would give The Orphan’s Wish 4 ½ stars and recommend it. Melanie Dickerson fans will not be disappointed. Great read!

This one just wasn't my jam--a bit too slow on the uptake and too many flashbacks. It just didn't have the "it" factor.

Very nice read. I really enjoyed how much of the relationship we got to see between Kirsten and Aladdin, childhood to epilogue, though I was disappointed there was no Jasmine in the story. I can understand wanting to incorporate it into a previous group of characters but other story's were the beginning of different time periods and setting so why couldn't this one have been? I did like the incorporation of the story of Aladdin and Abu into a new twist though, that is so characteristic of Dickerson. The story had a nice flow and ongoing development of suspense, though the was a dip in the middle where things stretched a bit too unrealistically long. Why had Michael kept her a prisoner so long? It was a long time to have to hide her, feed her and wait out his revenge ...for no apparent reason. Still the story played out uniquely and with enough intrigue and romance I thought a very nice read overall. I really like that Dickersons main character are those of upstanding moral and religious character. I really like reading about characters I would want to aspire to be more like. Imperfect, but striving to be the best they can for the right reasons. Encourages me to do the same. I would recommend it :) ... though not quite as enthusiastically as some of Dickersons other books. I am also reading an ARC and know that it is not the final draft copy to the book, so these are my impressions of the copy I read. Hope you enjoy it too!

Another beautiful accomplishment of a retelling by Melanie Dickerson. I wish there were more authors like her—with the desire to write clean, sweet, inspirational teen fiction with a base in faith. This retelling of Aladdin was quite enjoyable. I loved the slow-blossoming childhood friendship that took these two main characters—Aladdin and Kirstyn—into maturity, and discovering their devotion to each other had grown into that deeply-abiding love. Aladdin can’t help but dream of making his own way, with the desire to be worthy of Kirstyn. But a separation is trying for both these tender, young hearts.

We spend the first several chapters witnessing that childhood friendship in chunks a few years apart, until they are young adults, but we get to revisit moments from that developing friendship in recalled memories—short and sweet, so as not to distract from the main storyline. These memories are what sustains them as the physical miles between them grow. I was anxious to see how they would be reunited!

The timeline in the middle of the book had some gaps and some unexplained moments and jumps that kind of threw me and confused me. Like, why was it taking so long for our one main character to get from point A to point B? I was surprised at how much time had passed and what had happened to explain those missing weeks/months. It could have used more clarity and smooth transition points there.

Through her trials, though, Kirstyn is seen as spunky and brave, and when danger comes calling she rises to face it with determination and faith that God will see her through it all. Aladdin is wise and resourceful, and his love and devotion to Kirstyn sees him through—giving him strength and endurance. His intense desire to be pleasing to those around him while his heart is elsewhere causes some err in his decision making—but he tries so hard to rectify, that there is no doubt what a good young man he is.

I think The Orphan’s Wish is a story worthy of adding to the collection of other books in this series. Each book cover just gets more and more beautiful! Although not a favorite—for which The Healer’s Apprentice and The Princess Spy are the two best in my opinion—it is still a very good story and I would recommend it. This can be read as a stand-alone, as with any of the books in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book for me started slow, but once I got through the first few chapters, I had a VERY hard time putting it down. I read the majority of the book in less than a day! There were a few twists and turns that made my stomach plummet into my toes and I didn't know how the characters would recover. Wonderful story!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Loved it! Ms Dickerson has serious skills wrapping a fictional novel with a fairy tale. Exceptional!!

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists,
and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive
reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this
in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Melanie is skilled at taking a well known story and making it her own, which she has done again in The Orphan's Wish! I also enjoyed the German influences of the story.

This particular book of Melanie's seemed much more loosely based that some of her others, that said, it was a unique twist to the Aladdin story with Christian themes that many young adults can connect with. 

Kirstyn and Aladdin's love story is a cute friendships to more development. I found that as they met when they were both quite young the writing style fit quite well, but as they grew I would have liked to see the writing voice grow with them, it almost felt like they were still too young to be getting married by the end of the book. 

There was one plot point that seemed in-congruent with the rest of the character. The wealthy merchant Herr Kaufmann seems to have made his way in the world and established his wealth quite well before Aladdin, but the flounders without him. It seemed inconsistent with the character she introduced us to, for him to face financial difficulty without Aladdin. His illness addressed this somewhat, but not enough to explain financial ruin. 

The undertones of feeling not good enough, broken or unloved, were woven into the story quite well. There are so many young adults that can connect with those feelings of inadequacy that it's beautiful to see stories that are willing to address such emotional driven topics for youth, and do it well.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have to say from the first beginning where this book had a title, I was excited. I love Melanie Dickerson's work completely. I am a big fan of Aladdin and this retelling was a clever spin on the enchanting tale.

I love how this book is different from her others since most of them involve meeting the two characters for the first time when they are adults while this one starts with our two leads meeting very early on as children.

The characters were very relatable and the story easy to follow. Another winner for this great author.

I highly recommend this for ages 13 and up for some mild (not graphic) violence.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The premise is great and I had high hopes for the book. This review will also contain a lot of quotes from the book, because I think that's the best way to show why I didn't like the story.


The writing is not great. It's amateurish, and littered with cliches; examples include: "Her touch light like a butterfly's wings", "Blood surging through her veins", "His dark eyes captured her", "Aladdin's stomach tied itself into a knot", and "Her soft skin was like silk".
The dialogue is also terrible, and way too on-the-nose. There's no subtext whatsoever, and it's just boring.

The author has white-washed the Aladdin story. In the first chapter we get a glimpse of Aladdin in the Middle East (Iraq I'm guessing? It's never explicit), but then suddenly he's carried off to Germany and the story begins there. I HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM WITH THAT AND WITH WHAT FOLLOWS. The rest of the story takes place in Hagenheim (Germany) and Aladdin's love interest and the heroine of the story is a girl called Kirstyn, who is blue-eyed, Caucasian, and blonde.
Look. Retellings are retellings, and yes authors change stuff. But to take Aladdin to Germany and surround him with white people and have almost every page focus on a blonde white girl? That's not what I wanna read about if I wanna read about Aladdin. The Middle East, Jasmine, and the whole culture there is the essence of Aladdin's story, and I do not wanna read about a white girl in Germany when I should be reading about a brown boy in the Middle East. Moving the brown boy to Germany and filling the pages with his interactions with a blonde Caucasian girl does not remedy that. It's insulting to the original story and characters. It's called white-washing.

The characters are so flat and stereotypical. Kirtsyn is the beautiful, quiet, well-mannered girl who can do no wrong, and Aladdin is the sweet, honourable lad who's loved by everyone (and those who don't love him are obviously the villains). To give you an idea of just how perfect Aladdin is thought to be, here are some passages: '"Aladdin here. He is the wise one. He shall be running my business - and this town! Someday, you watch. Richer than all the swag merchants combined."',
'“Everything you do turns to gold, as if God’s favor follows you wherever you go. You come to Hagenheim as a poor orphan boy from the Holy Land and suddenly you are the talk of everyone at the orphanage. You are the stable master’s favorite, and you even gain the favor of the duke , who puts you to work in the castle as his steward in training. You’re the favorite playmate of the duke’s own daughter, and when you leave to make your fortune, the first man you meet is so impressed with you that he wants to hire you.”' And because Aladdin is a martyr and oh so modest: '“I’m not perfect. But I wish I was.”'
Ugh. It's so annoying.

The romance is awful. It gets worse when the love triangle enters, hence the character of Grethel, and Aladdin's behaviour is appalling as he deals with his feelings for both girls:
'She was pretty, he supposed, but not as beautiful as Kirstyn. Her hair was brown and smooth, her brown eyes and mouth rather small and delicate. He couldn’t help comparing her to Kirstyn’s pale-blonde hair, her full lips, and large blue eyes. Kirstyn was also taller than Grethel.' - 'This was the moment of every day that he should kiss her. After all, they were making plans to be married. But a memory of Kirstyn would always leap into his mind. It was what happened every time he thought about kissing Grethel.' - 'Aladdin had never really loved Grethel. He’d only agreed to marry her because . . . well, he wanted to please his mentor. And it was an attempt to stop his pain over Kirstyn’s death.' - '“Did you promise to marry her?” “Only after I thought you were gone forever."'
Oh how sweet. Not. Can Aladdin jolly well make up his mind and stop treating the girls like dirt? Poor Grethel, I say.

But the worst thing about Aladdin and Kirstyn's relationship is how Kirstyn getting abused by the villain is only used to push her towards Aladdin. The way the abuse is handled is literally the definition of a romanticised plot device. I discussed this topic in yesterday's Romanticised Abuse post, so you can read that in depth on my blog. I won't discuss it now.


The Orphan's Wish is very poorly written and the characters are unrealistic and boring. But the worst thing about the story is how problematic its content is.